This cake is dense, moist and all kinds of fun. It could be used as a delicious coffee cake, a simple high tea cake with coconut whipped cream or a decadent birthday cake with a date frosting.
Swirling in jam or jelly adds a great dimension. I made this with a store-bought fig jam and I also created a homemade berry syrup-like jam using blueberries and raspberries. Both were super delicious. I think strawberries would be really lovely in the spring.
Lemon Berry Cake
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
2 tbls applesauce
1 egg
6 tbls sugar
1 tbl coconut or brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup coconut milk (full fat-canned version)
2 tbls lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest
1 1/4 cup flour (1 to 1 gluten free flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup berry jam puree (use a jarred jam/jelly or make my Easy Homemade Berry Sauce version)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use a little coconut oil to grease the inside of the cake pan (see notes below); line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Cream together the melted coconut oil, applesauce, egg, sugar, vanilla, coconut milk, lemon and lemon juice until well combined and creamy. The mixture may feel a little runny at this stage.
Add the flour and mix together. Spoon the jam into the dough and stir a time or two to create swirls. Spoon into the prepared pan and bake for 30 -35 minutes. The cake will feel ‘set’ to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool for at least 5 minutes.
- NOTES:
- Cake pan size should be a 6″ cake pan, or use 3 to 4 – 3″ pans for little cakes that will be quite tall. If you want to use an 8″ cake pan, I would recommend doubling.
- Try topping with a little extra jam and luscious Coconut Whipped Cream or Spiced Date Icing.
- Not all gluten free flours are the same; I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 flour.
- Store in the refrigerator.