Plum Strawberry Cake

The end of summer is that time of year where plums are at their peek and strawberries are still bountiful. This cake is the perfect solution for any of these beauties sitting in your fridge that perhaps are starting to lose their prime… it happens to the best of us!

I love baking. Prior to my fertility journal many years ago and before I started to dive into the world of nutrition and clean up my diet, I was a big baker. C&H sugar and white pastry flour galore. I spent many hours learning from the best… Martha, Lydia and Julia and creating amazing delectables in the kitchen.

Let's be honest, gluten free baking is tricky and not as good as the real deal. What I have found to be true, that while yes, there are some amazing and delicious gluten free recipes to be found, the best and most satisfying are the recipes that are naturally gluten free. The mouth feel is perfect and they don't leave you feeling deprived.

In this spirit, I am excited to share with you this delectable recipe by Franny Singer, that is naturally gluten and dairy free and perfectly celebrates these last days of summer.

Ingredients:
½ cup organic unrefined cane sugar, plus 2 tablespoons to sprinkle over the cake
½ cup pure maple sugar
4 large eggs
½ cup coconut butter, warmed and stirred (it should be liquid not solid)
½ cup good quality (but not too strong) extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chickpea flour
½ cup super-fine almond flour
½ cup stoneground medium grind cornmeal
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 organic orange, zest only
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil to grease the pan
1 ½ cup hulled strawberries, sliced in halves or quarters, depending on size
1 ½ - 2 large plums or pluots, sliced into 1/4-inch thick crescents

Method:

Heat the oven to 350°F

Prepare a 9-inch springform pan: If you want to be absolutely sure that the cake won’t stick, use a parchment paper disk to line the bottom of the pan before oiling it. Oil the pan with the vegetable oil making sure it is evenly coated.

Using a stand mixer, a handheld beater, or a patient arm and a whisk, cream the eggs and sugars until thick and pale and tripled in volume, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and the zest of the orange and beat to incorporate.

Mix together the chickpea and almond flours, cornmeal, salt, baking soda and baking powder, making sure there are no lumps.

Mix together the liquid coconut butter and olive oil.

Using a rubber spatula, quickly fold the flour mixture into the egg and sugar mixture, followed by the butter-oil mixture. Add the strawberries to the batter and thoroughly stir before tipping it into the prepared pan. Thump the pan on the counter to settle the batter, then arrange the plum slices over top in a radial pattern. Sprinkle the top with the 2 tablespoons of cane sugar and bake the cake until the top feels dry to the touch and springs back when lightly pressed, and a skewer or knife inserted into the center comes out dry, between 35-45 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave in the pan to cool. Run a knife around the sides of the pan before loosening the springform and transferring cake to a serving platter.