Strawberry Breakfast Cake
HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY BREAKFAST CAKE
You Will Need:
- 3 cups fine-ground almond flour (no substitutions)
- 1/4 cup vanilla or plain protein powder (optional)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons coconut oil, melted (or butter, softened)
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar (sub Swerve granular for low carb/keto)
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract (optional, but lemon enhances the strawberry flavor)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2/3 cup water (or almond milk)
- 1 cup chopped strawberries
- Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease an 8x8-inch pan with coconut oil or cooking spray OR line it with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, protein powder (if using, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the coconut oil (or butter), applesauce, and sugar (or sweetener) until well combined. Beat in the eggs, lemon extract, and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir in water; beat until combined. Gently fold in strawberries. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Dot with extra chopped strawberries, if desired.
- Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
To be completely honest, this recipe was a letdown for me. From the beginning, I knew it wasn't going to turn out how I initially expected when I first discovered the recipe and saw the picture. First off, just from reading the recipe, I knew it wasn't going to be super sweet. The picture of it on the creator's Instagram looked like a strawberry shortcake bar, but I knew better than to expect that sweetness from the ingredients list. Off the bat, the recipe doesn't look that set in stone to me. Multiple things say "if desired" or "optional," meaning that there's many ways this can turn out. I used softened butter and cooking spray instead of coconut oil, just because I've never been a fan of it. I also opted to use vanilla protein powder to add extra sweetness. Upon opening the coconut sugar, I didn't love the smell. It was very strong and not in a good way. I also discovered that the coconut sugar I used must have been a lot darker than the creator's coconut sugar, since mine turned out almost a light brown color instead of light and white like the picture I had seen on Instagram. Mine took close to 35 minutes to cook completely and once it was done, it cut very nicely with clean lines. The taste, to be brutally honest, was not good at all. Again, I wasn't expecting a sweet taste, but the taste was just not good. I can't really describe what was wrong with it, so I made three of my sisters, my best friend, and my boyfriend try it to see what they thought. All five of them spit it out. The coconut sugar and the lemon extract were the only things I tasted and they were both overpowering any strawberry taste that was there. The original recipe describes the texture as "half parts shortcake, half parts pound cake," but I didn't find it to be either of those. I followed the recipe word for word, but mine came out more like wet, soggy bread. I really wanted to like this recipe but I just couldn't. Even with the mindset that this was on a healthier side and wouldn't taste like dessert, I still wasn't a fan. I would give this recipe a 2/10. The two points are for the ease of the recipe and because it didn't that long to bake. This recipe was neither light, nor sweet, and I unfortunately would not recommend it to any of you because I don't think it was worth the time. As always, please let me know if you try out this recipe and what you think!
Original recipe: @sara.haven on Instagram
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