With those birthday intentions in mind, let’s eat cake! I adapted this cake recipe from Dori Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours. I made this cake gluten free, pulled back on the butter, and used maple syrup instead of cane sugar. It comes together very easily, and I love the light flavors of the cake. I topped the cake with a bit of Kahlúa whipped cream because it’s not a birthday party without a bit of alcohol, right?
MASTER MY MISTAKES / COOKING NOTES
Gluten-Free Flour Blend: I blended my own flours for this recipe, but a store-bought blend works well. If you’re not making a gluten-free cake, you can use all-purpose flour instead. I tested two types of blends: (1) oat, sweet rice, and millet flour; and (2) oat, sweet rice, and quinoa flour. I prefer the texture of the cake when I use quinoa flour, but that kind of flour is expensive. Feel free to use millet flour instead.Using 2 vs. 3 Eggs: I tested a version of the cake using three eggs instead of two. The cake was a bit thicker, but I found the texture to be too dense.Adding Almond Extract: Dorie Greenspan suggests adding almond extract to the cake, and I thought that it overpowered the delicate flavors of the lemon zest. It tasted similar to a marzipan cake. If that is your cup of tea, feel free to add 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract to the batter.Adding Fruit: During one of my test batches, I added thinly sliced apples on top. The cake tasted fine, but I wasn’t the biggest fan of how the cake looked. Also, the moisture from the apples made parts of the cake a bit mushy. I left the cake in the oven for a few more minutes to make sure that the batter was fully cooked. I would recommend decorating the cake with fruit instead of baking them right on top of the cake. I made a batch of Karen’s sugared cranberries to give the cake a little pop of color. They’re delicious!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to Dorie Greenspan’s cookbook.
