My Stepmom's Grain Free Eleison Almond Cake

As many of you know I can’t handle sugar, cake or even Paleo treats, but when I was at home over Christmas my Stepmom adapted her Eleison cake to be gluten and grain free. She has made a version of this grain free eleison almond cake for years and it is a favorite for everyone in our family. I was proud of her for adapting the recipe to her gluten free lifestyle. Everyone at the dinner was thrilled with the cake and no one missed a beat. I don’t think they even knew the difference.

I didn’t try since it I knew I would probably run to a closet hide and alone licking the pan. I mainlined decaf coffee with coconut cream to get through the awkwardness. It worked quite well I might add and then in a few minutes the horror of not eating cake was over. All was right in the world when I covered this grain free eleison almond cake up with foil and put it out of sight. My dad said this grain free eleison almond cake was the best Paleo cake he ever had (and he is definitely a cake expert).

My Stepmom’s grain free eleison almond cake recipe does call for organic sugar which is better than regular sugar in that it is not genetically modified from corn or beets. In my view all sugar is really the same as far as it’s effects on the body so whether it is white, brown, honey or maple it seems to have a similar impact. My vote is to keep sweet treats to special occasions if you can handle that and just refrain if you can’t stop with one reasonable piece. If you do eat sweets always pair them with lots of fat or protein to blunt the blood sugar spike.

But over the holiday season something has to be said for updating and improving old habits especially when is comes to how much emotion is tied up in keeping traditions alive. My Stepmom loves to make recipes from both of her grandmothers and I was so proud of her when she was able to recalibrate this year. By adjusting this cake recipe she can stay gluten and mostly grain free to keep her arthritis symptoms away. You can read more of her story here.

My Stepmom’s grain free eleison almond cake may not be perfectly Paleo but it is a heck of a lot better than what you find in the stores so if you are going to eat cake try a healthier version like the one below. This grain free eleison almond cake used to have several cups of white all purpose flour so it has been upgraded and now includes a lot of dense real food with healing benefits.

My Stepmom’s Grain Free Eleison Almond Cake

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups Blanched Almond Meal Flour

1/2 cup Organic Tapioca starch/flour

1.5 cups of softened ghee or butter

2 heaping tsp corn-free baking powder

6 soy free eggs

1 1/4 cups organic sugar or organic coconut sugar

Or Low carb sweetener

1 cup finely chopped almonds (not almond flour)

2 tsp of Organic Pure Vanilla Extract

Melted Stone Ground Organic Chocolate 80% Dark(optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Beat the ghee/butter and sugar until it is fluffy in a large mixing bowl.
Add the 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 6 whole eggs, then beat it all together.
Mix the the dry ingredients into another bowl.
Then slowly add it into the wet ingredients.
Grease 9×12 oblong baking dish with coconut oil.
Pour the mixture into the pan and bake for an hour and half.
Stick a fork in the middle and see if it comes out clean.
Cut it into squares once cooled then serve with whipped cream
For a Dairy Free version: whip coconut cream like they did here.

You can top it with some melted chocolate if desired. Just use a double boiler and melt some Stone Ground Organic Chocolate 80% Dark over medium heat then drizzel it on top with a spoon.

Are you looking for more grain free indulgences?

My Paleo friend Carol at Ditch the Wheat has been has been working on an e-book with over 70 grain free desserts. The photography is amazing and all the ingredients are made with whole foods.

Use the code HOLIDAYDTW for a special introductory 20% off price.

Click here to view more details