Natural Strawberry Shortcakes made with Alternative Sweetners and Almond Flour

One of my favorite natural cooking sites is run by a woman whose child has a gluten allergy. She shares wonderful recipes for those who want to go gluten-free, lactose-free, dairy-free and vegetarian.  This recipe is great for those looking to avoid traditional sugar and wheat flour or those just aiming for a more balanced diet with a little dessert variety. This delicious all natural homemade strawberry shortcake uses fresh strawberry, agave nectar, maple syrup, coconut oil and almond flour. The almond flour yellow cake is especially great for those with a gluten sensitivity and those suffering from low iron.

Gluten-Free Yellow Cake and Cupcakes (using almond flour)

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup of honey (or other sweetener)
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
• 1/3 cup of coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of blanched almond flour

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 325°F/165°C.
2. Prepare an 8-inch round cake pan by rubbing oiling on the inside, and then trace and cut out a circular piece of parchment paper the size of the baking pan. Place it on the bottom of the pan. This allows you to remove the cake from the pan without it sticking. To yield the circle size I need, I place the cake pan on a piece of parchment paper and trace a circle around the pan.
3. Combine all the wet ingredients in a bowl and blend with a fork or whisk.
4. Add the dry ingredients and blend with a fork or whisk.
5. Pour the batter into the baking pan and shuffle it a bit to even it out.
6. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the center is not wiggly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Cool the cake and gently run a knife along the outer edge of the cake to make it easy to remove.

Makes one layer cake or about 6 cupcakes

Whipped Cream

• 1 pint of organic valley heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons of maple syrup (or other sweetener like honey); adjust to taste
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

Add the ingredients to a bowl and whip the cream for a few minutes, or until it starts to form soft peaks. You can refrigerate it for several days.

Strawberries

You can either use fresh cut strawberries as is or sweeten them by tossing them with agave nectar or coconut sugar (made from dried coconut nectar).