I’m not sure what this says about my patriotism, but I was originally inspired to make a red white and blue dessert for the Women’s World Cup finals this Sunday… then I realized it’s also the Fourth. I guess I’ll just say that was perfect timing.
While creating this dessert, I realized that I was probably not alone in thinking that spending hours slaving away in the kitchen on the Fourth is NOT what I wanted to be doing. Two hours, tops!
Well this cake will let you do just that. It’s actually quite simple, and can be made in single, large bowl. It’s slightly denser than a typical vanilla cake, but equally delicious.
NOTE: I’d wait until the cake is out of the oven before making the frosting, since you want to put the frosting on right away! Don’t make the rookie mistake I did the first time, where I made the frosting and put it in the fridge, and then tried to use it later- it will harden and be impossible to spread.
Vanilla Cake
Adapted from my Toasted Honey Morning Squares
- 5 cups almond flour
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup honey + 4 droppers stevia (or 1 cup honey), melted
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
- 8 eggs, beaten–the more you beat them, the fluffier the cake will be.
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 carton each of strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries (for topping)
Preheat oven to 350. Add almond flour, baking soda, and sea salt to a large mixing bowl. Lightly stir to combine. Add in honey, coconut oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth and well combined. Pour into 2 8” baking pans (square or circular). Bake until a toothpick comes clean, and the top is about to turn golden, about 20 minutes. Check at around 15 just to be sure!
Vanilla Frosting
Adapted from Real Food R&N
A couple of notes about this frosting. First: butter vs. palm shortening. The original recipe called for palm shortening… after spending the majority of my morning running to different grocery stores, all while knowing I’d probably only find it in Whole Foods, I decided that other people would probably run into this same problem. This led me to use grass-fed butter instead! If you really want to steer away from butter, use palm shortening. Otherwise, just go for butter. Same goes for cornstarch vs. arrowroot- if you want to go truly paleo, use arrowroot powder instead (healthier, but less common, more expensive, and a bit harder to find).
- 1 cup grass-fed butter (or palm shortening), slightly softened and cut into 1/4” cubes
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons coconut flour
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
Place butter, honey, vanilla extract, coconut flour, cornstarch, and sea salt in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until the butter is completely dissolved into the mixture, and it is smooth and creamy. Pause, add in coconut oil, and then mix again.
Okay, now the assembly. I really wish I had better pictures for this, but I wanted to get the post out in time. So instead, learn from my mistakes! Start frosting as soon as the cakes have cooled. For the bottom cake, add a layer of frosting, and then a thin layer of sliced strawberries. It’s important this is thin, so the two cakes are easily connected.
Place the second cake on top. Frost the top, and then the sides. Then place berries in design of your choice- this is the most fun part! I personally think the American Flag is the best option, but here’s another I tried as well.
