Hello Everyone!

I hope you’ve all been having a lovely week so far. Commitments with work have been keeping me quite busy, thus why I haven’t been posting as often, unfortunately. During hectic times like these maintaining a healthy routine can be especially challenging. However, it’s also times such as these when eating well and making healthy choices becomes most critical in staying balanced both mentally and physically.

I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before, but when I start to feel a little stressed I tend to crave a sweet treat, but I know all that extra sugar and processed stuff isn’t good for me and will only serve to exacerbate my stress levels. Luckily, this is perfect motivation for me to have a little fun and try to develop healthier dessert alternatives that I’ll still be able to enjoy.

One of my favourite desserts is my moms “upside-down cake”. It can be made with almost any fruit you like, however my personal favourite is strawberry-rhubarb. I remember as a kid I’d get so excited and look so forward to occasions when my mom would make this cake. The original recipe is of course your traditional dessert situation – that is, loaded with butter, sugar, and refined white flour. Don’t get me wrong, it’s delicious as all-get-out, but obviously not especially healthy.

So, while doing some work last night I found myself really craving this delicious upside-down cake, and I thought to myself: “self, can you make this delicious treat into a healthier more nutritious version?” Turns out I can! See…

By following my moms original recipe and subbing in coconut oil for the butter, maple syrup for sugar, coconut and brown rice flour for regular flour, and coconut milk for regular milk, I was able to come up with a recipe for my favourite cake that is a significantly healthier version than the original, as well as being gluten and dairy free!

I seriously debated sharing this one with you, I guess because the little girl in me wanted to selfishly hoard my moms delicious upside-down cake recipe all to myself haha. Fortunately, the adult Julie reasoned that it would be quite inconsiderate to withhold such a delectable and reasonably healthy dessert recipe from you.

And so, I will now share with you my healthy version of my moms upside-down cake! I’ve provided measurements for both a small serving (6 x 2 inch round) for about 2 people, and a full sized (13 x 9 x 2 inch) cake. This recipe works great too with apples, peaches, blueberries, or raspberries. I meant to take a photo of it looking all pretty in it’s dish after it came out of the oven, but it looked so yummy that I started eating it and forgot, so these photos of it already on the plate will have to do heh.

For the small (6 x 2 inch) cake…

Ingredients:

For the Bottom…

• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp real maple syrup, room temperature
• 3/4 cup strawberries & rhubarb (fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice

For the Top…

• 2 Tbsp coconut oil, softened
• 3 Tbsp real maple syrup, room temperature
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 tsp real vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp coconut flour
• 3 Tbsp brown rice flour (gluten free)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 Tbsp coconut milk

Method:

• Oven at 350*F
• Bottom: whisk coconut oil and maple syrup together, then spread over bottom of baking dish. Arrange fruit on top and sprinkle over with lemon juice. Set aside.
• Top: in a bowl, whisk together coconut oil and maple syrup until a smooth paste forms. Add in egg and vanilla, mix well until combined.
• In a separate bowl, combine flours, cinnamon, and baking powder. Add to the wet mixture, whisking to combine.
• Add coconut milk 1 Tbsp at a time, mixing it in gently. If the batter is a little too thick and sticky, add a bit more milk. It should be a thick, smooth texture when finished.
• Pour the cake mixture over top of the fruit. Bake for approximately 40 to 50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
• Allow to cool in baking dish for about 15 minutes before serving.
• To serve, top with more fruit, nuts, or whatever else you like, or enjoy as is! 🙂

For a full (13 x 9 x 2 inch) cake…

Ingredients:

For the bottom…

• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup real maple syrup, room temperature
• 2 cups strawberries & rhubarb (or fruit of choice, fresh or frozen)
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

For the top…

• 1/2 cup coconut oil, softened
• 1/2 cup real maple syrup, room temperature
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup coconut milk

Method: same as described above. Cooking time may be slightly longer.

I hope you’ll love this lightened up version of my mom’s delicious Upside-Down cake as much as I do! 🙂

Wishing you health and happiness,

xo Julie