Soft, gluten-free lemon cake coated with coconut whipped cream and fresh fruit. The perfect dessert to welcome spring!
Spring is my favorite time of the year, apart from fall. I like the season in between when the weather is lighter and I can take out my clothes that have been stored for the past few months. It's almost like having a new wardrobe. Isn't it nice to find clothes that you forgot you have? 😉
Having a cold allergy over the past few days is not pleasant, but the sun is shining and the birdsong somehow makes it a little more bearable. His illness began with my husband who must have taken something from work. He gave it to me and got through the family. Of course, my hubby is really better now, when I sit with a tissue, sneezing every five minutes. Very unfair. Besides that he keeps reminding me that this is what he felt a few days ago ... "yes, that's what I feel," and "look, I'm not exaggerating." I was like, of course, this is how you feel, you're the one who brought illnesses home and infected us all!
Through my frustrating cold, I exerted my energy to bake and I knew exactly how I wanted to celebrate it - with cake, of course! After all, this beautiful season, where everything is blooming and the weather finally warms up a little, is worth celebrating! With a little lemon and fresh fruit, I can't think of another cake that screams spring like this! Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
Lemon-Berry Cake
- 2 cups gluten-free flour
- 1 cup of Blanched Super Fine Almond Flour
- 1 tablespoon of baking powder
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ½ cup soft butter (can use free milk)
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons of selected oil (such as vegetable oil or liquid coconut oil)
- 1 cup honey or maple syrup (or both combos)
- ⅔ cup of almond milk or other selected milk
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- the spirit of 2-3 large lemons, to taste
- Lemon Whipped Cream (recipe below)
- 3-4 cups berry mixture (partially sliced and halved for layers)
- edible flower, optional
Lemon Whipped Cream:
- 16 ounces of plain or cream-free cheese or mascarpone
- 1-2 (14 ounces) of coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk cooled overnight (about 1¾ cup of coconut cream, the liquid was thrown away. Can also use 1 cup of regular whipped cream if not milk free)
- 3-5 tablespoons of honey or other choice sweeteners (more or less according to taste)
- juice and zest of 1 lemon (more or less to taste)
INSTRUCTIONS
Cake:
- This cake produces two 8-inch cakes or three 6-inch cakes. To make an 8-inch 3-layer cake, use a 1½ cake recipe.
- Preheat the oven to 325F. Pan pan and line the base with a circle of parchment paper (cut to fit the base.) Set aside.
- Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add soft butter, eggs, coconut oil, and sweeteners. Begin to shake together with the flour mixture. Gently mix milk, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Rub the bottom of the bowl to make sure all the flowers are inserted evenly.
- Evenly spread the cake mixture into the pan and place it on the middle rack in the preheated oven. Bake for 25-35 minutes OR until the cake is golden brown, the center is set, and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few wet crumbs. The baking time will vary on the pan and thickness of the dough.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool briefly, then run the knife along the edge of the cake (if it sticks to the pan) and turn the cake over to a wire rack to cool completely.
Whipped Cream:
- In a large bowl, start beating cream cheese until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Add sweetener and lemon/skin juice and keep beating until fluffy. Add cold and hardened coconut cream, then shake until high and fluffy, a few more minutes. Taste and adjust the sweetener or lemon flavor. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- If using regular whipped cream, whisk the whipped cream separately until fluffy (about 3-4 minutes) then fold it into a cream cheese mixture.
Put it together:
- Place one of the fully cold cakes on your cake plate. Sprinkle with ⅓ or ½ whipped cream (depending on how many cakes you have) and about 1 cup of sliced berries.
- Top with every other layer of cake and repeat the procedure.
- In the end, top the cake with the remaining whipped cream and a stack of whole fruit and half. Garnish with edible flowers and a little sugar powder dust (optional).
- Serve immediately and store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- * If you need to replace almond flour, use the cake in this recipe. Just add the lemon rind from this recipe to maintain the lemon flavor.
This recipe is inspired by wifemamafoodie
