I am not even sure how this cake came to be. How’s that for an opening line? Hubby spent the weekend away indulging his passion for fighter jets, and we went camping with friends. Just for one night. About 5 minutes from home. Totally awesome! Whoever came up with the idea to camp 5 minutes from home was a genius! It was the most relaxed camping trip I’ve ever been a part of. The kids completely ran themselves ragged, while we watched on and drank tea. The weather was perfect, and with only two meals to organise, it was a breeze.
Spag bog and pancakes. Too easy! It was so peaceful. There were tall gums, a dry creek, a playground, a swimming pool, lots of green grass, sprinklers for the kids to run through, dirt tracks for them to ride on. There was a cute camp kitchen complete with microwave, stove, fridge and coffee machine! There was even a lounge and TV for guests to use (we didn’t). Not really having done a lot of camping before, and being the helpless female that I am, I didn’t know how to set up or pack up our tent. But I taught myself. Gotta be happy with that.
Also, really happy about this cake. We had brownies while camping, but this cake? It’s so wholesome it’s totally going to be breakfast. Made with grain-free flours, fresh summer fruits and zero refined sugar, it’s practically a health food! I had been meaning to adapt my paleo muffin master mix, but have become averse to using expensive ingredients when testing a recipe. I had the flours in the pantry, and there were ripe peaches going very cheap at the grocery store. There you have it – cake and camping – it was a very good weekend.
Peach, Ginger and Strawberry Crumble Cake {GF, vegan}
The most wholesome of cakes made with grain-free flours and fresh summer fruits.
Ingredients
170 g (1 cup) buckwheat
100 g (1 cup) almond flour
85 g (½ cup) potato starch
1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum (optional)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon flax seed meal
3 tablespoons water
½ cup sunflower oil
½ cup maple syrup or other liquid sweetener, to taste
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
Add-ins
2 yellow peaches, diced (approx. 1 ½ cups)
¾ cup chopped strawberries, divided
Streusel
2 tablespoons coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
30g finely chopped pecans or walnuts
45g (2 tablespoons) vegan butter (Nuttelex)
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease and line a square 23 cm square (9×9-inch) cake tin with non-stick baking paper.
To make the flax egg, measure 1 level tablespoon flax seed meal into a small bowl. Add in 3 tablespoons water, and whisk until smooth and beginning to thicken. Set aside.
Sift the flours, baking powder, spices, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Reserve ½ cup for streusel and set aside. Gently fold in chopped peaches and ½ cup strawberries until they are coated in flour. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flax egg, oil, sweetener of choice, applesauce, vanilla and vinegar. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir just until flour streaks are no longer visible. Do not over mix.
To make streusel, combine reserved flour with other ingredients in a bowl, mixing with fingertips until crumbly but also holding together a little in clumps.
Scrape batter into prepared tin. Top with 2/3 streusel, sprinkle with reserved ¼ cup chopped strawberries and finish with remaining streusel, pressing down lightly with fingers. Place on middle rack of oven, and bake for 45 minutes until golden brown.
Allow cake to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Adapted from my Best-Ever Nut-free Muffin Master Mix and 101 Cookbooks