Here is a zesty bite of baking fun to brighten up your Wednesday morning. Shop-bought cakes are often full of sugar, refined carbohydrates and little fibre which can wreak havoc with your blood sugar, leaving you feeling hungry and low energy. The sweetness in this lemon and poppyseed cake comes from dates and courgette – no added sugars here!
The clever secret about this cake is that it contains at least 5 different plants! Woohoo – loving all those phytonutrients and gut bug fodder, fibrous goodness. Plus, it contains 4 eggs which are a super vitamin and protein boost – hello sustained energy all morning long.
I created this as a breakfast cake in an attempt to get my little ones away from the current yoghurt addiction and to pack in some veggies early on in the day. It went down a storm served warm with melted butter. WIN. For an extra hit of protein, try topping with a nut or seed spread like almond butter. Mmmm.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- It’s gluten-free and suitable for the whole family.
- It’s bursting with phytonutrients!
- It makes a speedy and delicious snack any time of the day.
Can I freeze the cake once baked?
Absolutely! If you cut into slices once cooled, you can freeze in portions and just defrost as and when you need it.
I’m all out of courgettes, is there anything I could replace them with?
The courgettes add sweetness and moisture to the cake. A good replacement would be grated carrots or apple (if using apple, you may want to reduce the number of dates/sugar).
I’m vegan, can I still eat this?
The only non-vegan ingredient is the eggs, which help the mixture to bind. I’ve not tried it without but you could try swapping those for a vegan egg replacement (like apple sauce or mashed banana) – I’d love to hear how it turns out!
All you need:
- 300g Gluten Free (or regular) self-raising flour
- 50g ground almonds
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds
- 2 tbsp milled flaxseeds (I used yumandyay)
- 1tsp baking soda
- 5 softened and blended dates (or 2 tbsp coconut sugar)
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 4 eggs
- 2 medium courgettes finely grated
- Zest of 2 lemons
- Juice of one lemon
All you do:
- Preheat oven to 180C
- Combine all dry ingredients with the lemon zest.
- Mix the wet ingredients and start to stir into the dry ingredients.
- Continue to stir until it makes a smooth batter (cake mix).
- Pour the cake mix into a lined baking tin and bake for 25-30 minutes
If you enjoyed this recipe, upload a photo and don’t forget to tag me in your creations on Facebook and Instagram @wellnourishedclub
Looking for more sweet bakes?
Why not try our paleo cookies?
