Gluten Free/Vegan Lemon & Rosemary Olive Oil Cake.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Arrowroot Flour
• 1 cup Sorghum Flour
• 1/2 cup Rice Flour (Or try using Millet Flour)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Fresh Finely Chopped Rosemary (Dried will also work if you don't have fresh)
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 1/2 cups Sugar
• 4 1/2 tablespoons Dry Ener-G Egg replacer
• 1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum (Or Guar Gum)
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil
• 3/4 cup Non Dairy Milk ( I used unsweetened Almond Milk)
• 1/4 cup Lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 teaspoon Lemon Extract
• 9 tablespoons Organic Applesauce

Lemon Glaze

• Powdered Sugar
• Water
• zest of 1 lemon

Directions

This Mediterranean Inspired Cake is just the right amount of sweet- while the Olive Oil and Rosemary create a slightly evergreen flavor. I was hesitant to try  this recipe as I found the idea of  fresh rosemary  in a cake to be an odd addition and imagined that it might overpower the flavor. But- my curiosity overcame the hesitation and I was extremely pleased  with my delicious result.  One of the GREAT perks of baking with gluten free flours- is that you can select healthier Protein & Fiber packed flours and get results that are just as good as using white refined gluten containing flour.  If I was not Gluten Free- and wanted to give a cake a healthy boost the only option that I might have would be to use whole wheat flour. (though I say this generally as I have never worked with spelt or kamut- so I cannot speak to their use). But I can say that using whole wheat would make this cake particularly heavy and it would lose its delicate flavor.  So what I’m suggesting here is that even if you don’t follow a gluten free lifestyle-try experimenting with some of the awesome flours that are available. You could begin to pack in nutrients that you normally might not find in a classy dessert such as this one! If you really want to go the healthy route try using unrefined natural sugar- When I made this cake I used half regular white sugar and half Xylitol. (I would have used all xylitol but ran out)

Many gluten free cakes and breads as you may know don’t always rise as much as one might like AND  they pose more risk of falling when you pull them out of the oven. I was pleasantly surprised when I pulled this beautiful and delicious smelling cake out – it held its gorgeous risen form. I topped the cake with a simple Lemon glaze. This cake can be frozen- or left out for up to a week- though keep it covered as it will begin to dry out.

This cake can be Corn Free if you use Guar Gum in equal amounts in place of the Xanthan Gum. It can also be Rice Free if you Use Millet Flour in place of the Rice also in equal amount.

1. Preheat oven to 450 Degrees. Oil and Flour your cake pan of choice. ( I used a Bundt  pan) You Can Flour the pan using Rice, Sorghum or Millet Flour.
2. In a Large Bowl (or in the bowl of a Stand Mixer) Combine all the dry ingredients: Arrowroot, Sorghum, Rice Flour, Finely Chopped Rosemary, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Salt, Sugar, Egg Replacer and Xanthan Gum.
3. Mix in the wet ingredients: Olive Oil, Non-Dairy Milk, Lemon Juice, Lemon and Vanilla Extract, and Applesauce.
4. Pour the batter into floured cake pan and bake for 45 minutes (Stick a toothpick in and test for doneness- depending on the cake pan you use you may be able to pull the cake out earlier)
5. Make the Glaze- Combine Powdered Sugar, A little bit of water and the zest of 1 lemon. I am not giving exact proportions here as people prefer different thicknesses (and this is easy! Youll be able to figure this out I like my glaze pretty thin and runny.)
6. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake and serve!

*A Friend of mine recently made this cake- and omitted the Applesauce and used a Cup of Soy Yogurt Instead (You could use any other type of nondairy- or dairy yogurt as well)  She said the cake turned out fantastic and that she only needed to cook it for about 35 minutes! If you love your cake extra moist- this may be worth a try. Either way the cake will turn out great!