Cinnamon & Pecan Tea Cake

Cinnamon & Pecan Tea Cake

  • Serves: 8 - 10
  • Prep Time: 00:15
  • Cooking Time: 00:35
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This is a moist almond-vanilla tea cake that's sprinkled with a cinnamon and pecan strudel-like topping. It's the perfect cake to serve to guests for morning or afternoon tea. Serve with a dollop of vanilla coconut yoghurt or whipped cashew cream (recipe HERE). You can throw this tea cake together in minutes with its short list of ingredients and by whipping it up in a food processor.

Ingredients

* Please click on the green icon next to the ingredients listed below for extra details and helpful information.

  • 2 1/2 cups almond meal/flour, (from blanched amonds)
  • 1/4 cup arrowroot flour, or tapioca
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda (bicarb)
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 cup (60gm) soft ghee, or melted grass-fed butter
  • 1/2 cup honey (unprocessed)
  • 3 lge egg(s)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (organic)
  • TOPPING:
  • 1/4 cup (60gm) ghee, melted
  • 3 Tbsp coconut sugar (organic)
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 Tbsp cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 160c (fan-forced). Line the base of a 23cm (9in) springform cake tin with baking paper. Place your sheet of paper over the base and clip the sides closed, leaving a little hanging out for easy removal. Grease the sides with ghee or olive oil.

Add the almond meal, arrowroot, baking soda and salt to a food processor. Process for 8 - 10 seconds to combine well.

Add the soft ghee, honey, eggs and vanilla and process for approximately 10 - 12 seconds or until you reach a smooth and creamy batter.

Scoop into the prepared tin and spread the batter out evenly with a spatula.

To Make the Topping: Combine the melted ghee, coconut sugar, pecans and cinnamon in a small bowl. Crumble the topping mixture over the cake batter.

Bake for approximately 33 - 35 minutes or until the top is set. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the inside of the tin and gently remove the springform side. Allow the cake to finish cooling on the base, then gently peel off the paper while supporting the bottom of the cake with your hands. Place on your serving plate.

Serve slightly warm or at room temperature with vanilla coconut yoghurt or cashew whipped cream (RECIPE HERE).

Suitable to freeze.

almond meal/flour

The most favoured gluten/grain free flour substitute in my kitchen is almond meal. It is finely ground blanched almonds and is also known as almond flour. It has a slightly sweet flavour so you don’t have to add as much sweetener when baking with it. Almond meal/flour is rich in manganese which helps the body heal after injuries and also helps the body break down carbohydrates. Almond flour is also rich in magnesium, which can help control your blood sugar levels. It's rich in vitamin E and other antioxidants, which may help reduce the risk of serious health conditions like cancer, diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. Almonds are also a good source of calcium.

All kinds of nuts can be ground down to make a meal and are excellent for raw cheesecake or pie bases. Nut meals/flours are best stored in airtight containers in the fridge or freezer to prevent them going rancid.

arrowroot flour

Arrowroot is a herb, the roots are cultivated for its starch properties. It is used in my recipes as a thickener and I also like combining it with almond meal to produce a much lighter texture, more like a gluten flour. I find the starch helps to bind the ingredients together. You can substitute tapioca flour, which is made from the dried roots of the cassava plant. Tapioca can be used in baking, it has a slightly sweet flavour. However, I do not recommend thickening with tapioca, as it has a stretchy, gummy texture. Supermarkets only sell in very small containers, which is not cost effective. Purchase from baking specialty stores, health food stores or online. ( When substituting for cornflour in recipes, 2 teaspoons arrowroot = 1 tablespoon cornflour/starch).

baking soda (bicarb)

Also known as Bicarbonate of Soda or Sodium Bicarbonate and is used as a rising agent in baking, it contains no gluten or grains. I use Bob's Red Mill baking soda as I find it rises better than other brands I've tried.

sea salt

Organic unbleached, unrefined organic Celtic sea salt or pink Himalayan salt is my salt of choice as these contain healthy minerals and trace elements that our body needs. Regular table salt has been bleached, refined and processed leaving minimal health benefits. If you choose to use regular table salt in my recipes you will need to reduce the quantity or the end result will be to salty.

ghee

Ghee is a lactose-free ancient superfood. It is made by slow cooking and clarifying butter to remove the milk solids and lactose, it's pure butter fat. You can get the flavour of butter in your cooking without the dairy (please don't consume if you have an allergy to ghee). My favourite brands are Organic Valley Purity Farms or Puresoul grass-fed. It is also very easy to make yourself. Ghee has a high smoke point 485F/250C.

honey (unprocessed)

Use unrefined or raw honey. It is the most common natural sweetener in my recipes. It's best to buy local unprocessed honey as it has wonderful health benefits and can help with allergies. Generally honey sold in supermarkets has been processed. Honey possesses antiseptic and antibacterial properties.

egg(s)

I have used large free range or organic eggs from a 700g carton in my recipes. Eggs are one of the few foods considered to be a complete protein because they contain all 9 essential amino acids, also studies have shown that lutein (yellow colour) in egg yolks protects against the progress of early heart disease.

vanilla extract (organic)

Use an organic vanilla extract (not an essence) or vanilla powder. Vanilla makes a big difference to the flavour of a recipe, I recommend keeping to the quantities I have stated in a recipe. I prefer Madagascar pure vanilla extract manufactured by ‘Simply Organic’ and for powder, Vanillamax 100% pure, finely ground Madagascar vanilla beans produced by Bulletproof.

ghee

Ghee is a lactose-free ancient superfood. It is made by slow cooking and clarifying butter to remove the milk solids and lactose, it's pure butter fat. You can get the flavour of butter in your cooking without the dairy (please don't consume if you have an allergy to ghee). My favourite brands are Organic Valley Purity Farms or Puresoul grass-fed. It is also very easy to make yourself. Ghee has a high smoke point 485F/250C.

coconut sugar (organic)

Coconut sugar is produced from the sap of the flower bud of the coconut palm tree and is a natural food sweetener. I use it when a dry sweetener is required. It has the benefit of a low glycemic index (low GI 35 compared to sugar at 68) and nutritional content. Use in baked goods as an occasional treat but don't overindulge. For a finer texture, add your coconut sugar to the small bowl of a food processor or blender and blend for 8 seconds or until it reaches a fine powder. The colour will lighten once ground.

pecans

Pecans are a rich source of dietary fibre, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and thiamin. Nuts are a great protein snack. Eat them raw or activated and it's best to avoid store bought roasted nuts that have been cooked in canola, sunflower or similar vegetable oils.

cinnamon

I am sure you will notice as you read my recipes that cinnamon appears quite frequently. It lends itself to savoury and sweet dishes. I have used ground cinnamon in my recipes if not stated otherwise. The best cinnamon to use is Ceylon (Verum). It has huge health benefits in regulating blood sugar levels. Cinnamon has antifungal properties and candida (yeast overgrowth) cannot live in a cinnamon environment. Added to food it inhibits bacterial growth, making it a natural food preservative and these are just a few of the benefits.