Happy Birthday To Me! Harvest Cake with Chèvre Mascarpone Frosting

I sit here this evening, reflecting on the past years of beautiful life. I look at the clear stages in my life so far. I see fun, carefree times of my early childhood. Adventures to the Long Beach Peninsula, running along the gray sandy shore, scooping up sea foam. Camping at Lake Goodwin, staying out on the lake until sunset, building intricate sand castles, and taking dips in the cold water even after everyone else had retired to the shore.

I see a few rough years in my early teens; a young girl stumbling to find her place, to feel accepted, valued, loved.


I see a more recent time of self sufficiency, hard work, and adventure as I find my niche in this world.

Clockwise; Yoga on the dunes with Emma in Fuerteventura 2011; Hiking Snæfellsjökull in Iceland 2011; coloring plates and expanding palates, working as a chef at Azul Fit Yoga & Pilates Retreat; high school graduation with my best friend, Alix, in 2011; playing with our food and with dinos in Portland, OR 2011; raising hell in Barcelona in 2011; kayaking through the San Juan Islands, WA 2011.

I now fall into a space, on this evening, of radical self acceptance. I see myself for all that I am. I love and appreciate all that I am, and am excited for what is yet to come.

I get impatient, frustrated, and antsy with the journey from time to time. Then I take a step back..

I look at all of the kind, inspiring people I've met, from all corners of this earth. I look at the adventures I've taken so early in my life. I see the generosity that has brought me closer to my dreams, the guidance that has brought me closer to my True North. I see opportunities that have been created-- opportunities for travel, education, growing family, building connections. I see the lights of my life who remind me every day what it means to love and be loved, unconditionally, wholeheartedly.

I close my eyes, and I feel this. This is life. I am exactly where I need to be, and everything is playing out beautifully, exactly as it's meant to.

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There are a few things you should know about this cake.

It a grain, dairy, gluten, and sugar-free, it's also filled with zucchini, carrot, and apple.
And it tastes ah-mazing. 

Make icing sugar by blitzing unrefined cane sugar in a coffee grinder for about a minute.

I knew I wanted to celebrate my birthday this year with a decadent cake. I also knew I wanted it to be a relatively healthy cake. Keeping the blood sugar in check is definitely a challenge this time of year already. I wanted to be able to indulge without the sugar hangover the next day. Mission accomplished.

This beauty comes straight from Roost, and is frosted with Jamie Oliver's recipe for Chèvre Mascarpone Frosting.

You could probably eat this cake for breakfast. Not that I tried that or anything..

Anywho-- so this cake.

It's bursting with grated fruit and vegetables. Almond flour as the base keeps it moist without having to add much oil, though ghee (aka liquid sunshine) does lend a rich warming tone. It is only lightly sweetened, thanks to the grated apple and a touch of honey. Maple syrup would also be delicious here. I love the lightness that honey gives to baked goods though. The frosting is a bit sweeter, and a lot zingier thanks to fresh lemon juice and zest. This pair of cake and frosting compliment each other beautifully!

Harvest Cake makes one 9-inch cake*

apple, zucchini, carrot, cinnamon, almond

• 3 cups almond flour
• 1.5 tsp baking soda
• 1.5 tsp cinnamon
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup ghee, melted
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1.5 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup grated carrot
• 1 cup grated zucchini, drained of excess liquid*
• 1 cup grate apple, drained of excess liquid*

Chèvre Mascarpone Frosting makes ~1.5 cups frosting

goat's cheese, cream, lemon

• 150 g unripened chèvre goat's cheese
• 150 g mascarpone
• 50 g icing sugar*
• juice and zest of 1 lemon 

Method

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a prepared cake pan. See note below.

In a medium bowl, combine ghee, honey, vanilla, eggs, carrot, zucchini, and apple. In a separate bowl, combine almond flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.* Add wet to dry, stir to combine.

Pour the batter into prepared cake pan, bake to 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown on top, and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cake cook completely before frosting.

For the frosting, use a mixer on a low setting, beat all ingredients until well combined. Cover and place in the fridge until ready to use.

It is important for the cake and frosting to be cold when you go to frost. Patience, my friends. It is well worth the wait. Frost and enjoy!


*Notes
This recipe makes one 9-inch cake. I divided the batter into two 4.5-inch cake pans to make a petite layer cake, you could also double the recipe for a standard 9-inch layer cake.

Zucchini and apples both have a high water content, so after grating, i drained them of excess water by placing them in the center of a kitchen towel, wrapping the edges up and wringing it out to create pressure and remove the excess liquid.

Almond flour has a tendency to clump due to the oil content compared to flour. When combining dry ingredients, I take a wire whisk and and stir the mixture. It's like sifting flour, but a technique that works for a coarser grind like almond meal.

To make icing sugar, I took unrefined cane sugar and milled it in the coffee grinder for about a minute to turn it into powder, pictured below.