Happy Birthday, FBG! We Made You An Orange-Olive Oil Cake!

Did you guys hear? Fit Bottomed Girls turns five this week! Five! So to help them celebrate—hey, any reason to party is reason enough for us—we’re baking an Orange-Olive Oil Cake! From the glorious cookbook, The Allergy-Free Cook Bakes Cakes and Cookies, this Orange-Olive Oil Cake recipe is not only gluten-free, but also dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free and soy-free, making it vegan and suitable for all kinds of people with delicate tummies.

 
I made it over the weekend, and this cake is delicious. It’s somehow dense, moist and a little crumbly (in a good way). Yes, it takes a lot of different special gluten-free flours to prepare, but it’s so worth it—and I think it’s kind of fun to have new flours to play with. Oh, and don’t be freaked out by the high fat content—it’s all the good kind. Plus, this Orange-Olive Oil Cake is so filling, that you can probably actually divide it into 16 slices, savor it slowly with a cup of tea and be totally fulfilled. So enjoy—and a big happy birthday, FBG!

Orange-Olive Oil Cake Recipe

Yield: 8 servings
Per slice: 317 calories, 2 g protein, 15 g fat, 29 g carbs, 252 sodium, 44 mg calcium, 4 g fiber
Ingredients
1/2 c sorghum flour, plus more for sprinkling the pan
1/2 c arrowroot starch
1/2 c stone-ground cornmeal
3/4 c millet flour or quinoa flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
3/4 baking soda
2 tsp finely grated orange zest (about 1 medium orange)
3/4 c plus 2 tbsp unrefined cane sugar
1/2 c extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 tsp cider vinegar
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a 9-inch round baking pan. Sprinkle with sorghum flour, tapping out the excess.
2. Put the sorghum flour, arrowroot starch, cornmeal, millet flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Stir with a dry whisk until combined. Add the orange zest and stir with the whisk until evenly distributed.
3. Put 3/4 cup of the sugar and the oil and applesauce in the bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, or a large bowl. Turn the mixer or a hand mixer to medium speed. Beat until well combined. Add the orange juice and vinegar. Beat until well combined.
4. Turn the mixer to low speed. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, beating until just mixed.

5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan using a rubber spatula. Smooth the top with the spatula. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Bake in the center of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. The cake will be golden brown, begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, and will spring back when lightly touched.

6. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the cake from the pan and put it on a cooling rack. Let cool for 20 minutes, then transfer to a serving dish. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes:

• Wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and store in a sealed container, the cake will keep for two days at room temperature or two months in the freezer.
• I didn’t have applesauce, so I subbed pumpkin puree, and it worked just fine!
• Getting the cake out of the pan is tricky—I got it out using a knife and a spatula—but don’t worry if you botch it a little. You’ll just have to “clean up” (read: eat) any crumbs or pieces that come off. Darn!
• Ya’ll, this cookbook really does rock, and I’m pumped to make more from it. Check out the author’s site here!

Happy birthday, FBG—this slice (or, hey, five if you want) is for you!

Do you have a particular cake you like to make for celebrations? What cake would you make for FBG?  —Jenn