Pineapple Coconut Paleo Cake

This cake is the perfect transition from spring into summertime. It still carries the lite texture of a spring cake, but with the delightful hints of summer fruit.

Ingredients:

For cake:

2 1/2 cups of blanched almond flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1 tsp baking soda

5 eggs separated into yolks and whites

1 cup of pure amber maple syrup

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

3/4 cups of fresh pineapple juice

3/4 cups of unsweetened shredded coconut

1 cup of fresh very petite, diced pineapple

For Buttercream:

4 egg whites

2 cups unsalted butter or palm shortening for dairy free

2 TBS light colored honey

3/4 cup of pure amber maple syrup

2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Let's Get Cooking!

For cake:

Begin by preheating your oven to 325. Line the bottom of 3 smaller circular cake pans with parchment paper and grease the sides with palm shortening or coconut oil (you could also use 2 nine inch cake pans). In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and stir with a whisk. Add in egg yolks, maple syrup, vanilla, pineapple juice, and lemon juice. Stir until mixture is completely mixed. In a clean glass bowl, whip the 5 egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Add the batter mixture into the egg whites and mix fully. Add in the diced pineapple and the shredded, unsweetened coconut. Pour into cake pans and cook on 325 for 20-25 minutes until a fork comes out clean when it is inserted into the middle of the cakes.

For Buttercream:

Place a small sauce pan over high heat with about 1 inch of water inside the saucepan. Place a glass bowl over the top. Add the 4 egg whites, honey and maple syrup into the glass bowl and whisk briefly. Cook the mixture over high heat until it reaches 180 degrees. Remove the egg whites and syrup from heat and pour it into a clean glass bowl (plastic doesn't allow eggs to whip easily). Using a mixer on high speed, beat the hot egg whites and syrupy mixture until it completely cools and forms stick foamy peaks. Then, slowly mix in the butter or palm shortening and vanilla. At first the mixture will resemble cottage cheese - keep mixing! If it continues to look that way after 2 minutes, remove one cup of the buttercream and microwave it for 10 seconds. Then add it back to the rest of the buttercream and mix on high again. Continue to do this until the buttercream is light and fluffy.

Make the Cake:

Allow the cakes to cool, then remove from the pan. When icing each layer, apply the icing first and then 1/3 a cup of unsweetened shredded coconut.

Bon appetite! -Analisa