Round 2: Almond Strawberry Cake

This is my second attempt at a modification of Ditch The Carbs' original Coconut Flour Raspberry Fingers. The first attempt was....not successful. The second attempt was....better.

Actually, second attempt was pretty good. After a brief meltdown and questioning my life up until this point, the final product was delicious with a super-extra-very moist cake-like texture. Final star ratings are below, and you'll see - they're quite good.


Final Star Ratings
Taste: ***** (5 stars - Delicious Aware)
Texture: **** (4 stars - I've impressed myself)
Easy to Make: **** (4 stars - I've impressed myself)
Overall Rating: ****.5 (4.5 stars - I've impressed myself)

Almond Strawberry Cake

Serves 8 (can probably serve 12)

cooking spray

1 stick (110g) melted butter
1/2 cup almond flour
1/3 cup Splenda sugar blend
1 tbsp almond extract
7 large eggs
1 cup frozen strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃). Spray 8x8 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. With a handmixer, mix together the melted butter, almond flour, Splenda, and almond extract until smooth.
3. Add the eggs, one by one, mixing batter in between each egg.
4. Pour batter into prepared 8x8 inch baking dish.
5. Gently press each strawberry into the cake. 
6. Bake at 350℉ for 55 minutes or until the center is cooked and top is browned. Once cooled, slice the cake into 8 pieces. 

Recipe Modified by: Recipes Are Guidelines www.recipesareguidelines.com, based on an original recipe from Ditch the Carbs

Delicious finale after a disastrous beginning.

Notes for Next Time: First of all, if you make a handwritten note on your recipe to double check the liquid-to-flour ratio when converting coconut flour to almond flour, don't forget to actually follow up on the note. Because I did not. I knew the recipe would either need a lot less liquid or a lot more flour since almond flour is a lot less dense and absorbs a lot less than coconut flour. But, as I mentioned, I completely forgot about my own question marks around measurements for flour, butter, and egg.

This recipe should NOT have to bake for 55 minutes. It should bake about 25 minutes. However, when you have 3 times the amount of liquid you need, you're going to have to bake it for a whole lot longer than the recipe intends. More than double longer. 

During this period of thirty extra baking minutes, you will question all your decisions, yell loudly at the cake to bake faster, and chew your nails to nubs worrying it will never be done baking. In a final desperate attempt, you'll cover the cake in foil and realize it actually helps...kind of. It at least prevents the top from catching fire while waiting for the inside to bake enough not to kill you with salmonella. In the end, you'll be pleasantly surprised. The cake eventually bakes up very nicely, and is super-extra-moist because of all the additional liquid. 

The flavor is actually perfect. It was exactly what I was looking for to hide the eggy flavor in the coconut raspberry recipe. The almond and strawberries complement each other perfectly, so it truly tastes like a dessert. While I am not pleased with myself for forgetting to recalculate measurements for important ingredients, I am pleased with how the final product came out. It was good...even if I lost a few chunks of hair in the process. 

Below you can watch the video to see me panic in real time.