Honey Yogurt Cake with Honey Cream Glaze and Fresh Strawberries

Cake. One of my favorite things to make. And eat of course. But still I think I might just love making it more. A moist, dense, fluffy cake to share with a table of people. To celebrate. To give thanks. To share. It is a treat to enjoy by just sitting and being with those you love. This cake specifically has already been shared and celebrated a few times over the past few weeks, and it isn't even my birthday yet! (hint hint, yes another cake recipe in the near future :)

This cake celebrates spring. It's finally made it's appearance and I have been enjoying every ounce of it, even the spring thunderstorm in the background of my typing keyboard. It took a while to get here this year and now that it's finally here it feel so rich and deep that I can't imagine having waited for it for so long. But that is the beauty of spring. The wonder of popping crocuses and buds. The amazement that we still have grass and plants under all those inches of frozen snow we had covering us for months. It's unbelievable, spring came again! And it's fresh morning breath breathes life, goodness and new hope for all the tomorrows.

Hope. Hope that life is so much deeper and fuller than we have ever expected and dreamed. That is also what is a needed reminder when traveling this gluten-free and healthier lifestyle. Some days are hard. You have symptoms, stress and needs that seem to never end. I encourage you to breathe deep and focus on the tomorrow. Take the steps you need to feel strong again and even if they are inch-sized steps and you are only taking one. You can do this. Celebrate the accomplishments you have made. And breathe deep gratitude for life and all it's gifts.

Celebrate. May I suggest maybe with cake? And maybe with those who love and support you most. This life is not meant to be lived alone friends. Even this gluten-free life. We are doing this together and we can find ways to make it seem more normal, more simple, and dare I say....happier than we have known before. That is what this blog is about for me. Encouraging you to stay the course with good recipes and hope for the journey and the healing process. Keep on keeping on dear friends!

Honey Yogurt Cake Recipe
with Honey Cream Glaze and Fresh Strawberries

1 cup of softened organic extra virgin coconut oil
1 cup of powdered coconut palm sugar
3 farm fresh eggs
1/3 cup of pure raw honey
1 cup of coconut culture milk or yogurt (I used So Delicious)
2 ts. of pure vanilla
1/2 cup of tapioca flour
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup of fresh ground GF oat flour
1/2 cup of fresh ground buckwheat flour
2 ts. of baking powder
1 1/2 ts. of baking soda
1/2 ts. of sea salt

First, grind up your coconut palm sugar in a high powered blender to get a powdered sugar to cream with your coconut oil. Cream the oil and sugar together until soft and creamy. You can sub using grass fed butter for the coconut oil, which I actually did once and adds a rich butter flavor to the cake. If you don't have to worry about dairy, grass fed butter is a favorite choice! Also I used So Delicious' newest product of a cultured coconut milk which is very much like a sour cream or plain yogurt. It worked perfect for this cake and makes it dairy-free. I loved how it made the cake moist and dense. If you are fine with eating dairy you could sub the coconut yogurt for any organic plain yogurt or even a greek yogurt if you prefer.

Once you cream the oil and sugar, add the eggs and whisk all together until thick and creamy batter emerges. Then add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix well. Lastly grind GF oats and buckwheat groats in your grinder/blender to get the best GF oat and buckwheat flour. Add in the flours and dry ingredients. Make sure all the dry in mixed in well and then pour batter into oiled cake pan. I used a angel food cake pan for this recipe, but you could use a bundt pan, or 2 round  9 inch cake pans. Bake cake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. If you choose to use 2 9 inch round pan then check cakes around 30 minutes and should be done around then or 35 minutes.

Let the cake cool and then you can whip up the cream glaze to spread over when completely cool. 
Cream glaze recipe is 2 simple ingredients.

Honey Cream Glaze Recipe
1/3 cup of organic extra virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup of raw local honey

Use a small spatula to whip up the glaze and spread over. It is super simple and delicious. Then slice 4-5 fresh organic strawberries side by side and you get 20-25 slices to decorate the top of the cake. I liked making a large strawberry flower on the top of the angel food cake circle pan. 

This cake is somewhere in between a pound cake and a sponge cake. It is so moist and not crumbly. No gums were needed to get this great texture and I love how you don't feel like you are trying to chew a gummy cake log. Cake should be perfectly moist and easy to swallow . This cake is that and recipe that I have made again and again to come out perfect every time.

This would be a good recipe to try out for an after Easter dinner dessert. Strawberries make it look and taste so fresh and beautiful.  I would make this cake again for my birthday next week, but I am thinking of making a carrot cake this year... we'll see what happens :)

Much love to you and yours. May you find a new found hope this spring and ways to rid your life of pain and bondage and welcome fresh beauty and new life. Happy Easter to you!