orange honey corn cake

Cake suitable for breakfast.

Or a snack.

Or a simple dessert.

Cake with a little orange zip!

By now, I’m sure you have all caught wind of the romantic feelings I have for cornbread.  I could go on for days about it.  While I realize there are some very strict opinions and methods to making cornbread—no sweetness, a little sweetness, with corn, no corn, etc.—I truly believe the options are endless.  I’ve tried combinations like blueberries + cornbread, bananas + cornbread, and pumpkin + cornbread, just to name a few.  All delicious in their own cornbready way.

But this.  This opens the door to a whole new world of possibilities.

It’s much lighter and fluffier.

It’s corn CAKE!

Thanks to talented Erin, from Naturally Ella, for inspiring this idea. I adapted my go-to cornbread recipe and cornbread doughnut recipe to come up with a gluten-free corn cake studded with orange zest and lightly sweetened with honey. The almond meal is key in the to the soft texture of this cake.

The first trial included a small amount of sweet rice flour but it ended up weighing the cake down.  It was still more than edible, but I was looking for something a bit fluffier.  In the second trial I took out the sweet rice flour, added a bit more almond meal, and increased the applesauce to help lend a more cake-like texture. 

After two trials the recipe was exactly what I hoped for.

Print this!

Orange Honey Corn Cake

gluten-free, dairy-free // yields one 9x9 pan

inspired by naturally ella’s blueberry maple corn cake, adapted from my cornbread doughnuts

• 1/2 cup masa harina
• 1/2 cup gluten-free oat flour
• 6 tablespoons almond meal
• 1/4 cup medium/fine grain cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/3 cup orange juice [fresh squeezed or no sugar added]
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 + 1 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil, melted

1. Preheat your oven to 350* F.
2. Stir the masa harina, oat flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
3. Whisk the eggs then whisk in the milk, orange juice, applesauce, and zest.
4. In a small bowl whisk the honey and melted coconut oil together until fully combined.
5. Vigorously whisk the honey mixture into the egg mixture until fully combined.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with a large spoon until just combined.  Avoid over stirring.
7. Let the batter sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
8. Thoroughly grease all sides of a 9x9 pan with 1 tablespoon of melted coconut oil.  There will be excess left on the bottom, which you want.
9. Pour the batter into the pan and spread evenly, then place in the oven for 24-28 minutes until a toothpick comes out fairly clean but with a few small bits of cake attached [not gooey/wet].  The center should spring back when lightly touched and the edges will be golden brown.
10. Let cool for 10 minutes then slice with a knife and serve plain or with a drizzle of coconut oil and/or honey.

notes:  It’s best to let the eggs, milk, juice, and applesauce sit on the counter for about 30 minutes for easier combining of the coconut oil and applesauce.  You want the coconut oil melted and warm but not hot.  Feel free to use an 8x8 pan or a 8-9” circular pan.  The 8” pans will have a slightly longer bake time.  Altitude around 5,000’ set your oven to 370* and decrease baking powder by 1/4-1/2 teaspoon.

Why hello there, favorite new breakfast.  I cannot wait to enjoy you tomorrow morning.

Ashley

psst! New post over on the photography blog!  Melissa + Jeff, engaged!

Kale Frittata with Millet Crust

With my undying love for eggs it is quite the mystery as to why I don’t make frittatas more often.  I mean, it has been at least a year—or more—since my last.  I guess I just don’t plan ahead.  When I want eggs, I want them now!

But this is worth planning for.

This millet crust was a total stab in the dark.  I knew once cooked it could be packed down into a pan and would possibly hold together.  But would it really not fall apart?

Answer: YES!

There were a few millet crumbs here and there but pretty much the same you’d have with any crust.

It sort of blew me away, but maybe you already knew it could do this?

I will no doubt eat this entire pan before Chris ever lays his hands on it.  I’m already 3 slices in and he still has no idea it exists.  I even put it on the main shelf in the fridge, plain as day.  But am I going to announce to the world that I made it?  Probably not…

While it may seem like a heavy dish with tons of eggs and a thick crust, it only adds up to 1 egg per slice and just over 1/3 cup of millet.  It also packs 1/2 cup of kale per slice! The perfect accompaniment to a large salad or eaten alongside a smoothie for breakfast.  Whatever floats your boat. 

Print this!

Kale Frittata with Millet Crust

gluten-free // inspired by baby spinach frittata with sweet potato crust from the Sprouted Kitchen cookbook

for the millet:

• 1 tablespoon unrefined coconut oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 cup uncooked millet, rinsed + drained
• 1 cup low/no sodium veggie broth
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt + pepper

*If using a full sodium veggie broth you may want to reduce salt content to 1/4 teaspoon.

1. Heat a pot over medium and add 1/2 tablespoon oil.
2. Once hot, add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds until just starting to brown.
3. Add in the millet and stir frequently for about 3 minutes until it starts to toast.
4. Add in the veggie broth, water, salt, and pepper, then stir and bring to a boil over med-high.
5. Once boiling, stir once then cover and reduce heat to simmer, cooking for 15-20min until the liquid has been absorbed from the top. Avoid overcooking and drying out the millet.  Do not stir while cooking.
6. Towards the end of the cook time preheat your oven to 350*F and grease a 9-10” pie pan or cast iron skillet.
7. Once the millet is finished, fluff with a fork and place 2 1/2 – 3 cups in the pan.
8. Spread around with a flexible silicone spatula and push about 3/4” up the sides. Be sure to pack the millet down firmly. You want about 1/4” thickness on the bottom and sides. Add more millet if needed.
9. Gently brush with a light coating of melted coconut oil.  About 1/2 tablespoon melted.
10. Bake for 10-12 minutes until just starting to brown.

for the kale egg bake:

• 8 large eggs
• 1/3 cup full fat ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk or 2% milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt + pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon unrefined coconut oil
• 3 tablespoons minced shallot
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped sage
• 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
• 4 cups chopped lacinato/dinosaur kale, rinsed
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan [optional]

1. While the crust is baking, whisk together the eggs in a large mixing bowl.
2. Whisk in the ricotta, milk, salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined.  Set aside.
3. In a large pan, heat the oil over medium.
4. Once hot, add the shallot and stir for 1-3 minutes until light golden brown.
5. Add in the garlic, sage, and rosemary, stirring constantly for about 30 seconds.
6. Stir the kale in and let cook for 2-3 minutes until lightly wilted.  Remove from the heat.
7. Whisk into the egg mixture then pour into the baked crust.
8. Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes, depending on your pan size.  I used a 10” pan and it took 33 minutes.  Bake until just set.  Give the pan a little jiggle to test and check every 1-2 minutes after 30min of baking to ensure it doesn’t overcook. 
9. Turn your oven to broil on high then sprinkle the top with the parmesan cheese.  Broil on the top rack until melted and starting to bubble.  Watch closely.
10. Let cool for 5-10 minutes then cut into 8 pieces with a serrated knife and serve with a small spatula.  Top with salt, pepper, and/or hot sauce if desired. 
11. Let cool completely before storing covered in the fridge. 

notes: Feel free to sub in other herbs instead of sage + rosemary.  1 tablespoon of basil and 1/2 teaspoon of thyme would also work well.

Two more slices are about to disappear. 

Enjoy + happy weekend!

Ashley