Tonight is the last night of my "retirement" as I start a new job tomorrow and I decided to celebrate with a sweety-yum-yum of some sort. The crisp atmosphere of Fall is in the air begging me to make a cozy treat for the evening. Keeping in line with the Autumn theme of the treat, I decided to utilize some acorns I have had processed and ready to use for about two years.
I have been trying to get away from enriched flour (and leaning towards gluten free all together) and so, started searching out a recipe that I could use that did NOT include wheat based flour. This proved to be quite a task! Just about every recipe that uses acorn flour ALSO uses another wheat based flour. I finally found one that made me perk up.
Here is what I found:
Banana Acorn Cake (Flourless, Gluten Free)
- 1/4 cup acorn meal
- 1/4 cup cocoa
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup unrefined coconut oil
- 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
- 2/3 cup mashed bananas
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- Mix dry ingredients together, then mix wet ingredients together. Pour into pre-oiled pan (a smallish bread pan works well) and cook for approx 20 minutes at 350.
You can see the original post here : http://bearmedicineherbals.com/banana-acorn-cake-flourless-gluten-free.html
I had to keep it in the oven for probably more like 40 minutes in order for it to not seem like an oil bubbling chocolate sponge. I had a piece of it while it was still hot and the center was molten coconut oil and somehow I could not decide if it was gross or yummy. I decided to put it in the fridge to cool it down and then try again.
Vanilla almond milk in hand, I pulled the cooled "cake" out of the fridge for a second try. It was still pretty much an oil soaked sponge, but no longer apt to cause 3rd degree burns in my mouth. I sliced off a tiny sliver of the very flat, dense, oily loaf and popped it in my mouth. Again... absolute toss up, is this disgusting, or yummy?
I think it is the coconut oil. Or, perhaps it's the banana. Maybe that I used dark chocolate cocoa? Either way, it's not the acorn that I am having a problem with personally. I decided to get a second opinion and presented it to my mother. She decided it was worthy and I left the entire "cake" with her and her fork.
Perhaps I will try tweaking this recipe and see if I can turn it into something more palatable, but that is not going to happen tonight.
Very cool blog - not sure I would want to taste though......
ReplyDeleteI am halfway through "processing" my acorns but I killed my blender :(
ReplyDeleteI had dried them as halves (the pic is the actual acorns) then I put them into my coffee grinder to grind just the amount I need into flour. If you turn it into flour now, it won't keep as long. These acorns are 2 years old!
DeleteSounds interesting. Might try adding some rice flour (or other)and cutting back on the oil....make in muffin tin to help cooking all the way through.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking as I read the recipe that there was waaay too much liquid and not enough dry...I agree with Denise, cut out some of the coconut oil to maybe a 1/4 cup, but I'd also cut the maple syrup to a 1/4 cup too (assuming it'll still be sweet enough without it - if not, try adding some stevia from the health food store).
ReplyDeleteAnother thing you could try, and I know you're not likely to be able to pick your own, but maybe try some almond meal in there as well to fill it out a bit...Just doesn't seem like there's enough to the BODY of the recipe to me.
I was thinking the same thing as I was reading it. But, when it mixes up, it is actually the same consistency as a cake mix would be. The cocoa does it. I was going to pick up some rice flour, but it's just so expensive!!!
DeleteI will try it again this week with tweeks and report back :)