For those of you who want your cake – and want to eat it – but are watchful of sugar and fat levels like myself, I’ve discovered the ideal solution: apple puree!
You can buy cooked (unsweetened) apples in a can in your average supermarket, or simply cook them yourself simmered in a little water. Once cooked, they make a fantastic and tasty alternative to fats and sugars in most sweet batter, sponge or other recipes while adding a subtle flavour.
Since we’re into the autumn months, it makes sense to make use of the wonderful crop of Bramley apples falling from the trees and cooking them to use in recipes like this one below.
Using vanilla protein powder, ground nuts and coconut flour, carbs are kept to a minimum, while the addition of crunchy walnuts and bursts of ginger flavour works fantastically with Walden Farm’s fantastic Caramel sauce (sugar, fat and calorie free!).
With a creamy vanilla topping, the result is a delicious, gluten-free autumnal dessert or treat, without the need to feel guilty when eating it!
I used four small Guglhupf cake tins to make this mixture look more decorative, but you could use a large cake or loaf tin, or even make muffins or as a tray bake.
We love to see your versions of our recipes – be sure to share your photos and opinions of this protein cake with us on Twitter (@TrainEatGain).
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Ingredients
Serves: 8-10
Macros*: Calories 234 kcal, Protein 12g, Carbs 33g, Fat 6g
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ½ cup ground almonds
- 2 scoops vanilla whey protein
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ cup natural sweetener
- 1 tsp cinnamon, 1tsp mixed spice
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp almond extract
- ½ can of cooked apples (unsweetened)
- A few spoonfuls of nut or hemp milk
- ½ cup crystallised ginger, chopped
- ½ cup walnut pieces
- Walden Farms caramel sauce
Topping:
- 1 tub Quark or fat-free soft cheese
- ½ scoop vanilla whey protein
- 2 tbsp Walden Farms Caramel sauce
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Method
Get baking!
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Preheat oven to 190 degrees C (375F). Grease the mini cake tins with coconut oil.
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Put the cooked apples, eggs, almond extract and milk in a blender and process until smooth. Put all of the dry ingredients in a bowl, then add the pureed apples along with the ginger and walnuts, mixing well to make a smooth ‘batter’.
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In each of the tins, pour a little of the caramel sauce in so it covers the bottom, then pour the mixture into the cake tins so it fills up to the base and is even.
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Bake for about 15-20 minutes until golden, risen and a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool for 10 minutes, remove from tin and turn out onto a wire rack so it can cool completely.
- Topping: Simply whip together the ingredients and keep in the fridge to firm up until needed. Once the cake has cooled, add a dollop in the middle and decorate with walnuts. Enjoy!
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*Note: Macros are given per slice of protein cake assuming 10 slices in total.