(Author Rhian Williams.)
Gluten free and vegan friendly
For the cake:
• 60 g (4 cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
• 180 ml (3/4 cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
• 8 tablespoons (8 tablespoons)
• lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) lemon zest (use unwaxed lemons)
•12 tablespoons (12 tablespoons) maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
• 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
•150 g (14 cup) ground almonds (almond meal) **
• 150 g (14 cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten free)
• 2 heaped teaspoons (2 heaped teaspoons) baking powder (ensure gluten free if necessary)
•1/4 teaspoon (4 teaspoon) bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
For the syrup:
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons of raw organic sugar
• Optional - 1 tablespoon of gin
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil). Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the lemon juice, lemon zest, maple syrup, vanilla and ground almonds. Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it's looking too dry. Transfer mixture into a greased baking tin lined with baking paper. Optional to cut some lemon slices on the bottom of your cake before adding the mixture to bake. Bake in oven for around 30 minutes until risen and golden brown and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
For the syrup:
Whilst the cake it baking, mix together the lemon juice, sugar and gin optional.) Drizzle it over the cake as soon as it's out of the oven- it will soak into the cake better when it's hot. Enjoy!