Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Paleo Sweet Potato Apple Upside Down Cake

I've been quiet for a bit...I am not so pleased about it.  I could give you a host of excuses and reasons, but lets be honest- I was out living life.  There have been some big things happening- the biggest, of course, was the beautiful marriage of my beautiful sister to her groom.  In typical girl fashion, amidst flower and menu discussions, I dedicated myself to being in the best shape possible.  

It goes without saying that I love food. I love what it represents, I love its stories, I love creating it, I adore eating it.  This all makes dieting pretty rough on me.  So for two months before the wedding, I decided to try out the only diet I feel like I could stick to- Paleo.  I know- you all have heard of Paleo before, the idea stems from the Paleolithic era where food was simple and clean.  The idea is to eat all natural foods, and ones that are easy for the body to process naturally.  So it centers around lots of fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds, and meat and seafood.  So I put that shiny cheese certification away for a couple months and dedicated my diet.  I'll be honest- it really wasnt so bad.  Yes, it sucked to bring my dinner to my friends places when they were all ordering take out.  It sucked to not indulge in breakfasts that my friends toiled over to introduce us to different cultures.  It sucked to not celebrate Friday with pizza.  But overall, I actually really enjoyed the challenge.  I got to stretch my brain to find alternatives to my favorite dishes, and create new ones.  Best of all, overall, I feel better.  

Anywho- one of the recipes that got me through was this insanely delicious
Sweet Potato Apple Upside Down Cake.   Basically, its pumpkin pie....delicious, wonderful, healthy, pumpkin pie.  I came up with this recipe after I tried another Paleo recipe for sweet potato bread that left a lot to be desired, to say the least.  This however is moist and delicious, spicy and heart warming...its everything great in the fall.

Sweet Potato Apple Upside Down Cake
  1. 3 cup cooked sweet potato
  2. 1/2 cup coconut flour
  3. 2 teaspoon baking soda
  4. 4 eggs
  5. 1/2 cup melted coconut oil + a little more for pan greasing
  6. 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
  7. 1 Teaspoon Nutmeg
  8. 1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
  9. 1 Teaspoon Cloves
  10. 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  11. 1 Granny Smith Apple

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Peel and slice into cubes sweet potatoes, steam until they easily break apart with a fork. Transfer the sweet potatoes into a bowl and mash (I use a potato masher).  Add the flour, baking soda, salt, spices and oil.  Stir to combine thoroughly.  Add the eggs and combine thoroughly.  Set aside.

Core your apple and cut into slices, 1/2 inch in thickness.  Grease a round 9 inch pan with the coconut oil, and arrange the apple slices on the bottom of the pan into a circle. Pour the cake batter over the top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool, and then place a large plate over the top of the pan and invert so the apple side comes out on top.  Sprinkle cinnamon over the top and serve.  

I love to have this for a mid morning snack topped with almond butter and organic maple syrup.  

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