AIP Birthday Cake with Strawberry Topping

My daughter's second birthday is coming up. I wasn't sure what I was going to do for a birthday cake, since we're still in the elimination phase of Autoimmune Paleo. I pulled up my friend Google and did some searching. I had this vision of a rich-flavored cake with some creamy layer of goodness and strawberries on top. By combining a few different recipes, it came out beautifully! I'm excited to share it with you.

The original cake recipe comes from Amanda at The Curious Coconut.

AIP Birthday Cake

1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup palm shortening
1 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp raw apple cider vinegar
1 cup coconut flour, sifted
2 tbsp tapioca starch
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 tbsp gelatin (I use this one)
2/3 cup water

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease and flour (with tapioca or arrowroot) a 7.5"x11" glass pan, or something similar.

In a large mixing bowl, add coconut oil, palm shortening, and sugar. Use an electric mixer to cream the oils and sugar for about one minute. Next, add applesauce, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar and mix for another minute.

In another smaller bowl, add all the dry ingredients and combine well. Pour about one fourth of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add (about) a fourth of the water, and mix well. Alternate between the dry ingredients and water until it's mixed thoroughly. The batter will be thicker than normal cake batter. Spread it into prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

While your cake is cooling, you can mix up your toppings!

For the creamy layer...Maple Icing!

1/2 cup palm shortening
1/3 cup maple syrup (you could use honey too)
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp arrowroot powder
2 tsp coconut flour
1 tbsp coconut cream (the thick part from canned coconut milk)

Combine all these ingredients and mix with an electric mixer until smooth. It may or may not separate. Mine didn't at first, so I think I may have over-mixed it. I didn't mind too much, since it was covered with strawberries and it still tasted so good! Spread this over your cooled cake.

And now...the Strawberry Sauce

10oz frozen strawberries
1 tsp tapioca starch
1-2 tbsp honey, to taste

Let your strawberries thaw in a saucepan over low heat, and then scoop out a little of the juice and mix it with the tapioca starch. Pour this mixture back into your strawberries and add the honey. Once the strawberries are soft, use a potato masher to mash them. Cook until your sauce becomes bubbly and thick, stirring constantly. Allow to cool for a few minutes, and then spread over the top of your iced cake.

Keep this cake in the refrigerator until time to serve. The icing will harden, but it's not hard to cut or eat. I hope you enjoy it!

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've got a few different gluten-free flours in my stash that I like to mix and play around with. One of them is millet flour. I haven't used it a lot, and have been trying to find more uses for it. It has a slight nutty flavor, and has a protein content similar to whole wheat. You can't use it alone, but mixed with other flours, it makes a great texture!

Anywho...I made my husband some chocolate chip cookies today and needed some for my daughter and I. (Yes, I think 'needed' is the right word.) I searched Google, and here's the recipe, including changes I made, that I found. They're delicious! The texture is perfect. They're so much like "real" cookies, you won't even miss the gluten, I promise. 😊

Gluten/Dairy-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
6 tbsp coconut flour
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum*
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
4 tbsp palm shortening (or melted butter, or coconut oil)
2 flax eggs** (or eggs)
4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips

*If you use flax seed eggs, you won't need the xanthan gum.

**To make a single flax egg, combine 1 tbsp ground flax seeds with 2 1/2 tbsp hot water and let sit for five minutes to thicken. You can double this for two eggs.

In a small bowl, whisk flours, xanthan gum (if using), baking powder, and salt. In a separate medium bowl, combine shortening (or butter) and coconut sugar well. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. Add the flour mixture and mix, then add chocolate chips.

Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes at 350°F. Makes about two dozen.

*original recipe from Amy's Healthy Baking.