just a quick post today, and the last one of 2015!

i wanted to share a recipe for a really humble breakfast cake that's been a tradition in one form or another for years. whether they're soda bread muffins, or a twist on a holiday fruit cake, it's always sliced up for christmas morning and served with cups of coffee, fresh fruit, and christmas cookies. this year i wanted to take this cake back to its' roots - my nana's 1,2,3,4 cake. whenever my mom would make my grandmother's cake she would often add a few drops of lemon extract giving the cake more of a citrusy flavor than one of vanilla. so, for this year's breakfast cake i wanted to bring back those lemony sentiments with a good amount of tart cranberries to offset the sweetness of the cake batter. there's lemon zest rubbed into the sugar releasing the flavor that much more, along with the lemon extract as well (adding lemon flavor without the tartness), flecks of pink cranberries. and poppy seeds for a bit of crunch.

wishing you all the sweetest of holidays and a happy start to 2016!!! big, big hugs, xo.

cranberry, lemon + poppy seed breakfast slice (gf + df)

this is a basic cake, one that can be altered to the tastes and flavors you desire, so feel free to change it up a bit!

3/4 cup coconut sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup sunflower oil
2 large pasture raised eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 1/2 cups chopped cranberries (i blend them quickly in a food processor)

| makes one 8-inch cake |

1 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup oat flour
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon psyllium husk powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

method

preheat oven to 350°F and grease an 8-inch round bundt pan; set aside.
in a large bowl, whisk together the flours, arrowroot, poppy seeds, baking powder, psyllium, salt, and cinnamon, set aside. in another large bowl, use your fingers and rub the sugar and lemon zest together to release the lemon fragrance. then whisk in the oil, eggs, milk, and extracts. in 3 separate applications, add the dry mix to the wet and gently whisk to combine. lastly, fold in the cranberries until evenly distributed.
pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, and the edges are golden brown. let cake cool completely before removing from the mold and slicing. store the cake in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

enjoy!