Valentine's Day Paleo coconut pound cake
Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I thought I'd share a few ideas for the big day with you. One of the things that I do on Valentine's Day is indulge. Even if I'm celebrating alone, I will do special things to treat myself. Last year I made an outstanding champagne punch and this year I have the perfect Paleo friendly dessert. Yes, I'm indulging but still trying to stay healthy by utilizing paleo recipes. Honestly, if I don't mention the paleo aspect, no one would know the difference!
I did my shopping at Walmart for the majority of the ingredients I used. Although this is a sweet treat, this dessert is packed with protein from the 6 eggs and almond flour that I used to make it. I will say that it is not "strictly" paleo because I did use honey as a sweetener for the cake. I was actually surprised that I was able to find almond flour at Walmart! I usually buy it at my local international farmer's market.
I was also pleasantly surprised to find both pure orange extract and imitation coconut extract. I've never cooked with these extracts before so I wasn't sure if I'd be able to locate them easily but I did! And to add the festive Valentine's flare to my pound cake, I decided to purchase Hefty Ez foil heart shaped cake pans with covers. They were inexpensive and enable me to easily transport the cake if I decide to give it as a gift!
While the cake was baking, I made whipped coconut cream. This non-dairy treat is simple to make by using full fat coconut milk and refrigerating overnight. I scooped out the hardened milk, added a little cinnamon and vanilla and had whipped cream! I originally saw the idea on pinterest and decided to add as a topping for my pound cake. It is not sweet but I thought it'd make the perfect complement to the sweetness of the cake and strawberries.
Finally I prepared the strawberries which were gorgeous! I sliced them thinly, added a tablespoon of turbinado cane sugar (which is not paleo but you can use palm sugar instead) and placed them in the refrigerator while the cake was baking.
After the cake was completed, I removed it from the pan for a full presentation of the dessert for Valentine's Day.
And the end result? It was delicious!
For Valentine's Day you can make this treat for your sweetie and I'm sure the response will be positive. Here are a few tips to make your Valentine date extra special.
3 Tips for Valentine's Day Romance
1. Make homemade items. Baking and/or cooking takes time, energy and love. The efforts you make for a personal meal or dessert are sure to be appreciated more than a box of chocolates!
2. Stay in! Light a fire in the fireplace, set the mood with some candles and have an evening of romance right in your living room.
3. Make a picnic - indoors! Spread a blanket on the floor, lay out all of the goodies you've cooked and spend an intimate evening with your significant other.
These tips are sure to bring the heat to your Valentine's Day in a cost effective way! I hope you enjoyed these tips and this recipe. Be on the lookout for my post about Valentine's Day beauty tips!
Coconut Pound Cake
6 eggs
1 C coconut milk
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. coconut extract
1/4 tsp. orange extract
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp sea salt
coconut oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat the eggs with the coconut milk, honey and extracts, until smooth. Add the coconut flour, almond flour, baking soda and salt. Mix until smooth. Grease pan with coconut oil and sprinkle with flour to lightly coat pan. Pour batter into pan. Bake for 40 minutes until pound cake separate from sides of pan. Cool then remove from pan.
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