Water-Based Lemon Cake Recipe

Healthy alternatives to processed sweet treats are plentiful, you just have to get started with the basics.

It can be a bit daunting to put down your packet of biscuits and get out the mixing bowl, but sweet treats are one of the easiest places to start your whole food journey.  Shop bought cakes often contain hydrogenated and trans fats but this uses only water to bind and healthy oil to moisten the batter.  This cake is water-based and uses very few ingredients.  If you love lemon cake, but want to try a simple, light option instead of the syrupy rich recipes, then this is the one for you.

Recipe for 4 portions

Ingredients:

1. 160g White flour
2. 160g Whole-wheat flour
3. 120g Forest Whole Food’s Organic coconut palm sugar
4. 300ml water
5. 50ml of Vegetable Oil  (based on your preferences you can use olive oil, coconut oil or avocado oil)
6. 1 lemon (juice & zest)
7. 3 tsp baking powder
8. 2 tsp vanilla extract
9. Icing sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, grease a loaf tin or cover it with baking paper.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the white flour, whole-wheat flour and baking powder.
3. While mixing add the coconut sugar, the lemon zest and the vanilla extract.
4. Mix together the oil and water, when combined add them to the dry ingredients and stir until smooth.
5. Pour the batter into the loaf tin and bake it for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
6. Remove the tin from the oven and let it cool down for 10 minutes before removing it from the loaf tin.
7. Cut the loaf in thick slices and serve them sprinkled with icing sugar or topped with jam & cream, peanut butter or your favourite spread.

• If you want to cut off the refined flour opt for whole-wheat flour only.
• Alternately, for a gluten-free option, use almond or coconut flour.
• Feel free to exchange coconut sugar with brown sugar, maple syrup or your favourite sweetener.