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Just because we’re on an elimination diet, it doesn’t mean we have to forego the treats altogether. It is fair to say the easier you go on them, the faster your healing but the process also involves having fun, enjoying life and putting some balance and perspective into our AIP journeys. My family have been crying out for cakes so I’ve been experimenting with gelatin as a binder instead of eggs and, believe me, not only were my husband and children delighted with this tasty offering but my daughter’s non-AIP friend happily tucked in too. Praise indeed. So, if you believe Valentine’s Day is a little bit special, here’s the perfect way to treat yourself and your loved ones!
The recipe I’m giving you is enough for two 6-inch cake pans. For the photos, however, I made a double quantity but only used three layers for the sake of gluttony (and ease of cutting). The fourth is sitting happily in my freezer!
When the time comes to ice your own cake, I recommend you take a look at this tutorial which is very straightforward and will make yours a fun project. Another tip is to wrap your cakes separately, once completely cold, and freeze them overnight. This makes them a lot easier to ice and prevents them from releasing crumbs into your beautiful frosting.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
- 3 large golden delicious apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon water
- Put the ingredients into a medium pan, cover with lid and cook gently for around 10 mins or until the apples are broken down.
- Remove the lid, turn up the heat slightly and cook a further 5 minutes to evaporate the excess liquid, being careful not to let them burn.
- Spoon the mixture onto a cold plate and allow to cool completely. This can be done up to three days ahead of time.
- 1 cup apple purée
- 1/2 cup softened palm shortening
- ½ cup runny honey
- 2/3 cup coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 gelatin eggs, as follows:
- 2 tablespoons gelatin
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons just-boiled water
- Place a couple of baking sheets into the oven and preheat to 350F/180C. Line the base and sides of two 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper.
- Put the apple purée, shortening and honey into the bowl of a standing or hand mixer and combine thoroughly. The shortening will probably look a bit ‘splitty’ but that is fine. Sift in the coconut flour, baking soda and salt. Mix again until combined.
- Now make the gelatin eggs. Put the gelatin and lemon juice into a small bowl and mix until throughly combined. Add the boiled water and whisk quickly until the gelatin has melted and the mixture looks frothy. With the motor running, pour the gelatin eggs into the bowl and whizz again for a few seconds to fully incorporate the ‘eggs’.
- Divide the mixture between the prepared tins, level the surfaces and place onto the hot baking sheets. It may look a little odd as you’re scooping it out of the bowl but this is normal. Cook for one hour until lightly browned and just firm to the touch. Allow to cool in the tins completely, before transferring to a wire rack. The cakes will firm up more as they cool. Once cold, wrap up separately and keep overnight or until needed.
- 1 cup palm shortening, softened
- 1/4 cup coconut butter, softened
- ½ cup coconut cream **see note
- ¼ cup runny honey
- Freeze-dried raspberries to decorate
- Put the first four ingredients into the bowl of a standing or hand mixer and, using the paddle attachment, mix until completely smooth.
- To assemble - Following the tutorial mentioned above, put one cake layer onto a plate or stand and spread over a good amount of the frosting, not forgetting the edges. Place the other layer over the first and add the remaining frosting, covering the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with crushed freeze dried raspberries or however you like.
119 comments
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Just curious, I have cake pans but they are 9 x 1 1/2 inch. Can I just use one of these instead. Buying new cake pans seems a bit over kill for my kitchen size. The volume between the three 6 inch pans is 169.6 and two of the 9 inch is 190.8. So the batter would fit, but it might need different cooking times and temps. Can you recommend how to adjust for wider thinner cake layers?
Hi Jennifer, you should be fine with one 9 inch pan and here’s what I would do. Line the pan and make sure the parchment is a little higher than the top of the pan in case the cake rises slightly above.. Cook at the same temperature and my guess is it will take the same length of time but have a quick check at 50 minutes to be on the safe side. The more things you put into an oven the longer the cooking time which is why I think your larger cake will take the same time as my two smaller ones.
If you want to tier the cakes like I did, you will need to make another with a fresh batch of mixture, rather than doubling the mix and dividing it. Gelatin eggs will not work as successfully beyond three!
I hope you enjoy it.
I want to try this, but i do not have palm shortening. Can i sub coconut oil?
Hi Daena, although I didn’t test it with coconut oil, you can substitute that if you like. My personal preference would be to use lard instead. I hope you enjoy your Valentine treat 🙂
What about ghee butter?
Priscilla, ghee is not elimination phase AIP legal.
Did the coconut oil work for you?
Where do you find freeze dried raspberries?
I don’t know where you live but if you can’t find them in your usual grocery store, you can buy them in Trader Joe’s or on Amazon. Hope that helps.
Please tell me what a gelatin egg is?
Gelatin can be used as an egg replacer because it also acts as a binder. Take a look at the ingredients list and then point 3 in the recipe above which takes you through the process of making up your own ‘gelatin eggs’.
Thank you! Missed it
Great recipe, I haven’t had a treat in over 18 months so I’m looking forward to making this for Valentine’s Day. Thank you.
Thanks for commenting Lorelle, it’s my pleasure to share. I hope you enjoy your cake! 🙂
This looks delicious. What are gelatin eggs? How do I get “gelatin eggs”?
Thank you Avi. Gelatin can be used as an egg replacer because it also acts as a binder. Take a look at the ingredients list and then point 3 in the recipe above which takes you through the process of making up your own ‘gelatin eggs’.
Wow… so two 6 inch pans, huh? I’m thinking this cake must be a lot smaller than it looks! I would still love to try making it though. Did you have to cut out round pieces of parchment paper to line the pans? I think I may use fresh raspberries, or maybe even strawberries.
Hi Sarah, the recipe is enough to fill two 6 inch pans and gives you two layers of the cake. In the wording above I mention that I made a double quantity to make a higher cake, but then used only three of the layers. And yes, I cut out round pieces of parchment paper to fit inside the pans. Fresh berries sounds delicious, I hope you enjoy!
Hello there! So the apple sauce recipe is what you use for the apple pureee? Thank you!
Allison
Hello Allison, yes that’s correct but because everyone’s apples will be different sizes, you still need to measure out a cup worth for the recipe.
Hi, this looks fabulous and I want to make it for Valentines Day. However, I’m yeast free for the month and I’d like to substitute the honey for granulated erythritol. How would I go about doing this so I don’t mess up the recipe? Oh and I have inherited my mom’s old cake pans and on the bottom they say 8 x 1.25 . Do you think those will work? Thanks!!
Hello Holly, I’m afraid erythritol is not AIP/Paleo approved and you may like to take a look at this article written by the Paleo Mom for more info https://www.thepaleomom.com/2015/01/paleo-splenda-erythritol-stevia-low-calorie-sweeteners.html. As for the cake pans, you could use the size you have inherited but I’m afraid you will end up with two much flatter layers.
I am so excited to make this for my family! We can eat every single ingredient in this recipe. Finally an SCD friendly cake without eggs!
That’s so great to hear, thanks Janel. I hope you enjoy your cake 🙂
[…] Raspberry Valentine Cake (AIP) […]
I’ve been on AIP for a few weeks and haven’t had a treat in ages. Dying to try this….I don’t think I can wait until Valentines day though ha ha! Thank you
Happy Valentine’s Day Christina, I hope you enjoy your treat 🙂
I love this recipe, it looks and sounds delicious. I’m guessing it is ok to use real eggs. What would be the quantity of eggs? 2 or more ?
Thanks,
Hi Sue. Yes, two eggs will do the job. Enjoy!
Sorry about all the ingredient questions… is coconut butter the same as Mickey’s coconut concentrate?
No problem 🙂 . The cake was tested with the coconut butter linked in the ingredients list above but yes, it is the same as Mickey’s concentrate.
I’m wondering if I can use jarred unsweetened apple sauce instead of making the apple purée? I’m looking forward to tasting this! Thank you!
Yes, of course. 🙂
Thank you for this exciting recipe! Quick question: by runny honey, do you mean honey that has been warmed a little? Or do you just mean regular honey, not creamed? Thanks again!
Hi Diane. It’s regular honey, not creamed.
Welp, I’m a little disappointed. Put the cakes in the 350 oven and set the timer for 45 min just to be safe, and they were burned to a crisp. 🙁 My kids have been looking forward to this all week too. Just wanted to warn others that you’ll want to watch it very carefully.
Hmm, I’m sorry yours wasn’t a success. The cake was tested several times with an oven thermometer so if your oven works to temperature, you measured out the ingredients exactly and used the same diameter pans as stated in the recipe, I’m not sure what could have happened I’m afraid.
I tried again and 40 min seems to be the magic number. But yes, all ingredients were measured out exactly and my oven was at the correct temperature. I was thinking about making this to fill a 9×13 cake pan for my daughter’s birthday cake. What do you think, would you need to double or triple it to fill a 9×13 pan?
The same thing happened to me! Only I didn’t play it safe and baked it for the whole hour. I have a gas oven. Would it be possible this might be the problem?
Ok, I have one cake pan in the oven…lol… My cake pans were 8 x 2 so I just used one–so I will have a short cake. : ) I used just under 1 cup of erythritol for the cake and 1/4 cup of water. The batter was nice and sweet, maybe a little too sweet, but my husband liked the taste of it! Now, when I made the frosting and used shortening, well, it turned the frosting yellow. How did you get yours to look white? Do you have different colored palm shortening?
I used Spectrum shortening and a raw clover honey. If you used the same shortening, could it be that your honey was a dark variety maybe?
Oh, I used Red Palm Shortening from Nutiva…that’s all I had. It’s bright yellow. Is the spectrum shortening white in color? I used granulated erythritol instead of honey (yeast free this month, but want to try AIP in the next month or so). The substitution you gave me for granulated erythritol worked great, except I aired more on the sweeter side for my guests and you were right, I should have just done 1/2 cup instead of 7/8 cup–I think that would be perfect! Next time!! The cake tastes so good I can’t wait to frost it today and top it with crushed raspberries!
Hi Holly, ah so your yellow shortening is the reason for your yellow frosting, the one I used is almost white in colour. Happy Valentine’s Day and I hope you all enjoy the cake 🙂
Btw I just want to be clear and mention to those people following Paleo and, very importantly, the AIP that your information about usage of erythritol (which is a sugar alcohol) did not come from me, or from Dr Sarah Ballantyne. In her post (https://www.thepaleomom.com/2015/01/paleo-splenda-erythritol-stevia-low-calorie-sweeteners.html) Dr Ballantyne says that the use of erythritol is not to be advised since it can be a direct cause leaky gut.
So even though my cake was yellow, it still tasted delicious and everyone loved it! My Dad had two pieces. : ) Yeah, I understand about erythritol. I’m not AIP yet–I just wanted to see what this dessert would taste like so I have something in my arsenal when I want a treat. Thanks for the great recipe!
Very, very late, but I think the bright yellow frosting sounds beautiful especially for a lemon-flavoured cake.
Kate, thank you so much for creating this recipe. I’ve been making my way through GAPS and discovered I may not tolerate eggs. And GAPS loves eggs. I was so grateful to finally find a resource for AIP/GAPS. It feels doable again.
I’m planning on making this cake for my birthday in May. Maybe I’ll make it lemon yellow.
I made this this weekend and it turned out great! I substituted Spartan apples, used 1/2 ghee, 1/2 coconut oil instead of palm shortening and I used real eggs (as Ive recently successfully reintroduced them, yay!). I also used 8 ramekins instead of a 6″ pan and baked them for 40 minutes, then sliced them in half. Frosting these tiny cakes seemed like too much work so I just layered them with coconut whipped cream and raspberries. Deelish!
Sounds fabulous Jaime, thanks for sharing 🙂
I made this for Valentine’s Day with a minor change and it was delicious. I didn’t have 6 inch cake pans.. Mine were in between 6 and 9 inches. Therefore I only baked them for about 45 minutes. They appeared to be a bit dark but still tasted moist. Thanks!
So pleased you enjoyed them and thanks for letting me know 🙂
Wow wow wow! What a beautiful and delicious creation. I made this cake over the last few days… first the apple puree, then the cakes themselves. I put them in the freezer until I was ready to make the icing. The cakes are delicious and such a welcome treat. AIP baking is really taking my culinary skills to the next level! Thanks for this wonderful recipe.
MK you are more than welcome, thanks SO much for letting me know. 🙂
[…] used the lovely Kate of Healing Family Eats recipe for her AIP Cake only I made five thinner layers in larger pans and doubled the frosting. What I loved most about […]
Hi, my son made this today for the arrival of his little sister, due today. He’s made the sponge so far. Can this be frozen? Or how long would it keep in the fridge? Thanks
Hi Harriet, yes the cake can be frozen. In fact in the recipe above I say that it is a good idea to freeze it in advance of icing. Take a look at the paragraph in the wording above the recipe instructions for a link to a tutorial for icing etc. Wishing you much luck with the impending arrival 🙂
[…] Raspberry Valentine Cake – Autoimmune Paleo […]
Would it work to use maple syrup instead of honey? I’m hoping it will because I’d love to use this recipe for my daughter’s first birthday – she is sensitive to eggs and we haven’t introduced any grains yet – this seems like the perfect recipe to use for a smash cake for her – but I’m not quite comfortable giving her honey just yet.
Hi Jessica, yes it will fine with maple syrup. I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Wow, a cake without eggs or dairy or nuts! But I’m allergic to apples and lemons. Would it work to use banana in place of apple, and more water in place of the lemon juice?
Thanks!
Wow, a cake without eggs! I would love this for my birthday, but I’m allergic to apples and lemon. Would it work to use banana in place of the apple puree, and more water in place of the lemon juice?
Hi Kelly, yes banana would be fine I’m sure but obviously you will end up with a different cake. As for replacing the lemon juice, can you use apple cider vinegar? The acid is in the recipe to react with the baking soda and help the cake to rise.
ACV is from apples. :o( Maybe orange juice would be acidic enough? Maybe it would have to be concentrated.
Sorry Kelly, I didn’t register the allergy to apples. Can you use wine vinegar instead? That is fine in moderation for AIP.
Hi Kate! Love this recipe and I want to make but I can´t find any palm shortening in my country. I saw that someone ask for coconut oil for replacement, could that work? or maybe with nut butter instead?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Antonia, yes coconut oil will work. I haven’t tried it myself but others have and have had good results.
For those following the AIP, I should mention that nuts are Stage 2 and 3 Reintroduction foods, depending on the nut.
Mickey,
Can you freeze slices of the cake once it is frosted? Thanks
Marie,
Yes, I have done this many times! I individually wrap them in saran wrap. Good luck!
Mickey,
Does slices of the frosted cake freeze well? Thanks
Mickey,
I’ve made the recipe before and it is definitelly a keepere. Could you freeze the frosted slices?
I’m trying to make this recipe vegan. Can I substitute anything for the gelatin?
My daughter is vegan and I’m AIP/Paleo. Can the gelatin be replaced with anything?
Although I have never tried it, you could try agar agar, though the end result may possibly give you a slightly different texture to gelatin. The instructions on the packet will guide you on how to substitute.
[…] than they’d ever believe. With a subtle fruity sweetness and creamy frosting, this cake by Autoimmune Paleo is a true […]
Can I sub coconut sugar for honey?
[…] Click here for the recipe. Ingredients: apples lemon juice, palm shortening, honey, coconut flour, baking soda, salt, gelatin, coconut butter, coconut cream, and raspberries […]
I’m looking forward to making this recipe for our next special occasion. Long ago, I bought 3 very nice 6″ cake pans because it made exactly half the recipe of my favorite (gluten) birthday cake. And we could enjoy a fancy but unhealthy cake on someone’s birthday, and then not have leftovers to eat. I haven’t used them in years. Oh boy! Another fancy cake in our future.
[…] are plenty of red-Valentine-heart-themed treats on the AIP net space these days, including the Raspberry Valentine Cake that I wrote for Autoimmune-Paleo last year (which is incredible, may I just say ???? ). But […]
hi Kate,
this looks so delicious! a quick question, please – what are those lines in front of the palm shortening measurement (and the flour)?
is that one & one-half cups shortening? or is it 1/2 cup? thanks for the clarification
Hi Christy, the measurements you’re referring to (for the cake) are half a cup of shortening, two-thirds of a cup of coconut flour.
[…] Autoimmune Paleo: Raspberry Valentine Cake The Paleo Mom: Coconut Milk Kefir “Yogurt” Jen Broyles: Non-Mashed Potatoes to Die For Balanced Bites: Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins […]
I’m about ready to frost this cake, but my frosting is rather runny, closer to a very thick sauce. I used all of the exact ingredients. Is this expected? The frosting in the photos look much better!
[…] 17. Raspberry Valentine Cake Recipe […]
This is so pretty! Maybe I missed it… but can you use regular eggs?
Hi Amy! If you are on the elimination diet, eggs are not included. This recipe works great without them!
Hi Kate Jay.
My question is this … can banana be used instead of apple?
I’m not able to tolerate apples so am looking for a substitute.
Thank you for your time.
Hi Helen, I have a banana cake on my blog that you can use in just the same way (same tins, etc) except you would cook for a little less time. Check at 45 minutes. Then make up the frosting in the recipe here. I do this quite often for special occasions.
Happy Valentine’s Day 🙂
And the link is here 😉
https://healingfamilyeats.com/banana-cinnamon-teacake-aip-gaps/
Hi – Do you think Plantain flour would it give it more rise and work equally as well in this recipe as coconut flour?
THANK YOU for making a AIP/VEGAN-possible cake as I plan to make this as the alternative birthday cake for my son and all the guests who are gluten-, dairy-, egg-, nut-, grain- and legume- free cake!!
You’re a GENIUS!!
Hi ,
thank you for the recipe, I think it’s amazing job.
I want to make the cake , but don’t have a 2/3 cup
measuring. Can you tell me which is the measure in
grams?
Thank you.
I was comparing this recipe with the Lemon-Coconut cake in Mickey and Angie’s Easter cookbook recipe and noticed that everything for the cake itself is the same (since they adapted from this recipe!) except that this calls for 2/3 cup coconut flour and their’s calls for 1/3 cup coconut flour. Can someone clear up which is correct??
Hi Skip,
This one is correct, the first version of the Easter book had a typo. Sorry for the confusion!
Is there a more recent version of the Easter cookbook we can get? I love it but can totally see myself forgetting about the typo in the future!
Hi Skip, not right now, but we will be sending out an updated version before Easter 2018. Sorry about that!
I absolutely love this recipe! I have made it several times now. Since I love spice cake, I like to add cinnamon to the batter. I love how the edges turn out chewy, with a brownie-like texture, so I have baked it in a larger pan to maximize the chewiness. Today I tried it with added cocoa powder, since the rest of the family was having regular chocolate birthday cake. I just pretend it tastes awful so no one will eat mine (my daughter knows my tricks though and agrees this is a delicious cake made with mom’s “weird” ingredients).
I added cinnamon to apple puree.
This looks beautiful! I’m planning on making it for my daughter’s birthday. Can the cake be made and frosted a day or two a head of time?
Thank You
Hey Jennifer! You can make the cake beforehand, but I would frost it day-of. Maybe Kate will chime in here with more info, good luck!
I followed the directions exactly as written and this cake did not come out at all. It was completely gummy, never cooked through, or held together. I had to throw it away. I’ve never had success with AIP baking and not using eggs….
Hi Victoria! It sounds like you might have not used the right product for coconut cream or concentrate. Did you perhaps use the top of a can of coconut milk?
I had the exact same problem. It turned out a mushy oily mess that did not resemble cake at all! I don’t see coconut cream listed anywhere in the cake ingredients, just the frosting. What am I missing?!
Hey Suzanna,
Sorry you had trouble, I’m not sure where you could have gone wrong! Are you sure you followed the instructions correctly? I’ve personally made Kate’s cake many times without issue, as well as others here. Another thought could be if your oven is cooking at the correct temperature?
[…] Raspberry Valentine Cake Healing Family Eats […]
[…] Raspberry Valentine Cake Healing Family Eats […]
[…] fruits. It bakes and looks very different than traditional cakes. 3. The oven temperature listed in the recipe must be wrong. 350 degrees for an hour is way too long or hot. It was just starting to burn on the […]
Could I bake this batter all in one (tall sided) 6″ pan and cut the layers after it’s done?
Abbie,
I am not sure, but I would be hesitant that the cooking time will be correct as the middle may come out soggy. I think it is better to cook them separately!
Awesome recipe of raspberry valentine cake I will surely try at home. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Hope you love it Supriya!
[…] Line the bottom and sides of two 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper (there’s a photo in this post of how to line the pan so nothing sticks! Eventually, I’ll do a video tutorial for this; it […]
I’m making this cake for my daughter’s birthday and I’m a little confused about the coconut milk for the icing. Is it the thick stuff you use or the liquid?
Hi Nan! Kate has you covered under the “notes” section of the recipe.
I’m skeptical aboutv the coconut flour as the only floor in the recipe, all coconut flour hasn’t given me a great texture before. Is the texture of this cake grainy like coconut flour?
Shannon, I’ve made this one before and it isn’t grainy, the texture is really nice! One note though, is that you might be buying a brand of coconut flour that is more coarse, I like to use Bob’s Red Mill.
Hi, can this recipe be used for cupcakes? If so, is there a different cooking temp/time?
What can we use in place of palm or coconut shortening.
Hello Kate, it is a joy to find this cake recipe as it looks ver kid friendly (aka like a normal cake and they won’t feel disappointed or discouraged of their new AIP diet). I am new to this diet and so have a few questions. It is my child’s birthday very soon and I usually make big cakes or big cupcakes for fun and they get to choose the color and theme. I use Ateco design tips and design intricate theme cakes per their preference (farm scenes, fancy flowers, drip cakes, train scenes, etc.). My child is young and definitely takes to heart not being allowed the same things as elder siblings. So it is important to me to try to design a cake that looks like it is the same as always 🙂 Or as close as possible. And so I can use it for sibling parties so my child can enjoy the dessert like all others. So my questions are this…
1. Can this cake be made in large cupcakes. Can it stand up to be cut into shapes and frosted for decoration.
2. How stable is this frosting? Can it be made ahead a day or two days? Can it be frosted into 3D flowers and such?
3. Are there any AIP decorations that are allowable?
I so appreciate it, thank you!!
I should mention, I usually make all my cakes and frosting from scratch and enjoy the process. But this time I feel a little daunted by ingredients I am not accustomed to. Does this bake similarly to non AIP cakes? And how does the frosting compare? I feel a little in over my head for the first time.
I need help on step 3 of the cake batter. Do I make wet ingredients separate and then add to the dry? Or do I just add wet ingredients to the dry as I go. I have read step 3 a few times. Do I add eggs to the gelatin and lemon froth? Needs some clarity I really really want to try this.
Hi Benita! Like the recipe states, you mix the gelatin and lemon in a small bowl, and then pour that into the larger batch of mix while the motor is running. Does that help?