Oh my cakes!

I don't know why I gave that title but it's what came out of my head and hands just now as I sit here
to tell you of my cake making feats of the week.  Not only have I baked my cake but I have made
three cakes in the past few days.  That is if you count the panCAKES I made this morning.  And I am going
to count them because they were so darn delicious and so amazingly good and healthy for you,  And they were experimental.  So those are all things that fit into my cake making adventure. 
But even though I made three cakes I will narrow it down and give just one recipe as my official cake of the week.  Now to choose the winner......drum roll please......
I have to go with Cake aLa Karen.  I'm saying that with my most fancy italian accent.  Just cuz I like it.
But I did not make an italin cake, although that sounds fun, but I made a cake/bread in honor of my dear friend who can not have gluten or dairy and is also avoiding sugar.  So that makes things a little tricky in the cake baking process. 
I searched the internet for healthy recipes, but not for long because it was annoying me. So I found a recipe in my Moosewood cookbook and then modified it a bit.  I have to confess we gobbled down half that cake and then I took Karen the rest.  I couldn't just give her an experimental cake without trying it first.  That would just be wrong.  What if it were horrid?  So happy to say she loved it even though I told her it could have to do with the fact that she hasn't eaten any sort of bread like carbs for quite some time.  But I even liked it and so did Mark and the kids so it must have been good.  This is what it really was called and here is the recipe.
Apricot Almond Bread     I know this is technically a bread but what ever, It was in the dessert section.  And it's my blog so I can do what I want.  Ha.  This is the perfect snack or breakfast cake.  It really was muffin like in ways.  But more thick and hearty.  You could even try it in muffin tins.  I'm going to have to get better at my descriptive words.  What are those adjectives?  And Yes, I am a home school mom.

1& 1/2 cups diced up dried apricots
1& 1/2 cups water
2& 1/2 cups gluten free organic oat flour  (grind/blend oats into flour in a food processor or blender)
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. soft butter
1/2 cup real maple syrup or honey or agave  (I used pure maple syrup)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. orange rind
1 cup finely chopped almonds

350' oven for about 40 minutes give or take a few.  Butter a loaf pan

Place Apricots in a medium sized sauce pan with the water and simmer for 10 minutes
Transfer it to a bowl and let it cool down a bit.  Add the syrup, vanilla, & butter.
Place all dry ingredients and orange rind and almonds in kitchen aid.
Turn it on and slowly add the hot mixture to it.  Let it blend a bit to release some more heat
and then toss in the egg. Make sure its not too hot so you don't accidently cook the egg.  Icky.
Keep it mixing all together.  It will be quite warm. 
Poor into prepared pan and bake till you start to smell it.  Because it is oat flour and it was already so warm, it cooked fast.  It was kind of like baking a bowl of oatmeal.  The original recipe said to bake for an hour and a half.  Well I smelled my cake and thought dang that smells done and it had only been about 35 to 45 minutes.  I can't remember how much time was left on the timer. 
Well I sliced it open right away because I was anxious to try it and it smelled really good.  And it was so moist and yummy.  It was not like done, done all the way in the middle but it was just pefect I thought. 
So there you have it.  If you too are plagued with the gluten monster now you can have some thing yummy.
Or if you are just wanting a healthy delicious snack.  I know I do so I am going to make some more tomorrow.  Happy me. :)

This is a picture of a chocolate chip pound cake I

made this week too.  It was good. 

Been grinding my flour fresh. Oh man it truly makes a

difference in taste and you get full fast because you

are getting so much more nutrients.

The yummy pancakes I made.