Fruits and Veggies Monday - Spiced Apple Cake
This week I decided to make something sweet as I had some gorgeous Granny Smith Apples that I bought from my friendly Veggies on Wheels supplier, so I made a Spicy Apple Cake which more than satisfied my sweet tooth!
However, I was interested in reading up about which would be the healthier sugar substitute, and concluded that it really is better to use them sparingly as they all are either high in fructose or are chemical extracts.
Here are the pros and cons of sugar substitutes according to the web page Runtastic.com, and I quote:
- Birch sugar doesn’t cause your blood sugar to rise much, but it does have 240 cal per 100 g.
- Honey has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. However, it is loaded with calories: it has 310 calories per 100 g. (Of course honey is not Vegan)
- Stevia has no calories, but the sweetener is added to food as a chemical extract (E 960).
- Agave nectar contains a lot of vitamins and minerals. If you eat too much of it for a longer period, though, it can elevate your blood fat level.
- Coconut sugar contains magnesium, iron, and zinc – on the other hand, it is high in fructose. It is also rather expensive and considered a luxury good.
- Maple syrup is a natural alternative and contains many antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. But it is 60 to 70% less sweet than sugar, which means you need more sugar to achieve the same sweetness.
I decided to use Xylitol because it is not hard to find in our stores, and does not leave a bitter aftertaste as some of the other sweeteners do.
Spiced Apple Cake
- 1 cup Self-Raising Stone-ground Cake Wheat Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 cup Xylitol or other sugar substitute
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 4 Tbsp Grape Seed Oil
- 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened Almond Milk
- 1 Vanilla Pod, seeds scraped out
- 2-3 Granny Smith Apples, sliced
- Extra 1/2 cup Xylitol mixed with 1/2 tsp Cinnamon to sprinkle on base of pan
Method
Sift dry ingredients together.
Beat liquids plus Vanilla seeds together, slowly add dry ingredients and mix till smooth.
Line and spray a spring form cake pan, sprinkle xylitol & cinnamon on base.
Arrange apple slices on base.
Spoon cake batter over top.
Bake at 170C fan oven for about 30-40 min, till a skewer comes out clean.
Leave to cool slightly before inverting onto a wire cake rack.
Serve lukewarm as a teatime treat or a dessert.
Nice and spicy and sweet but also chock-a-block full of Apples.
One last quick look for all our busy people:
A sincere thank you to the creator of #fruitsandveggiesmonday, @lenasveganliving, to our weekly host the lovely @plantstoplanks, both lovely ladies are such an inspiration with their kind feedback and of course the gorgeous food coming from their kitchens!
A massive shout out to @donkeypong for the generous sponsorship and of course that wonderfully talented artist @barbara-orenya for the gorgeous wonkies!
Thank you one and all for giving us this opportunity!
Check out this week's POST, follow the rules 100% and show us your fruits and veggies :)
Original Content by @lizelle
Thank you for stopping by
Comments, upvotes & resteems all much appreciated :)
Copyright @lizelle - All Rights Reserved
I agree with the first comment the smell in the kitchen baking this must have been heaven sent and it looks so good
Deciding which sugar or sugar alternative to use is such a challenge these days they all have good abd bad sides to them
Nothing like the smell of something baking in the oven! Yep, better to rather limit all those sweet things as real sugar is not good either but we all deserve a treat now and then not so ;)
Ohh I bet makes me want to bake something thinking about it
Yes we all deserve a treat now and again and when you don’t have treats often the times you do they taste so good
What a beautiful cake @lizelle!!! So glad you're finding sugar alternatives :) Apple cakes are so delicious, I have such fond memories and Granny smiths are my absolute favorite! Yum!
I bet your kitchen just smelled divine while this was cooking! Apples and cinnamon just warm your heart and belly. I think you are dead on with the sugar assessment--some are definitely better than others, but when it comes down to it any should be used sparingly in favor of natural sweetness like actual fruit. I do often use dates for sweetness in things, but they can be a bit pricey so I also keep maple syrup and some raw coconut sugar around for when I really want to do a little baking. Life is all about balance, though, so I think a home-cooked sweet treat isn't going to break the bank when you consume so many other healthful meals! A lovely and informative entry as always my sweet friend!
So right @plantstoplanks, it's all about balance!
Maple syrup and coconut sugar is quite pricey here, good idea adding dates for sweetness!
Thank you for your valued feedback!
I can smell the deliciousness trough the screen Lizelle!!!
It was nice and spicy, thank you @lenasveganliving!
I bet it was delicious! YUM!!! I only wish I have apiece right now Dear Lizelle.
Sounds and looks amazingly good!! I might just have my daughter try this out. She loves baking.
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I hope your daughter makes it sometime, was delicious, thank you for stopping by :)
CONGRATULATIONS TO YOUR AWARD!
Thank you so much for the gorgeous wonkie!
Well deserved Dear Lizelle..............as I said before, I wish I could do more. You bring only the best to the table every week 💖😊💖
This is an excellent recipe, I'm reblogging it because I want to try it out one day. Thanks for sharing, it looks delicious 😀
Thank you so much @erikah, it was a really nice treat! Hope you get to taste it too;)
I hope so too 😊
looks so good, yummy!
It was, thank you @proanima:)
😊
That apple tart looks great!!
It was delicious, thank you @rynow!
Apple, Cinnamon pie what a great tasty share, going into winter months I can see your style changing with some more comfort eating Lizelle.
So true, soup is going to be on the menu this weekend for sure, suddenly freezing cold in Durbs! Thank you for your wonderful comments @joanstewart. We're going down the coast next week, hope this cold spell brings the sardines but also hope for warmer weather!
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