I’m a big fan of the school of thought that says healthy living is all about balance and interaction. And enjoying a treat now and then is all part of leading a life of moderation. Maybe I’m just making excuses to validate my indulgences but all treats are definitely not created equal. And surely when we bake things ourselves, we’re already one big leap ahead by avoiding processed food and being in full control of what goes into our tummies.
But time is often of the essence so sticking with simple, easy recipes makes sense in offering us the path of least resistance and helping us whip out those mixing bowls and baking trays.
Today’s recipe is a gluten-free pumpkin cake because whether you avoid gluten or not, lots of people do and this one is so tasty, it’s easy to skip the gluten and enjoy the extra nutrition benefits of the almond flour that’s the base of this creation.
Almond meal is a common ingredient in gluten-free cakes and slices – and when you look at the nutrients in almonds versus those in wheat flour, almond meal’s a winner, hands down.
Almonds are wonderful sources of good fats, antioxidants, fibre and protein. And when it comes to vitamin E, almonds are right up there amongst the best sources you can find. Vitamin E helps to protect your cells against free radical damage. And almonds are high in ever-so-important magnesium – just 60 grams (2 ounces) a day gives you almost half the recommended daily intake. Magnesium is involved in hundreds of processes in our bodies, including helping to regulate blood pressure and blood sugar levels. And it tends to be something we run short on, so that one small serve of almonds is highly helpful.
Another key ingredient in our recipe is plentiful pumpkin: high in fibre, zinc and potassium.
It actually beats bananas when it comes to potassium. Pumpkin is also good for topping up your magnesium – and both potassium and magnesium are great for muscles. Plus the beta-carotene in pumpkin plumps up your vitamin A levels, so you’re helping your eye health, too. All good news!
Feeling blue? Did you know pumpkin seeds contain tryptophan which converts to serotonin in the body, which helps us to feel more relaxed and at ease and also helps us to sleep better.
Cinnamon is our 3rd key ingredient. This warm and fragrantly comforting spice has a long history in folk and herbal remedies and in cooking, and it’s even mentioned in the Bible. Cinnamon bark essential oil is steam distilled from the bark. Fun fact: cinnamon is thought to attract wealth. That’s one of the reasons it’s included in Young Living’s warm and spicy Abundance essential oil blend. Cinnamon bark is also one of the ingredients of Young Living Inner Defense® to help fortify your natural defences.
Our recipes always include at least one exquisite essential oil from the Young Living Vitality range (these are the Young Living essential oils that are safe to add to food and drink). We choose to do this for a bunch of reasons:
- we love oils so much that we incorporate them wherever we can throughout our day (they don’t build up in the body, so this is a good habit for sure!)
- essential oils are highly potent and far more concentrated than fresh or dried herbs or fruits, so you can impart a big flavour boost with just a few drops
- essential oils include hundreds of highly beneficial natural compounds
This will also connect you up with The Good Oil Team for our personal support and coaching. We'd love to help you on your journey to vibrant well-being the natural way!
Any questions? Please get in touch via our Contact page.
Please note that it’s imperative to only ever add essential oils to food or drink when the label clearly states it’s safe to do so! Most essential oils in the marketplace are not of the impeccable quality and purity needed for this kind of use – and even then, not all oils are destined by Mother Nature to go down the hatch. Please be wise and follow the labels.
Now, on to today’s recipe. We love that there is no creaming of butter needed. Hooray, say all the impatient bakers of the world, including us. So it’s quick and easy as – well, easy as pie, even though it’s cake.
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cake with Young Living Cinnamon Bark Oil
Recipe adapted from Healthy Recipes Blogs
Serves 12
Prep: 15 mins Baking: 50 mins Resting time: 30mins
INGREDIENTS
- Soft unsalted butter or your favourite spray to grease the pan
- 3 large free-range organic eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (peel and steam or boil pumpkin then mash)
- 4 tblesp unsalted butter, melted and allowed to slightly cool
- ½ cup honey or Young Living Blue Agave Nectar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla bean paste/extract
- ¼ tsp coarse Himalayan or Celtic salt
- 2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 3-5 drops Young Living Vitality Cinnamon Bark essential oil
- 1 tsp baking soda
METHOD
- Preheat oven to 175C/350F and grease a 22cm/9” pie pan
- Lightly beat eggs in a large bowl
- Whisk in the pureed pumpkin, melted and slightly cooled butter, honey or Young Living Blue Agave Nectar, vanilla, salt and a few drops of Young Living Vitality Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil
- Mix until smooth and taste check: add another drop or two of essential oil if desired
- Into this mixture, whisk the almond flour until well blended
- Add the pumpkin pie spice and baking soda and mix in well. The mixture will be a thick batter
- Pour/scrape the batter into the greased pie plate and smooth the top with a spatula
- Watch the colour and if getting too dark at the 30 minute mark, loosely cover the edges with foil
- Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, approximately 45 minutes or so
- Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes then slice and serve
Essential oils are potent, so as always, please follow directions on the bottle and the usual guidelines for safe use of authentic essential oils. Most importantly, we reiterate to please only ever add essential oils to food or drink when their label clearly states you can do so.
Please ensure you are choosing a brand with complete transparency from seed to seal, such as Young Living. You can learn in this short video why we only ever recommend and choose Young Living oils and love them so much!
This will also connect you up with The Good Oil Team for our personal support and coaching. We'd love to help you on your journey to vibrant well-being the natural way!
Any questions? Please get in touch via our Contact page.
