Spiced Honey Cake

I have a confession to make. When our friend, Rachel, from @Theheartfelttable on IG sent us this recipe, I was in the middle of a Whole30 challenge and oh so tempted to cheat with this cake! I ended up eating a boatload of fruit and nuts just to overcome this craving. Big thanks to Melissa Hartwig, cofounder of the whole30, who made it very clear that once you cheat, you have to start all over! She does not mess around!

When the challenge ended, I wasn't as excited to get back to wine and pizza as I was to try this cake and it did not disappoint! The flavors coming from the spice tea are wonderful and the coconut butter topping is pretty perfect. The combination is extra special and a wonderful treat to make for family and friends. I'll be bringing this one to our next gathering! 

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 2.5 c almond flour
• 1 c cassava flour
• 1/2 c coconut flour
• 3/4 c raw honey
• 1/2 c coconut sugar
• 1 c @celestialtea bengal spice tea {1 bag, cooled}
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/4 c full fat coconut milk
• 2 t vanilla
• 1 t ceylon cinnamon
• 1 t pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 t salt 

Topping :

• 4 T Nikki's Vanilla Cake Batter
• 1 T maple syrup 
• 1/2 t cinnamon

Preparation:

1. Set oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Mix together all of the dry ingredients and set aside. 
3. Combine coconut sugar, honey, vanilla, eggs, and cooled tea until it is blended.
4. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring to combine each time. 
5. Spray a glass bundt pan and poor in the batter. 
6. Bake for 50-55 minutes. 
7. Allow to cool completely before transferring out of the bundt pan. 

Topping:

1. While the cake is cooling, gently melt the coconut butter and once it is just barely runny, mix in the maple syrup + cinnamon. 
2. Stir to combine.
3. Once the cake has cooled and been transferred out of the bundt pan, drizzle on the melted coconut butter icing and enjoy!

This cake also freezes amazingly. I slice it into 1 inch slices, individually wrap them, and then freeze them in a freezer safe bag.

Recipe and photos by Rachel at @theheartfelttable

Chocolate Banana Ice Cream

An easy recipe for a quick summer treat! This one is very popular in our house. We make it with our Honey Pecan Pie and with our Cashew Cookie Butter as well, but there's something special about the banana chocolate combo that makes it perfect the way it's outlined below. I hope you love this one as much as we do! Pro tip- warm a tablespoon of our dark chocolate fudge to drizzle on top for a magic shell once it's made!

Ingredients :
2 ripe bananas
2 T Dark Chocolate Fudge Coconut Butter + 1 T for magic shell

Instructions :
1. Peel and cut ripe bananas into coins.
2.Put bananas in an airtight container
3. Freeze banana pieces for at least 2 hours
4. Blend frozen banana pieces with coconut butter in a small food processor, until
resembles creamy soft -serve ice cream
5. Eat immediately or transfer to an airtight container and freeze until solid
6. Melt 1 Tbsp of Dark Chocolate and drizzle over ice cream and enjoy!

Recipe and pics by Noelle of thepenandpiper.com 

Berry Galette

Strawberry season is my favorite! I love snacking on them fresh and incorporating them into salads and sweets! They have a burst of flavor that makes them wonderful in many recipes, but I especially like them in this berry galette. Mixed with some fresh blueberries, this is a wonderful twist on a berry pie! 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp tapioca flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp maple/coconut sugar
• 3.5 tbsp Nikkis Vanilla Cake Batter Coconut Butter (slightly cold but solid)
• 3 tbsp grass-fed butter, cold
• 1 egg
• 1-2 tbsp cold water
• 1 - 2 cups chopped berries
• lemon juice
• honey or maple syrup

Preparation:

1. In a food processor, combine the almond flour, tapioca, salt, sugar, coconut butter, and butter. Pulse until it resembles sand/crumbs. Add the egg, pulse to combine. Pulse in 1 tbsp of water at a time until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the food processor. 
2. Remove dough and place on a sheet of plastic wrap. Knead in remaining 2 tbsp tapioca flour. Divide into two even portions. Wrap with plastic wrap and flatten to a disk. Let the dough chill in the fridge for at least an hour. 
3. Toss together the berries, lemon juice and honey/maple syrup to taste. Set aside
4. Preheat oven to 400F. Remove dough from plastic wrap and flour surface with a little tapioca flour. Dough will soften pretty quickly, so work fast to roll out dough. Roll dough out to about 3/8" thick (thinner the better, dough will crisp up better).
5. Add the berries in the center of the dough and fold up the edges. Brush sides of egg wash (optional) and sprinkle with a little granulated maple/coconut sugar. Bake for 20 minutes at 400F or until edges have become slightly golden and berries are soft and juicy. 

Recipe and pictures by Denise of @denimelon on Instagram.

Mint Chocolate Brownie Muffins

These Brownie Muffins are perfect when they're fresh out of the oven combined with a vanilla bean ice cream. You can chop them up and mix into the ice cream for a fun treat. I'm no expert or anything, but based on my experience, they pair really well together! When I was younger, Andes Mints were a favorite. I just loved the mint and chocolate combination and these muffins definitely took me back to those days. Not a big mint lover? No problem. You can tone it down a notch with just a drop of peppermint (it goes a long way) or you can kick it up if you're a big mint fan, like my husband. I found two to three drops was a good fit for us. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz good quality dark chocolate
• 1 tbsp grassfed unsalted butter (like KerryGold)
• 3 tbsp Nikki's Dark Chocolate Fudge coconut butter
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/4 cup maple sugar
• 3 tbsp tapioca flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp instant espresso (optional)
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1-2 drops peppermint extract 

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Melt together the dark chocolate, butter, Nikki's Dark Chocolate and peppermint extract. Whisk to combine. Allow the mixture to cool slightly. Add the eggs and maple sugar whisk until incorporated. 
2. In a separate bowl, sift together the tapioca flour, salt, instant espresso (if using), and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Fold until just combined. 
3. Use an ice cream scoop to divide the batter into a silicone muffin pan, or paper lined muffin tin.
4. Bake at 350F for 15-18 minutes and let cool for 10 minutes. Be patient! 
5. Serve with ice cream or save for later. 

Recipe and pictures by Denise of @denimelon on IG.