I recently took the leap and made a big investment. Well a big investment in my eyes. Not a house or a business or anything, though that would be nice. Not really an investment of the monetary type at all for that matter. A transaction did take place, and I did get to carry something shiny and new home, unable to wipe the massive grin off my face. But more than that it was an investment of the commitment variety, a commitment to start something new and exciting, and to delve into a brewing passion…
Recently I’ve had an overwhelming desire to extend my creativity beyond simply formulating new recipes for you. I want to be able to produce pretty pictures, those that tell stories and make the viewer feel the exact intent of the photographer. It’s something I have long felt, and it is definitely time to give it a go. I have such admiration for food photography and am filled with awe when flicking through inspiring works of art. I want to share deliciously friendly food and recipes with you, but also, I want to be able to share stories through my photos just like those I drool over daily. Ah the dream.
So, the first photo in this post represents the beginning of my new-found passion. It is the first photo that I’m sharing with you here on FLK that has been taken on my very first digital SLR. How damn exciting! But while it’s an exciting prospect, the idea of learning something new is also daunting. I am dumbfounded by the pure skill involved, so I know it will be a long road. But with my first SLR and inspiring Plate to Pixel food photography book in tow, I think I’m moving in the right direction.
And, for those of you who know me well, you’ll know that there’s no better way to celebrate the start of something new than with cake! A simple, friendly, gluten free Upside Down Strawberry Almond Cake. And while we’re on the topic of new things, check out my latest blog prop – a wooden board foraged from Bec and Marcello’s house renovations, sanded and white-wash painted for my foodography pleasure by Robbie – thank you and enjoy some cake.
Upside Down Strawberry Almond Cake
Makes 1 cake
Update: Please note this cake is only low FODMAP in small amounts (Monash Uni App advises that 1/2 cup of almond meal is high in Oligos) depending on your individual tolerance.
Cake
3 cups almond flour or meal
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup natural Greek yoghurt (or lactose free)
Zest of half an orange
Strawberries
~10 strawberries, sliced
1 tsp caster sugar
Zest of half an orange
Preheat oven to 170°C and line a 9-inch spring-form cake tin with baking paper. Combine almond flour, salt and cinnamon together. Whisk eggs, sugar and the zest of half an orange in a separate bowl until thickened. Stir the yoghurt through, then mix the wet mixture into the dry ingredients.
Prepare strawberries by slicing them long ways, about half a centimetre thick, and place in a clean bowl. Add sugar and orange zest, and gently mix. Arrange strawberries on the bottom of the cake tin. Starting from the outside, place slices in a circle with the bottom pointing inward. Overlap each circle as you work inward until the whole bottom is covered. Pour batter over the strawberries and bake for 40 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before removing from the tin. Carefully turn over on to a plate. Serve with natural yoghurt.
Enjoy!
Thanks – apologies – didn't mean to sound snarky! Hope others find it useful.
Hi there, it certainly is not a trap, I do apologise about that, as the diet is ever-changing with new research I was not yet aware of almonds containing oligos at the time of creating the recipe as my dietician guidelines did not include this. I have now updated the content above so people may make their own educated decision based Monash app guidelines that 1/2 cup of almond meal is high FODMAP. I hope you were still able to enjoy a small slice. Thanks, Steph
Just baked this, it's in the oven as I type. Disappointed to discover buried in the comments that the cake is in fact not fodmap friendly so I can't eat it.
It would be really helpful if you could make that clear in the title, I'm clearly not the only person to fall into this trap.
This recipe one of the first links from a page of low fodmap cake recipes. That page is the first result if you Google fodmap cakes.
http://www.mygutfeeling.eu/30-low-fodmap-dessert-recipes/
Hi Steph! Could you include a note in the recipe with the safe low fodmap portion, please? About your suggestion, aren't hazelnuts also high on fodmaps? I would suggest rice flour ;)
Hi there,
I do apologise about that. When I created this recipe I was unaware that almond meal was high in oligos as it was not on the list I was given when starting the diet. How things have changed since then!! I will make a comment on this post now, and also will test this recipe using some other flours/meals (I'm thinking half hazelnut meal) that way stricter low FODMAPpers will be able enjoy a bigger slice :)
Hi Stephanie, I made this for my sister-in-law's birthday. She is on the low fodmap diet, and I thought all recipies on your website were low fodmap – but I may be mistaken. After I gave it to her, we looked it up, almonds contain high amounts of Oligos, and they have a red traffic light in the fodmap app. It was a lovely cake, but she could only have a very small slice.
Hi there, I'm terribly sorry I thought I replied to this comment long ago but it seems to never have appeared! I have removed the mention of 'juice' in the recipe as the zest gives enough great orangey flavour :)
Thanks for your comment.
Steph x
Thanks Steph
You mention juice in your recipe but it's not listed in the ingredients. I assume it should be orange juice but how much?
Thank you Cathy! Almond flour and almond meal are very similar and I think interchangable. The main difference is that almond flour is made from blanched almonds so there's no skin, which is those brown flecks you see in almond meal. Hope that helps :)
Hi Steph
The cake looks great. Is almond flour the sample as almond meal?
thanks
Cathy
Gorgeous photos. The texture of those strawberries in the first photo. I could eat a piece right off the screen! Bec x
With that dollop of cream on top – absolute heaven!!