Spelt Flour Honey Cakes

…whether child or adult, summer always goes by too quickly

This summer I joined my local garden club (I find gardening in Georgia a mountainous challenge and need all the advice I can come by), got back into yoga (after minor foot surgery- dropping a 28 oz. can of tomatoes on my foot caught up to me), I joined a CSA (community supported agriculture), and did some summer reading.

So, what have I learned (so far), Garden club- fertilize, use lots of liquid deer fence and this summer has been unusually WET, a.k.a. we have lots of BUGS. Yoga- what my body, mind and spirit crave! And what I need to grow old with flexibility. CSA- three weeks into my weekly produce pick up and the rhythm of the Georgia garden is very different from my beloved farmers markets in California.  That said, I am learning how to use collard greens, kale, mustard greens and my new one this week, broccoli greens.  I know all these greens are healthy, but truth be told, I miss my arugula and field greens.  Oh did I mention Okra?  My farmer tells me we should have a healthy supply through November.  (So far, my favorite way with okra is NO NOT FRIED, but sautéed with some Indian spices or…a spicy pickling!).  My summer reading revolved around books that took me down a path to a diet focused on vegetables and fruits and less on animal base foods.

"Eat to Live” by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. was my eureka book of the summer.  The book emphasizes nutrition as medicine, eating a nutrient dense diet for a healthy self and a better way of life.  “Eat to Live” led me to my next summer read, “Whole” by T. Colin Campbell PhD and Howard Jacobson PhD – “Whole” explains why eating a whole food plant based diet is the best diet for optimal health. 
Now I am re- energized and motivated to eat a more whole food plant based diet.  Not only joining a CSA, but also investigating local farmers markets – again!  I recently discovered a great quote on the Dunwoody farmer’s market website.

“The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.” – Ann Wigmore

 a whole food plant based diet all the sudden seemed everywhere….

 

It was in Gwyneth Paltrow’s cookbook that I was introduced to spelt flour.  I made Gwyneth’s spelt flour banana walnut muffins. Another eureka, they tasted delicious!  The spelt flour gave the muffins a complex nutty wholesome flavor not to mention nutritional benefits. (for nutritional details www.whfoods.com and search spelt flour).
 

I have started substituting spelt flour for recipes calling for all purpose flour. 

With some local honey from my CSA, and in honor and celebration of Rosh Hashanah, I made Honey Cakes with spelt flour. 

Recipe

Honey Almond Cakes
Adapted from “Butter Sugar Flour Eggs”

Ingredients 

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
6 tablespoons plus 3/4 cup organic light brown sugar, packed
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons local honey
½ cup almonds, sliced and toasted
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups spelt flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Procedure

1.      Preheat oven to 350 F
2.      Generously butter 3- 2 cup mini bread loaf pans
3.      Drizzle one tablespoon of melted butter in each loaf pan, swirl to coat the bottom.  Sprinkle 2 heaping tablespoons of brown sugar in each pan. Then drizzle 1 tablespoon of honey in each pan. Evenly divide toasted almonds between the three pans and sprinkle them evenly over the bottom.
4.      In a large bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the egg and add remaining ¾ cup brown sugar, mix.  Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and ½ cup of honey, mix.  Slowly add the buttermilk.
5.      In a separate large bowl mix together spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
6.      Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and blend until smooth.
7.      Divide batter between the 3 loaf pans.
8.      Bake for 30-40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
9.      Cool cakes in pan for 5 minutes and turn them out on to a cooling rack. 

Wishing you sweet beginnings!