Recipe: Lettuce Cake (with Fruit, Spices and Cashews)

As promised in my previous article, Lettuce: Health Benefits of the Mighty Iceberg, here’s my recipe.  It took some working out and imagination, but I made the cake a couple of days ago, and I’m pleased with the outcome.  I’ve used the lettuce, really, just to give the cake lightness and hint of green sweetness.  And, of course, for the amusing title.  The fruit, spices and cashews are what makes up the zingy flavour.  So here it is … give it a try.

Recipe:  Lettuce Cake (with Fruit, Spices and Cashews)

I’ve used some of the instructions from my previous cake recipes, so they might sound familiar.

Ingredients

• Self Raising Flour (250 grams)
• Baking Powder (2 level teaspoons)
• Bicarbonate of Soda (1/2 teaspoon)
• Coconut Oil – Biona Organic Virgin Raw (125 grams)
• Greek 0% Fat Yoghurt (125 grams)
• Light Muscovado Sugar (168 grams)
• Eggs (4)
• Ground Ginger (1/2 teaspoon)
• Cinnamon (1 teaspoon)
• Vanilla Extract (1 teaspoon)
• Iceberg Lettuce (1/4 head)
• Raisins (100 grams)
• Cashews (30 grams)
• Lemon (1 – zest and juice)

Preparation

• Grate and squeeze the lemon;
• Very finely chop the 1/4 head of lettuce so that it’s in small pieces;
• Chop the cashews so that the pieces are fairly small, but still large enough for them to give the cake a nutty texture;
• Turn on the oven to 170 degrees C (325 degrees F, gas mark 3);
• Grease and line a 20cm round cake tin.

Method

1. Spoon the coconut oil into a mixing bowl and then add the yoghurt;
2. Mix with an electric mixer or by hand with a wooden spoon until light, smooth and creamy;
3. Add the sugar;
4. Beat with mixer or spoon until the mixture is of a smooth consistency;
5. Crack the eggs and add to the mixture, together with a small handful of flour to stop the mixture curdling, and then continue beating until well mixed and creamy in appearance;
6. Add the remaining flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.  Beat until mixed in (on the slowest setting if using an electric mixer), just long enough to mix in thoroughly;
7. Then add the lettuce, raisins, cashews, spices, and lemon zest and juice;
8. Finally, beat slowly until fully mixed.

Baking

• Put the mixture into the cake tin and sprinkle with chopped cashews;
• When the oven has reached the required temperature, put the cake in and cook for 50 minutes;
• Test with a skewer.  When the skewer comes out clean, the cake is done;
• Remove from oven and allow to cool for about half an hour;
• Take out of tin and put onto cooling rack;
• When completely cold, put cake into a tin with a tight lid;
• The cake is best stored in a fridge, unless it is going to be eaten quickly.  It will last for about a week.

Conclusion

Although I say it myself, this is a very good recipe.  The lettuce lifts the flavours of the other dry ingredients, making the taste and aftertaste of the cake feel fresh, clean and light.  I perceive flavours in colours and levels from low to high.  In my mind, this cake is a luminous pale yellow-green in colour and up to about 9 in my low-high 1-10 chart.

You might like to read my previous article, Lettuce: Health Benefits of the Mighty Iceberg, to find out what possessed me to attempt such an unusual recipe.