It’s Always a Good Time to Make These Sweet Summer Cakes

With summer in full force, gardens are coming into the height of their bloom– making it the perfect time of year to bring the garden into your kitchen. Whether it’s berry picking at a farm, or just harvesting a sprig of lavender from your windowsill herb box, take an afternoon to pay homage to this time of year through food. We found this pair of recipes for summery cakes on The Knot‘s new home-decor page, The Nest— one for chocolate blackberry, another for a vanilla lavender cake. Both are sure to impress guests at your next outdoor garden party. Check out these paleo-friendly cake recipes from Francesca Leite, below.

With flavors like chocolate blackberry and vanilla lavender, these sweet treats are both delicious and elegant. Not only do they taste amazing, but they look pretty enough to fit in with the rest of your table decor.

Chocolate Bundt Cake with Blackberries

Ingredients for the Cake

• 1/2 cup (90 g) palm shortening or ghee
• 1 cup (120 g) coconut flour
• 1/2 cup (50 g) cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoon arrowroot flour
• 2 Pinches of salt
• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup (240 ml) full-fat coconut milk
• 1 cup (240 ml) maple syrup or honey
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda

Ingredients for the Ganache

• ⅔ cup (160 ml) of full-fat coconut milk
• 5 ounces (140 g) bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup (170 g) fresh blackberries, for garnish
• 1 (3 by 8.5-inch / 7.5 by 22-cm) nonstick Bundt pan or other 6-cup (1.4-L) capacity Bundt pan

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C) and grease the Bundt pan.
2. In a small saucepan, melt the shortening over gentle heat, then set aside to cool slightly. In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, cocoa, arrowroot flour, and salt till blended.
3. Separate the eggs, placing the whites in a medium-sized bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Place the yolks in another bowl along with the milk, maple syrup, vanilla, vinegar, and melted shortening. Whisk to combine. Add the egg yolk mixture to the flour mixture and whisk till the batter is smooth and no lumps remain.
4. Using a hand mixer or the whisk attachment for your stand mixer, beat the egg whites till they look like softly whipped cream (soft peaks). Stir the baking soda into the batter and then, using a rubber spatula, immediately beat in one-third of the whipped egg whites to lighten the batter. Gently fold in the rest of the egg whites till only a few streaks of egg white are left.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake for about 40 minutes, till the top is golden and springs back when gently pressed at the center. Baking times can vary slightly depending on the pan. Check the cake in the last 10 minutes of baking to see how it has progressed. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Loosen the edges with a sharp knife, then unmold onto a wire rack and let cool completely.
6. While the cake cools, prepare the ganache. Open the can of coconut milk without shaking it. Pour off the creamy part into a 2-cup (475-ml) liquid measuring cup. You need ⅔ cup (160ml); you can add some of the coconut water if needed.
7. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the milk just to a simmer. Remove from the heat and pour the hot milk over the chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes or till melted.
8. Using a metal spoon or small whisk, start from the center of the bowl and stir the chocolate with small circular movements, gently incorporating the milk. As the center begins to become dark and glossy, begin to make larger circular movements till the entire mixture becomes glossy and smooth.
9. Allow it to cool to room temperature. (It will glaze best at room temperature, so give it some time to cool down, but not so much time that it is no longer pourable.)
10. When the Ganache is room temperature, place the rack with the cake on it over a baking sheet or piece of parchment paper to catch drips. Drizzle the ganache over the cake in a decorative manner. Once the glaze has set, pile the blackberries on top of the cake, allowing them to fill up the center hole.

(The cake can be kept, covered, in the fridge for up to 2 days.)

Vanilla Lavender Bundt Cake with Vanilla Glaze

Ingredients for the Cake

• 2/3 cup (130 g) palm shortening or ghee
• 3 ½ cups (350 g) almond flour
• ½ cup (60 g) arrowroot flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup (240 ml) maple syrup or honey
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons dried lavender flowers, plus more for garnish

Ingredients for the Glaze

• ⅓ cup (80 g) liquid coconut butter (manna)
• 2 tablespoons light-colored honey or maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons water, plus more if needed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (3 by 8.5-inch / 7.5 by 22-cm) nonstick Bundt pan or other 6-cup (1.4-L) capacity Bundt pan

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C) and grease the Bundt pan.
2. In a small saucepan, melt the shortening over gentle heat, then set aside to cool slightly. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours and salt till blended.
3. Separate the eggs, placing the whites in a medium-sized bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Place the yolks in another bowl along with the melted shortening, maple syrup, vanilla, and lemon juice. Whisk to combine. Add the egg yolk mixture to the large bowl with the flour and whisk till the batter is smooth and no lumps remain.
4. Using a hand mixer or the whisk attachment for your stand mixer, beat the egg whites till they look like softly whipped cream (soft peaks). Stir the baking soda into the batter and then, using a rubber spatula, immediately beat in one-third of the whipped egg whites to lighten the batter. Gently fold in the rest of the egg whites till only a few streaks of egg white are left.
5. Fold in the lavender flowers, then immediately pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes, till the top is golden and springs back when gently pressed at the center. Baking times can vary slightly depending on the pan. Check the cake in the last 10 minutes of baking to see how it has progressed. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Loosen the edges with a sharp knife, then unmold onto a wire rack and let cool completely.
6. While the cake cools, prepare the glaze. Before measuring the coconut butter, stir to fully incorporate the separated oil in the jar.
7. In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients till smooth and glossy. If needed, add more water by the teaspoon till the glaze reaches the desired consistency. When ready, it should look glossy and opaque and be thick enough to coat your cake, yet thin enough that it pours right off of a spoon. If the glaze gets too liquidy, whisk in some more coconut butter.
8. Place the rack with the cake on it over a baking sheet or piece of parchment paper to catch drips. Pour the glaze over the cake in a decorative manner. Place the cake in the freezer for a maximum of 5 minutes to set the glaze. If it doesn’t fit in your freezer, chill the cake in the fridge for about 30 minutes or till the glaze has set. At that point you can either leave it in the fridge or let it sit out at room temperature before serving. Both ways are delicious.

(The cake can be kept, covered, in the fridge for up to 2 days.)

Recipes courtesy of My Paleo Patisserie by Jenni Hulet, via The Nest