Vegan Almond Polenta Cake

Almond polenta cake

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Polenta
Polenta, or cornmeal, may not be an ingredient that immediately comes to mind when baking a cake, but it adds a wonderful texture to this simple, low-calorie recipe. Dust with powdered sugar or with a scoop of vanilla Almond Dream non-dairy frozen dessert. 

Serve this cake with your favorite non-dairy ice cream.
Vanilla Almond Dream goes very well with this recipe.

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Almond Polenta Cake
Vegan
[makes 12 servings]
Requires a 9 inch cake pan

2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
6 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups King Arthur white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup organic (non-GMO) polenta
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 packets stevia
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
3/4 cup almond milk
2/3 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare the pan by greasing the sides with Earth Balance or olive oil and lining the bottom of the pan with wax paper, cut to fit.

Make a flax egg by combining the ground flax seeds and water in a small bowl or cup. Beat with a fork until the mixture becomes gooey. Set aside.

Combine the flour, polenta, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and stevia in a medium bowl. Mix well and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the sugar with milk, apple sauce, oil, almond extract, and the flax egg. Mix well until thoroughly combined.

Add the dry ingredients and mix again until well blended. Pour into the prepared 9 inch baking pan.

Sprinkle almonds evenly over the top and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, 32 to 36 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a rack until fairly cool, about 30 minutes.

Sprinkle sliced almonds over batter and bake.

With a thin knife, carefully cut around the edges of the cake. Place a large round plate over the cake, turn over and release the cake into the plate. Peel off the wax paper.

Peel wax paper off the bottom.

After the wax paper is removed, place a large round serving plate over the cake and turn back over so that the almonds are visible. 

Slice and serve by itself or with a scoop of vanilla Almond Dream non-dairy frozen dessert.

Per serving: 171 calories, 6.5 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 308 mg omega-3 and 899 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g protein, 25 g carbohydrates, 2.5 g dietary fiber and 193 mg sodium.

For more delicious vegan and dairy-free desserts, check out my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen: Delicious and Easy Vegan Recipes and Seasonal Food Plan.