My favourite yoga teacher celebrated his birthday this weekend.... and it was a perfect opportunity for me to say THANK YOU for being the best of the best teachers I know! James is a what I'd call a yoga ninja... he'll demonstrate complex poses effortlessly with grace and strength, and his handstands make him look as light as a feather. He could have spiderman talents and climb up walls and ceilings for all I know. He knows each and every unique student's capabilities, and without him challenging my body, I wouldn't have ever discovered the flexibility I'd had hidden within me. He is a walking dictionary on anatomy, lives and breathes good health and yoga and has the quirkiest sense of humour... with hilarious jokes and anecdotes interweaved with valuable yoga principles shared in every class. You know there are some people you meet in life that teach you lessons and you're a much better person because of it? Well my yoga teacher is without a doubt one of them.
So what better way to show some soulful appreciation than with a cake that screams 'home made and jam packed with love'. As you've already figured..... one of my favourite moments of bliss are when I'm pottering around in the cosy oven warmed kitchen, with the benches covered in crumbs and splashes of sticky batter and I don't have a care in the world or the concept of time. In moments like that I just want to put my all in making something pretty looking and delicious for people I care about. Rustic home made goodies beat those artificial supermarket bought cakes any day... and they taste SOOO much better and are much better for our precious bodies.
Keeping in line with my yoga teacher's principles of feeding the body with what is NOURISHING.... I've rustled up some nutrient rich ingredients and came up with this mouth watering gem. An upside down apple and walnut cake bursting with the tartness of granny smith apples.... subtle sweetness of cinnamon and maple syrup all encased in a sticky moist cake. So nourishing and So delicious.
When all the yoga buddies shared this over our teacher's birthday breakfast.... their eyes lit up with yummy delight and surprise... THIS... Healthy? Yep xo
Saya's Healthy Upside Down Apple and Walnut Cake
Ingredients:
2 cups almond meal
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon mixed spice
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 cup maple syrup + 1 tablespoon (you could use honey or agave syrup)
3 tablespoons coconut oil (2 of which are melted)
6 -7 large granny smith apples (2 for decorating what will be the top of the cake and the rest to make 1 1/4 cups apple puree)
1/2 cup chopped raw walnuts
squeeze of half a lemon
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius (338 degrees fahrenheit).
Grease a 20cm spring form cake tin and line the base and sides with baking paper.
Peel 2 apples and slice into 1/2cm wedges. Then combine in a saucepan with 1 tablespoon coconut oil, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Stir over a low heat until just tender (a little al dente is ok). Then take off the heat and neatly arrange slices at the base of the cake tin.
Peel and dice remaining 4-5 apples and combine in a saucepan with a squeeze of half a lemon and gently cook while stirring until it turns mushy. If need be add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water to prevent it from burning. Once it turns into a soft consistency remove from the heat and mash with a fork to get it close to a puree. Leave aside to cool. Measure the puree and make sure it is about 1 1/4 cups worth.
Stir maple syrup, vanilla extract and melted coconut oil into the 1 1/4 cups of apple puree. Whisk eggs in a separate bowl, then stir into the rest of the wet ingredients.
In a bowl combine the almond meal, cinnamon, ground ginger, mixed spice and salt. Gently fold in the wet ingredients until just combined, then toss in walnuts and gently stir in.
Pour batter into the cake tin and bake in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes, until the top centre of the cake is firm.
Leave cake to cool completely, then turn over onto a plate and voila.... beeeautiful.... deeelicious xo
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