Lemon Poppy Seed Cake : Low Carb : Vegan

Time to say thank you - it's lovely to receive, read and share the many comments that we get on this blog. One came in recently from David Gascoigne, it was on the 'Low Carb Flours and Some Low Carb Cake Ideas' post here, this is what he said "My wife is the baker in the family and she makes a first rate lemon poppy seed cake, which goes well with mid morning coffee. I will pass these recipes on to her and see what she thinks." Well David, I do hope she liked them. However, I thought there must be a low carb version of lemon poppy seed cake - and there is - in fact this one is low carb and vegan! 

I share it here - just make sure the kettle is on - for coffee or tea! 

Ingredients: 

2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup stevia (sweetener)
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. flaxseed meal
1/4 cup poppy seeds
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
lemon zest, 1 1/2 lemons
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tbsp. coconut oil
3/4 cup water

pinch salt 

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a loaf tin with cooking spray and line with baking paper. Set aside.
2. Add dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix well. Add the lemon zest.
3. Add lemon juice and the rest of the wet ingredients a little at a time, stirring well between each addition.
4. Transfer batter to loaf tin.
5. Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
6. Allow to cool in tin before inverting onto a place and cutting into slices.

This low carb vegan recipe makes 9 slices, each slice is 16.6g fat, 3.7g protein, and 4g net carbs.

If you need help with weight/measurement conversion, see here

Original recipe with instruction video can be seen here

Poppy seeds "are the tiny, edible blue-grey or ivory-coloured seeds of the poppy flower. The former are more common in European cookery; and the latter in Indian cuisine. Although the poppy is the source of opium, its seeds lose their narcotic characteristics as they ripen. 

Buyer's guide:

White poppy seeds are not widely available, but you will find them in Indian grocers. 

Storage:

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator to prevent them from becoming rancid. 

Preparation: 
Because they’re so small and have a tendency to stick together, poppy seeds are often dry-roasted, or soaked and ground before use to make them easier to handle. In Central and Eastern Europe, they are sprinkled onto cakes, breads, biscuits and bagels, and added to potato, egg, pasta, cream and cheese dishes. In India, they are used as a spice or as a thickener in curries." 

There is also a nice Orange and Poppy Seeds Cupcakes low carb recipe here 

We bring a variety of recipe ideas to this blog, but please note, not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

All the best Jan