I ‘found’ this cake in 2016 at my friend Rachel’s birthday, it was lovingly baked to share by Kira. Usually birthday cakes will be full of wheat and so off the menu for me, but I was excited to hear this one was gluten free (my bottom line) so I indulged it was absolutely delish.

Kira kindly shared her recipe and I am sharing with you today. The original recipe calls for twice the amount of sugar in the ingredients here and I really think it is sweet enough. When you switch from sugar to fat for a fuel you start to taste the sweetness in formerly savoury foods such as pumpkin, carrot and beetroot. If I accidentally eat something sugar laden I am transported back to the racing heart, shakes and slight manicness of too much sugar – better avoided. Yes there is quite a lot of sugar in this cake but you are only having a small slice, and I find the good fats from the nut meal, eggs, yoghurt and butter help to slow down the sugar metabolism.

2020 update: we made this recipe low FODMAP by swapping to a lactose free yoghurt and swapping the pistachios for shredded coconut.  I guess you could make it dairy free by using coconut oil and coconut yoghurt in place of the butter and yoghurt, but I have never tried that, if you do, let me know if it’s yum!

If you are looking for a ‘faff free’ birthday ore celebration cake that you can easily whip up, or outsource to a family member to make – this is it!

Make this in a small round tin mine was 20cm.

Ingredients

• 360g (3 cups) almond meal
• 220g sugar (coconut, rapadura, raw)
• 120g organic butter
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 250g Greek style or plain natural organic yoghurt
• 1 tablespoon nutmeg
• 45g pistachios chopped or bashed

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease tin and line bottom with baking paper.
2. Combine almond meal, sugar and butter in mixing bowl and mix SP5 20secs or until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, or rub with fingers in a bowl
3. Spoon half of the mixture into your tin and press down to cover evenly, this is your cake base.
4. Add eggs, yoghurt and nutmeg to remaining crumble mixture and mix SP4 20secs or until a creamy smooth consistency is achieved. Mix with a spoon if you’re sans TM.
5. Pour creamy mixture over base.
6. Scatter bashed pistachios around the edge.
7. Bake for about 30 mins until lightly golden
8. Cool in pan on a wire rack until room temperature.
9. Serve with a dollop of natural yoghurt and make it pretty with edible flowers, if you have some.
10. Keeps for a week in an air tight container.

I made this for the markets in 2017 and as it flew off the plate!