Marmalade and chickpea flour cake – gluten free and protein rich

Makes 8 portions

Per portion

• Protein – 8.3g (aim for 75g+ per day)

• Fibre – 2.6g (aim for 30g per day)

• Number of plants - 4 of your 30 per week (orange or you could use grapefruit, chickpeas, almonds, olive oil)

The pectin in the skin of the citrus fruit in the marmalade, the chickpeas and almonds, all provide fibre to slow down digestion and absorption of the sugar from this cake. So it’s great for preventing a big sugar spike and can keep you full for a few hours.

It’s also great food for your microbiome – the chickpeas are particularly prebiotic, meaning they feed and make good bacteria in the gut multiply (which in turn signal to the immune system and brain to work better).

It’s also delicious! 

I discovered this method when I didn’t have time to boil an orange (in my usual recipe HERE) – so dolloped half a jar of marmalade into the cake instead!

You will need… 

The dry ingredients

• Ground almond flour 150g (one and a half American cups)

• Chickpea flour 50g (half an American cup)

• Sugar 100g (three quarters of a cup of brown unrefined sugar)

• 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda powder

• A pinch of sea salt

The wet ingredients

• 160g of grapefruit marmalade (or use orange if you can’t get hold of grapefruit)

• 3 medium eggs

• 125ml of extra virgin olive oil (half an American cup)

• Heat the oven 190°C (380°F)

To decorate

If you can get hold of them - lay a few edible flowers on top. I’ve decorated this cake with a few nasturtiums.

What to do

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.

2. Gently whisk the wet ingredients together in another mixing bowl.

3. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet and combine and mix till everything is well combined. You should have a nice sloppy cake mix.

4. Drizzle a little olive oil into a loaf tin and spread around. Lay a piece of greaseproof paper on top to line the tin.

5. Pour the mixture into the lined tin and put in the oven and leave to cook for 30-40 minutes till cooked all the way through. Open the oven after 30 minutes to check if done. If you put a knife into the middle of the mixture and it comes out dry it is ready. If there is still a bit of the sticky mixture on your knife when you do this, put it back in the oven and keep checking every 5 minutes till you can put a knife in and it comes out clean.

6. Take out of the oven as soon as it’s done - make sure you don’t overdo it otherwise it’ll be too dry.

7. Empty onto a wire rack and remove the greaseproof paper, wait for it to fully cool down.

Lay a few edible flowers on top for decoration. Slice and enjoy!