Spring is in the air!

Signs of Spring in the neighborhood…and in our own backyard!  The princesses spotted this tiny little bird’s nest in our crape myrtle bush (can’t wait to see it bloom this year!).

And I spotted some wild turkeys on my morning run!  Wish I had my camera on me!

 

While my princess Makenna and the hubs went off to softball practice, my little Cailyn and I spent some time in the sunshine.  It was a blast to sit back and watch her creative mind at work…

 My delicious lemonade!

A bean tostada alongside a kale and broccoli salad (she knows what her mama likes)!

 It sure was a tasty treat!

 I can’t wait to start frequenting our local farmer’s market for Spring fruits and veggies!  Speaking of fruit, the princesses and I just received a bag full of fresh oranges from my grandfather’s tree and they smell oh-so-delicious. 

 I love the sweet smell of orange blossoms just blooming on the trees and I loved the sweet aroma of this cake baking in the oven!

Fresh Orange Breakfast Cake (gluten free)

Yields 10-12 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups Four Flour Bean Mix

1/2 tsp xanthum gum

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup organic cane sugar

2 Tbsp grated orange zest

2 Tbsp grated lemon zest

6 Tbsp organic honey

3 organic eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup grapeseed oil

1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt (I used Chobani)

2 oranges, cut in sections and drained of juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly coat a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.  Sprinkle sides and bottom of pan with flour, shaking and tapping to coat pan evenly.  Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthum gum, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cloves and cinnamon. 

In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), combine sugar with orange and lemon zest.  Rub zest and sugar together with your fingers to release the oils of the zest.  Stir in honey, eggs and vanilla.  Beat to combine well.  Slowly pour in grapeseed oil and stir to combine.  Stir in yogurt.  Stir in flour mixture in small batches, making sure not to over mix.  The batter will be thick.

Pour cake batter into prepared pan.  Smooth the batter our by tapping the pan on the counter.  Arrange the cut orange sections on top of the batter and press down until you can see just the top of the orange.  As the cake bakes, the oranges will sink slightly as the cake rises.  Bake until the cake is firm and spongy to the touch and lightly browned, about 35-45 minutes.  Cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.  Wrapped tightly, the cake will keep for 2 to 3 days.

So moist and fresh…I enjoyed mine with breakfast and a cup of tea!  The hubs prefers his warm with a generous scoop of ice cream!  It’s delicious no matter how you slice it eat it!

Blessings,

J’lene

 

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Recipe Lion!