paleo lemon snack cake — Honey Street

on a list of things i never really thought i’d be doing, ‘blind friend first date’ is probably one of them. however, upon review after existing in this pandemic-y world and growing increasingly exhausted with zoom happy hours and moving across the country where i know exactly one person (hello, manpanion,) it seemed prudent to “make some friends.” as an adult this concept is weird and hard and mildly horrifying, because i’ve always been crap at answering ‘what do you like to do for fun?’ and ‘tell me about yourself…?’ like what even are activities now? how do we do things WITH people? do i remember how to properly socialize?

these are questions i will learn the answer to tonight, over wine, with a woman i met for 4 minutes the other day. genuinely wondering what i should wear, if we like the same podcasts, and really hoping i make a splash because ya’ girl needs another person to chat to in real life.

that’s the tiniest update from this corner of the world, and if you’re doing brave, strange things, i see you and i salute you, friend. anyway, now we’re talking about snack cake which i’ve just realized would be a GREAT thing to bring on a blind friend date as a gesture of prospective friendship and celebratory womanhood!!! except that i ate it all because the snacking has been heavy and necessary these days, and this paleo lemon snack cake is truly too good.

can we talk about how fluffy it is? how (DON’T SAY MOIST) it is? can we talk about how truly thrilling it is to sneak a little snack-sized piece and dip it into lemony glaze for a few delicious, cakey bites? a snack! cake! a cake we get to snack on? i love this concept so much, and am genuinely pondering ways to make everything snack-sized.

if you’re keeping score, this cake is also paleo, so if you’re avoiding gluten or dairy or experimenting with your baking ingredients, paleo lemon snack cake is pretty much a dream come true. we’re using a mix of almond flour and tapioca flour, coconut oil, coconut sugar, eggs, and lots and lots of lemon. it’s bright, it’s so pillowy soft, it’s the perfect treat for spring.

i had lemon juice running down to my elbows and pretty successfully lathered my entire life in powdered sugar and glaze, but it was honestly a delicious price to pay.

a few things before we get started:

- we’re calling this a snack cake because it’s not quite a dessert cake and not quite a pastry; it’s truly just lovely to nibble on a piece as a snack - although no judgement if this makes it’s way onto your breakfast plate because I can confirm it’s a thrilling addition to morning coffee
- i did not test this with other flours so i don’t know if substitutions will yield the same result. if you try, let me know!
- the glaze is not paleo, however, if you take extra time to hunt down maple powdered sugar, it can be
- that being said, please glaze this snack cake. you will be delighted by this
- you can keep this covered at room temperature and your leftover snack cake will last about 5 days!

paleo lemon snack cake
makes: 9 pieces
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 30-35 minutes

for the cake:
2 1/4c almond flour
1/4c tapioca flour
3/4tsp baking soda
1/4tsp salt
3 eggs at room temperature
3/4c coconut sugar
2tbsp unsweetened almond milk
1/4c melted and completely cooled coconut oil
juice + zest from 1 lemon
1 1/2tsp vanilla extract

for the glaze:
1c powdered sugar
2tbsp unsweetened almond milk
juice from 1/2 a lemon
1tsp vanilla extract

preheat the oven to 350.
line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment and spray with cooking spray; set aside.

in a large bowl, beat the wet ingredients for the cake until smooth and combined. then add the dry ingredients, and beat again until smooth (be careful not to over-mix; we want the snack cake to be fluffy!) pour the batter into the prepared baking dish, and bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. let cool completely on a wire rack before glazing and slicing.

while the snack cake is cooling, whisk the glaze. you may want to adjust the powdered sugar or milk ratios to get a consistency you love - I like mine thick so that it’s almost like a frosting. once whisked, slice the snack cake into 9 squares, then drizzle with the glaze (this way, the glaze gets into every crevice and soaks in a bit with every bite.)