After the hottest summer ever recorded here in the Pacific Northwest, we are suddenly back in the 60s. What can we do with all those tomatoes that don’t have enough summer left to ripen? Did you know that anything you can do with tart apples, you can do with green tomatoes? Surprisingly, green tomatoes are higher in carbs than ripe ones, but still much lower than apples. They make wonderful desserts, like tarts, mincemeat pies, and that old Southern specialty, green tomato cake!
ALMOST APPLE TORTE
This moist, spicy cake is a winner!
Ingredients:
9 tablespoons almond flour
¼ cup gluten-free oat flour (Note to self: try with oat fiber.)
2 tablespoons coconut flour
3/4 teaspoon true (Ceylon) cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
A pinch of salt
4 medium-sized, firm, green tomatoes, cored and finely diced
2 tablespoons water
2 eggs
An erythritol blend equal to 1 cup sugar or use 1 cup Swerve or Xylitol
1 tablespoon rum
Grated zest of one lemon, about 1 teaspoon
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled but still liquid
½ cup broken pecans or walnuts
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch cake pan or spring-form pan with parchment paper. Grease the paper and the sides of the pan.
Combine almond flour, oat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, xanthan gum, and salt in a medium bowl. Reserve.
Place chopped green tomatoes in a heat resistant bowl, sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons of water, cover, and microwave on high for about 4 minutes or until tender. Transfer to a colander set over a bowl to drain for 10 minutes. Press down on tomatoes to remove excess moisture and blot on paper towels.
In the bowl of a food processor, process eggs. Add sweetener, rum, zest, and vanilla extract and process until blended. Add one third of the dry ingredients and one third of the melted butter to the eggs and process. Repeat twice more until all dry ingredients and butter are incorporated. Add tomatoes and nuts to batter and fold in until coated. (This will be easier if you transfer the batter to a bowl first.) Scrape batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out almost clean (the cake is moist inside, so the pick may not be completely clean).
Remove from oven. Use a large spoon to serve warm from the baking pan or place torte on a rack to cool and unmold onto a plate. Sprinkle with a little powdered Natural Mate or other sweetener, if desired.
Serve warm, cold, or at room temperature, topped with sweetened yogurt or whipped cream or a scoop of low-carb ice cream.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Calories; 118; Protein: 4.2g; Fat: 8/6g; Fiber:2/8g; Total Carbs: 7/1g; Net Carbs: 4.5g.
(Data does not include sweetener because they have little impact on blood glucose.)
Pin it: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/224405993910216881/
Post was edited after publication; I forgot the xanthan gum.
Thanks, Ditamic!
Sure, you can use a teaspoon of rum flavor or just leave the rum out and use a little more vanilla.
Judy, Love this recipe. Can't wait to make it! Do you think I could substitute Rum Extract or something else for the 1 T of Rum?? I don't have any. Thanks for all your hard work.
I, too, would like to make this cake without the rum. Would I then need to substitute it with an additional 1 tablespoon of vanilla? Thanks, Judy!
Hi Julie. I suggest adding an extra teaspoon of vanilla or just leaving it out. Some of the alcohol will burn off or evaporate anyway, so it doesn’t add much liquid. Thanks for the comment! I hope you like the cake.