To-Die-For Passover Banana Nut Cake, and a Review of A Kosher Gluten-Free Passover Cookbook

I couldn't have been more excited when I received a copy of Tamar Ansh's new cookbook from Targum Press. They were kind enough to ship me Pesach - Anything's Possible: Over 450 Non-Gebrochts, Gluten-Free & Wheat Free Recipes because they know this blog focuses on cuisine that is both kosher and gluten-free. This big, thick, hardcover book is the first widely distributed cookbook that I've seen that has advertised itself directly to the gluten-free community as well as to any Jewish cook looking for Passover fare. Unlike much Passover cooking, all of the recipes are gluten-free and non-gebrokts, meaning the book does not include recipes such as matzo balls or matzo meal cakes which involve exposing matzo to water. Some Ashkenazi Jews, mostly Hasidim, observe a tradition of only eating dry matzo during Pesach so their other Pesach food is all gluten-free.

Pesach - Anything's Possible is a kosher gluten-free cookbook full of beautiful, glossy full-color photographs. One of my pet peeves is cookbooks without photographs - And this cookbook does not disappoint in that department! It even has step-by-step instructional photos for some of the recipes. I don't like reviewing cookbooks without trying a recipe. I never give positive reviews to books or products unless I feel like they deserve it. So I chose a recipe to make for last shabbos: Banana Nut Cake.



Those who tried the cake could not believe what they were tasting - It was perfectly moist, even the next day. It was golden brown on top, with no burned spots. It had a tender, fine crumb. It wasn't crumbly, but instead held together quite well. It had just the right amount of sweetness, just the right amount of banana flavor, and the perfect amount of nuttiness. It had a consistency more like a rich, moist, fluffy cake than the wetter, more dense traditional banana bread. I am not exaggerating when I say this was one of the best gluten-free cakes I have ever eaten! Not the best Passover cake, or the best pareve cake, or the best banana bread... But one of the best cakes, period. If you make this for friends or family they won't believe it's gluten-free, let alone a pareve Pesach cake. Pareve (dairy-free) Pesach cakes are notorious for being dry. This cake puts them all to shame.

Other recipes in the book include Orange Sponge Cake, "Breaded" Cutlets, Chicken Blintzes, Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, Mexican Pepper Bake, Creamsicle Roll, Best Gefilte Fish Ever, Crepes, Butternut Squash Kugel, Sweet Potato Puffs, Shepherd's Pie, Zucchini Cheese Potato Latkes, Kneidlach, Lukshen (noodles) and more... 350 recipes in total.

Targum Press has been kind enough to give me permission to post the fabulous Banana Cake recipe here on my blog, so that my readers can enjoy this recipe for Passover ... or any time. To order the cookbook click here.



BANANA NUT CAKE

from "Pesach - Anything's Possible" by Tamar Ansh
Posted with permission from Targum Press.

[Gluten-Free / Pareve / Dairy-Free / Soy-Free ]

10 eggs, separated
1 1/4 cups sugar
3-4 ripe bananas*
3/4 cup coarsely ground walnuts or pecans**
3/4 cup potato starch

Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C.

Beat the egg whites until they are stiff. In a bowl, beat the yolks together with the sugar, bananas, nuts and potato starch. Carefully fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture until it is well blended. Pour the batter into a greased tube pan***. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the edges start to spring away slightly from the side of the pan. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cook completely. Remove the cake from the pan. If it seems moist to you, let it sit uncovered for an hour or so before you wrap it up.

*I used 4 ripe bananas that had been frozen in their skins. I defrosted them and then they slid right out of their skins, already soft enough to blended in with the batter.

**I actually used 1/2 cup walnut meal (finely ground walnuts) and about 1/2 cup of coarsely chopped walnuts, and I'll probably do that again next time I make this recipe

***I recommend using a silicone pan if you have one. I didn't have a tube pan so I used an 8x8 silicone brownie pan and a standard-sized tin bread ban.

Other books by Targum Press include:

The Kids Kosher Cookbook

Classic Kosher Cooking: Simply Delicious

Guidelines to Candlelighting and Separating Challah

Guidelines to Pesach

Adopt A Gluten-Free Blogger: Karina's Pumpkin Chai Bread with Cranberries

Seamaiden of the vegetarian gluten-free blog Book of Yum is hosting another round of Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger, a blogging event in which we adopt another GF blogger and prepare one of their recipes. Last time I participated in this event, I baked gluten-free pita bread. This time it's the "Thanksgiving Edition" so we were all asked to prepare a dish from another blog that was thematically appropriate. I chose to prepare the vegan, gluten-free Pumpkin Chai Bread with Cranberries from the blog Karina's Kitchen (a/k/a The Gluten-Free Goddess). Karina has long been one of my favorite bloggers. She has supported and inspired me ever since I entered the blogging world several years back. When she got diagnosed with a huge list of food allergies in addition to celiac disease, the gluten-free blogging showed their support for her in the Cooking for Karina event I hosted. They made it clear with their numerous submissions that she is one of the best-loved residents of the gluten-free (and food allergy) blogosphere. But I have to make an embarrassing confession: Though I've used Karina's recipes often to inspire my own cooking, I don't think I've ever truly and thoroughly followed one of her recipes! Until today, that is. I chose this recipe in order to use up the cranberries left over from canning cranberry applesauce a few weeks ago and to stretch myself by actually following a recipe for a change.

I was a little worried about what the texture would be like, because the recipe is eggless and I haven't done a whole lot of vegan baking since being gluten-free. Thanks to egg replacer and xanthan gum it actually holds together pretty well. It is beautiful when it comes out of the oven - It is golden in hue and the cranberries look like gems! I enjoyed it, and look forward to toasting a slice or two for breakfast in the morning. Do I lose points if I smear a little butter on your vegan recipe, Karina? Hehe.

The down-low on how I customized the recipe: I chose to use chopped hazelnuts as a mix-in in addition to cranberries, as they were on sale at the store (I initially wanted pecans, but they were twice as expensive). That was a good choice, because the ones I sprinkled on the top of the loaf before baking became lightly toasted which brought out their flavor and crunch. I used raw agave nectar instead of sugar (per Karina's suggested measurements). I would probably use a good bit more sweetener next time. I don't have a major sweet tooth but I think a little more sweetness would round out the flavor. I'd also cut down on the liquid a little bit more than I did, to compensate for the moisture from the agave. I baked it for 60+ minutes and it was still a bit too moist inside. The flours I used were 3/4 cup of millet flour, 1/2 cup sorghum flour, and 1/4 cup tapioca flour.

This bread has a really nice texture with little bursts of tart cranberry flavor. It is lightly sweet which is great for those of us who don't have huge sweet tooths or are trying to cut back on sugar. It has a subtle chai flavor and the pumpkin is present but not overly assertive so this might be a way to get some more veggies into your kids' tummies! It's easy to make successfully using mostly whole grains, which was a plus.

If you haven't checked out Karina's Kitchen, you've been missing out. It's worth subscribing to Karina's blog for the photographs alone! Stop by and congratulate her for just publishing Aftertaste in Exile, her book of paintings, poetry and photography.

Gluten-Free Honey Cake for Rosh Hashanah: Version 2.0

My first recipe for Gluten-Free Honey Cake (Version 1.0) was the second recipe I ever posted to this blog. In honor of how far my own culinary journey has evolved since starting this blog nearly a year ago, and to celebrate my boundless love for Rosh Hashanah fare, I have revamped my gluten-free, wheat-free honey cake recipe. Though quite delicious, my last recipe used Pamela's Ultimate Baking & Pancake Mix, which doesn't have a reliable hechsher, and was dairy and therefore useless for most festive Jewish New Year meals, which feature meat. This new and improved Honey Cake 2.0 is pareve (non-dairy) and doesn't use a mix. It is every bit as delightful in its orange-tinted honey flavor and moist texture, but it lends itself better to the traditional Rosh Hashanah dinner table.

The mini-cakes pictured were baked in adorable little individual silicone fluted cake pans that I found at the dollar store in New Paltz. However, I have made this recipe in a 9" round cake pan and a standard-sized bread loaf pan, and had terrific success both times. I have posted the approximate baking times for several sizes, so you can use whatever baking gear you have on hand. I really do recommend the miniature individual cake pans, the resulting cakelets are so cute and so easily embellished with fruit or nuts placed in the hollow center. You can try a miniature silicone bundt pan like this or miniature fluted cake pans like this. I don't normally use silicone for baking, however the high amount of honey in this recipe leads to edges getting burnt extremely quickly, so I've found that to keep the outside of the cake golden and tender, avoiding burning and crispyness, silicone is best. Nonstick metal cake pans or bread tins are the second best choice, or use parchment paper to line a regular metal pan.

I recommend using a rich, flavorful honey for this recipe, especially for the "glaze". Honey alone is a flavorful and moist enough topping for my taste, but you can also try sifting powdered sugar over the cake/s, or try any recipe for a bundt cake glaze. Boiling down some honey mixed with orange juice and orange zest would make a glaze perfectly complementary to the flavors in this cake.

I hope this cake recipe brings some sweetness to your new year. L'shanah tovah!




GLUTEN-FREE ROSH HASHANAH HONEY CAKE (Version 2.0)

[ Gluten-Free / Soy-Free / Nut-Free Option /
Dairy-Free / Pareve ]

3 cups Carol's Flour Blend
3/4 cup turbinado sugar or white sugar
2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp xanthan or guar gum
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
4 eggs
1 /4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup applesauce
2 tsp finely grated orange zest
1 cup honey
1 cup orange juice

Optional: Honey, toasted almond slivers, pecan pieces and/or powdered sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C). Cover the bottom of a 9" circular baking pan with parchment paper, then spray the inside of the pan lightly with dairy-free baking spray. If making miniature cakes using silicone mini-bundt or mini-fluted cake pans, place pans on a baking sheet and spray lightly with baking spray. Well-greased loaf pans may also be used.

Stir together flour mix, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and sugar in a medium bowl.

Separate the eggs. In one large mixing bowl, combine egg yolks, honey, oil, applesauce, orange juice and orange zest. In a separate medium bowl, beat egg whites with an electric beater until they form stiff peaks.

Using a whisk or hand beater, slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture. When thoroughly combined, fold the egg whites carefully into the batter, stirring very gently just until the ingredients are fully combined.

Immediately pour batter into pan/s and bake for approximately 20 minutes (for miniature cakes), 40 minutes (for round cakes) or 45-50 minutes (for loaves), or until a toothpick inserted into the cake's center comes out with just a few crumbs on it. Watch cakes carefully to make sure that the edges do not burn. Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool before carefully removing from pan/s and placing onto a cooling rack. For bundt and fluted pans, once the cakes are cool you can use a sharp serrated bread knife to gently remove the domed "bottoms" of the cakes (the side facing up when you baked them) so that they pretty cake "tops" can sit flat on a plate, if you wish.

Immediately before serving, fill bundt/fluted cake centers with nuts or fruit (if applicable) and sift powdered sugar over them or drizzle cake/s with additional honey.

Low-Fat Sugar-Free Sesame Banana Muffins / Sesame Banana Bread

I baked up an adapted version of the Sesame Banana Mini-Muffins my parents ate while staying at Poetry Ridge Bed and Breakfast in Greenfield, MA. They came back from their stay with the recipe, written in pencil on an index card. The muffins had apparently been made by the proprietors for another guest, who had multiple food allergies. They both raved about them, so I told them I'd give the recipe a shot despite my skepticism.

The original recipe called for Splenda. Those of you who've been reading this blog for a while know that I don't usually go for artificial sweeteners. Don't kid yourself into thinking that Splenda is any more natural than any other artificial sweetener - It's not. But since I wanted to duplicate the recipe my parents had eaten as closely as possible, I decided to give Splenda a shot. The verdict? The muffins were good, and the loaf was even better, but I won't be baking with Splenda again. Unlike some people, I can detect quite an unpleasant aftertaste. I'll stick to agave nectar and its ilk - Natural sweeteners that are not sugar-free but are lower-glycemic than cane sugar and not over-processed. However, no one else who ate them complained about the Splenda taste so I think I must just have freakish taste buds.

The sesame seeds in this recipe give a delightfully unusual texture to what would otherwise be banana bread (or banana muffins). I used untoasted sesame seeds - But I have called for toasted sesame seeds in the recipe since I believe that lightly toasted sesame seeds would improve the flavor and texture. For the gluten-free flour the recipe calls for, any mix that contains xanthan or guar gum will work, such as Pamela's Ultimate Pancake & Baking Mix or Bob's Red Mill Wheat Free Biscuit & Baking Mix or my cake flour mix recipe.

These muffins have a wonderfully moist texture - Yet they are also low-fat in addition to being sugar-free, which make them a good option for people who are on restricted diets. The quinoa flakes also increase the protein content quite a bit. You can easily replace the sour cream with Tofutti soy sour cream and the milk with soy or rice milk if you'd like to make these muffins dairy-free / pareve. They taste great at room temperature for several days, too. I poured the batter in both a silicone mini-muffin pan and a standard-sized tin bread pan. I enjoyed the cuteness and convenience factor of the mini-muffins, but the loaf took a slight lead when it came to taste and texture. This recipe makes enough batter to fill one mini-muffin pan and one bread pan, so you don't have to choose between the two!

LOW-FAT SUGAR-FREE SESAME BANANA MUFFINS / SESAME BANANA BREAD

[ Gluten-Free / Nut-Free / Soy-Free or Dairy-Free / Milchig or Pareve]

3/4 cups low-fat sour cream or Tofutti soy sour cream
1/2 cup Splenda
2 egg whites
2 bananas, thoroughly mashed
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup Ancient Harvest Quinoa Flakes Hot Cereal
1 cup gluten-free flour mix
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup toasted sesame seeds
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 tsp cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg)
3/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup low-fat milk or soy / rice milk

Cream Splenda and sour cream with electric hand-mixer. Mix in egg whites, bananas, vanilla. In a separate bowl mix together flour, quinoa flakes, sesame seeds, baking soda and salt. Add to batter and mix well. Pour into greased mini-muffin tins, filling each cup to the top, and/or pour into well-greased bread pan, filling to 1 inch below top. Bake muffins for 15-20 minutes and bake loaf for 35-45 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Oatmeal Spice Cake

This recipe is a shout out to all those readers who said they'd like some dessert recipes using non-sugar sweeteners. This delicious, low-fat oatmeal spice cake loaf is sweetened only with applesauce and honey. In addition to being gluten-free, it's also dairy-free. I was skeptical about making a cake with oatmeal, thinking it would turn out too dense - But instead I was pleasantly surprised by a moist cake that has a really lovely texture. It's a great choice for breakfast, as it has a good amount of protein and fiber and is not overwhelmingly sweet. I wish I could share a photo that really showed how lovely this loaf looked - But this fuzzy cameraphone pic will have to do. Good news, though - A brand spankin' new digital camera is en route to me, scheduled to be delivered tomorrow! [Insert deep breath of relief here.]

OATMEAL SPICE CAKE (LOW FAT, DAIRY FREE, GLUTEN FREE)

1 1/2 cups almond milk or soy milk
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 cup gluten-free rolled oats*
2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup pecans
2 tablespoons raisins, chopped
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the vinegar and the almond or soy milk. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. Stir in oats, and allow to sit for 20 minutes. Pulse the pecans several times in a food processor. Add the pecans and all other ingredients to the vinegar/milk substitute/oat mixture. Mix well. Pour the batter into a greased bread pan. Use a flexible spatula to even out the batter. Optional: Sprinkle the cake with an additional tablespoon of ground pecans. Bake for 70 minutes. Invert onto cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

*You can find buy certified gluten-free oats here.

Lemon Ricotta-Almond Cake

This rich, lovely cake is inspired by Ilva's gluten-free Almond and Ricotta Cake. This cake is one of the most exciting things I've baked this year. I really loved how it turned out. I packed up slices of it to take with me on my trip this weekend and it satisfied my sweet tooth while the folks around me snacked on gluten-laden treats that looked just plain boring in comparison. Unlike many gluten-free cakes, this one will stay moist for days, even when eaten at room temperature. The delicate tastes of almond and lemon compliment each other beautifully. It is higher in protein and calcium than most baked goods, which is a great perk (though it obviously doesn't negate its sugary, buttery decadence). I use the Almond Meal/Flour from Bob's Red Mill, which can be bought at most health food stores or online. I recommend using Pamela's Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix* like the recipe calls for, but you can use another gluten-free all-purpose flour mix as long as it contains xanthan or guar gum!

Happy New Year to all! Let's raise a slice of cake to a 2007 full of health, joy, and peace.

LEMON RICOTTA-ALMOND CAKE

3 eggs
1/2 cup almond meal or almond flour (finely ground)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup Pamela's Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix*
3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Whisk eggs and sugar. Add almond meal and butter, and stir well. Pulse ricotta in blender or mash by hand, and then add to batter. Stir thoroughly to combine before folding in Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix. Lastly, add the lemon zest, lemon juice and lemon extract and mix the batter to blend. Grease 8" round cake pan. Pour batter into the cake pan, and bake for 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving warm. Dust with powdered sugar and/or garnish with fruit.


*Edited 3/09 to add: Pamela's baking mixes are under kosher supervision but are not certified by a mainstream kosher certifying agency, so most people who keep strictly kosher kitchens will want to use another gluten-free all-purpose flour mix. I no longer use Pamela's products in my house since I now have a more strictly kosher kitchen. If in doubt, check with your rabbi!

Once Upon a Persimmon Cake

Once upon a time, the blogger known as "By The Bay" purchased two pounds of Hachiya persimmons at Oakland's Grand Lake Farmers' Market. She wasn't a big fan of persimmons, but something about Elise's Persimmon Pudding Cake recipe called to her.


She bought them firm and unripe, but knew that in order to be edible this variety of persimmon needed to be so ripe and mushy that they would practically fall apart in her hands. She figured they would be ripe enough in a week's time. A week passed, and they were still hard as rocks. She knew she could do things to help ripen them, but decided instead to wait and see how long it would take for them to do so on their own. Another week passed, and still they weren't ripe. Thanksgiving came around and she left town, thinking for sure when she got back they'd be ready to use. No such luck. But a full month later, she came home from work and knew today was the day... The persimmons were finally ripe!

So she set about adapting Elise's recipe to be gluten-free, changing the recipe just enough to make it her own.


The result was a rich, sweet cake with a moist consistency akin to bread pudding. The distinctive flavor of the persimmons came through beautifully, and the taste of pecans and caramelized sugar rounded out the flavor.

PERSIMMON PECAN PUDDING CAKE

2 cups of pulp of extremely ripe Hachiya persimmons
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups Gluten Free Cake Flour Mix
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ginger

Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease a 8" round cake pan. In a large bowl, mix persimmon pulp, eggs, butter, buttermilk and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Slowly fold the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until thoroughly combined. Add chopped nuts and stir to incorporate. Pour into cake pan and bake for about 50 minutes. When done, the center will still be very moist and soft, but the outside of the cake should have formed a firm crust and be well-browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before serving. Slice and serve warm.

Cranberry Bread

I had a pint of gorgeous organic cranberries in the fridge that weren't going to be good much longer. I had planned to make a decadent, rich cranberry upside down cake... but this evening I realized I didn't want something that sweet. So I set about baking a cranberry loaf that was less sweet than usual and featured the tart bite of the garnet colored berries. As opposed to the classic yellow color I generally associate with cranberry bread, I used Turbinado sugar to give it a rich brown tone and fuller flavor. I replaced the milk and butter with rice milk and Earth Balance margarine to make the recipe dairy-free / pareve since GFCF is the diet that my gut likes best and I overdid it on the dairy over my Thanksgiving vacation. This loaf should last me all week, my breakfast plan is to lightly toast a thick slice and slather it with margarine or the casein-free wonder that is ghee (clarified butter). Mmm... Yes. Perfect for a chilly fall morning.

CRANBERRY BREAD

3 cups Gluten-Free Cake Flour Mix
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup fresh or defrosted frozen cranberries, chopped
1/2 cup milk or milk substitute
3/4 cup orange juice
1 cup brown or Turbinado sugar
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
1 tablespoon lemon or orange zest
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a large loaf pan. Beat eggs and sugar with electric beater or mixer. Add butter or margarine, milk or milk substitute, orange juice, zest and vanilla. Slowly beat in baking soda, baking powder, salt, all spices and flour. Mix until combined. Gently fold in chopped cranberries. Pour into loaf pan and smooth the top of the loaf with a rubber spatula. Bake for 1 hour. Allow to cool slightly in loaf pan before inverting onto cooling rack.

Gluten-Free Cake Flour Mix

This is the flour mix I've been using lately. It's cheaper than a pre-made mix if you buy the ingredients in bulk. Substitute it cup-for-cup for regular flour in most cake and muffin recipes. No need to add additional guar gum or xanthan gum to the recipe you make, as it's included in the correct proportions.

Gluten-Free Cake Flour Mix

3 cups brown rice flour (fine ground)
1 cup potato starch (not potato flour)
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 1/4 teaspoons guar gum

Sift ingredients together, combining thoroughly. Use in place of flour in cakes and other baked goods. Store in airtight container or ziploc bag in refrigerator.

Gluten-Free Honey Cake for Rosh Hashanah

NOTE (9/10/07): See updated pareve (dairy-free) update of this recipe with photographs here. Please note that Pamela's baking mixes are under kosher supervision but are not certified by a mainstream kosher certifying agency, so most people who keep strictly kosher kitchens will want to use another gluten-free baking mix. I no longer use Pamela's products in my house since I now have a more strictly kosher kitchen. If in doubt, check with your rabbi!

--
I couldn't find a gluten-free honey cake recipe, so I created one myself. And I'm posting it here so I can be sure to find it next year when Rosh Hashanah rolls around. Wish I'd taken pictures of it before I gobbled it up. You can also find it on RecipeZaar here.

This is a rich, moist gluten-free honey cake infused with the essence of orange. This recipe uses Pamela's Ultimate Baking & Pancake Mix, a widely available kosher gluten-free mix that contains no added sugar. It's available at Whole Foods, and in the East Bay I've found it at Berkeley Bowl and Piedmont Grocery... You can also buy it more cheaply (and in larger quantities) here. If you use a different GF flour mix, you will need to add additional baking powder and xanthan gum. For this recipe, a 9" round cake pan is ideal but a 9x13" square pan can be used if necessary.

Gluten-Free Honey Cake (Traditional for Rosh Hashanah)

3/4 cup turbinado sugar or white sugar
1 cup honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup applesauce
4 eggs
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1 cup orange juice
3 cups Pamela's Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix (Gluten-Free)
1 1/2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Cover the bottom of a 9" circular baking pan with parchment paper, then spray the inside of the pan lightly with baking spray.

3. Stir together the flour mix, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

4. Separate the eggs. In one bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. In another bowl, combine egg yolks, sugar, honey, oil, applesauce and orange zest.

5. Using a whisk or hand beater, add the flour mixture and orange juice to the wet mixture slowly. When mixed thoroughly, fold the egg whites carefully into the batter, stirring just until ingredients are fully combined.

6. Pour batter into pan, and bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake's center comes out with just a few crumbs on it. Remove from oven and allow to cool before carefully removing from pan and placing onto a cooling rack.