Lemon-Cardamom Snack Cake

with Almond Butter Streusel Topping

BAKESTREATSSNACKS

What's a snack cake?

Well, as it sounds, it's a cake you eat for a snack. Who—in their heart of hearts—doesn't want to eat cake for a snack?

I love both tea and coffee, and it's all too easy to want "a little something" with your brew of choice. Not that this always has to be the case, but developing less-sweet versions of things like scones, sweet quick breads, muffins, and other pastries has been my way of making this more achievable (read: justifiable?) on a regular basis. I simply won't let myself eat dessert all day long. Unacceptable.

Enter the snack cake. Sweet (but not overly sweet) and nutritious, it's the best of both worlds. It satisfies the hedonic desire while taking the epicurean mindset of keeping the longterm in view. (Anyone having flashbacks to Philosophy 1o1?)

Leading the way with the flavor train here is one of my favorite pairings: lemon and cardamom. But they have a special sidekick here: freshly ground black pepper. If you're familiar with making your own chai, this won't be a surprise. For the rest, please trust me. It's phenomenal.

I, of all people, would have been the first to balk at black pepper in a cake. But my tastes have come a long way. I used to hate black pepper. If I'm honest, I probably just despised it because other people overused it. It didn't feel worthy. (I know. That sounds awful.) The secret with black pepper is twofold: (1) use freshly ground and (2) only use it where it truly improves the dish. A few examples of the second is biscuits and gravy; white, red, or yellow potatoes; and vine-ripened tomatoes.

If you use black pepper on everything, then everything will taste like black pepper. But if you use it judiciously, you can decide what heat to bring when and where and end up using it complementarily. Remember that your arsenal can hold a variety of heat and spice options: white pepper and cayenne, fresh peppers from jalepeño and serrano to habeñero and Scotch bonnets, to fresh ginger or horseradish.

For the cake batter:

  • 1 cup soy milk (or other plant milk)

  • 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

  • 2/3 cup applesauce

  • 1/4 cup oil (olive, avocado, or canola)

  • 1/4 cup maple syrup (or 2 T. if you like things a bit less sweet)

  • 1 T. lemon zest

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour (feel free to use freshly milled flour here!)

  • 1/3 cup almond flour

  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar

  • 1 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

  • 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 tsp. baking soda

  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder

  • scant 1/4 tsp. salt

For the streusel topping:

  • 1 cup rolled oats

  • 2 T. almond butter

  • 2 T. maple syrup

  • a pinch of salt

Ingredients

Lemon-Cardamom Snack Cake

  1. Prepare a 9-inch round baking pan: Grease the sides and outer edges of the bottom with coconut oil and cut a parchment round for the bottom of the pan.

  2. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

  3. Make the streusel topping: In a medium bowl, combine the rolled oats and almond butter, using your non-dominant hand to work them together with your fingers and your dominant hand to wield a spatula. Use the spatula to help incorporate the oats with the almond butter and to scrape off your fingers as needed. Add a pinch of salt and the 2 T. of maple syrup, and stir to evenly coat. Set aside for later.

  4. Make the cake batter: Combine the milk and apple cider vinegar in a large mixing bowl, and let sit for about 5 minutes to thicken.

  5. Meanwhile, measure the whole wheat flour, almond flour, coconut sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground cardamom into a bowl. *If you're milling your flour fresh, feel free to mill the flour straight into the bowl after step 6 (and mix the other dry ingredients together in a small bowl).

  6. Add the applesauce, oil, maple syrup, and lemon zest to the milk mixture and whisk until light and frothy.

  7. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, and whisk until combined, using a spatula to scrape the sides as needed. (This shouldn't take long, and the baking soda will begin to interact with the acid, so work quickly.)

  8. Tip the mixture into the prepared baking pan and scatter the streusel topping evenly over the top.

  9. Bake the cake at 350 F for 35 to 40 minutes, until nice and golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

  10. Place the cake pan on a wire cooling rack and immediately run a thin spatula or knife around the edge of the cake to release it from the side of the pan. Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes before turning out. To turn out, place a large plate on top of the pan, then carefully (using hot pads) invert the pan so that the cake releases face down onto the plate. Set the plate down and remove the pan. (If the parchment stuck to the cake, peel it off at this point.) Then place the cooling rack on top of the cake's bottom (the cake is upside-down on the plate) and invert again so that the cake is right-side-up on the cooling rack. Allow to cool at least 10 more minutes before slicing, or allow to cool to room temperature if desired.

  11. Slice and freeze any leftovers so you can easily take a slice out to thaw for a snack anytime!

Serves 8 (generously)

Instructions

This should go without saying, but serve with tea or coffee for a lovely fika.

Last updated: November 30, 2024

with Almond Butter Streusel Topping

Made with whole wheat flour, almond flour, applesauce, and topped with rolled oats and almond butter, this snack cake is filled with good things. Why eat a piece of toast with almond butter and some slices of apple when you can have cake instead? (Not that there's anything wrong with a simple snack of toast . . . .)

Well, hop to it! Enjoy your very first snack cake.

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