Lemon Square Recipe - Day 11 of Quarantine

What a time to be alive! I thought this was going to be my year. I had finally gotten my health issues to a manageable state and was ready to tackle the world. I had planned almost every day of my next 6 months, juggling multiple jobs and freelance gigs, planning to sublease my apartment, and going to work on the Colorado River for the summer months. In the blink of an eye, I was laid off from all of my jobs, put on standby for the river trips, and quarantined to my home in Los Angeles.

It could be easy for me to sink into a depression during this hard time and be very upset over all my canceled plans and missed adventures, but instead, I am trying to learn from this experience. There are no promises in life; no matter how hard you plan, something can always come along and change those plans. In times like these, we can’t dwell on what we are missing out on. Instead, we should enjoy this time in which we are allowed to just be.

For once, we have no jobs to get to in the morning, no after-work obligations we must rush off to. Take this time to be silent, to sit with yourself and reflect on the person you are, compared to the person you want to be. Use this endless free time to do the things you told yourself you wanted to do, but never got around to. Relax into the space you call home. Even if you get bored or frustrated, stay faithful and trust that what our world is going through, is for the better of the entire planet. We will emerge from this a cleaner, healthier world.

In this time, I am trying to remain thankful for what I do have: a safe, warm home, running water, a loving family, and last but not least, food to nourish my body. I have been using my extra free time to try some new recipes. My house has a lemon tree that is flourishing right now, so I decided to make a Paleo Vegan Lemon Cake! I modified a vegan recipe to also be grain and sugar-free. It turned out less of a fluffy cake consistency and more like a lemon bar, but it was an absolute delicious healthy sweet treat!

Vegan Paleo Lemon Cake

Ingredients

*Please note that the frosting takes a bit of time to cool and harden so I always start with that.

I put my can of coconut milk directly into the fridge after buying,

to ensure that I don’t forget to cool it*

Cake:

1 cups blanched almond flour

½ cup coconut flour

¼ cup arrowroot flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/4 tablespoons aluminum-free baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 tablespoons lemon zest (freshly grated)

3 tablespoons lemon juice (freshly squeezed from approximately 1 lemon)

1 cup coconut sugar

2 tablespoons oil melted coconut oil

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons flax milk (or dairy-free milk of choice)

1 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped Cream:

1 can (15oz) unsweetened coconut milk

2 tablespoons blueberries

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions

1. Cool can of coconut milk in the fridge until cooled and hardened (this takes around an hour in the fridge, 20-30 minutes in the freezer. When you open the can, you will have half chilled coconut cream and half coconut water. Discard any excess coconut water from the can (I save the water for my smoothies or just to drink) and place the chilled coconut cream in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth and creamy.

2. In a blender, blend blueberries and lemon juice and maple syrup until creamy. Hand mix into coconut cream until fully combined and creamy. Cover and chill until ready to use (it will firm up after being chilled).

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. Melt Coconut Oil in a bowl and set aside to cool

5. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flours, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and turmeric.

6. Use the small side of a cheese grater to grate the peel of a lemon to create your lemon zest. Add to flour mixture.

7. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together lemon juice, coconut sugar, coconut oil, flax milk, applesauce, vanilla, and lemon extract.

8. Pour wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, and whisk (or use mixer) until mixture is evenly combined.

9. Oil your 9”x13” pan (After adding the coconut oil to the batter, I put that bowl upside down on the pan, so excess oil may be used to oil pan)

10. Pour batter into pan and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. The center will still be a little gooey.

11. Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes before enjoying!

12. I like to eat my baked goods while they’re still hot, so I add a dollop of whipped cream on the side so it doesn't melt :)