Hazelnut Honey Cake with Spiced Cranberry Chutney

I am sitting here in a cozy nook, sipping warm cider and watching the snow fall. Yes, the holidays are truly upon us and if the snow isn't a sign of the season, the Christmas songs on the radio sure gives it away :)  Tomorrow we fly south for a Thanksgiving amongst family and friends and I couldn't be more excited. Since Jordan and I won't be able to eat the traditional Thanksgiving spread I am brainstorming creative recipes that will go nicely with our change in diet. We will be able enjoy the turkey and venison of course but everything else I will need to prepare special for the two of us. 

There will be no pumpkin or pecan (pronounce pee-can in the south) pie on our menu so I thought of an equally sweet yet much healthier alternative to the traditional turkey day dessert. Gluten, grain and dairy free, this hazelnut cake is comprised with part almond flour and part hazelnut flour which lends such a unique flavor. And who said cranberry sauce is only meant for meat? This chutney, spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, and sweetened with pure apple cider and honey is a beautiful and tasty accessory to any dessert!

So for those of you who have diet restrictions please don't despair as you think about all the things you wont be able to eat this holiday. Rather, be creative and explore all of the wonderful alternative ingredients that are just as flavorful yet more gentle on your body. 

I wish all of you a blessed and happy Thanksgiving! Whether you are enjoying the day with family or friends may your conversations be sweet, your meal be comforting, and your hearts be full of thanksgiving and praise!

Hazelnut Honey Cake

• 2 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1/2 cups hazelnut flour (I use Bob's Red Mill. If you want less of a hazelnut flavor use 1/4c hazelnut flour and  2 3/4 c almond flour)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 cup grapseed oil
• 3 TBS honey
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup pure apple cider
• 1 TBS grated orange peel

 Preheat oven to 350F. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Combine wet ingredients in a seperate bowl and mix well. Pour wet mixture into dry and mix with a spatula until well incorporated. Grease a 9inch round cake pan and pour mixture into pan. Place in oven and cook for about 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden and a tooth pic inserted into the center comes out clean. 

***Important*** Allow the cake to cool COMPLETELY (at least a few hours) before removing from pan or cutting. Almond/hazelnut meal is very moist and when warm it tends to be rather crumbly. When I allow the cake to cool completely I have no trouble transferring or cutting the cake. 

Spiced Cranberry Chutney

(adapted from Bon Appétit)

• 1 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries
• 1 3/4 cups apple cider
• 3/4-1 cup honey (depends on how sweet you like it)
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 TBS grated orange peel
• 10 whole cloves
• pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat. Simmer until berries burst and sauce thickens and reduces, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Remove cinnamon sticks and cloves. Drizzle on each cake slice.  (Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated)

**Note** This sauce thickens up once it has been refrigerated! So you can make it, store it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight, and then an hour before you serve the cake you can take it out of the fridge, set it on the counter and it will be nice and thick to go atop the cake....

Enjoy!

Comments

[Jacqui]

Sounds absolutely amazing, I might try to sneak one more dessert onto the table now! Have a happy Thanksgiving!

[Sherri B.]

Who needs 'pee-can' when you are having something this yummy! Have a very Happy Thanksgiving with your family.

[Rebecca]

Looks delicious! Just in time for the holidays :)

[Melanie]

This sounds amazing and I love your pix!

[Jennifer (Delicieux)]

What absolutely stunning photos!!!!

Your cake looks and sounds utterly fantastic. I'll be bookmarking this to make soon.

[Alexa]

What lovely photographs! I think I would take this honey cake over pecan pie any day
Have a wonderful holiday ;)

[JehanP]

This is very refreshing to see with all the pumpkin recipes. I love hazelnuts and this seems like a great and delicious recipe.

[fooddreamer]

This is a wonderful recipe, one I know I can adapt for my low carb purposes. Thanks for sharing!

[Cannelle Et Vanille]

happy thanksgiving coco. this is perfect!

[heather]

Gorgeous photography, as usual, and I love the flavors in this cake. It looks like a very moist cake, made even more so with the cranberry chutney topping. Never would've thought of that as a cake topper!

Cheers,

*Heather*

[k jane]

yes mam! thanks coco. hope your southern thanksgiving is joyous. below is a great reflection on gratitude i thought you might appreciate:
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”- Melody Beattie

[Medifast Coupons]

What a great sounding honey cake. I have never actually baking with almond flour, good excuse to give it a go, thanks.

[Lizzy]

I was looking for a way to redo cranberries since I'm tired of just scraping them out of a can on T-Day. I'm totally going to try your chutney! Thanks for the tip.

www.citizette.com

[*holly.]

mmmmm....delightful! thank you for sharing. and many happys to you this thanksgiving week! xoxo...*holly.

[Chery - Itty Bitty Foodies Mama]

Coco. thanks for sharing. this looks absolutely amazing as usual. You are a very talented chef and photographer. I find your blog ever so inspiring. Happy thanksgiving! I hope you get to see your love neice C. and gorgeous nephew M.

[Natasha]

Your photography and recipes are just too lovely! I can't wait to make the spiced cranberry chutney and hazelnut honey cake! Have a lovely holiday.

[Jeremy Allen]

Your husband brought some of this delicious goodness over yesterday and I can't wait to try the receipe out myself. Thanks for sharing - I hope you both enjoy Thanksgiving back home!

[Abby Maddox]

I love that I can attest to some of the scrumptiousness, I'm always WISHING I could try on your blog! It was truly delightful, almost as delightful as the company. Praying for you friends!

[Laken]

This looks amazing.
Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving and safe travels!

[Sini]

Gorgeous pictures by a truly talented photographer. I love the raw honey comb!

Have a Thanksgiving full of joy! Would love to be able to spend an American Thanksgiving some day.

[Sarah]

Goodness. How long do you think the cake will keep in the fridge? I must make this asap.

[rick]

as a beekeeper, you had me at honey (and the beautiful photos of the honeycomb). have a warm and safe thanksgiving holiday!

[fresh365]

I cannot get enough cranberries. Perfect for photographing too- the color is gorgeous! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families, Coco. Enjoy!

[Julie the Alkaline Sister]

Yuuumeee! I love the nature of this recipe and will experiment sometime without the egg for a vegan version. And the addition of the cranberries makes me salivate for it right now! Your lovely photos make it look delectable!

[Website Promotion]

I really appreciate the points you made. I dont think Ive actually thought about it in that way. I can really appreciate how you approached the subject matter and what you said really gave me a new perspective. Thanks for taking the time to write this all out.

[Sarah]

Oh, how exciting to hear from one of my featured bloggers--it's one of the coolest things about the blogging world! :) Thanks for sharing your delicious recipes and amazing talent, Coco!

-Sarah

[Cassandra Marie]

Yum! What a perfect little dessert :)

[Coco]

THANK YOU everyone for your thoughtful notes! If any of you try this recipe out let me know what you think :)

[The Therapist]

I love your photography and your use of cranberries. Any time I can use cranberries I am so pleased. Not only are they tasty, but they are just wonderful for you physically!

[carrots]

Your blog is gorgeous!! And this looks excellent!

[Becky]

This looks amazing (and I'm dying to try it)! But I must admit-I've never seen almond or hazelnut flour, or grapeseed oil...are these the kinds of ingredients I'd have to order from specialty stores online?

[Becky]

Actually, scratch that first question (found it all!), but now I'm wondering--is the apple cider you call for LIQUID, or do you mean one of the spice/sugar apple cider packets you add to boiling water? Thanks!

[Leigh]

this cake looks amazing. what do you think about using coconut oil instead of grapeseed oil ? thank you so much for sharing all your wonderful recipes !!

[gkstr]

I made this on the weekend and it was glorious! Thank you for sharing this recipe.