Apple cake (sugar-free)

When making a new recipe I never focus my energy on what I cannot use and try to replace it. I focus on what I do have and in this case it's the wonderful taste of rice syrup. I don't look at a recipe which does use sugar and think it's enough to leave it out. You have to look at what you are using and try to find other ingredients which inhance the taste of the syrup. Here I did this by combining rice syrup with apples and december spices.

I'd love to share with you this simple apple cake which was inspired by a mail I got from someone who cannot eat any sugar products due to health reasons. For me, when I'm baking I usually grab for the sucanat jar. But now it was a challenge to bake without sugar and I decided to do this more often. I like to do something new and make a change now and again. So instead of grabbing the usual jar, now I have to think of making a new step. And isn't it wonderful to make some changes once in a while? I'm not planning to bake sugar-free all the time, but I will incorporate these recipes on my blog as well. Hope you enjoy the recipe!

1 cup whole spelt flour
1 cup white spelt flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp gingerbread spices
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger powder

1/4 cup organic canola oil
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
2 tsp applecider vinegar
1/4 cup soymilk or any other vegan milk

3 big apples
2 tbl brown rice syrup
1 tsp gingerbread spices
juice of 1/2 lemon

Preheat the oven to 180 C/356 F

Peel and slice the apples. You need enough apples to cover the top of the cake. Place the sliced apples in a bowl and mix together with 2 tbl rice syrup, 1 tsp gingerbread spices and juice of 1/2 a lemon. Set aside.

Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix.

Blend all the wet ingredients together in another bowl. Incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix well with a spatula. The batter should feel firm. If it's too difficult to mix the ingredients together then you can add a tablespoon of milk to the batter.

Pour the batter into a springform of 24 cm. The bottom of the springform should be covered with parchment paper and grease the sides with oil.

Now carefully place the apple pieces onto the cake batter. A small amount of fluid left in the bowl of apples can be sprinkled onto to the apples.

Place the springform into the oven and bake for about one hour until the cake is done. Check this by pricking a toothpick into the cake and if it comes out clean the cake is ready. Also check that the apples don't turn brown and cover the springform with foil during half the baking time.

When the cake is ready let it cool and using a small sieve, dust cinnamon on the cake.