Easy Maple Walnut Cake (dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, refined sugar-free)

If your family likes a gooey, nutty, sweet dessert, but you don’t have a lot of time to make desserts and they’re hungry for a sweet right now, this one is a great one to try.  My husband loved it with the sugar-free vanilla ice cream on top but I’m sure a non-dairy frozen dessert would work just as well.  Very easy and quick to make.  It took me less than ten minutes to get it in the oven.  Should be served hot.  Serves 4-6 depending on portion size.  Doubles well if you need more servings.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Liberally grease a 5×8″ baking pan.  If you don’t have a 5×8″ baking pan, you could make individual cakes in a muffin tin.

Heat in a small saucepan until it boils:

• 1/2 cup maple syrup (I used my husband’s Maple Grove Sugar-Free syrup)

Mix in a medium sized bowl:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill 1for1)
• 1/8 cup sweet sorghum flour
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup of sweetener such as granulated fructose (or you could use stevia but of course not as much, probably 1 tablespoon would be more than enough since this is just to add a little sweetness to the cake); or agave or coconut nectar but then decrease the amount of milk to adjust for the liquid sweetener.
• 1/2 teaspoon guar gum
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk of choice

Mix well and then add:

• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon softened margarine of choice
• 1/4 cup non-dairy milk of choice or enough to make it the consistence of soft mashed potatoes

Mix well until margarine is well combined.  Pour the hot syrup into the bottom of the baking dish and pour the mixture (or spoon if easier but be sure to cover as much of the syrup as possible).  Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.  If you’re using the muffin pan, check them after 10 minutes.

Place on a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes; loosen the cake from the sides of the pan and then turn out onto a serving plate.  Sprinkle the top liberally with chopped or ground walnuts.  If you want it nut free, use hemp hulls, sunflower or pumpkin seeds instead of the walnuts.  Serve with some non-dairy frozen dessert, whipped topping, or sugar-free ice cream.