Maple-sweetened, gluten-free almond cake with roasted strawberries and rhubarb makes a simple spring dessert! Recipe makes one 9-inch cake for 8 slices.
Cake – 2 cups (8 ounces) almond flour or almond meal, firmly packed into measuring cup – 1 teaspoon baking powder – ½ teaspoon baking soda – ½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt – ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon – 4 eggs, beaten* – ⅔ cup maple syrup or honey – ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil – 1 orange, preferably organic Topping – 1 pint (1 pound) strawberries, hulled and sliced into thin piece – ½ pound (about 2 stalks) rhubarb, sliced vertically into ½-inch wide strips, then sliced crosswise into small pieces, about ¼-inch by ½-inch – ¼ cup maple syrup or honey
Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit with a middle and upper rack. Dust almond flour/meal on a greased 9-inch springform or cake pan.
For easy cleanup, line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Mix almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Blend eggs, maple syrup or honey, olive oil, and orange zest in another bowl. Mix well with a whisk. Add wet to dry. Stir until a few clumps remain, then pour into your 9-inch pan.
Put strawberries and rhubarb on your baking sheet. Add ¼ cup maple syrup or honey and mix well. Spread the mixture evenly on the sheet.
Put the cake on the middle rack and the strawberry-rhubarb mixture on top. After 40 minutes, the cake should be golden brown and the centre firm (it shouldn't jiggle when you shimmy the pan).
Toss the strawberry-rhubarb mixture every 15 minutes and watch it in the last 10 minutes of baking until it's cooked through, tender, and jammy. (Watch the edges and pull the pan before they burn if using honey.)
Cool the cake on a wire rack. Halve your orange and squeeze half its juice over the strawberry-rhubarb mixture. Use the remaining half orange as you please! Mix well.
Pop off the springform pan side after the cake has cooled for 10 minutes to remove it. For safety, wait longer before turning the cake onto a large plate or serve it from the pan if you used a cake pan.
Top the cake with roasted strawberry-rhubarb mixture and juices with a large spoon. Cut into 8 pieces with a sharp knife and serve.