Summer Berry Trifle W/Coconut Flour French Pound Cake (Dairy/Grain Free)

"You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism. "    

                                                              ~Erma Bombeck 

The 'Trifle' is about as classic of a 4th of July dessert as it gets. And, it just happens to be one of my favorites! Sweet moist cake with seasonal berries and rich whipped cream.... 

SERIOUSLY, does it get any better than that?!

So here is my grain and dairy free Trifle recipe....and yes, that IS a coconut flour cake! You don't get that very often from me, but I have to say that it's just perfect for a 'Trifle'. It actually reminds me a bit of the french pound cakes that I used to make back in my "wedding cake" making days. This sweet cake is a perfect match for the tart summer berries and creamy coconut cream! 

The truth is, sometimes simple ingredients just make for the best flavors! Of course you can always sub your favorite cake recipe here and even dairy whipped cream (if you are a dairy eater), because that's the beauty of trifle....simplicity and versatility!

Summer Berry Trifle W/Vanilla Cake (Grain/Dairy Free)

Paleo, Primal, Gaps, SCD

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plus 2 tsp coconut flour, sifted

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

5 whole eggs (2 of them separated)

1/2 cup coconut oil, softened or liquid

1/2 cup honey

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 1/2-2 cups washed & diced strawberries (cut large if using a traditional Trifle bowl)

1 1/2-2 cups washed blueberries 

1 1/2-2 cups washed raspberries 

3-4 cans full-fat coconut milk, cream only (Try Aroy-D or Natural Value-BPA free coming Sept.)

Honey or choice of sweetener optional

Directions for the cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift the dry ingredients together and set aside. 

Note: Be sure to use the 'dip and sweep(scoop)' method when measuring coconut flour. Dip the measuring cup into the flour, then lightly sweep over the top with a knife or flat edge. You don't want to pack the flour. Coconut flour is highly absorbent, so proper measuring is imperative to get a nice cake 'crumb'.

Separate 2 of the eggs, setting the whites aside and putting the 2 yolks in a medium sized bowl. Crack open the rest of the eggs, adding them to the bowl with egg yolks.

Using a mixer or hand whisk, beat the coconut oil(liquid or solid, doesn't matter), honey, vanilla and lemon juice until they are well combined. 

On low/medium-speed, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Continue to mix till the batter is smooth and has no lumps.

Add the eggs (not including the 2 egg whites) in three phases to the batter. Allowing each addition to be incorporated completely before adding the next.

In a small bowl, beat the egg whites till thick soft peaks form. Fold into the batter.

Pour the batter into a greased 8 inch square brownie pan or 7X10 small casserole dish lined with parchment paper, allow a few inches of flaps to hang over the two long sides of the pan. This will help later with removing the cake ensure that the sides of the cake won't stick to the pan. Alternatively, you could make cup cakes with the batter and cube those up for the trifle. Baking times will vary depending on the depth of the cake pan. I find that a 1 or 2 inch high cake produces the best texture instead of a thicker cake. However, I have made this in a standard size bread pan as well, and it turns out very nice.<\>

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-45 min. or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Baking times will vary from oven to oven, bakeware to bakeware and thickness of the cake. So keep an eye on it toward the end. The cake should be a nice golden color. 

Allow the cake to cool for 5-10 minutes, run a sharp knife along the edges and carefully remove from the pan. Cool completely. Coconut baked goods can taste 'eggy' before they have cooled completely. For best results, allow enough time to cool before cutting in serving. My favorite way to eat this cake is cut into cubes, frozen and slightly thawed. So good!

When you are ready to assemble the trifle, cut the cake into one inch cubes.

This cake tastes great chilled! The texture is much like that of a French pound cake.

Makes about 4 cups cups of 'cubed' cake

For the coconut whipped cream:

Chill three cans of full-fat coconut milk (a few hours or overnight).

Open the cans and scoop out the thick cream. Try to keep as much coconut liquid out of the cream as possible.

With a hand/standing mixer, beat the cream on high for about 5 minutes. Add a little honey if desired. A few teaspoons is all you need. Or none at all. Transfer to a bowl. Note: Coconut cream does not really increase in volume the way dairy cream does. It is also not always as thick, especially if is 'guar gum' free. If you are not happy with the thickness (after chilling the can) try removing all the cream that you can and then cover and chill the cream by it self, overnight. It tends to thicken up more this way. In the trifle , it tends to seep down into the other layers, which is great!

Assembling the Trifle:

Assembly is super easy. Just add some blueberries to the bottom of your dish, then cake, whipped cream, strawberries, more cake, whipped cream and finally the raspberries. Or layer it however you like! 

This recipe should make enough for 4 individual 12 oz trifles (as pictured) or make two cakes, add extra fruit and more coconut cream (2-3 more cans) for one, 2-quart trifle or glass bowl. Keep the liquid that is leftover after separating the cream from the milk. Save a little cream and add it back into the liquid, shake it well and keep in the fridge. Makes a great 'drinking' milk!

This dessert can be made ahead of time, however the coconut cream will thicken up a bit in the fridge. Allow dessert to to sit out for 5 minutes or so before serving.

Happy 4th of July, Enjoy!