A Healthier Honeycake

I've been delving into a bit of Paleo eating habits.  

Paleo is the 'caveman' diet- you eat only what cavemen could've gotten their hands on- nothing processsed.  That means no dairy, flour, rice, corn, legumes, beans, sugar, etc.

I think this diet has some merit in getting people to eat healthier, to be more aware of eating whole versus processed food.  Though I see nothing wrong in eating super-healthy quinoa, brown rice, and forbidden legumes.

However, I think particularly in the baking arena, this diet is a healthier way of eating.

Baking using the paleo principle means no processed sugar, no white flour, and no butter.  In this recipe, honey (while technically not paleo) replaces white sugar. Coconut milk replaces butter. And almond flour replaces while flour.

The almond flour alone works wonders for your health.  It has higher protein and more vitamins than white flour.  Which makes you feel more full.  Which is great news for those of us with no self-control in eating baked goods (surely I'm not speaking of myself here...)  While I could eat close to a dozen mini cupcakes myself, there's no way I could eat that many of these honeycakes.  

They satisfy the sweet tooth, but are so filling you won't be able to eat tons of them.

That's what I need in a baked good. 

I served these honeycakes with a coffee creme-anglais (made with coconut milk, egg whites, and coffee grounds). They are quite good with some tea or coffee on their own as well.

A Healthier Honeycake

Makes 24 mini-cupcakes

Modified from Elana's Pantry Honeycake Recipe

2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup honey (I used raw organic honey)
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (organic, nothing added but apples!)
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350.

1. Combine almond flour, sea salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves.
2. In a separate bowl, combine honey, applesauce, coconut oil, and eggs.
3. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry.
4. Grease and flour a 24 count mini-muffin tin.
5. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.