You Can Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

This deliciously moist lemon poppy seed cake is packed with flavor and sure to become a crowd favorite.

As we continue celebrating Women’s History Month, we want to honor and reflect on the countless contributions women have made to fuel culture and society. We elevate our history, acknowledge our worth, and honor the diverse women that make up this sisterhood. Since the inception of our brand, we have understood and cherished the essential role these women play in our communities and want to highlight all the ways they strengthen, unify, and move us forward. So join us. Take a seat and get comfortable. ALL women are welcome here.

We’re serving up great conversation and adding something delicious to the menu. This is hands down the best gluten-free lemon poppy seed cake. It’s so good, people won’t even know it’s gluten-free (shhh).

We collaborated with the makers of the gluten-free chocolate cake, to bring you another gluten-free version of one of your favorite desserts. It’s guilt-free so you can have your cake and eat it too! This cake recipe is by our sister and baker Erika Ordonez, and use’s our cousin Valentina Rodriguez's Cannaves Oliva organic CBD infused olive oil. And of course, we set the table with Zuahaza's new Organic Table Linen's. We hope this recipe inspires you to extend your table and offer a seat to those who may not have otherwise been invited.

About Erika Ordoñez Baking

Erika Ordonez is a cake artist and baker based in Bogota, Colombia. Her signature bakes include elegant and rustic designs created with an eclectic mix of ingredients and flavors. Before becoming a full-time baker, Erika worked in the hospitality industry in Paris and Miami where she found her true passion in baking. Today she custom makes special occasion cakes always focusing on balanced textures, fresh ingredients, original flavors, and sophisticated designs. 

what’s in this recipe

. Lemon → This cake is filled with fresh lemon zest to balance out the richness and add a bit of freshness

. Ricotta cheese → Adding this not so secret ingredient enhances the flavor and texture of the cake

. Gluten-free flour → This recipe uses a blend of almond and rice flour for added nutrients

. Maple syrup → We’re swapping out refined sugar and replacing it with a sweetener that is just as delicious and full of vitamins and minerals

. Poppy seeds → They not only add great flavor and crunch to any sweet treat, but they have also been known to improve digestion

The Delicious alternatives

. Cottage cheese → If you run out of ricotta cheese, or simply aren’t a fan, feel free to use this mild-tasting replacement, just make sure to put it through a sieve

. Cashew flour → Swapping almond flour for another nut-based flour is possible and this four is a great 1:1 substitute

. Honey → It has a similar consistency, flavor, and high in antioxidants

About Cannaves Oliva

After discovering firsthand the internal balance she felt from hemp-powered supplements, Cannaves Oliva's founder, Valentina, sought to make hemp a permanent part of her routine. A lifelong athlete, yogi, and an avid believer in the importance of functional foods towards optimal wellness, she sought ways to incorporate hemp extract into her diet. After a year and a half of research and development for the most nutrient-dense, natural, and elevated way to reap the potential benefits of hemp extract, Cannaves Oliva launched at the end of 2020 with their namesake organic hemp-infused olive oil.

The benefits of hemp-infused Extra virgin olive oil

. Homemade dressings → Who doesn’t love a Chinese Chicken Salad served with sesame vinaigrette

. Pasta → Try this feta pasta packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties

. Charcuterie board → Need we say more? Here’s a picnic with a daily dose of Cannaves Oliva

When to Serve a Gluten-Free Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

. Morning→ with a cup of coffee nestled up against your Diamond Guayaba Pink Lumbar Pillow with Tassels

Afternoon → as a snack beautifully served on a Diamond Guanabana Cream and Dark Green Placemat

Evening → after a delicious meal, as you’re wrapped up in a Lulo Orange & Feijoa Green Throw

Ingredients

Cake

2 cups Almond Flour

2 cups Rice Flour

1 ½ Lemons

½ cup Cannaves Oliva - Olive Oil

½ cup Organic Honey or Maple Syrup

2 Large Eggs

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 tablespoon Poppy Seeds

½ cup Ricotta Cheese

1 cup Hot Water

Lemon Curd Filling and Covering

3 Eggs

1/3 cups Organic Honey (or Maple Syrup)

2 tablespoons Cannaves Oliva - Olive Oil

1/4 cups Coconut Oil (melted)

½ cup Lemon Juice

1 Lemon

instructions

Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 330°F.

2. Grease two 6-inch (or one 8 inch) cake pans using no-stick coconut oil spray

3. In one bowl (A), sieve all dry ingredients (almond Flour, rice flour, baking soda, salt)

4. In a separate bowl (B) use a free-standing electric mixer to incorporate well the eggs, olive oil, honey (or maple syrup), lemon zest of one lemon and ricotta cheese. It is important to mix for about 5 minutes until you don’t see ricotta crumbs around. You can also mix these ingredients in a blender if you don’t have the electric mixer. *This will help incorporate the air needed for a fluffy cake*

5. In bowl (B) add the lemon juice of one and a half lemons.

6. Using a spatula add the dry ingredients (A) into the egg mix (B) and mix until all ingredients are fully combined. 

7. Finally, add the poppy seeds and stir well. Then add the hot water and mix with the spatula until fully incorporated. * This cake batter may look quite thick, don’t worry, this is how it should look like! *

8. Pour the batter in the baking pans and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Lemon Curd Filling and Covering

1. Whisk all ingredients and then transfer to a small saucepan over low-medium heat and using a rubber whisk/spatula stir constantly until it begins to thicken. This takes a bit of patience, about 10 minutes (or more!). To know it is ready, stop stirring and you’ll see a few big and slow bubbles forming on the surface. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk fast to finish smoothing the lemon curd. Transfer to a small bowl and cover with plastic film (making sure it is in direct contact with the lemon curd – this will avoid the lemon curd to form a dry surface). Let it fully cool down in the fridge until it’s ready to use.

Make sure to tag us on Instagram @zuahaza so we can see your amazing results. We’d also love to know if you made any substitutions and how they worked out.

Bon app!