Strawberry Upside Down Cakes with Vanilla Bean

Ingredients

(measurements in grams are by weight)

33 g arrowroot

33 g oat flour

34 g millet flour

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp flaxmeal

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

100 g solid coconut oil, plus a bit more

100 g sucanat or raw cane sugar, plus a bit more

1/2 a vanilla bean, scraped

100 g unsweetened applesauce

handful of strawberries, sliced

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Take out a muffin tin and put about 1/8 tsp of coconut oil into 6 wells. Put the tin in the oven for a minute to melt the oil. Remove the pan and carefully tilt the pan around to coat the wells with oil. Set the pan down and sprinkle in a good pinch of sucanat or raw cane sugar into each well (about 1/2 tsp for each). Put a single layer of sliced strawberries on the bottom of each well on top of the sugar and oil. Make sure to cover the entire bottom, but don't make more than one layer as the cakes won't un-mold properly. Set the pan aside.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl until combined. In a separate bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the solid coconut oil, the sucanat, and contents of the vanilla bean until thick and creamy. Add the applesauce and mix until it is incorporated and the mixture is relatively smooth. Slowly start mixing in the dry ingredients a little at a time until they are fully incorporated. The batter should be thick and creamy. Divide the batter among the 6 wells, putting it on top of the strawberries. Smooth out the top of the batter, then place it in the oven. Bake the cakes for approximately 25 to 30 minutes until the tops are golden and a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool the cakes for at least 15 minutes before un-molding them. I found it easy to do this over my cutting board. Makes 6 cakes.