Print Options:

Low Carb/Primal Birthday Cake

A friend of mine made me a Victoria Sponge Cake for my birthday yesterday. It was lovely, but I certainly paid the price for eating sugar and flour and jam and all that stuff I've avoided so long - and I only had one small piece! So I decided I needed a birthday cake* I could eat. Not birthday brownies (like I made earlier this week), but a proper birthday cake. And doesn't that look like a proper birthday cake above? It's super low carb! No sugar! And it was tasty! And I got the stamp of approval from non-primal/low carb eating folks even. What was my secret? Meat, of course. I basically made a meatloaf in a springform pan. Topped it with mashed cauliflower. Grilled some cheese on top (totally optional), and served it up. With candles. Bear in mind this recipe is a bit haphazard and non-measurey - so don't worry about following it exactly. Or just find your favourite low carb meatloaf recipe and adapt the cake to suit. Truly awesome. *birthday cake that was not quite a dessert, by the way....
Courses ,
Servings 8
Ingredients
  • 600 grams ground beef
  • 300 grams ground pork
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 1 onion, chopped finely
  • 1 can small tin of 'salsa verde'
  • 1 tablespoon tomato puree
  • 2 teaspoons basil
  • 1 pinch sea salt
  • 1 head of caulflower
  • 1 tablespoon chives
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder
Instructions
  1. Make the meatloaf by mixing all ingredients together in a bowl (except the cauliflower, chives and butter). Then press into a spring form cake tin. Prop it up on a tray in the oven (to catch any grease that drops) and bake for about an hour at 180 degrees C.

  2. Remove from the oven and tip out the grease that's formed on top.

  3. Leave to cool which you boil, steam or microwave the cauliflower. Then drain and mash it up with the butter, chives and the arrowroot. (I think the arrowroot thickened it up a bit, although I'm not really sure. You might be able to leave that out. Depends on how liquidy your mash is. You want it a li'l thick so you can spread it.

  4. Spread the cauliflower mash on the top of the meat cake and place it back in the oven to heat up.

  5. For the last ten minutes, I put some cheese on top and grilled it until the cheese started bubbling. If you like/tolerate dairy, do it. If not, just leave it out.

  6. Remove from springform tin and spread the remaining cauliflower around the sides.

  7. Stick candles in the top and light! Mmmmm. Cake.