Gluten Free Savoury Vegetable Cake
Savoury cake is a common food in France. Generally simply referred to as “cake” (rather than “gateau“), these baked goods usually include common cake ingredients (flour, eggs, butter) as well as a couple of types of vegetables and often some cheese, as well.
I love making savoury cakes, mostly for ease. You can bake a couple and freeze one in slices to simply pull out and defrost in the toaster or microwave. They take little time and effort, and are a great way to use up leftover vegetables or bits of cheese that lie unused in the fridge. You can change them up, mix-and-match, and make them your own.
But there’s another reason I love these lunchbox-friendly bakes. They are a nice easy way to get some veggies into kids. After all, when you serve “cake” for lunch, what’s not to like? Make sure you make it clear from the start that it is savoury cake, so as to avoid disappointment. 😉 But most children like that it genuinely has the taste and texture of a soft, crumbly sponge, but features veg & herbs instead of fruit & cream.
Although I see no problem in eating gluten (primarily in the form of wholegrains) and dairy (in mostly full-fat, ideally organic/grass-fed forms) for most, I am having to cut both out for a little while as I try and clear up some autoimmune issues, so I was thrilled to discover how easy it is to make just as yummy a savoury cake without either of these things.
But of course, if you have no issues with dairy or gluten, feel free to sub unsalted butter for the olive oil, wholemeal (or plain) flour for the gluten-free flour and/or add a little soft goat’s cheese or grated Cheddar into the batter (or on top of the cake – goat’s cheese is especially yummy for this). I have also suggested some easy variations on other ingredients in the recipe so you can make this with what you have on hand or prefer to eat!
Perfect for picnics, lunchboxes and journeys, this savoury cake is a totally tote-able delicious lunch, breakfast, light dinner or snack for all to enjoy.
This savoury cake is simple to make and adapt to whatever is needing using up in your fridge. It is an easy way to get more veg into kids, and is perfect for on-the-go meals (breakfast, lucnh or dinner), for lunchboxes, journeys or picnics. Gluten free, sugar free, dairy free and vegetarian.
- 125 g (1 cup) gluten free plain flour (a shop-bought blend or homemade one - you can sub regular plain or wholemeal flour if you want)
- 75 g (3/4 cup) ground almonds (or almond flour)
- 2 teaspoons (gluten free) baking powder
- a decent pinch of sea salt
- large handful fresh chopped basil or parsley, or 2 teaspoons dried mixed herbs (I like Herbes de Provence)
- large handful pitted black or green olives, optional (roasted red peppers or a few sundried tomatoes make good alternatives)
- 3 medium eggs
- 175 ml (3/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil (or use 225g/1 cup unsalted butter, melted)
- 1 medium courgette (zucchini), grated (or sub a medium carrot, grated - a mix of a small courgette and a small carrot also works)
- 1 large ripe tomato, thinly sliced (thin slices of courgette/zucchini or aubergine/eggplant could work as alternatives, just make sure to slice very finely so they cook quickly)
- large handful fresh kale (or spinach/other fresh greens), torn into small pieces
- extra virgin olive oil
- fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- a little soft goat's cheese, optional
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Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas 5. Mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in a jug or separate bowl and pour into the dry. Stir until just combined. Pour into a lightly greased casserole dish or cake tin (a deep 6-8"/15-20cm tin should do, but I prefer to use a 7"/18cm shallow casserole dish - this one). Top with the slices of tomato, then tear the kale into small pieces and scatter around the tomatoes over the batter. Drizzle with olive oil and season generously with black pepper. Add a few dots of fresh soft goat's cheese if you like. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool and serve warm or cold, ideally with a large side salad or fresh homemade coleslaw like this one.
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