Christmas as well as winter time in general practically begs for a requisite mug of tea or coffee to be wrapped within ones hand.  I personally go for (green) tea, but I know most of you likely prefer coffee.  Either way, to each his own.  And what would coffee/tea be without a little something sweet on the side?  However, I am sympathetic to the plight of expanding waistlines that seems to always inevitably come with the holiday season.  That is why I whipped up this particular cake for your tasting (and viewing, because its a rather pretty cake) pleasure.

Made from buckwheat flour (which isn’t a wheat at all, its actually a fruit seed) which means the cake is wheat/gluten free, its also refined sugar-free and lactose-free.  Hows that for something truly sweet during the holiday season?  Now all we need is a blanket of glittering white come Christmas day.  Then, perfection.

For this particular recipe, I decided to continue my foray into experimenting with slightly more unique flavors.  My love affair with lavender is still going strong, but I recently became intrigued with the idea of doing some baking with rose.  Yes, actual rose petals.  Hence, the result is this cake which came out surprisingly lovely.

Without further ado, recipe #29:

Apple, Rose and Chocolate Chip Cake

2 cups buckwheat flour

1/3 cup of coconut sugar

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

2 eggs, beaten lightly

1 ¼ cup of coconut milk

½ cup of maple syrup

1 tablespoon of vanilla

¼ cup of melted butter

½ cup of Greek yogurt

1 cup of chopped apples (I like Gala apples, and I leave the skin on since once cooked you hardly notice it.  Plus that’s where all the nutrients are)

½ cup of raw cacao nibs

2 tablespoons of dried, shredded rose petals

1. In a small ish bowl, combine the first four ingredients.
2. In a large separate bowl, combine the eggs, coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla and melted butter. Whisk together with a fork.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones. Mix gently until well combined.
4. Stir in the Greek yogurt.
5. Fold in the chopped apples.
6. Finally, mix in the cacao nibs and rose petals.
7. Pour the batter into a greased 9×9 round cake pan.
8. Bake on 175 degrees C/350 degrees F for roughly 25-30 minutes, until a knife inserted in the middle comes out almost entirely clean.
9. Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes or so.

This cake is best enjoyed at room temperature, neither hot nor cold.

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for roughly 2 days.