Coconut Cake by Carol Anne Wasserman, www.GetHealthyWithCarol.com

dairy free, naturally sweetened, whole grain.

light, fluffy, moist, and delicious.

¾ cup maple syrup
½ cup coconut oil, I use Nutiva .
2 eggs, at room temp
½ cup coconut milk
1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon pure almond extract
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9 inch pan and dust with flour.
Whisk together coconut oil and maple syrup. Add eggs, extracts, and coconut milk and whisk again.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined.
Fold in the shredded coconut with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 45 minutes.
Let cool completely before frosting.

Coconut Frosting
4 tablespoons agar flakes
½ cup water
1 container (2 cups) coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
3 tablespoons arrowroot
4 tablespoons water
¼ cup maple syrup

Dissolve agar in ½ cup water over medium heat. Slowly pour in coconut milk. Bring up to a simmer for a couple of minutes, making sure agar is completely dissolved. Add extracts.

Dissolve arrowroot in 4 tablespoons water. Add to simmering coconut mixture. Stir until thickened, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat immediately.

Transfer to a baking dish and refrigerate until cool. Add to a food processor, and with processor running, slowly pour in the maple syrup. Taste. Add more sweetener if desired.

Refrigerate until frosting firms up again, about 1 hour. You can let it sit out at room temperature to firm up, but this will take longer, a few hours at least.

www.GetHealthyWithCarol.com