The Nutritionnaire: Canada Day Coconut Rhubarb Cake

Every Canada Day our family goes to the cottage. This year will be our seventh annual Canada Day party with a bunch of our good friends, 16 to be exact. People are littered throughout the cottage, the yard, the river and the lake. There is a croquet tournament each year (which I have not won since the first annual Canada Day up there) and new games are constantly created while we BBQ and enjoy the (hopefully) good weather.

It truly is something to look forward to each and every year. I'm about as giddy as the kids!

We try to keep things simple when it comes to food. Instead of one person in charge of everything, we split up the meals between all of us. Generally each carload of people that comes to the cottage takes a meal. It has worked really well in the past-so we continue.

My husband and I are usually the first ones up since we are generally the only ones up there with kids. So breakfast is an obvious choice for our meal. But one thing I also do every year is the Canada Day cake for dessert. In the past, it has been a pretty unhealthy white cake covered in icing and strawberries in the shape of our flag. Cute, but totally unhealthy. This year I'm going to change things up.

Not many people think of rhubarb when they think of Canada (or maybe they do, I don't know), but it's always RAMPANT in our area around this time of year. The stalks grow so HUGE and I'm happy to pick them and make compotes, muffins, jams, tarts, pies and now...this coconut rhubarb cake. YUM!

NOTE: With the trend right now to eat every part of your food, including roots, leaves, stems and such, I feel I should mention that rhubarb leaves are POISONOUS. Just saying. Don't eat them. Probably a bad idea.

The main reason I like this recipe is it makes a large amount and will feed a crowd. That's important when you have 16 mouths to feed...oh plus my three kids. Dessert has to be plentiful!

Here's the recipe-I hope you like it.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut oil, room temperature + 1 tbsp
2 cups spelt or whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp himalayan pink sea salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1/2 cup honey + 2 tbsp
1 large egg
2 cups chopped fresh rhubarb
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350.
Grease a 9 x 13 pan with coconut oil. Set aside.

Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Mix together buttermilk and vanilla. Set aside.

Blend together 1/2 cup coconut oil, sugar and 1/2 cup honey. Add egg and blend again.

Add the flour mixture and buttermilk, alternating dry with wet. Start and end with flour mixture.
Fold in rhubarb. Spread batter into pan.

Mix together the 1 tbsp coconut oil, 1/4 cup coconut and 2 tbsp honey. Sprinkle mixture over top of batter.

Place in oven for approximately 30 minutes. Until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let it cool about 30 minutes before serving. Voila!

A wonderful dessert for a crowd! Top with rhubarb compote, fresh strawberries and whipped cream or a delicious frozen yogurt. ~~Probably~~ pretty good with a cup of coffee too.

Ok...maybe this will be included in our breakfast buffet instead...there's fruit in there...right?