Chia Seed and Blood Orange Cake Loaf

Day 3 of migraine attacks has been a little kinder than the previous days. I felt like doing something to get me out of the rainy day doldrums, so I decided to bake something. I was originally going to make a poppy seed cake, but I didn't have any poppy seed on hand, so I opted to use chia seeds instead. Chia is great source of antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids (the good cholesterol that helps prevent strokes and heart attacks), fiber, iron, and calcium. This can also be customised to be keto friendly, but there are several ingredients I didn't have the keto substitutes to, so I only used what I had in my fridge and pantry.

INGREDIENTS:

4 eggs

1 t vanilla extract

6 T sweetener of choice (I used Lakanto)

¼ cup olive oil

1 T fresh blood orange zest (if blood oranges aren't available in your area, any sweet orange do)

¼ cup goat milk (you may use unsweetened almond milk to make it keto)

¼ cup fresh blood orange juice

¾ cup almond flour

½ cup coconut flour

1 t baking powder

¼ cup chia seeds

4-6 blood orange slices, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 350F.

Take a 9x5 inch loaf pan, grease it, and then line it with parchment paper with sides sticking out so it's easier to pull it out of the loaf tin once done baking.

Take a large mixing bowl and start whisking together the first 4 ingredients in the list (eggs, vanilla extract, sweetener, and oil. Then toss in the orange zest, milk, orange juice and whisk together for another half minute more. The batter is so fragrant!

Take a sieve and sift your almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, and chia seeds into the bowl. Stir until incorporated well and then pour it into your loaf tin; use a spatula to scoop every bit of the batter. If the batter is sticking to the spatula when you try to level it off, wipe the spatula clean, and wet it first. That should help keep the batter from sticking.

Bake it for about 45 minutes or so. Make sure you check using a toothpick or skewer to see if the cake is fully cooked through inside. Cool it on a wire rack before removing it from the loaf tin. Once cooled, garnish the cake with orange slices and serve.

I am currently enjoying mine with a hot cup of Earl Grey tea because the notes of the tea marry so well with the floral citrus profile of the cake.