Coconut Butter Cake

With MANY thanks to Patty for providing the basis for this recipe! http://www.lovingourguts.com/coconut-butter-cake-with-coconut-frosting-…

This is very versatile, almost like a pound cake (and it does not taste coconutty at all) and you could probably omit the baking soda to make it truly GAPS-legal (but would need to whip the egg whites, I think). To make fantastic berry muffins, add 1 tsp. lemon zest and 1 c. blueberries to the final batter, and bake in muffin tins for slightly less time.

1/2 c. pitted dates
1 1/4 c. (320 grams) coconut butter (also known as "coconut manna" or "creamed coconut")
1/4 c. softened butter
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
5 eggs.

Preheat the oven to 300f, and butter a 10" springform pan (or an 8x8" square pan). Place a circle (or square) of parchment on the bottom, and grease this with butter, too.

In the food processor, blend the dates till they are well-pulverized. Then add the coconut butter, butter, baking soda, and vanilla; pulse till very well combined, and add the eggs one at a time with the motor running.

Pour the batter into prepared pan, and bake for 40-50 minutes, until well-browned and a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool very well on a wire rack.

For Jem's birthday, I made a fantastic layer cake: one layer of this cake, plus one banana layer ( http://www.lifeisapalindrome.com/recipes/banana-nut-muffins ), all glued together with frosting made from softened butter and pulverized dates. The frosting even piped well to create designs, and then with fresh fruit on top it was quite beautiful! Store in the fridge until ready to serve, at least if it's 100f outside and you don't want the frosting to melt!

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