Maya's Tree Cake (Chestnut Applesauce Cake)

Maya gave me her recipe for "tree cake 2.0", which involved two unusual ingredients: chestnut flour, and acorn flour, and was a big hit. :) I decided I liked it even better with more fat, and I experimented with using dates to sweeten it, and I discovered that a banana version is quite delightful. Great flavor, with none of the Strange Gluten-Free Taste that sometimes haunts GF baked goods...

The basic idea is: you want about twice as much liquid as dry ingredients, by volume. (I also tried substituting 1 lb. pureed cooked chestnuts for both measures of flour, which resulted in a much wetter finished product, though it tasted great.) The banana version is really tasty too!

* 1/2 cup soft coconut oil or (dairy) butter
* 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar, OR 10 chopped medjool dates, OR 2 c. mashed ripe banana (if using banana, omit applesauce and other sweetener) (measure sweetener with liquid ingredients)
* 2.5 c. applesauce (add a bit more or less if necessary, to bring the liquid total to 4c.)
* 2 eggs
* 1.5 c. chestnut flour
* 1/2 cup acorn flour (available at some Asian markets, or online)
* 1.5 tsp. baking soda
* .5 tsp. salt
* 2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350f, and grease an 8-inch square pan (or muffin tins).

Mix together all the dry ingredients, sifting to ensure there are no lumps of soda. Combine all the liquids, and then incorporate them into the dry, mixing well.

Bake for 40-60 minutes, checking with a toothpick till it comes out clean. Enjoy!

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