Dieting Lifestyle

Confession: this gluten-free lemon loaf cake didn’t last 24 hours in my kitchen.

If you’ve taken my wellness personality quiz (and if you haven’t, go do it!) then you know that I’ve often observed through my course clients that people approach health habits very differently.

I’m a Healthy Hedonist (duh), which means that restriction makes me feel anxious. I’m not an all or nothing kind of gal. Most of the time, I am pretty good at moderation. But the slippery slope of trying to swing both ways is that sometimes I end up sliding too far in one direction. And that is certainly the case whenever I bring baked goods into the house.

Moderation is easier said than done, especially when indulgences involve addictive substances like sugar that can fuel cravings.

I can handle one piece of chocolate a night after dinner without a problem. But if there is a lemon loaf cake sitting on the counter, I am not able to have just one slice. Or just one half. Or if there are multiple, just one whole thing.

Perhaps this is due to my gluten-free scarcity mindset. Maybe it’s the blood sugar rollercoaster. Either way, it’s not a good scene, especially when I’m trying to ease into doing a mini vice detox with you in a few days!

Since one of my tenets of healthy hedonism is to set yourself up for success at home so you can find more flexibility out in the world, that means I don’t bake very often. When I am eating sugar, I find my sweet fixes in other ways, like dark chocolate. Or I go out to a favorite bakery where I will have to spend $5 on a cookie, and therefore only purchase one.

But here’s the other thing: I love creating healthy gluten-free treats for you. Solution? When testing gluten-free lemon loaf cake recipes, I force the other half of my loaf upon my neighbor.

Force, you say? Who wouldn’t want the gift of a fresh, delicious baked good?

Well, a neighbor who has just told you that she is not eating carbs or sugar at the moment, and you insist that she accept the “gift” anyway. Sorry Christine!

You see, friends. Self-control can sometimes be selfish.

Luckily for us both though (because don’t you worry, I ate the other half by myself in one sitting), this lemon loaf cake is far less sinful than what I usually walk away with at my local bakery. It’s sweetened naturally with a modest amount of maple syrup and coconut sugar. It’s topped with a little anti-inflammatory turmeric coconut butter glaze–no powdered sugar here. And for a cake, it’s fairly high in protein thanks to the plentiful eggs, almond meal, and collagen powder, which boosts both the batter and the drizzle.

As I mentioned earlier this summer, I’ve been on a mission post-SIBO to get as much Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen as possible into my meals. Not only do my nails and hair feel stronger when I’m getting a regular dose, but it’s helping to rebuild my gut lining behind the scenes.

So in this case, I don’t feel so bad about having my lemon loaf cake, and making my neighbor eat half of it too.

Read on for the delicious, easy recipe for this gluten-free lemon cake. And if you lack both the will to moderate your portions and a neighbor to take some of them off your hands, rest assured that this loaf also freezes well!

With health and hedonism,

Phoebe

This gluten-free lemon loaf cake recipe is brought to you in partnership with my friends at Great Lakes Gelatin. All opinions are my own (obviously). Thank you for supporting the brands that make this site (and my gut healing) possible!