The Gluten Free Lifesaver My Favourite “Melt-In-Your-Mouth” Swede/Rutabaga Cake! (Gluten Free, Dairy-Free, Failsafe, low FODMAP)
I just have to stop everything I’m doing for a minute, and share this fantastic cake with you!
A lot of people either don’t “understand” swede, don’t use it, don’t know it or think that only cows eat it. I have grown up with it and I seriously LOVE it! It is so healthy, very tasty and seriously versatile. No matter what you might have thought of swede up until today; this cake will be like colourful fireworks in your mouth! It’s moist, flavourful and very, very tasty!
So how did it come about? Well, I have always loved carrot cake, I’m sure you can imagine why! However, on the elimination diet carrots have too many salicylates (what are salicylates?) to be considered “failsafe”, and I’ve had to concoct an alternative. Little did I know that my “crazy” experiment with swede (known to some as rutabaga) would result in a cake which is now the single greatest favourite amongst my friends and family!
My “swede cake” is so popular that has become my most requested treat, and I find myself baking it as silces, birthday cakes and muffins over and over again. People just love it, and I quite frankly can’t get enough of it myself, so I think it’s about time I share this mysterious invention with the world.
The brilliant bonus with this cake is the wonderful goodness of the swede, a vegetable that boasts an almost unrivaled array of nutrients, and that is so low in any known allergen that it is suitable for close to anyone! A fantastic source of vitamin C, the swede brings a healthy element to this moist and moreish cake, and presents a brilliant way of “sneaking” a super vegetable into a yummy treat!
To make Kristine’s Swede Cake for the whole family you’ll need:
A sizable oven tray with tall edges (like a roasting pan)
(You can also make this cake in a muffin tray or two round cake tins)
Deciliter to cups conversion calculator
6 Eggs
6 dl sugar (normal refined sugar to remain low FODMAP and failsafe)
3 tsp baking powder (gluten free)
3 tsp bicarb (** If your eggs are medium or small, cut down to 2 tsp of each rising agent)
2 tsp vanilla (organic, natural)
6 dl Gluten Free flour
4 dl grates swede
3 dl antioxidant free (for failsafe) mild flavoured oil (canola, sunflower or similar)
3 tsp cinnamon ( skip for failsafe option!)
Frosting:
1/4 cup Dairy-free butter substitute (I used Nutellex Light)
1 cup icing sugar
2 tsp rice milk (or similar)
1 tsp citric acid
Set oven to 175 c or 345 f (less with fan forced oven)
Start by whisking eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until it’s nearly white. Add vanilla near the end.
Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly and sift it all into the eggs. Fold the flour mixture gently into the egg mixture without beating out the air. You want to be gentle, folding rather than mixing.
Lastly add swede and oil, and once again mix gently.
Pour the mixture into the pan which you have covered with baking paper. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when you prick it.
Let the cake cool down completely before adding the frosting. I usually freeze the pieces individually, and only add frosting as they are served.
To make the frosting, simply whisk all the ingredients on medium speed in an electric mixer. You adjust the consistency by adding more or less icing sugar or liquid as you see fit.
This cake is seriously delicious, moist and very moreish. Just try to resist it!
This cake looks so delish!!!! And healthy too! What a great way to “disguise” veggies when trying to get them into your family’s diet. Thanks so much for this recipe.
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Thanks Pat, I’m so glad you like the recipe! It can be hard to convince kids to eat veggies, and this sure is a failsafe way to make them want even more 🙂
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Hi. I’m not familiar with “dl”. Can you tell me what measurement it is?
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Hi Allison! 1 decilitre is 100 ml 🙂 We use this measurement in Europe. Hope that clears it up, and I might start using ml instead of dl from now on! Thanks, Kristine
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Wow I cannot wait to try this. Delish, yet healthy. Yummmmm. I’ll attach pictures when I do, so you can see the result! Thank you for sharing such a Moorish dish!
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I’m so excited to see your version! 🙂
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This looks so moist and delicious! And rutabaga is so yum 🙂
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Thanks Katarina! Rutabaga really doesn’t get the attention it deserves in my opinion. I grew up munching it, and I love its versatility! Besides, not many vegetables can beat it’s nutrient content!
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Those slices look so so so appetising…. I was looking for a way of using up the swede that came in our veg box… Cake for dinner, perhaps…?!
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Thanks 🙂
I’m sure you’ll love them. They are super easy to make, you can literally whip them up any time. Makes for a great yummy snack!
I hope you like them, and please let me know how you go!
Thanks for stopping by,
Kristine
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With 6 eggs, I’m guessing this one would be challenging to make with an egg substitute? I can’t eat eggs. : (
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Hi K!
Can you eat flaxseed, banana or apple sauce? I can’t guarantee it will work (because I haven’t tried it with this cake) but you could try mixing ground flaxseed and apple sauce (or banana) with your egg substitute. Do you have troubles with both yolk and white? If not, egg white powder is free from yolk, and could be used. I hope that helps. I’d love to hear how you go! I’m sure you’re not the only one wondering about this.
-Kristine
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What is the measurement dl mean
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One decilitre is 100 millilitres 🙂
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LOL don’t mind me, just saw there is a calculator for cups 😀
Just out of curiosity – how did you measure this to come to the recipe? I haven’t seen recipes using dl at all. 🙂
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Hi Kristian 🙂 As you may know, I am Scandinavian, and in continental Europe we measure in deciliter which is x100 ml. Our measuring cups are all deciliter, and to create US, UK or Australian recipes I need to calculate all different variations of cups (US and UK cups are different), so sometimes it makes more sense to alter deciliter into millilitres and add a cup conversion calculator. So yes, 1 dl is 100 ml. Hope that clears it up 🙂 -Kristine
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Please tell me what dl means?
Is it dessert spoon?
Cheers
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Hi Belinda! Deciliter is a measurement often used in Europe. 1 dl is 100 ml 😊 Hope that helps! Thanks for reading the blog! Regards, Kristine
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Hi. I’ve just made this beautiful cake. Tastes amazing. But I just had one major problem…it grew and grew and went over the top of my cake tin…and then fell and fell…
I followed the recipe to point.
But I wonder…are you supposed to have both baking powder and bicarbonate soda(I figured out that was bicarb shortened)?
Nice to know what I did wrong, so I can make it right next time.
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Hi Cecilie, thanks for your feedback! You’re right, it definitely sounds like you added too much rising agent.. You are supposed to add both, but just make sure the tsp isn’t topped at all, and make sure your baking tin is large enough. This recipe has a lot of egg in it, and egg sizes differ a lot which impacts the portion size and chemistry. If you use the same size eggs next time, maybe try to drop it down to 2 tsp baking powder and 2 tsp bicarb instead. I’ll put a note in the recipe about this. I’m sorry you had trouble with the recipe. I hope it works for you next time, because it’s such a delicious cake! 🙂 -Kristine
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Hi Kristine,
Your recipe calls for ‘4 dl grates swede’… I assume that means grated swede? And do you add it to the batter raw?
Thanks! I can’t wait to try this.
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Hi, Yes, thanks for pointing out that error 🙂 It’s definitely “grated”, and I do add it to the batter raw. Cheers, Kristine
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