Deep Green Nettle Cake Recipe

Let’s face it. We just love cake. Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could eat a healthy cake and nourish yourself at the same time? Well look no further! Similar to our banana cake recipe that we shared back in February, this deep green nettle cake will not disappoint. While it does call for eggs and sugar, this cake is still delicious and deeply nourishing.

Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica) is a deeply nourishing plant with an affinity for almost every bodily system. It is most commonly known in herbalism for its alterative and nutritive actions, which means it is a blood cleanser and builder. Nettle helps to open up the channels of elimination in the body, serving as a gentle detoxification agent. It also supports absorption and distribution of nutrients throughout the body.

While there are essentially two different types of Nettle (Stinging and non-stinging or “dead” nettle), this recipe works with stinging nettle, so make sure you’ve got your elbow-length gloves on while harvesting this feisty beauty. That said, please be sure to fully and correctly identify this plant before harvesting and ingesting.

We strongly recommend using a trusted field guild, or buying the dried herb from your local herb shop if you are not into wild foraging. With no further a due, here is the recipe!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups fresh Nettle leaves (or 1 cup dried) - blanched (place in boiling water for 2 minutes then strain and blend to create puree)
• 1.5 Cups unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1.5 Cups coconut sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 0.25 Cup Tbsp lemon juice
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 2 cups flour of choice (oat/whole wheat/ quinoa are some examples)
• 2 tsp baking powder

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325F and prepare a baking pan by lining with butter and flour.
2. In a bowl, combine the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add the eggs one at a time, nettle puree, vanilla, zest and lemon juice.
3. Sift in the flour and baking powder.
4. Pour mixture into the baking pan and cook for 10-25 minutes.

Once cooled, you can top this cake with some icing, chocolate spread, or jam to satisfy your sweet tooth a little further!

Enjoy!