Zucchini Almond Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This beautiful cake is gluten free.

-Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

-Butter an 8-inch round, 2-inch deep cake pan.

-Line with parchment and butter paper.

-Whisk together the following:

1½ cups of almond flour

¼ cup plus 2 TBS potato starch

1¼ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp sea salt

-Set a large heatproof bowl over (not in) a pot with 1 inch barely simmering water.

-Add 3 large eggs and whisk until foamy, about 1 minute.

-Whisk in ½ cup packed brown sugar and continue to whisk until mixture is fluffy and sugar is dissolved, 3 minutes.

-Remove bowl from pot and, using a mixer, whisk on high until mixture is thick and pale, 7 to 10 minutes.

-Melt ½ stick of butter.

-Grate 2 medium or 1 large zucchini (or any summer squash) and then squeeze out most of the liquid.

-With a rubber spatula, gently fold together the following:

The melted butter

The flour mixture

The grated zucchini

1 TBS vanilla

-Pour into pan and bake until cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes.

-Let cake cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Invert onto a cake platter.

For the frosting:

With mixer, beat together the following:

5 TBS room-temperature butter

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

Beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

-Add 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar and beat until combined.

-Spread on top of cake when cake is cool.

White Bean and Endive Soup

You could also make this soup with rainbow chard or radicchio.

-Trim the end off of 1 endive and separate the leaves and wash them well in cool water, especially the center of the leaves where soil collects.  

-Stack the leaves and cut them crosswise into 1-inch strips.

-Dice up 4 carrots.  

-Chop up 5 cloves of garlic and 3 small zucchini.    

-Heat 1 TBS olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-low heat.

-Add the carrots and cook for 5 minutes.  

-Add the zucchini and the garlic and cook for another 3 minutes.

-Add the endive and cook for another 3-5 minutes more.  

-Then add the following:

4 cups of broth

Two 15-ounce cans of cannellini or Great Northern beans

One 14-16 ounce can of diced tomatoes  

-Cover and simmer 20 minutes until endive is soft, season with salt and pepper. 

-Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.