These little cakes are just right for a simple snack that won't give you a huge sugar rush. The cakes are soft, moist, and full of blueberry and almond flavor. They also are high in fiber and protein and are sweetened with fruit--date puree and blueberries--rather than processed sugar. The cakes aren't very sweet--just a bit--and they are great if you're on a diabetic diet or just want to "eat healthy." I make the batter for the cakes in the food processor--which I also use to make the date puree and grind the almonds--and I make the cakes in the air fryer, which helps keep the kitchen cooler and saves on electricity, as well as being fast and easy. You can eat the cakes for dessert, as a snack, or even for breakfast. They are good! Enjoy!
Low-Sugar Blueberry Ricotta Almond Cakes in Your Air Fryer -- Makes 8
1/2 cup of date puree (see: https://www.thenfeedthem.com/post/how-to-make-date-puree-and-why-you-should-especially-if-you-re-diabetic-or-cutting-back-on-sugar)
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon of almond extract
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 tablespoons of canola oil
1/4 cup of milk
1/2 cup of part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup of white whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup of ground, toasted almonds
1 tablespoon of milled flax seeds
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of frozen blueberries (you can use fresh, too, but the frozen tend to be less
expensive and work fine)
Add to the bowl of the food processor the date puree, egg, oil, milk, ricotta, almond extract, and vanilla extract and pulse them together until they are blended. Add to the food processor the flour, ground almonds, milled flax seeds, baking powder, and salt and pulse them into the wet mixture just until blended. Remove the blade from the food processor (carefully!) and stir in the blueberries. Spritz 8 muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray and divide the batter evenly among the cups. Air fry the cakes at 320 degrees for 22-26 minutes or until golden brown and a pick inserted in a cake comes out with no wet batter attached. Let the cakes cool in their cups for 5-10 minutes before removing them to cool completely.
