Better for blood sugar, Polyphenol packed apple and blackberry summer cake with vanilla cream cheese frosting and blackberry chia jam
You all know I am a sucker for using fruit and better-for-you sweeteners in my recipes, but I don’t often get the chance to work with apple puree. However, it’s been on my radar for a while, due to its beautiful microbiome and blood sugar benefits (see below) and at the moment, we’re staying at an Airbnb with a bunch of apple trees in the garden, and so I thought it was time to get to work.
Whilst blackberries and apples can bring up connotations of fall, many of them come into season in summer, and enjoying this cake with a cup of tea in the sunshine feels like a literal slice of summer heaven.
Now, I have sweetened this purely with fruit, and used gluten free ingredients like oats and almonds, so this won’t be the same type of cake that you can buy from M&S, but in my opinion, it’s better - good enough to serve up when you have company, and yet healthy enough you can actually eat for breakfast (no, really).
If you don’t have much time, energy or are in too much pain, you can skip the fillings and serve with greek yoghurt and blackberries!
This recipe is…
Better for blood sugar to stabilise hormones, reduce PMS, reduce period pain and lower oxidative stress.
Whilst I am never going to say no to a slice of birthday cake, it’s worth understanding that blood sugar spiking foods such as high sugar foods and processed foods (like a store bought cake) can potentially contribute to morePMS, menstrual pain and endo pain. Blood sugar spikes increase oxidative stress, which leads to more inflammation in the body and that may trigger further pain and symptoms. In fact, oxidative stress is higher in people with endo, and it’s a key driver of endo growth.
To avoid these issues for this cake, I have focused on the presence of healthy fats (from the olive oil, cashew butter, eggs, and ground almonds), fibre (from the dates, oats, almonds, chia seeds, apples, blackberries and cashew butter) and protein (cashew butter, oats, almonds, chia seeds and eggs), which have all been shown to help stabilise blood sugar levels and slow down the uptake of glucose/starch from our food (from the fruit and oats in this case) to our blood stream, preventing blood sugar spikes.
In fact, just one slice of cake offers around 12g fibre and 14g of protein!
One of the easiest ways for us to support our blood sugar is to opt for whole food carbohydrates, such as fruits for sweetness, instead of sugar or maple syrup, as I have done here. Whole foods still contain their fibre, which helps slow down digestion and the resulting absorption of glucose to the blood stream, creating a steady drip rather than a flood.
Another great way to support blood sugar is with lower glycemic index foods, and every ingredient in this recipe, even the apple puree is low to moderate on the glycemic index scale. The glycemic index is a tool that looks at foods and the impact they can have on your blood sugar, on a scale of 0-100. A high GI index would be 70 and above, a medium GI is 56-69 and a low GI index is 55 or less. High GI foods are very likely to spike your blood sugar levels and do so quickly, foods with a medium GI rating tend to cause a moderate rise and low GI foods tend to keep blood sugar levels stable and steady over time with a gentle rise. This is because low GI foods break down slowly in the gut because they are rich in fibre and slow release carbohydrates, this means that the release of glucose to the blood stream is slow and gradual.
I’ve also intentionally used apples, oats, chia seeds and nuts in this recipe to further support blood sugar.
Nuts have been shown to have a positive effect on blood sugar, showing improvement in blood sugar responses when paired with high glycemic/high sugar foods.
Rolled oats contain beta-glucan, a special type of fibre found in oats that offers a wide range of health benefits, including stabilising blood sugar post-meals, and as a result, makes oat-based foods more effective than wheat based foods (like using regular flour) for blood sugar stability.
Chia seeds contain something called viscose fibre. Viscose fibre forms a gel-like texture when added to water, and when combined with liquids and food in the gut. This slows down digestion and also the release of glucose from foods such as the dates in this recipe. Whilst you may think that a small amount of chia wouldn’t be enough to move the needle (as we’re only using 1.5 tbsps), chia seeds can actually work their magic at low amounts. Though it’s true that higher doses have been shown to reduce postprandial glucose spikes, just adding 3g, 5g and 7g of chia seeds to cookies were all shown to elicit a lower glucose response, and each slice should provide about 3-4 grams of chia seeds.
Lastly, apples contain a type of fibre, called pectin, which can help slow down digestion and the rate of glucose absorption. In fact, one study found that eating an apple before eating white rice, reduced the post-prandial (after meal) glucose spike. Whilst we’re not eating a whole apple, and the apple is pureed, the fibre is still left remaining (unlike juice), resulting in a low glycemic index and load.
So why does this matter?
Constant blood sugar swings can take their toll on hormones, leading to issues like elevated androgens (think testosterone), which can affect ovulation and cycle length. Blood sugar swings may also cause oestrogen excess or dominance and low progesterone if ovulation is interrupted or stopped entirely. Both of these imbalances can cause more PMS, heavier periods, and may also exacerbate endometriosis symptoms.
Additionally, blood sugar balancing treats like this cake can help us out with luteal phase or period cravings. When we’re in our luteal phase, we often experience more blood sugar swings because oestrogen, which dominates in our follicular phase, helps us to regulate our blood sugar response, but is lower in the luteal phase. As a result, we tend to get cravings for sweet foods or foods high in starch. The problem is, these foods keep us on a blood sugar rollercoaster, and raise inflammation levels, resulting in more of those inflammatory symptoms and pain that we’re trying to avoid. This cake, being lower in sugar and rich in fibre, can help us get our fix without the pain and PMS triggering spikes.
Finally, blood sugar swings are linked heavily with mood disorders such as depression and anxiety, so if you struggle with low moods in your luteal phase, supporting blood sugar can actually support your mental health.
Now, let’s be clear before we wrap up this section. I am not saying you have to avoid sugar or refined carbs for the rest of your life, but if like me, you enjoy a sweet treat as a snack or after dinner, it can help to make these regular goodies a bit more blood sugar balancing, so that we’re looking after ourselves on a day to day basis.
Rich in prebiotics and polyphenols to help heal the endo belly and reduce systemic inflammation.
The latest data shows that 96% of UK adults are getting less than the recommended 30g fibre a day. That’s not great for our guts, which rely on fibre to thrive, and people with endo need extra gut support already (as you’ll come to learn shortly) so a lack of fibre isn’t going to help the situation (though you may find you need to tailor your fibre sources if you have IBS or SIBO).
One slice of this cake offers 12g of your recommended 30g! If you’re not used to so much fibre, start with a smaller slice and build up, to allow your gut to adjust (too much fibre too soon can cause bloating, gas and pain).
Additionally, a major study of 10,000 people found that eating 30 or more plant foods a week helps to create a healthier and more diverse microbiome. This recipe offers you 7 of your 30 already, and with herbs, spices, olive oil, fruits, veggies, beans/legumes, teas and coffee and whole grains all counting, you can easily top up your levels further. For extra guidance on how to reach your 30 a week, check out this article by The Gut Health Doctor or this one by Zoe.
And thanks to our specific ingredients of apples, blackberries, dates and olive oil this recipe is also high in polyphenols. Polyphenols are types of antioxidants found in certain plant foods that not only reduce inflammation levels and improve overall health, but they are also an absolute favourite food (prebiotic) for our gut microbiome, which means they can support our good gut bugs to thrive.
But why does this matter for us endo folk?
Research is finding a strong correlation between microbiome disturbances and endometriosis development, such as reduced levels and variety of good gut bugs and higher levels of pathogenic (bad, infectious), opportunistic (in high numbers, can cause problems like inflammation) gut bugs, as well as gut bugs linked to elevated oestrogen levels. These microbiome differences have also been associated with higher IL-8 levels, a type of inflammatory cytokine shown to be involved in the development of endometriosis.
Polyphenols and prebiotic fibre are like gut bug boosters - the more we provide to our good gut bugs, the more they grow and outnumber the bad guys. This helps to bring the gut back into harmony, which can improve gut symptoms and intestinal inflammation and whilst we need to do more research, could even help us fight endo.
These prebiotic fibres help us to increase our production of gut friendly fats, called short chain fatty acids, which are made when good bacteria consume fibre. Research shows that people with endo may be low in short chain fatty acids, especially one called butyrate. Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid produced by our gut microbiome, and has been found to be low in people with endo. Butyrate has a range of benefits for endometriosis and gut health (so therefore, can help us tackle endo belly) such as reducing intestinal inflammation, improving insulin sensitivity, preventing leaky gut, promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria and inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria. Butyrate inhibits our inflammatory immune response to lipopolysaccharides (LPS), LPS are toxins that come from certain bacteria, and have been shown to be heavily involved in endo pathogenesis, so by improving our fibre levels, we may actually be improving some of our defences against endo.
Gluten and dairy free (option) to help minimise symptoms and reactions in certain endo folk.
Whilst not everyone with endometriosis needs to go dairy free or gluten free or entirely gluten/dairy free (some people feel better just not eating them that often), reducing gluten and/or dairy may help some of us manage our pain and endo belly symptoms.
In a major and recent survey study of 2388 endometriosis patients, out of those who removed or reduced gluten, 45% experienced a reduction in pain. In another study, 75% of patients had a significant reduction in painful symptoms after eliminating gluten for 12 months. There is also a significant association between endometriosis and coeliac disease. And whilst the research onendometriosis and gluten has limitations, I myself experienced improvements by reducing gluten in my diet (in fact, it was one of the key players for helping me live a normal life again no longer ruled by pain and my periods), as have many of my clients (though not all, it’s very individual).
Likewise, the same major study found that 45% of those who reduced dairy also had a reduction in pain.
This recipe is naturally gluten free, and can be made dairy free.
If you’d like to learn more about why gluten or dairy may impact some of us with endo and how, and what all the research says, I recently did a huge deep dive into all the research on my podcast, here and here.
Rich with hormone and endo beneficial nutrients, including vit E, vitamin C, magnesium, folate, B6 and zinc.
These ingredients contain so many key nutrients for hormone health…
Vitamin E
A recent meta-analysis of over 589 participants, concluded that vit E supplementation can reduce period pain, pain with sex, daily pelvic pain and even improve quality of life with endometriosis patients. And a systematic review and meta-analysis of eight studies and over 1000 people concluded that vitamin E significantly reduced period pain and could be used as a treatment for dysmennorhea.
But it’s not just supplements that help - food helps too.
One study found people with endo had a 40% reduced intake of vitamin E, but levels increased after following a high antioxidant and vit E rich diet, and oxidation levels reduced by 20%!
Vitamin E can also help raise progesterone levels, and whilst we’re not using as high a dose as used in the studies, ensuring you’re getting enough vit E can support a healthy corpus luteum and progesterone production.
Vitamin C
Research has shown that people with endo have a 30% reduced intake of vitamin C in comparison to those without, and that a high antioxidant diet which included adequate intake of vitamin C, A and E, over three months, significantly improved vitamin C levels and antioxidants levels, and reduced markers of inflammatory oxidative stress.
To add to that, a study on humans with endo showed that consuming a bar fortified with both vitamin C and vit E daily, for six months, reduced oxidative stress markers in people with endo.
Vitamin C can also help raise progesterone levels.
Magnesium
Research has shown magnesium to be an effective treatment in preventing dysmenorrhea (period pain) because it reduces inflammatory prostaglandins that are the drivers of both endo and period pain. One study showed that six months of magnesium treatment reduced prostaglandin F2a by over half! In fact, in recent research, magnesium is being explored as a dietary treatment for endo and a higher intake of magnesium rich foods was associated with a lower risk of endo. Additionally, magnesium helps to regulate our sex hormones, and as result, is a recognised treatment for preventing PMS.
Folate
Folate is crucial to ovarian function and ovulation, and low folate levels can cause irritability, mood swings and fatigue, and fertility problems.
B6
B6 is one of the most important B vitamins for balanced hormones as it supports progesterone production and oestrogen metabolism. Additionally, research has shown that B6 treatment can help reduce PMS, especially the mood challenges that can come with the syndrome.
Zinc
Low levels of zinc have been linked to endo, and research has shown it can significantly reduce period pain thanks to its anti-inflammatory benefits. It additionally supports follicle development and ovulation, while deficiency has been linked to infertility.
IMPORTANT NOTES TO HELP YOU TAILOR THIS RECIPE TO YOUR OWN BODY AND NEEDS (AND TASTEBUDS!)
Everything you’ve said about blood sugar and processed foods, does that mean I can never have my favourite treats again?
Absolutely not. I am all for ‘worth it moments’. Enjoy our fav foods, whatever they are, in moments when we really desire them. But I am a health coach, and my goal is to minimise your symptoms and lower things like oxidative stress and inflammation that could contribute them, so I am going to encourage snacking smarter and leaning on healthier treats on a day to day basis, and that’s way these recipes are for. So you can have your cake, and eat it!
Are oats gluten free?
Oats are naturally gluten free, but are often processed in a factory that handles gluten, so if you’re coeliac, then go for gluten-free oats which have been processed in a factory without gluten.
Is this cake low FODMAP?
Normally I make as many of my recipes low FODMAP, but this one absolutely isn’t - because the core ingredient, apples, are high FODMAP.
Is this recipe suitable for SIBO?
Everyone’s triggers vary with SIBO, but this recipe may not be, as apples are high FODMAP, but see what works best for you.
Further resources
If you’re struggling with your endo symptoms or gut health, you might find my courses and one to one coaching helpful. You can find out more here. I’ve also got endless podcast episodes on endometriosis and SIBO.
Better for blood sugar, Polyphenol packed apple and blackberry summer cake with vanilla cream cheese frosting and blackberry chia jam
Ingredients:
Sponge
450g pure apple puree
200g rolled oats or oat flour
100g ground almonds
2 large eggs
60ml olive oil
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
150g blackberries
1-2 tbsps of milk (only if too thick)
Cream cheese buttercream (optional)
100g cream cheese (can be dairy free if needed)
60g cashew butter (I like this one)
50g medjool dates
1/2 tsp vanilla
Blackberry jam (optional)
200g blackberries (can be fresh or frozen, but defrosted if frozen)
1.5 tbsps chia seeds
Apple spread (optional)
50-100g apple puree (depending on how thick you want it)
Makes: 6-8 slices (20cm cake tin)
prep time: 20 minutes for cake + 20 minutes for filling
Bake time: 45-55 mins
cool time: 1-2 hours or overnight
Method:
Sponge
Preheat the oven to 170c fan or 190c conventional oven and line a 20cm cake tin (you can use smaller, but you may need to cook for 10 mins longer t o ensure it’s cooked through).
If using rolled oats, pulse in a food processor until a coarse flour forms. You can either do the next steps in a food processor or a large bowl:
Add the ground almonds to the oats flour and whisk/pulse to combine.
Add the eggs, olive oil, and apple pureé and wish/pulse to combine. The batter should resemble a thick hummus (spoonable and spreadable, but not easily pourable) - we don’t want this too loose as apples and blackberries contain a lot of moisture, and so this can affect cooking time and the cake may come out dense and soggy. If it feels too stiff, add 1 tbsp of milk.
Leave for 5-10 minutes to allow the oats to hydrate (oats hydrate at a slower rate than wheat).
If it still feels stiff, you can add another tablespoon of milk - but as long as it’s spreadable, it should be okay.
Stir through the raising agents, and then fold in the blackberries.
Spoon into the cake tin and smooth over the top with the back of a spoon or spatula.
Bake for 45-55 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean (blackberry juice is fine). If the cake starts browning too early, you can cover with some foil or baking paper.
Remove from the oven and tin, and leave to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Meanwhile, make the buttercream and blackberry jam:
Blackberry jam
In a food processor or blender, blend the blackberries and chia seeds until the blackberries are broken down. Spoon into a jar with an airtight lid, and refrigerate for at least one hour before using.
Buttercream
Destone the dates. If they feel dry, soak in hot water for 10 minutes and then drain.
In a food processor or blender, blend the dates, cream cheese, vanilla extract and cashew butter until combined and smooth (you may have some date flecks left remaining, that’s fine).
Spoon into an airtight container, and leave to firm up for a couple of hours or even overnight (you can make this ahead).
Assembly
Once the cake is cooled, slice in half horizontally, so you have two layers.
Spread the bottom layer with apple puree (can be as thick or thin as you like), but leave a border around the edges so that the filling doesn’t spill out.
Then, spoon the cream cheese onto the apple puree and spread across the cake again.
Take the top layer, and spread the jam on the inside, again, as thick as you’d like, leaving a border.
Sandwich the two layers together, so you have apple puree on the bottom, followed by buttercream, followed by jam.
You can serve as is, but I dotted some dollops of apple puree around the edges of the cake, and then stuck down a blackberry (as pictured) and dusted with inulin powder (you can use a little icing sugar of course).
If not making fillings
You can also slice the cake and fill with thick greek yoghurt mixed with blackberries, or simply serve with yoghurt and blackberries on top.
June and July special offer - if you’ve got half way through the year and endo has taken much of that time from you, for June and July only, I’m offering £500 off my 12 session 1:1 coaching or £250 off the six session coaching. Learn more about coaching here.
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These are some of my favourite brands…
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Need more help or want to learn how to work with me?
Ways to work with me:
One to one coaching info and application
Live and Thrive with Endo 2.0 DIY online course
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This EndoLife, It Starts with Breakfast digital cookbook
Free resources:
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