tarte-tatin-style apple and lavender upside-down cake, AIP elimination compliant

An Instant Pot cake like this one rewards patience more than skill. You seal the pan with foil, set it in the water, and wait through 25 minutes of pressure before it is even close to done. Nothing about the elimination phase moves fast either, so this is good practice for the whole thing: line up your steps, then let time do what it does.

The apples are doing real work here, not just holding their shape under the crust. Apples are a source of fiber and of polyphenols, the color compounds packed into their skins, and both matter for a gut that is trying to calm down. None of that makes a dessert into medicine. It does mean this is not empty sugar. It is a treat with something underneath it.

Let the cake cool all the way before you turn it out. That is the only way the apples release cleanly and settle into their ring on top. Give yourself a moment when you do turn it out, the lavender still hanging in the kitchen air, warm apple and lavender together worth noticing on purpose.

Ingredients

• 2 cups water (for the Instant Pot)
• 4 small Gala apples (about 1 1/3 pounds), sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon dried culinary lavender
• 1/2 cup tigernut flour
• 1/3 cup cassava flour
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon AIP baking powder (or 1/8 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar)
• pinch of sea salt
• 1/3 cup palm shortening, melted
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla powder (see note below)
• 1 tablespoon gelatin powder

Vanilla note: the source calls for vanilla extract, which is alcohol-based and is left out of the elimination phase. Use vanilla powder, which is ground vanilla bean with nothing added, in the same quantity.

Method

1. Line the cake pan with parchment. Toss the apple slices with lemon juice and lavender, then arrange them in an even layer across the bottom of the pan.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the three flours, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, stir the melted shortening with the maple syrup and vanilla, then whisk in the gelatin until the mixture is smooth and free of lumps. The gelatin stands in for eggs and binds the dough.
4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir into a cohesive dough ball. Press it flat into a circle on a sheet of parchment, then invert it over the apples and peel the parchment away.
5. Seal the top of the pan tightly with foil so steam stays off the cake.
6. Pour 2 cups water into the Instant Pot, set the pan on the steamer basket, and lower it in.

Instant Pot variation

Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally. Natural release can take a while, so build in time. Lift the pan out, let the cake cool fully, then invert it onto a platter so the apples sit on top. It unmolds cleanly only once it has cooled substantially.

Oven variation

If you prefer the oven, skip the foil and bake at 350 F for 15 to 20 minutes, until set. This timing comes from the author's notes and we have not tested it ourselves, so check for doneness and adjust. Cool fully before inverting onto a platter.

Notes

• Keeps refrigerated for 2 to 3 days.
• With acidic fruit, a ceramic or glass pan is gentler than aluminum.
• Use food-grade culinary lavender, not ornamental or scented lavender.

*Adapted from asquirrelinthekitchen.com*