I do a lot of Paleo baking lately. I like eating real food without processed ingredients most of the time. Plus it tastes amazing. Sometimes even I am surprised at how good Paleo desserts taste. It’s hard to compare them to traditional desserts because it’s like comparing apples to oranges. When I was about to make this Tartouillat, Mom suggested I make both a Paleo and traditional version to compare cherries to cherries.
Let’s talk about Tartouillat first. It’s a classic cherry rum cake that I have wanted to make forever. I was feeling like getting in the kitchen and baking, had a bunch of the best cherries in the refrigerator, and it was time to get down to business.
The traditional version followed the recipe pretty closely, except I used bourbon instead of rum because it’s my preferred spirit. I also used vanilla bean paste and almond milk, because I almost always use almond milk without fail.
For the Paleo cake, I used Bob’s Red Mill Paleo baking flour. I prefer it to Thrive Market’s. I also greased the pan with tallow (don’t knock it until you try it), used olive oil in the cake (I could have used more tallow, but I was afraid the cake would start to cross the sweet-savory border), and swapped sugar for maple sugar (I also decreased the amount).
To be honest, I left the bourbon. Alcohol is something I consume in moderation and do not find to be irritating to my system, even when I am strictly Paleo. If you don’t want to use it, swap more milk or even some orange juice.
As you can see, the cakes baked up rather differently. The traditional one is lighter in color and more risen. It has a tight crumb. The Paleo version is denser, moister, almost richer. I like the decadent looks of the Paleo version better, but of course, it was all up to the taste test.
All the tasters agreed both cakes were great. They all also agreed the traditional one was better.
It’s about preference, moderation, science. You can’t go wrong with either of these cakes, and if you are feeling brave, you might even want to make both of them to do a taste test of your very own.
Tartouillat Two Ways: Paleo Vs Traditional
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: Each cake serves 8-10
Ingredients
Traditional
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter for greasing the pan
- 1 pound cherries pitted, enough to cover the bottom of the pan
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup bourbon
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- ½ cup milk (I used almond, use what you love)
Paleo
- 2 tablespoons grass fed tallow
- 1 pound cherries pitted, enough to cover the bottom of the pan
- 2 cups Paleo baking flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup maple sugar
- ¼ cup bourbon (or more milk or orange juice)
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk (I used almond, use what you love)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Make the cake. Grease 9 inch round cake pan with the butter of tallow and arrange the cherries in a single layer circular pattern on the bottom.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, leavening, and salt.
- In a large bowl, stir together the eggs, sugar/syrup, bourbon, butter/oil, and vanilla. Alternately add the flour mixture and milk to the egg mixture. Stir until just combined and pour over the cherries. Bake 50-60 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Serve warm or cool completely in the pan. Cake may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days or frozen, wrapped in parchment and foil and placed in a zipper bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for about 1 hour or in the microwave for 1 minute.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Serious Eats
Love the idea of a bake off! Both versions look good — I’d be happy with either one. Haven’t used tallow in baking, but I have used lard. Anyway, fun post — thanks.
Oooh, I want to try using lard!
These both look delicious! I try to stay on a Paleo diet because I like to eat unprocessed foods as well! I have always been hesitant to use tallow, but I think this recipe is the perfect one to try it with! Thank you so much for inspiring me!
Thank you,
Kendra
WanderingInSunshine.com
I really like using tallow to grease the pan. It doesn’t impart a lot of flavor like I sometimes think coconut oil can. Let me know if you try it. Thanks for stopping by!