What a great addition to the vegetarian thanksgiving dinner… I was excited to see this recipe of a savory cauliflower cake when Johanne Lamarche of French Gardener Dishes posted it. Johanne in turn got the inspiration for this cake came from a recipe of Yotam Ottolenghi.
It’s wonderful how recipes transform as different people perceive them from their palates and senses. So my recipes is just another take at the cauliflower cake. I was looking for something to add to my vegetarian dishes for thanksgiving while the rest of the family enjoyed the turkey. I added some cumin and garlic to the dish along with lots of sage that I had fresh from my herb garden.
Cauliflower Cake
Ingredients
- Small Cauliflower trimmed and cut into small florets
- 1 leek chopped thinly
- 2 tsp each of chopped rosemary, thyme, sage and parsley
- 3 cloves garlic – minced
- 1 cup spelt flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 cups Cheddar cheese grated
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan grated
- 5 eggs – beaten
- 1 heaped tbsp wholegrain mustard
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp nigella seeds
- Olive oil
- I have used a round spring foam pan, lined with parchment and oiled.
Putting it together:
- Add the cauliflower to boiling water for about 3 minutes. Drain.
- Add 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan, add leek and minced garlic and sauté gently until translucent and softened– . Stir in the herbs and saute a further couple of minutes.
- Add cauliflower and stir until all the ingredients are well mixed. Set this aside.
- Take a mixing bowl, add the flour and baking powder, stir in the cheese and fold in the eggs, mustard and turmeric .
- Mix very lightly and add the cauliflower
- Mix lightly again using your hands or wooden spoons.
- Pour the mixture into the baking pan and sprinkle the nigella seeds over it.
- Bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 40 minutes until golden. Serve warm or at room temperature.
The party is at Fiesta Friday and I am happy to share this.
Food For The Soul 
I must have missed Johanne’s post as I love anything with cauliflower in it. Sounds like a keeper!
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It sure is a keeper:)
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What a gorgeous cake–there’s something very lovely about the comfort of a cake, and even better when it is savoury and can be eaten for dinner! It sounds like the perfect Thanksgiving dish. I love all the herbs you used, the spices, and I also absolutely love the use of spelt flour!
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Thanks so much. I so enjoyed making it. Hope you had a great thanksgiving.
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Sounds great, always nice to find interesting ways to use veggies.
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Thanks Caroline, hope you try it out!
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The cake turned out beautifully Zeba! I like the changes you made with the cheddar and leeks and only nigella seeds. It looked to have a good texture, a little more cakes than eggy than mine. I will try it again with boiling the cauliflower as Ottolenghi does. Your photographs are once again stunning.
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Thanks Johanne…it was definitely more “cake” like. In the future I would prefer to do down on the flour and make it a bit more soft. Thanks for the inspiration!
On Sat, Dec 5, 2015 at 8:47 AM, Food For The Soul wrote:
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Funny mine was more fluffy frittata-like!
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Looks and sounds delicious! I’d been meaning to make Johanne’s cauliflower cake too. Thank you for the extra inspiration! 🙂
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Thanks so much Lili
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