Meat cake? This has been in the back of my mind. Would it be possible to make a “cake” made of meat that actually looks like a real cake? I didn’t think it was possible at all, but this one (although very time-consuming) looks pretty realistic. A wonderful choice for a special occasion celebrating someone who following the Whole30 reset protocol, for example, or who simply prefers not to consume too much sugar.
It came out better than I thought it would, for sure. I baked triple layers of meatloaf, stacked them and frosted the outside with a combo of tomato paste and Japanese sweet potatoes.
I finished off the meat cake’s decoration with rosettes of mashed potatoes. The visual result is very similar to a real cake. In fact, if I saw this meat cake uncut, I’d think it was dessert for sure!
Paleo Meat Cake
- Prep Time: 90 min
- Cook Time: 60 min
- Total Time: 2 hrs 30 min
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 6-oz can tomato paste
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 eggs
- 4 lbs ground beef
- 2 lbs ground pork
- 1 lb mushrooms
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup parsley, diced
- 2 tsp fresh thyme
- Coconut oil to grease pans
Frosting
- 2 lbs Japanese sweet potatoes
- 3 6-oz cans tomato paste
- 1/2 lb potatoes
- 3 tbsp coconut milk, plus more as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease three 8″ spring-form pans with coconut oil and set aside.
- Mix the tomato paste, salt, dry mustard, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, fish sauce, apple cider vinegar and water in a small bowl until it’s a smooth sauce.
- Shred the onion, garlic and mushrooms in a food processor until finely diced.
- Combine ground meat, onion mixture, parsley, thyme, eggs and sauce together in large mixing bowl. Divide the mixture into the three spring-form pans, and bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes.
- Let cool 5-10 minutes, then release the spring-form pans. Trim any irregularities on the tops and sides of each layer until they are circular, level disks.
- To make the frosting, peel the sweet potatoes and potatoes and roughly chop. Place in a medium pot and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until soft when pierced with a fork. Drain, separate sweet potatoes (into a large mixing bowl) from the potatoes (into a medium mixing bowl) and roughly mash each.
- Stir the tomato paste into the sweet potatoes, then whip with a hand mixer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue whipping until very smooth.
- To assemble the cake, cover the first meat layer with frosting. It’s not important to smooth the frosting at this stage, just ensure full coverage on the sides and top. Stack the second layer on top of the bottom one, and cover with frosting. Repeat the process with the last layer. Using a butter knife, smooth the frosting on the sides with a gentle upward sweeping motion. Clean the knife between strokes if you’re going for the uniform finish shown in this post’s photos. Smooth the top of the cake using a similar technique: gentle strokes across the surface.
- To make the rosettes, whip the coconut milk into the mashed potatoes (adding more coconut milk if needed to achieve a smooth consistency that’s still firm enough to form stiff peaks). Load the mashed potatoes into a pastry bag fitted with a rosette tip, and pipe rosettes around the top and base of the cake.
Notes
There are quite a few steps in this recipe (make the meatloaf, make the frosting, assemble the cake, add the rosettes) but the finished product looks amazing!
The Comments
Mike
Haha I’m probably not going to make this myself, I just had to say I think it is incredible that you took the time to make this “meat cake” look so beautiful. Well done!
Fresh Planet Flavor
MikeThanks! I mostly made it to see if a meat cake could look like a real one.
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Paleo Police
Potatoes aren’t Paleo.
Fresh Planet Flavor
Paleo Police😀
Lynn
Paleo PoliceActually, it depends on who you are and how your body reacts to them. A white potato now and then is okay for some people. Try giving these a read:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/paleo-potatoes/
http://stupideasypaleo.com/2014/01/05/are-white-potatoes-paleo/
http://nomnompaleo.com/post/33235606879/pressure-cooker-crispy-potatoes
http://www.primalpalate.com/paleo-blog/are-potatoes-paleo/
They’re even allowed on Whole30 now: http://whole30.com/2014/07/new-whole30/
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[…] 8. Paleo Meat Cake An ordinary cake will blow away your carb count, but this cake is made with meat, which is low in carbs. This not only looks pretty, but is far preferable than a boring old meatloaf or meaty casserole. It is “frosted” with a mixture of sweet potatoes and tomatoes so it’s like you’re getting a three tiered meatloaf in cake form. It’s important to take the time to make your food look good, as it is well known that presentation plays a part in how you perceive the taste of your meal. Essentially this is a meatloaf at the core, but when you add a bit of novelty to it it will simply taste better. While this might not make you popular if you sub a birthday cake for it, it’s a fun way to upgrade the middle of the week. […]
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[…] 8. Paleo Meat Cake An ordinary cake will blow away your carb count, but this cake is made with meat, which is low in carbs. This not only looks pretty, but is far preferable than a boring old meatloaf or meaty casserole. It is “frosted” with a mixture of sweet potatoes and tomatoes so it’s like you’re getting a three tiered meatloaf in cake form. It’s important to take the time to make your food look good, as it is well known that presentation plays a part in how you perceive the taste of your meal. Essentially this is a meatloaf at the core, but when you add a bit of novelty to it it will simply taste better. While this might not make you popular if you sub a birthday cake for it, it’s a fun way to upgrade the middle of the week. […]
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[…] 8. Paleo Meat Cake An ordinary cake will blow away your carb count, but this cake is made with meat, which is low in carbs. This not only looks pretty, but is far preferable than a boring old meatloaf or meaty casserole. It is “frosted” with a mixture of sweet potatoes and tomatoes so it’s like you’re getting a three tiered meatloaf in cake form. It’s important to take the time to make your food look good, as it is well known that presentation plays a part in how you perceive the taste of your meal. Essentially this is a meatloaf at the core, but when you add a bit of novelty to it it will simply taste better. While this might not make you popular if you sub a birthday cake for it, it’s a fun way to upgrade the middle of the week. […]
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GiGi Eats
Wow this is nuts!! I would try this but man I would fail – I could never make a cake look THIS good! ha!
★★★★★
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Janine
Do you think mashed, whipped cauliflower would work instead of the potatoes? I’d be concerned about the water in the vegetable. Would you add an egg? Thanks for your anticipated reply!
Fresh Planet Flavor
JanineWhich potatoes? The white ones? I don’t think mashed cauliflower would pipe very well, no. Best to go with a different decoration entirely.
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Yvonne
This is so great to see! This reminds me of my childhood. My mom would make a meat cake for us. My brothers and I loved it. We would get so excited. It was such a special treat for us. Thank you sharing this recipe.
Fresh Planet Flavor
YvonneNo meat cake like mother’s meat cake! 🙂
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Aya
This is a great recipe! I made this cake for my husband’s birthday, he is following the paleo diet. He absolutely loved it! I skipped the tomato paste and used coconut oil instead, he didn’t eat the little potatoes decorations but he adored them! Thank you!
Fresh Planet Flavor
AyaI am so glad it was a hit. Happy belated birthday to your husband!
Ann-Sophie Vandeputte
Hello,
I want to make this for my boyfriends 30th birthday.
I was just wondering what happens if you make this in advance and than heat it up again? Does the forsting stay the same?
Fresh Planet Flavor
Ann-Sophie VandeputteI haven’t reheated it, but I would suspect that it depends on how you intend to reheat it! In the oven? If so, I would assume frosting wouldn’t be impacted too much.
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