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A cauliflower appetizer topped with tomato, cream and parsley beside 4 others on a wooden tray.
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5 from 4 votes

Crispy, Baked Cauliflower Cakes with Roasted Garlic Sour Cream & Marinara

These mini, baked cauliflower cakes with roasted garlic sour cream and marinara sauce are fantastically crispy, shockingly delicious and (especially) shocking low carb!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 40 minutes
Total Time2 hours 10 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: International
Servings: 24 mini-cakes
Calories: 84kcal

Ingredients

For the Cauliflower Cakes

  • 1 large cauliflower
  • ¼ cup parsley - chopped
  • 3 tbsp. scallions, including bulbs - thinly sliced
  • 2 eggs - beaten
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • ½ cup parmesan - freshly grated
  • Butter or cooking spray - enough to grease cupcake tins
  • A spicy marinara - enough to top cakes with a tiny spoon full
  • 3 tbsp. olive oil
  • ⅛ tsp. tsp. cayenne pepper
  • Garlic powder - just a sprinkle
  • 1 tsp. dry Italian herb blend - rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano, sage, etc.
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the Roasted Garlic Sour Cream

  • 2 large heads of garlic
  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • ½ cup parmesan - freshly grated
  • 8 oz. sour cream
  • Juice from 1 lemon wedge - about a tsp.
  • ½ cup mayo
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 F. Peel away the papery, outer skin of the garlic heads without pulling the cloves apart. Carefully slice just a bit off the tops of each garlic clove. Keep them all together in the head. 
  • Place your head of garlic in tin foil, drizzle with 1 tsp. of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 
  • Do the same to your other head of garlic, and wrap them up. Don’t wrap them too tightly. Just enough that they’re covered. Place on a baking sheet (or directly on a grate) and place in the oven for 40 minutes. While your garlic roasts, prep your cauliflower and herbs.
  • Chop your cauliflower into florets – just big enough that they’ll easily fit into a food processor after they’ve been baked.
  • Place them in a bowl. Add 3 tbsp. of olive oil and mix. Lightly sprinkle with garlic powder and salt & pepper, and give it another mix so every floret is nicely coated.
  • Line a baking sheet with tin foil and lay your florets in a single later on the sheet. Set aside until your garlic is done roasting.
  • Chop your scallions (including the bulbs) into thin slices until you have 3 tbsp.
  • Chop your parsley until you have ¼ cup.
  • Remove your garlic from the oven, if you haven’t already. Raise the temperature to 425 F, and place the cauliflower in. Let it bake for 35-40 minutes. While it bakes, open your garlic and let it cool for about 10 minutes. 
  • While your garlic cools, grate parmesan for the garlic sour cream. You’ll require ½ cup for your cream (and ½ cup for your cauliflower cakes).
  • When your garlic isn’t hot to the touch and just warm, squeeze each clove right into your food processor with 8 ounces of sour cream, discarding the skins. the garlic will squeeze out like butter. This part is a little messy, but the GREAT news is the you can lick your fingers when you’re done ;)
  • Add ½ cup of grated parmesan. Pulse in your food processor until throughly mixed. Remove from the food processor into a small mixing bowl, and mix in ½ cup mayo, the juice from 1 wedge of lemon and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Give it a taste and swoon. Set aside.
  • Remove your baked florets from the oven, and reduce temperature back to 400 F. for when you’re ready to bake your little cakes. 
  • Add them to your food processor and pulse until chopped. BUT DON’T PUREE YOUR CAULIFLOWER. Just coarsely chop.
  • Add cauliflower, 1 cup of panko bread crumbs, ½ cup of freshly grated parmesan, ¼ cup parsley, 3 tbsp. sliced scallions, 1 tsp. Italian seasoning, ⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper, a good sprinkle of salt & pepper, and 2 beaten eggs to a mixing bowl. Gently mix all ingredients together. 
  • Grease your mini-cupcake tins with butter or cooking spray, and spoon the mixture in. Fill to the top and pat down.
  • Bake at 400 F. for 20 minutes, or until the edges or your cakes are nice and crispy brown. 
  • They’ll slide out easily from your tins, especially if you help them out with a pairing knife. Top each cake with marinara and your incredible roasted garlic sour cream. 

Notes

Recipe inspired by Heidy Linn McCallum's Cauliflower Cakes with Marinara recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Cauliflower cake | Calories: 84kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 102mg | Potassium: 129mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 120IU | Vitamin C: 17.8mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 0.4mg