How to make healthy molasses sponge cake?
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Prepare this delicious molasses sponge cake in no time and enjoy having a healthy delicious dessert and one of the best-flavored sponge cakes.
Cakes and healthy food have never clicked together. It is a fact that dates for a long time. But as new studies came out over several years, a wide range of healthy cake recipes has been developed. Though the list of flavored healthy sponge cakes goes on and on, the molasses sponge cake has successfully made it to this list if not to its top.
Before I go through this blog, I would like to grab your attention to an important fact. This molasses sponge cake is not the same Lebanese Carob Molasses Cake known in the Levant as Sfouf b’ Debs. The Lebanese version calls for the use of a good amount of Tahini, and semolina and does not require egg or some other ingredients added to our recipe.
Now let’s go back to our cake. When I first decided to work on a molasses cake recipe, I thought of doing some research on similar recipes. I found recipes that include a large amount of butter while other recipes use added sugar to intensify the sweetness of the cake. None of them gell under the best healthy recipes category.
Frankly, I prefer making my cakes using vegetable oil, mainly canola to reduce the saturated fat intake. And I kid you not when I say that the flavor does not get highly affected. As for the sugar, you can disregard it as the molasses is already on the sweet end. Therefore, why add more calories while this molasses sponge cake is already sweet and loaded with flavors?
Why molasses sponge cake is classified as healthy?
The answer is quite simple yet diversified.
First, the molasses, this cake’s main ingredient. Molasses is a sweet syrup that is healthier than sugar. The reason is that it is higher in minerals with a lower Glycemic index. Molasses is also rich in iron, calcium, and other vitamins that support the bones’ health.
Second, this recipe substitutes sugar with molasses, preventing the body from being affected by a reduction of minerals caused by the sugar intake.
In addition, I am adding to this recipe 2 tablespoons of Tahini which provides a wealth of nutrients, along with several health benefits.
Lastly, as mentioned earlier, this recipe calls for the use of canola oil instead of butter, which prevents you from taking on a high amount of saturated fat and sodium as you indulge in a piece of this cake.
Let’s talk a bit about some ingredients:
Hot water: Adding hot water to a cake batter makes it moister and softer when baked. The hot water has a double effect in intensifying the flavor of the molasses-like any other flavor you add to our cake.
Baking powder: First, the leavening. It is the baking powder that will help this cake leaven when baked. It will make this cake fluffy and light. Thus, it is the main ingredient.
Tahini: A rule of thumb when adding tahini to cakes, is to avoid adding acid ingredients such as vinegar or lemon juice. With these ingredients, tahini tends to thicken rapidly.
Canola oil: You may use any other type of vegetable oil. However, adding canola oil is preferable as it has a high tolerance to heat and has a neutral taste which does not affect the overall taste of the cake.
A cake that is very easy to make
Preparing this delicious molasses sponge cake does not require too much effort or a length of time. The preparation stage including combining and mixing ingredients takes up to 10 minutes at the latest. And although the baking time is stretched up to 30 minutes, no additional effort is required while the cake bakes.
I highly recommend reading through the ingredients and having them handy before starting. This is a golden rule for any successful dessert and this molasses sponge cake is not an exception.
Once all ingredients are ready, start by combining all dry ingredients and set them aside.
On the other hand, use an electric mixer to beat the egg, oil, molasses, and tahini. Then start adding the dry ingredients and mix until combined and smooth.
As a rule of thumb, do not over mix when adding the dry ingredients. Stop when they are fully incorporated. In an ideal scenario, you should bake this cake at 180 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes and the happy ending is that you can serve it warm.
Molasses sponge cake with ground cinnamon
Cinnamon makes a great addition to this cake. It adds a different flavor and a sweet scent taking this piece of dessert to the next level. If you are a lover of cinnamon, then I bet you will love this cake. Just make sure not to over-add cinnamon. The golden rule is to add up to a quarter of the amount of molasses as a maximum. On another note, many people like to flavor ginger in this cake. Therefore, try to add a teaspoon of ginger to the other ingredients. However, as I am not a fan of ginger, I did not add it to the ingredients list.
Check out this video for step by step instructions to prepare this molasses sponge cake:
Once on Youtube, check these cakes and sweets recipes:
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Preparing this delicious molasses sponge cake does not require too much effort nor a length of time. The preparation stage including combining and mixing ingredients takes up to 10 minutes at the latest.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup molasses
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Grease the pan with tahini, or butter and set aside.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the egg, molasses, tahini, oil, and hot water.
- Start adding the dry ingredients in two batches. Use the electric mixer at a low pace, or a wire whisk to mix all ingredients.
- Do not overmix. Stop when all ingredients are fully combined.
- Transfer the batter to the baking pan.
- Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Serve warm with coffee or tea.
Notes
- You can substitute the hot water with warm milk. However, avoid adding tahini in this case.
- Before adding the molasses, you can divide the batter into two and create a marble cake with vanilla and molasses flavors.
- Adding a teaspoon of ground ginger works well with this cake and makes it a great substitute for gingerbread.
Nutrition
Calories: 234 kcal per serving | Serving size: 1 slice | Number of servings: 12
Total Fat 10 g | Saturated Fat 2 g | Cholesterol 15 mg | Sodium 219 mg | Potassium 6 mg | Total Carbohydrate 32 g | Dietary Fiber 0 g | Sugars 17 g | Protein 2 g | Vitamin A: 1% | Vitamin C: 0% | Calcium: 9% | Iron: 9%
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet
