This version uses "wholewheat" flour (because of course it does) with some of the bran sifted out to make it more cake-appropriate. (Just make sure to "Reserve sifted-out bran for porridge or bread baking.") And it's flavored with "Powdered Fruit Rind" (which home cooks were supposed to make by thinly paring citrus fruit peels, drying the parings, and then pulverizing them in the blender). I can't help but think the addition of the fruit rinds is likely to add a little spark so this version won't be quite as boring as sponge cake typically is. Maybe the citrus will help distract from the whole wheat (which I LOVE in bread, but question in a delicate sponge cake).
Or if you're just not a fan of sponge cake and want a sweet to help you make the transition from late summer into early fall, forget about Sponge Cake Day and go with the cake recipe from the opposing page:
It's kind of like zucchini bread-- in that it's full of zucchini, molasses, and warm spices. The cake is supposed to be yeast-raised, though, not the usual quick bread preparation. I'm not convinced how well this would work, given that half of the grain component is cornmeal (no gluten!), and the other half is whole wheat flour-- so the germ and bran can also interfere with gluten development. In short, I'm not sure how much the yeast can do if there is too little gluten to capture its CO₂ belches.
So take your choice: a potentially dense but citrus-flavored sponge cake to celebrate National Sponge Cake Day or a brick of sweet spiced zucchini to celebrate seasonal change. (I'm going to forego recipes altogether and instead celebrate Halloween Candy Was Just Put on Display Day by eating a Reese's peanut butter pumpkin. That's a much better holiday, even if I just made it up.)
The only thing that makes "healthy" sweets any healthier than regular sweets is that they cost so much or take so much work to make that they are not served very often. Fructose is the molecule that tastes sweet. It doesn't matter if it comes from honey, raw sugar, evaporated cane juice, or corn. It's the same molecule, but if you want to pay 10 times more for the same thing because it has been health washed, go ahead. As usual, things that taste good are changed to be bad in the name of health. The powdered fruit rind really got me. I'm glad that you explained what it was. Just one more thing that required way too much work for too little enjoyment.
ReplyDeleteToday is one of those rare days in August where the high is 75 and sunny. Time to go take the trike out for a nice ride and eventual grocery run followed by continuing to stain the exposed half of my deck this afternoon. The HOA's refusal to stain decks but giving us the formula for the color and permission to DIY is showing who is the most creative among us since only the upper floors have decks, and nobody has ladders, cherry pickers, or scaffolding to get up that high.
Yes-- Health influencers have been peddling similar lines for a long time, and people believe them. Writing this blog really reinforces how the packaging changes, but the ideas keep getting repeated.
DeleteEnjoy your ride!