Spiced Sorghum Carrot Cake: Eat to Thrive, #1
A spiced carrot cake recipe with sorghum flour and tips for healthier baking.
I find more inspiration for this newsletter from corporate recipe blogs than I can manage. Like this recent one from a popular platform’s social media:
“Morning Glory Muffins are like cake for breakfast!”
Correction: Morning glory muffins are cake for breakfast. The recipe I clicked on calls for sugar as the number one ingredient by weight, refined white flour, loads of oil, and offers little fiber. The muffins are (sadly) typical and one of countless renditions that leave room for improvement.
Enter a carrot cake sweetened with raisins and chockful of whole grains and enticing spice. But first, the case for and path to healthier baking.
Brains at the ready.
The Notes
Contrary to the musings of mainstream media and “influencer” dieticians, nutrition advice has remained relatively unchanged over the past thirty years. Over and over again, a Mediterranean-style diet of vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and seafood wins out. You can follow the science, skip the trends, and simply eat more ratatouille, shrimp pho, and less junk.
Curb added sugar. The recommended daily intake is 20 to 30 grams or five teaspoons. While eating five spoonfuls of pure sugar in one day might seem repulsive, it is easy to do when hidden in drinks and packaged snacks. Such renegade sugar can stress your liver; a chronic onslaught can lead to metabolic disease. However, the natural sugar in fruit is trapped in plant fiber, which slows its absorption. Replacing refined sugar with fruit in routine baking like muffins, quickbreads, and griddle eats can lower the daily tally.
Choose oil wisely. Many vegetable oils contain more inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3s, their anti-inflammatory cousins. Experts debate how much we should dial down omega-6s, but all agree the American diet contains far too many. And it’s not a perfect science. Processing and cooking affect the nutrients of all food. Still, olive, safflower, avocado, sunflower, and canola oil are better options for your favorite batter and homemade baking ventures.
Get more fiber. Americans are woefully underfibered. The current recommendation is 28 grams daily, but most people fail to eat half that amount. Work more fiber into your bakes by ditching all-purpose flour for whole wheat, sorghum, oat, ancient grain and bean-based blends. You will spend more but get more fiber in return.
Redefining Cake
The batter for this warmly spiced carrot ditty comes together as fast as the oven preheats. And you don’t have to grate a single carrot. The dense but tender crumb gives way to a mildly sweet, spiced earthiness and is anything but a sugar high. A touch of maple syrup in the frosting offers a respite for those craving dessert.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Edible Times Newsletter to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.