The Sweetest Sour: Leslie's Birthday Cake

Well, folks -- welcome to Early Spring.  


Where I live, it is cold and chilly -- tomorrow we are expecting rain with snow...but the light has changed.


The neutral light of winter has given way to the pale yellow of Early Spring.  Even this morning, I noticed the sunrise was yellow and ivory and peach...a sure sign that the season is changing.


In my next post, I will detail many ways you can care for your body in Spring in order to have a healthier transition to the next season...but for now, we are going to talk about...


Dessert.


As it turns out, yesterday was my birthday...and because my birthday has always been this time of year (imagine that!)...and because Sour flavor is just the thing to eat during the Spring for your Liver (more on this in the next post...), Lemon Cake has always been my favorite birthday cake.  


This one is absolutely fantastic!


As such, I am sharing my recipe with you.  As you can see, we garnished with fresh pansies...also seasonal...and edible!   This cake is vegan and uses brown rice syrup which is much better for your health than other sweeteners.  It is what I recommend for my patients.


Leslie's Lemon-Poppy Birthday Cake


2-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 cups all purpose flour
1 box mori nu silken tofu
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup Edenblend (rice/soy blend)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup safflower oil
1-2/3 cup brown rice syrup
2 tablespoons lemon extract
3 tablespoons poppy seeds


Lemon Glaze:  1 cup brown rice syrup
                          1 cup fresh lemon juice
                          4 teaspoons kuzu powder (health food grocery)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Oil pans.   Combine all dry ingredients and set aside.
Combine wet ingredients, including silken tofu, in a separate bowl and whisk or mix until well- blended.   Add wet to dry ingredients and mix well.


Pour batter into prepared pans.   Cook until top springs back when pressed -- in a standard cake pan around 40-50 minutes.  If you are making cupcakes or mini-loafs it will be about 15-18 minutes.   Cool cake(s) completely in the pans on a baking rack before taking out or glazing.


  Lemon Glaze:  Combine brown rice syrup and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Dilute kuzu in a small amount of cold water.   Add kuzu mixture to saucepan when lemon syrup is hot, stirring until glaze begins to thicken and boil.  Let cool and drizzle over cooled cake.


Enjoy!