Snacking cake delivers some sustenance
This is not the airy, sugary kind of cake you’d typically stick a candle in for birthdays — this cake satisfies in a completely different way.
Homey and comforting, it boasts a moist, muffinlike crumb, is studded with cranberries and is topped with a crunch of brown-sugared walnuts.
Like the most delicious holiday candle, it’s perfumed with orange, cinnamon and cloves.
Called a snacking cake because it’s ideal for exactly that, it begs to be shared with a friend over a cup of tea or coffee, or savoured as a recharge on a bustling winter’s afternoon.
With just the right level of sweetness from maple syrup, whole grain flour, healthful oil in place of butter, and plenty of nuts, this cake provides more than just the pleasure of a treat; it gives you some steady sustenance, too.
For The Washington Post
CRANBERRY-ORANGE SNACKING CAKE
Serves: 12
For the topping:
■ 1/2 cup (125 ml) raw walnuts, finely chopped
■ 3 tbsp (45 ml) dark brown sugar
■ 1 tsp (5 ml) mild olive oil, or another neutral-tasting oil
■ 1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground cinnamon
■ 1 pinch kosher salt
For the cake:
■ 2 oranges
■ 2 cups (500 ml) whole-wheat pastry flour (or 1 cup/250 ml each regular whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour)
■ 1 1/2 tsp (7.5 ml) baking powder
■ 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) baking soda
■ 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) kosher salt
■ 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) ground cinnamon
■ 1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground cloves
■ 2/3 cup (160 ml) pure maple syrup
■ 1/3 cup (80 ml) mild olive oil, or another neutral-tasting oil, plus more for brushing the pan
■ 2 large eggs, at room temperature
■ 3/4 cup (180 ml) fresh cranberries, halved if large
■ 1/2 cup (125 ml) raw walnuts, coarsely chopped
1. Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C) with the rack in the middle. Brush 8-by-8-inch (20-by-20cm) square baking dish with oil.
2. For the topping: In a small bowl, combine the walnuts, brown sugar, oil, cinnamon and salt and work it together with your fingers until it is blended.
3. Make the cake: In a small bowl, finely grate the zest of the oranges until you have 2 tsp (10 ml). Squeeze 1/3 cup (80 ml) of juice from the oranges.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves. In another medium bowl, whisk together the juice, zest, maple syrup, oil and eggs.
5. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two batches, stirring enough to combine but not overmix. Stir in the cranberries and walnuts, then pour the batter into the baking dish.
6. Sprinkle the topping over the batter and bake, 30-35 minutes, until the cake is nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes or until warm to the touch, then cut into 12 squares and serve.