This Golden Turmeric Cake is moist, just dense enough, and has the perfect sweetness level. With a delicate crumb and subtle lemon flavor, turmertic gives this cake a lovely golden yellow hue. It is oil-free and made with whole grain flours. To make it especially delicious, serve with a dollop of raspberry jam.
A turmeric cake which connects to the Talmud
This golden cake recalls the gold that Yirmatia’s Mother donated to the Temple. The recipe features in Jewish Food Hero’s latest community cookbook, Feeding Women of the Talmud, Feeding Ourselves. Jewish Food Hero created this golden cake recipe to honor Yirmatia’s mother. The Talmud records her donation to the Temple of an amount of gold equivalent to her daughter’s weight.
Rebecca Whitman, a doctoral student in mathematics at UC Berkeley, contributed the chapter on Yirmatia’s mother. Alongside an overview of the Talmudic narrative, Rebecca offers a modern aggadah and prompts for reflection. This chapter guides us to understand and draw inspiration from this story.
More about the Community Cookbook: Feeding Women of the Talmud, Feeding Ourselves
Feeding Women of the Talmud, Feeding Ourselves produces true food for thought by retelling the stories of 69 women in the Talmud and honoring them with vegan / plant-based recipes. Each recipe is accompanied by stunning photograph. Meditations on stories of women in the Talmud draw new meaning from the text.
This community cookbook is the co-creation of Jewish women from around the world. 60 Rabbis, Rabbinical students, Jewish teachers, and emerging thought leaders contributed to the Talmudic narratives. 60 female professional chefs and passionate homecooks contributed to the recipes. The addition of this female-focused point of view to these women’s Talmudic stories—originally recorded and edited by men—is a bright and encouraging testament to a modern generation of women engaging in Jewish learning.
The publication date for this book is August 2022, and you can pre-order now by clicking here.
Turmeric in a cake?
First of all, a potent spice, turmeric might be usually most at home in a curry. This bright golden ingredient is the key ingredient in super-trendy hot beverage, Golden Milk. The fragrant, earthy and peppery taste is only a background note in this turmeric cake. Just half a teaspoon is enough to stain the sponge bright gold in honor of Yirmatia and her mother. It would also be plenty to stain your hands and clothes while preparing this recipe, so go carefully!
These days, there is a lot of talk about the health boosting properties of turmeric. A root which is part of the ginger family, it has natural anti-inflammatory properties. It comes as a supplement, or enjoyed in foods made from the fresh root or its dried powdered form. Add to biscuits, soups, smoothies, curries – the options are endless. It can even feature in natural skincare potions!
Special Features about this Golden Turmeric Cake
As you’ll notice from the ingredients list, this is a healthier version of a sponge cake. With a reduced amount of caster sugar, applesauce gives added texture and sweetness. Applesauce is also a fantastic vegan substitute for the setting properties of eggs.
Dense texture can be the curse of some plant-based cake adaptations. But the combination of baking soda and apple cider vinegar stops this turmeric cake becoming “claggy”. Instead, it gives a light crumb with that vibrant golden color throughout.
The soy milk soured with apple cider vinegar adds the perfect tangy taste to the finished cake.
Spelt flour in this cake adds a sweet nutty taste.
How to serve this healthier, plant-based turmeric cake
Finally, to serve, slice a thick wedge and enjoy with a bright tea. It is delicious tasting on its own. Thanks to the lower sugar quantity in the recipe, you can serve it with sweet toppings. It can take a dusting of powdered sugar and/or a dollop of raspberry jam without becoming overly sweet.
Golden Turmeric Cake
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 slices 1x
Ingredients
1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened soy milk
1 ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
½ cup (100 g) caster sugar
¼ cup (60 g) unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 cup (120 g) white whole-wheat flour
¾ cup (90 g) white spelt flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F/175C degrees and grease a round cake pan with a bit of coconut oil or some non-stick baking spray.
In a large bowl, add the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Stir and let the mixture curdle for 3-4 minutes. This is a vegan buttermilk substitute.
Once the soy milk thickens up, add the sugar, applesauce, lemon juice, and lemon zest to the bowl. Whisk to combine.
In a separate, smaller bowl, mix together wheat flour, spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda, turmeric, and salt.
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet, taking care not to overmix the batter.
Transfer the cake batter into the prepared baking pan and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Keywords: dessert, cake, turmeric, golden, vegan, plant-based, healthy cake
Food for the body and mind
For more Talmudic inspiration for your mind and body, check out Feeding Women of the Talmud, Feeding Ourselves. You can pre-order here.
Learn about Jewish Food Hero’s other cookbooks, which all focus on:
- serving up recipes which do us good
- bypassing complications so you can focus on what’s important: enjoying food together and nourishing body and spirit.
