Baking with Less Sugar (18 page)

Here is a cake that you can feel really great about making for your family. It's sweetened with honey, has a velvety tender crumb, and the frosting is just sweet enough without being over-the-top. You feel good after eating it. Almost as good as if you had eaten a plate of fruit.

(For a terrific gluten-free alternative for this cake, instead of 210 g/1
¹
/
₂
cups all-purpose flour, try substituting 65 g/
¹
/
₂
cup sorghum flour, plus 100 g/
¹
/
₂
cup sweet rice flour, plus 85 g/
¹
/
₂
cup potato starch. Thanks to Laura, who tried this version and deemed it the best gluten-free cake she's ever tasted!)

MAKES
ONE
9-BY-13-IN [23-BY-33-CM] CAKE

• 100 g/
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  cup vegetable oil, such as canola
  
• 225 g/
  ²
  /
  ₃
  cup honey
  
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
  
• 2 tsp almond extract
  
• 2 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks
  
• 240 g/1 cup crème fraîche
  (see page 24)
  
• 210 g/1
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  cups all-purpose flour
  
• 100 g/1 cup almond flour
  
• 2 tsp baking powder
  
• ¹
  /
  ₄
  tsp baking soda
  
• ¹
  /
  ₂
  tsp kosher salt
  

CREAMY FROSTING

• 225 g/8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
  
• 85 g/6 Tbsp unsalted butter, very soft
  
• 115 g/
  ¹
  /
  ₃
  cup honey
  
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
  
• 1 tsp almond extract
  
• ¹
  /
  ₄
  tsp kosher salt
  

1.
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F [175°C]. Butter and flour the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-in [23-by-33-cm] baking pan, spray with nonstick cooking spray, or butter and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.

2.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, honey, vanilla, and almond extract until well mixed. Whisk in the eggs and egg yolks until well combined. Whisk in the crème fraîche. In a separate medium bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

3.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the cake springs back when you poke it in the center and is pale golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

4. Meanwhile, make the frosting:
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with an electric hand mixer), beat the cream cheese on medium speed for at least 4 minutes, or until perfectly smooth. (Cream cheese has a tendency to lump up easily, so don't skip this step.) Using a rubber spatula, scrape the bowl and add the butter. Add the honey, vanilla, almond extract, and salt and beat well on medium speed until thoroughly combined. The frosting can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

5.
When the cake is completely cool, using a rubber spatula or an offset spatula, frost with creamy frosting and serve. The frosted cake can be stored, well wrapped with plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days; remove at least 1 hour before serving so the cake is not cold.

Maple syrup and molasses are the only sweeteners in these recipes. These are unprocessed sugars that have not been stripped of any of their naturally occurring antioxidants and valuable minerals. Maple syrup is high in manganese and zinc; molasses is rich in magnesium, iron, copper, manganese, and potassium. The lists of nutrients in both read a little bit like a vitamin pill. Besides offering health benefits, these two sweeteners are also very versatile in baking. They do more than add just sweetness to a dessert; they also add their unique aromas and fantastic flavors. Maple syrup and molasses work well together, so I've joined them in a few recipes.

When I decided to do a low-sugar/no-sugar book, I pondered which sweeteners I would work with instead. Artificial sweeteners were definitely out, but that still left a host of other possibilities for me to play with. Maple syrup is a favorite of mine; I grew up in Texas and had only tried Aunt Jemima pancake syrup (that is, corn syrup and artificial maple flavoring) for breakfast on the rare pancake-breakfast day. Not until I moved up to the Northeast did I have my first taste of true maple syrup: deep, mellow, rich, and buttery. Ever since then I've been hooked. The first
Flour
cookbook features an incredible oatmeal-maple scone and I didn't want to repeat recipes, so my agent immediately suggested, “What about maple-bacon?” I'm not really one for mixing sweet and savory, but here it definitely works. Stacey, this recipe is for you: maple and bacon and Cheddar, all wrapped up in one warm, sweet, addictive treat.

MAKES
8
BISCUITS

• 5 slices thick-cut, applewood-smoked bacon
  
• 385 g/2
  ³
  /
  ₄
  cups all-purpose flour
  
• 2 tsp baking powder
  
• ¹
  /
  ₂
  tsp baking soda
  
• ¹
  /
  ₂
  tsp kosher salt
  
• 115 g/
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 to 10 pieces
  
• 110 g/4 oz Cheddar cheese, cut into
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  -in [6-mm] dice
  
• 180 g/
  ³
  /
  ₄
  cup crème fraîche
  (see page 24)
  
• 210 g/
  ²
  /
  ₃
  cup grade B maple syrup
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  

1.
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 300°F [150°C]. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

2.
Lay the bacon on the prepared baking sheet, and bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until about half of each strip is crispy and half is still a little bendy. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack. When the bacon is cool enough to handle, chop it into
¹
/
₂
-in [1-cm] pieces and set aside.

3.
Increase the oven temperature to 350°F [175°C].

4.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with an electric hand mixer), briefly mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt on low speed until combined. Add the butter and beat on low speed for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the butter is somewhat broken down but there are still pieces about the size of a grape. (Alternatively, use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the dry ingredients; proceed as directed.) Add the bacon and Cheddar and beat on low speed for 5 to 10 seconds, or until somewhat mixed into the dry ingredients. (If mixing by hand, use a wooden spoon to mix the bacon and Cheddar into the dough.)

5.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the crème fraîche, 105 g/
¹
/
₃
cup of the maple syrup, and the eggs until thoroughly mixed. With the mixer running on low speed, pour the crème fraîche mixture into the flour-butter mixture and beat for 20 to 30 seconds, or until the dough just comes together. There will probably still be a little loose flour mixture at the bottom of the bowl.

6.
Remove the bowl from the mixer. Gather and lift the dough with your hands and turn it over in the bowl so that it starts to pick up the loose flour at the bottom. Turn the dough over several times until all the loose flour is mixed in.

7.
Dump the dough onto a well-floured work surface and roll into a rectangle about 6 by 10 in [15 by 25 cm]. With a knife or bench scraper, halve the dough lengthwise and cut each half into 4 pieces to make 8 rectangular biscuits in total. Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet. (At this point the unbaked biscuits can be stored in the freezer, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to one week. If baking directly from the freezer, add 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time and proceed as directed.)

8.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown. Remove the biscuits from oven and let cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack. In a small saucepan, whisk together the remaining 105 g/
¹
/
₃
cup maple syrup and the cornstarch and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat. Let the glaze cool and brush onto the room-temperature biscuits.

9.
The biscuits are best enjoyed the same day you bake them, but they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you keep them for longer than 1 day, refresh them in a 300°F [150°C] oven for 4 to 5 minutes. Or store in the freezer, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 1 week; reheat from frozen in a 300°F [150°C] oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

Spicy and dark, this gingerbread is a cinch to put together once you gather all of the spices. Don't skimp on any of them—they all come together to make a rich, fragrant cake that keeps well and gets more flavorful as it sits—though I don't think you'll have a chance to find out, as this treat goes quick once it comes out of the oven. It tastes a little like gingerbread men in cake form. It makes for a pretty wonderful breakfast as well, lightly toasted and slathered with soft butter.

MAKES
ONE
8-IN [20-CM] CAKE

• 225 g/1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  
• 1 Tbsp finely grated orange zest
  
• 2 Tbsp peeled and grated fresh ginger
  
• 80 g/
  ¹
  /
  ₄
  cup grade B maple syrup
  
• 1 large egg plus 2 egg yolks
  
• 385 g/2
  ³
  /
  ₄
  cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
  
• 4 tsp ground ginger
  
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  
• ¹
  /
  ₂
  tsp ground cloves
  
• ¹
  /
  ₂
  tsp freshly ground pepper
  
• 1 tsp kosher salt
  
• 240 g/
  ³
  /
  ₄
  cup mild unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap)
  
• 120 g/
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  cup boiling water
  
• ¹
  /
  ₂
  tsp baking soda
  

1.
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F [175°C]. Butter and flour an 8-in [20-cm] round cake pan.

2.
In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the butter, orange zest, fresh ginger, and maple syrup until combined. Add the egg and egg yolks and whisk well until the mixture is homogenous.

3.
In a medium bowl, using a wooden spoon, stir together the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the molasses, boiling water, and baking soda. It will foam up! Add about one-third of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and, with a whisk using a folding motion, fold until incorporated. Immediately pour about half of the molasses mixture into the bowl and fold until the mixture is combined. Add another one-third of the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Add the rest of the molasses mixture and mix until incorporated. Add the remaining dry ingredients and fold until the batter is fully combined.