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Apple Walnut Bread is fiber rich. Here's how to make it. Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press

While perusing one of my favorite recipe sites, I came across a recipe for hot milk sponge cake. As much as I love to cook and experiment in the kitchen, simple recipes, with just a handful of common, everyday ingredients are my favorite. That’s why this recipe caught my eye. 

I must admit, I had never heard of hot milk sponge cake. Curiosity led me to Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book published in 1950. It featured a recipe called Inexpensive Sponge Cake, often called Hot Milk Sponge Cake. Even before Betty Crocker’s version, this cake recipe was popular during the depression and World War II due to sugar rationing.

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A necessary step in creating a light, delicate, slightly springy cake is taking time to beat the eggs. Beating eggs incorporates lots of air bubbles, which helps the cake rise. Also, more air bubbles result in a lighter, fluffier cake.

Hot milk sponge cake recipes often call for cake flour. In an effort to add more whole grains to the diet, we used a combination of all-purpose flour and whole-wheat flour in today’s cake. Another tweak was using fiber-rich strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries as a cake topping, instead of calorie-laden, buttercream frosting.

Rich in vitamin C, folate, potassium and fiber, berries also provide an abundance of 
phytonutrients. These are naturally occurring substances found in plants that may protect our bodies from damage that could lead to chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

When selecting any type of berry, look for bright, uniformly colored, plump berries that are dry, firm and well-shaped. Avoid containers of berries with juice stains, which indicate they may be crushed and possibly moldy. Don’t forget to check the bottom of the container for signs of spoilage and do not wash until ready to use. Berries are highly perishable, so store them in the  refrigerator immediately and eat within two to three days.


Darlene Zimmerman is a registered dietitian in Henry Ford Hospital’s Heart & Vascular 
Institute. For questions about today’s recipe, call 313-972-1920.

 

Triple Berry Hot Milk Sponge Cake

Serves: 9 / Prep time: 20 minutes / Total time: 45 minutes

Vegetable oil cooking spray
 2 large eggs
¾ cup sugar
½ cup white whole-wheat flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
 1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup skim milk
 2 tablespoons canola oil
 2 teaspoons orange zest
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼cup apricot preserves
 1 cup sliced strawberries
 1 cup fresh blueberries
 1 cup fresh blackberries


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat eggs for 4 minutes with electric mixer on medium speed. Gradually add sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and baking powder.

Add flour mixture to egg mixture and mix until just combined. In a small saucepan, heat milk, oil, and orange zest over medium heat until hot, but not boiling. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract. Gradually add milk mixture to batter, mixing constantly. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes. In a saucepan, melt apricot preserves over low heat. Remove from heat and add strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries; tossing to coat berries. 
To serve, top each piece of cake with about ⅓ cup glazed berries.

Created by Darlene Zimmerman, MS, RD, for Heart Smart and tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.

206 calories (22% from fat), 5 grams fat (1 grams sat. fat, 0 grams trans fat), 39 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams protein, 67 mg sodium, 42 mg cholesterol, 62 mg calcium, 3 gram fiber. Food exchanges: 1 ½ starch, 1 fruit, 1 fat.

 

 

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