Broccoli Cake?

If you read my Q's Day post about whether or not you try to be 'sneaky' in the kitchen, you may have noticed that I mentioned recently making a loaf with broccoli and carrot puree.  I used the recipe from Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious cookbook which I only recently purchased based on requests for how to sneak in more vegetables and fruit.  You can often just modify what you're making by adding in more vegetables and fruit to smoothies, pasta sauces, soups, casseroles, muffins, etc.  I did however want to try a few of the recipes in the book just to see how they taste.  I could pick up on the broccoli taste or smell, but I also made it and knew it was in there.  The loaf was definitely moist, but I would likely increase a few spices next time.

In case you're curious, here is the recipe:

Gingerbread Spice Cake

Prep: 15 minutes
Total: 60 minutes
Serves 8-10

Ingredients
Non-stick cooking spray
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 cup broccoli puree
1/2 cup carrot puree
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup molasses
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp grated orange zest
dusting of icing sugar (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375F.  Coat 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray
2. In a bowl or zip-lock bag, mix the flours with the baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and salt; set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the sugar, oil, and egg until smooth.  Beat in vegetable purees, yogurt, molasses. vanilla, and orange zest.  Add the flour mixture and mix until smooth.
4. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top.  Bake until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake (45-50 minutes).  Cool 5 minutes in the pan before turning the cake out onto a rack to cool completely.  Dust lightly with icing sugar to finish (optional).

Have you ever made something similar?  Feel free to share your recipes, successes, failures, etc.

Happy Cooking,
Steph Langdon (Wheler), RD
something nutrishus counselling & coaching
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