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Ironwoman Date-Orange Cake and Lemony Molasses Tea
January 19, 2010 | 37 Comments
Breakfast
I suffer from iron deficiency anemia – very common among vegetarians and vegans. Especially so among women and children. Less iron means less hemoglobin, which translates to less oxygen in your blood and more fatigue.
There’s only so much bok choy and broccoli I can eat. How about an iron-rich cake? I really hadn’t planned out a recipe. I just dumped one thing after another into a bowl and 30 minutes later, I had a very rich, most cake. It’s gluten-free. And dairy-free. No added sweeteners. No added fat. And all the fibre is intact.
HEME vs. NON-HEME IRON
Vegans and vegetarians are more likely to suffer from iron deficiency.
There are two types of iron, referred to as heme (ferrous) (the type of iron found in meat that originally comes from hemoglobin) and non-heme (ferric) iron (found in plant foods and egg yolks).
The body can absorb about 20 to 25% of heme iron . As for non-heme iron, less than 10% is usually absorbed. Heme iron, while more bioavailable than plant-based iron, increases the risk of certain cancers.
Moreover, vegetarian and vegan diets may be high in iron inhibitors called phytates and oxalates. These are present in fruits, vegetables, coffee, tea, wine, spinach, leafy green vegetables, and some food additives. Luckily, most of these foods contain significant amounts of iron that offset the effects of phytates.
Therefore, vegans and vegetarians have greater iron requirements than carnivores. The RDA for iron is 14 milligrams per day for vegetarian men and for women after menopause, and 33 milligrams per day for women prior to menopause. (Source)
To improve non-heme iron absorption:
1. Pair it with Vitamin C.
Citrus fruits can help the body absorb up to four times more non-heme iron through a chemical reaction that actually adds an electron to the ferric form of iron. Eat more bok choy and broccoli. They are rich in both iron and Vitamin C. (List of iron-rich plant foods)
2. Eat whole unprocessed plant foods. Processing and refining them removes some of their iron content.
3. Don’t take your iron supplement at the same time as your calcium supplement, or with calcium-fortified juices. High doses of calcium affect iron absorption. So do tannins in tea, phytic acid in fiber, oxalic acid in spinach and some other green vegetables.
For this cake, I looked around for some iron-rich foods in my pantry – dates, oats, tofu, apples. And vitamin C – oranges. These are approximate measurements and you can adapt this recipe any way you like.
The dates perform double duty here. They add all the sweetness, plus they make the cake very moist. No fat needed.
IRONWOMAN DATE-ORANGE CAKE
Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a round cake pan (9 inch) and put a round of parchment at the bottom.
The wet stuff:
You need 3 cups total.
I used 1.5 cups date paste + 1 cup pureed apple and orange (peel and seed the orange) + half cup water to get 3 cups.
A note about date paste: You can buy it readymade at Arab, Persian or Afghan stores or online. It’s usually a thick paste of dates with a bit of water or sometimes vegetable oil. To make your own, soak 1.25 packed cups chopped seedless dates in half cup plus 2 tbsps hot water for 30 minutes, then puree to a fine paste.
You can add dried figs, dried unsulphured apricots, unsweetened applesauce, mashed bananas, whatever you fancy.
Also add
A dash of vanilla extract
1 tbsp Grand Marnier or brandy
1 tsp orange blossom water
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp orange zest
half cup pureed non-GMO silken tofu
**or half cup (about 2 large) beaten organic cage-free eggs
Both tofu and egg yolks are rich in iron.
The dry stuff:
Separately mix
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp of clove-cinnamon-ginger-nutmeg powder
1 cup finely powdered teff or whole grain oats
Powder the grains using a coffee/spice grinder. Oats and teff have nearly twice the iron contained in wheat or barley. Plus, gluten-free flours yield a lighter cake.
Dump the dry ingredients into the wet and fold in gently until just mixed. You may need to add more flour. If so, do it 1 tbsp at a time until the batter is smooth and thick like pancake batter. If the batter is too thick, thin it out with a tiny bit of water.
Add
3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Stir in until just mixed. Pour it into the cake pan. Smooth the top with a spatula, tap the pan gently on the counter a couple of times to remove air bubbles.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until a toothpick in the centre comes out clean. Let it rest for 10 minutes and remove from the pan.
LEMONY MOLASSES TEA
I had the cake for breakfast with my morning tea. I know. The tea has tannins that inhibit iron absorption. But dammit, I need a caffeine shot first thing in the morning, and I can’t eat anything sweet without something salty or bitter immediately after. My tea’s iron-rich too.
1 tbsp unsulphured molasses has 4 mg iron.
2 tsps of lemon/lime juice provides the Vitamin C. And that’s how I like my tea – black, bitter, a wee bit sweet and tart.
Ironwoman Date-Orange Cake is our entry for Sugar High Friday: Sweet Comfort hosted by Kate at A Merrier World.
- bee
Filed Under: anemia, Apple, Date, gluten-free, iron, Lemon/Lime, molasses, NUTRITION, Oats, Orange, Pecan, Soy/Tofu/Tempeh, Tea, Teff, vegan recipes, vegetarian recipes
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37 Comments
Good post! The best way to increase HmG is to cook food in a cast iron pan/pot. Another really good source of iron is organic jaggery.
Oh..and avoid ANY kind of caffeine. It significantly inhibits iron absorption. Try herbal teas instead of regular tea.
I had been suffering from anemia since I was 15. My HmG recently came up to normal
This sounds fantastic!!
What a lovely cake. It’s been ages since I visited this beautiful place of yours. Thanks for your lovely New Year wishes; hope both of you had a great start to the year too.
I remember looking at ways to increase my iron absorption throughout my pregnancies. Unusually, I was ‘less anaemic’ at the end of each than I was at the start – and yes, I followed the advice about pairing my iron intake with vitamin C. Your cake sounds perfect, pregnancy or not.
And thanks too for taking part in SHF
Oh! VERY nice! I love dates and I’m loving that they make up much of the sweetness of the cake. Well done!
Good suggestion about cooking in a cast iron pan. Also, gingerbread, or gingersnaps would be good.
I love it – sometimes just putting all your favourite things in a cake works so well – this looks wonderful
when i was pregnant my hb count was way below acceptable, so when i reached home my mum literally pumped me up with greens (which i had been taking anyway) + supplements. it literally shot up to 11 in one month, right before my baby was born. as they say all’s well etc… nice recipe, love anything with dates in it.
I shall remember to take the calcium at night and the iron in the morning!
I have got to try this cake. Have been off baking for a bit
Ive been on a diet all week..and this looks like an apt dessert!!!
Was this cake dense? Just wanted to know so I would know what to expect….looks like a nice, moist one and of course dates are my favourite.
sticky and moist, but not dense.
Thank you! that was helpful…
The cake sure looks delicious. A date cake in any form is awesome..
I love it.
I normally avoid cakes due to high amount of sugar it goes in. Last time I tried baking carrot cake with mashed banana and without any refined sugar/sweetners. I loved it. I am gonna try this soon. Just one quick question; what can I use instead of brandy?
leave it out.
Have spinach soup and throw some tomatoes in it…good for iron
And the cake looks lovely!
Amazing! and so easy to make.
Ever tried substituting Flax powder for Egg?
yes, it works well. i believe some people replace egg with yogurt and it works too because of the albumin.
this is awesome tip. I read somewhere Need to be careful with flax seeds though.
Great post (as usual!), packed with information. I had read about not taking iron with calcium supplements before, which was about the time i started taking half my supplements iwth breakfast ad half after dinner. Love the idea of the double-duty dates & have forwarded this to my friend who keeps vegan and gluten-free. Thanks!
I am so thankfull for this post.I have always had truoble with iron and for the last year it has gotton worst and now much worser last month i went to the doc she doubled my doze of tablet and if that doesn’t work she will give injections nex time. I reid having my tea with molasses but i didn’t like it at all. I am sure going to increase my intake of dates and brocolli.
It is wonderful to watch – or read about – somebody who has the mastery to simply begin combining ingredients towards a desired goal and end up with a delicious recipe others can reproduce.
Bee, in so very many ways, as conscientious eater, cook, photographer and blogger – you are in a class all your own. Thanks so much for taking the rest of us along on your journey(s).
Great cake! I love the orange slices on top of it. That tops it off for me.
Great post for me, especially because I suffer from anemia.
Paz
Two of my friends turned veget few years back- suffer iron deficiency. I will forward this post, quiet informative.
The cake is quiet attractive none will believe it healthy!
as much of a tea drinker I’ve become, I’ve yet to had molasses. sound and looks pretty tasty. I have been eating al of tangerines, though! So good!!
Happy New Year, Bee! Hope all has been well.
Bee
Gooseberries and honey! Buy the frozen ones, salt them, munch on them and have a teaspoon of honey with it.
Happy New Year B and J!
ooh!! i have frozen ones at home. and i love love love gooseberries. why didn’t i think of this? nice to see you out of hiding, inji.
Nice post, thankyou!:) I think under no 3 coffee could have been added too.I have also read that bread also steals some iron.
A teaspoon of Gulkand with a glass of milk before going to bed is also a very rich source of iron. And as Inji said gooseberries soaked in honey for several days make a very good iron binder! The cake looks lovely and moist!
ummm cake looks yummy,…:-)
Your tea reminds me of the sharkara kappi(coffee)so popular in Kerala.My mom used to make a mean preserve out of gooseberries & jaggery….substitute for jam at our place.
Btw eggs can also be replaced by cream.
Cooking food in cast iron helps. Cast iron requires lesser amount of oil, adds flavor and desired texture(crispness) a,d ensures even cooking of food. Gives your arms a nice work out when you try to maneuver or clean it too
“I just dumped one thing after another into a bowl and 30 minutes later, I had a very rich, most cake.”
Talk about busting the myth of baking being a science! The cake sounds lovely…I love dates. I’ll try this for breakfast next week.
[...] Bee and Jai from Jugalbandi fortify themselves against iron deficiency anaemia with this naturally moist and sticky Ironwoman Date-Orange Cake. [...]
ooh..sounds like the perfect recipe. Off to make it now.
Re: tannins in the tea, add a spoonful of milk? (not with the lemon, though.)
Same here..vegetarian and anemic!! i take ferrous sulphate supplements though. Was prescribed by my doc. Now im having second thoughts about it. Atleast i know enough to ask my doc the next time I visit her. Thanks!
n btw, the cake looks yummy! I should try molasses with me tea!