Are you like me, crazy about a cookbook? If you are interested in baking, want to include whole grains while doing so and also want the baked goods to be very tasty, then you will have to check King Arthur Flour's Whole Grain Baking book and I'm sure you will become a fan like me.
It is not just a book with recipes but talks in detail about the different types of whole grain flours, their characteristics and how to use them effectively so the result is very delicious baked goods. It's a 600 pages cookbook, so you can understand the in-depth coverage of the subject matter.
You have abundant choice with recipes for breakfast, quick breads, yeast breads, cookies, cakes, desserts etc. It's like any other baking book when it comes to the huge collection of baking recipes but what makes it the best is that all these recipes are made with a variety of whole grain flours.
I had to bake a layer cake for for the final class of Course 1 of Wilton's Cake Decorating series. I decided to go with one of the cake recipes in the King Arthur's Whole Grain Baking book. Since I'm on the look out for a good egg free white cake recipe, I decided to try the butter cake recipe using whole wheat pastry flour. I made a couple of changes to that recipe to make it egg free and healthy.
Is this cake really healthy? The answer is both yes and no. Yes, because I have used trans fat free non hydrogenated margarine instead of butter in the original recipe, thereby reducing the fat and eliminating cholesterol. No, because I have frosted the cake and it is made with shortening. So if you really want a healthy cake either avoid frosting or make a simple vegan frosting or a low fat frosting.
We practiced the following in the final class:
- Roses (Please watch the video)
- Sweet Peas
- Bows
- Leaves
- Vines
If you tried this Eggless Whole Wheat Layer Cake recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
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Recipe
Eggless Whole Wheat Layer Cake
Ingredients
- 2 and ¼ cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 cup Margarine Soft Tub
- ¾ cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Unsweetened Applesauce
- ½ tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Plain Yogurt low fat
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F for 15 minutes. Grease and flour two 8-inch round pans or line with parchment paper. Nowadays I prefer lining the pan with parchment paper in the bottom as well as on the sides. The cake comes out of the pan perfectly each and every time.
- Whisk together the flours, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl.
- Cream together the margarine, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add ¼ cup of applesauce at a time, beating well after each addition and scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl once or twice. It curdles but don't worry.
- Add ⅓rd of the flour mixture, mixing until incorporated.
- Measure 1 cup of yogurt in a liquid measuring mug. To that add the vanilla and vinegar and whisk together well.
- Add half of this mixture to the large bowl, again beating until the mixture is very fluffy. Meanwhile scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl also.
- Then add another ⅓rd of the flour and beat well. Next add the remaining yogurt mixture, then the remaining ⅓rd cup of flour, mixing well after each addition. Stop once or twice to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans. (It was not watery but more in a semi solid state). Bake the cake for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Mine was done in about 32 minutes. The cake was in golden brown color and started to pull from the sides of the pan. If you are baking a 9x13 inch cake the baking time will vary, so do the toothpick test to find if the cake is done.
- Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Then pull out the parchment paper from the side of the pan and invert the pan and the cake falls without sticking to the pan. Remove the parchment paper sticking to the bottom of the cake and transfer it to a cooling rack. The cake has to cool completely before frosting.
My Notes
- I used Fleischman's no salt added soft tub margarine instead of butter.
- If you don't find whole wheat pastry flour then use equal portion of all purpose flour and whole wheat flour. If you are using traditional whole wheat flour add ¼ cup of freshly squeezed orange juice to reduce the bitterness and raw smell/taste. This is the tip given in the book, which I have not tried so far.
sandhya says
wow!!!the whole office started craving for cakes after seeing this. we went to starbucks and got some brownies!!!do u guys sleep at all? where from do you have so much time and patience to keep going!! I am wonder struck.
Thanks Sandhya. It is very time consuming and for the past couple of weeks I have been so busy.
vani says
Also what are the white small things that u used on the cake and where is it available....thanks
vani says
hi,
wah the cake looks really beautiful. i am planning to take the course 1 and 2 of wilton class in joann next month or so. can u pls tell me where u got the whole wheat pastry flour? or is it the same flour where we make what we use for making rotis( whole wheat flour) also i want to know where u bought the apple cider vinegar ( or is it the white vinegar) pls let me know.thanks in advance and keep up the good work...will try it out as soon as u reply to me me....
also where do u buy the bottom cardborad for placing the cake and the cover to clost it... pls let me know...
Hi Vani, whole wheat pastry flour is available in the organic aisle of supermarkets here. I don't know the set up in your place, so check organic/health food stores. It is not the same as the whole wheat flour we use for rotis. WWPF is made from soft wheat whereas the other one is from hard wheat. Similarly apple cider vinegar is available next to the white vinegar itself. You could use white vinegar itself but sometimes I feel the presence of it in the baked goods, sort of after taste, but don't feel that with apple cider vinegar. If you don't find it, try adding almond extract or additional vanilla extract. I think this could mask the after taste but it's just a guess though.
The cardboard, the small silver beads everything was available in the place I took the class. Look for it in cake decorating supply stores. I don't know if you know about the following store already. I googled and found it.
http://www.kadies.co.za/index.html
meeso says
Wow, this is beautiful! I would love to copy if I had such baking/decorating talent!
Sushma Mallya says
Thats such a beautiful cake, perfectly baked,& surely must be yummy as well
vidhya says
Wow. Beautiful cake. Like someone said above, i wouldnt have cut the cake at all 🙂
Champa says
Madhuram, I wrote something up about cake decorating basics. I linked your website in that. Hope you don't mind. Meanwhile, keep up the good work.
Thanks Champa, no problem at all.
Aashi says
Madhu,
Simply beautiful cake! Fell in love at first sight. How did you level the frosting so evenly?
Aashi
Thanks Aashi. I guess I'm getting better or just luck maybe! Have a cup of hot water while frosting and dip the spatula in it every now and then to have a smooth finish.
Parita says
The cake looks gorgeous...love the color combination!
Graham says
Beautiful cake.. had no idea you could bake eggless. I love to bake and will be trying a few of these recipes
Jayasree says
Cake looks gorgeous. Your deco is very good. Way to go, Madhu.
Sunshinemom says
Very beautiful! Perfect X'Mas setting:).
Anu says
Looks awesome! Utterly delicious! I'm sure the healthiness in the cake will make up for some of that icing - but hey - its cake. You are allowed a little wiggle room in here! The texture looks fluffy and nicely aerated. I'm sure it was delicious to eat!
Sonia says
O gosh! What a beautiful cake! 🙂 Simply gorgeous! I loved your idea of using whole wheat pastry flour. I also checked ur notes. Thanks for that. Keep it up gal. 🙂
renuga says
Hi Your cake looks yummy,Your decorating ideas is awesome.
Thanks Renuga.
Cilantro says
Looks great Madhu, I have not been able to schedule a class yet.
P. Vasanthi says
Very nice cake. Photograph is too good
Soumya says
gorgeous cake....love the way u have kept simple and elegant.Love it that u have made a wheat cake,Now a days i am so hooked up using wheat flour in everything i bake so will check out the book for sure. 🙂 great work.
Thanks Soumya. I'm sure you would like that book.
Kay says
Girl, you really cut that cake?? I'd have sat vigil with a gun to ward off any tempted.
Its truly gorgeous!!
Thank you very much Kay.
Champa says
Nice cake. Just a tip. Probably the fat side of the petal tip was not down all the time you piped petals. Check that out.
You are absolutely right Champa. I realized it much later only.