Refined sugar is a fundamental component of most cakes, commonly incorporated in the form of granulated, superfine or brown sugar. While it’s possible to replace traditional sugar with artificial sweeteners, you can also use unsweetened natural fruit juice. Substituting a dry ingredient for a liquid necessitates specific and careful adjustment of other ingredients to attain the final product’s desired structure, texture and flavor. Because every cake recipe is distinct, each requires its own set of adjustments when baking with juice instead of sugar. Wheat flour substitution, however, is more straightforward: replace one-third to one-half of a recipe's white flour with whole-wheat flour.
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Position one of the racks in the center of the oven.
Step 2
Grease the bottom, sides and corners of a 9-inch square baking pan with a thin, even coat of vegetable oil. Dust the greased surfaces lightly and evenly with a bit of all-purpose flour. Turn the pan over and gently tap out the excess into the sink.
Step 3
Blend together the partially thawed sweet cherries and the water in a food processor, until the mixture is pureed.
Step 4
Pour the puree through a fine-meshed strainer set over a bowl and allow it to drain for 10 minutes, occasionally stirring it gently. Transfer the pulp that remains in the strainer to a large glass measuring cup. Add cherry juice to the cup until it reaches the 3/4-cup line.
Step 5
Combine the cherry pulp mixture, eggs, vegetable oil, grape and apple juice concentrates and dry milk powder in a large bowl. Beat the ingredients with a handheld electric mixer for about 30 seconds, or until uniform.
Step 6
Add the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour and cocoa powder to the wet mixture, beating until all the dry ingredients are thoroughly combined.
Step 7
Stir the baking soda into the batter quickly, then beat the batter with the mixer for 10 to 15 seconds. Transfer the batter immediately to the prepared pan. If the juice and the baking soda sit too long prior to baking, the juice inhibits the function of baking soda and the cake won't rise.
Step 8
Bake the cake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into its middle comes out clean.
Step 9
Allow the cake to cool in its pan for 15 minutes before turning it out onto a wire cooling rack.
Tips and Warnings
- Whole-wheat flour contains flakes of bran that can weaken the overall protein structure of the final product. Using only whole-wheat flour instead of a mixture of wheat and white flours can prevent your cake from rising and give it an overly dense texture. Replacing only up to half of the white flour with wheat flour adds nutrition and flavor without removing the structural benefits provided by the white flour. Because whole-wheat flour absorbs more liquid, you may need to add more fruit juice to the cake batter by the tablespoon until it reaches the right consistency.
Things You'll Need
- 9-inch square baking pan
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil, plus more for greasing
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 cups frozen dark sweet cherries, partially thawed
- 3 tbsp. water
- 2 extra-large eggs
- 1/4 cup unsweetened grape juice concentrate
- 1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice concentrate
- 4 tbsp. dry milk powder
- Handheld electric mixer
- 2/3 cup whole-wheat flour
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup firmly packed unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
References
- “The ‘I Can’t Believe This Has No Sugar’ Cookbook”; Deborah E. Buhr; 1997
- “A World of Cake”; Krystina Castella; 2010
- “The Baking Answer Book”; Lauren Chattman; 2009
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