Lemon millet cake
- 15 mins
- 45 mins
- Serves 12
Tempting and wholesome, this date-sweetened cake combines a moist zingy sponge with a crumbly topping, and no added oil or sugar in sight!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (heaped) dry millet or 1 cup precooked
- 12 dates, soaked in a cup of water
- 1½ cups wholemeal or spelt flour
- 1 level tbsp baking powder
- ¼ cup plant-based milk
- 6 tbsp aquafaba (see chef’s note)
- 1 tbsp vanilla essence
- zest of 1 lemon
- Optional: 2 tbsp poppy seeds
For the topping:
- ¼ cup walnuts, chopped
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
Directions
- Rinse the millet, then put it in a small saucepan with 1 cup of boiling water, and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the water is absorbed. Fluff and set aside to cool until ready to use.
- Put the dates in 1 cup of warm water to soak for around 10 minutes.
- Line a 20cm round cake tin with baking paper.
- Combine the flour and baking powder in a medium-sized bowl.
- Blend together the dates with their soaking water (a hand-held blender works well)
- Add the plant-based milk, aquafaba and vanilla essence to the blended dates.
- Add the wet ingredients into the bowl with the flour and baking powder and gently combine, then fold in the cooked millet, lemon zest and optional poppy seeds.
- Dollop the batter into the lined cake tin.
- Combine the chopped walnuts, maple syrup and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle over the cake.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 180°c.
Chef's Tips
- Cooked quinoa or couscous can be swapped in for millet in this recipe
- Aquafaba is the viscous liquid from a can of chickpeas, and it is a fantastic egg-replacer. I keep 6-tbsp sized portions in the freezer to defrost when needed.
- You can reduce the cooking time of the millet to around 10 mins by pre-soaking it in water overnight, but this is optional
Catherine Laurence
