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Slices of seed cake on a plate.

Seed Cake

Seed cake has a small but sexy part in James Joyce's Ulysses. In her lusty soliloquy, Molly Bloom recalls, "the day I got him to propose yes first I gave him the bit of seedcase out of my mouth."
Course Breakfast, Dessert

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup unsweetened oat, almond or other plantbased milk
  • 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds also known as flax meal
  • 2 tablespoons ground chia seeds
  • 2 teaspoons whole anise seeds
  • 1-1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 cup evaporated cane sugar
  • 1/2 cup grapeseed oil or other natural oil
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1/3 cup raisins
  • zest and juice of 1 lemon

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Lightly grease an 8” round cake pan or a 9”x5” loaf pan.
  • In a small bowl, combine oat or other plantbased milk with flax, chia and anise seeds. Stir lightly to combine and let sit while you assemble the other ingredients.
  • In a large bowl, sift together whole wheat flour, baking soda and baking powder. Grate in lemon zest.
  • In another bowl, mix together evaporated cane sugar, grapeseed oil, apple sauce and lemon juice. Add to dry mixture, along with the soy milk, which, thanks to the seeds, will have thickened madly. Stir together, then fold in the raisins.
  • Pour into prepared baking pan and bake for 45 minutes or until the cake is golden, puffed and a tester inserted in the center comes away crumb-free and clean. You can also give it a gentle poke with a finger. It springs back perfectly when baked through.
  • Remove from oven and let cool. Wrapped well and refrigerated, it keeps for several days.
Keyword seed cake