Soy Coffee Cake for Gluten Free Grain Free Diets

For those of us with celiac disease, gluten intolerance, or grain allergies, soy flour is a wonderfully useful baking ingredient. Like other bean-and pea flours, such as chick-pea flour, it has a consistency that lends itself to quick breads. Unlike chick-pea flour, however, it has a mild non-obtrusive taste that blends beautifully into baking recipes.

Here is a quick and easy recipe for a wonderful soy coffee cake that everyone will enjoy. This basic recipe is not highly sweet. The amount of sugar can be adjusted to your taste and there are variations, such as those I describe at the end of this article, in which one can use this coffee cake as a base for a fancier dessert or a less-sweet bread.

Soy Coffee Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

3 eggs
2 Tbs. butter
1 pinch salt
1 and 1/8 cup soy flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup soy milk or regular milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
additional sugar & cinnamon to sprinkle on top

1) Melt butter, add eggs and beat. Add to this mixture vanilla, sugar and soy milk or regular milk. Blend.

2) Mix baking soda and cinnamon into soy flour

3) Add dry mixture to wet mixture: Mix until soy flour is thoroughly blended with no dry flour remaining, but no further.

4) Spread in buttered square 8.5 inch baking pan or use parchment paper to line.

5) Sprinkle top with cinnamon and sugar (as much or little as you like)

6) Bake at 350 for aprox 20 min. or till knife comes out clean.

Some delicious variations:

Soy Cake with Fresh Berries and Cream

Bake two pans of the basic cake. Layer it with fresh whipped cream, slightly sweetened with sugar and layer with strawberries, raspberries or blueberries. Add sliced bananas for another variation.

Quick Soy Bread with Caraway Seeds

People who cannot eat basic bread and rolls will appreciate that they can adapt this recipe to be used as non-sweet quick bread. Use no sugar, or a couple of tablespoons for a light sweetness and do not use any cinnamon. Add a tablespoon of caraway seeds. When it is done, cut it in squares and use as an accompaniment to meat or cheese. One can spread it with butter, cream cheese or peanut butter as well.

Aside from its usefulness for those who can't eat grains and gluten, soy is being studied for many other potential health benefits. It is lower in carbohydrates than wheat flour, and thus can be beneficial as part of a low carb diet, it is also said to be helpful in alleviating symptoms of menopause, and may possibly have benefits in fighting certain cancers, cholesterol and heart disease. There is a lot of information available about soy and one should read it carefully if one is determined to eat soy as a regular regimen.

In the meantime, however, this is a handy and easy-to-use recipe and provides a special treat for people who are restricted from the normal fare of gluten-based cakes, breads and desserts.