Menopause Cake
Treat yourself to a slice of Liz Earle’s famous menopause ‘cake’! Deliciously good for you, it uses ingredients that are high in phytoestrogens, the oestrogen-like compounds found in soya, linseeds and some dried fruits.
Eat your way through Menopause
This cake is definitely not going to sort out all your menopausal needs, but it is a bit of fun to break the ice perhaps when talking about your symptoms (or those of family and friends) over a mug of tea and slice of cake. Made with soya flour, soya milk and linseeds, it’s wonderfully rich and moist, with a very dense texture (more of a loaf than a cake) and a good, rich flavour. Store in an airtight tin or slice and freeze to eat as required. Very delicious toasted or on its own.
High in Phytoestrogens
To increase the phytoestrogen content, use soya milk rather than dairy in your menopause cake. Soya milk contains phytoestrogens that can be moderately beneficial for some (those women who convert them to the kind the body needs) during the menopause, and can help keep hormones a little more balanced.
If you’re looking to avoid gluten, remove the spelt flour in this recipe and add another 75g of soya flour instead. Alternatively, replace the spelt flour with amaranth or quinoa flour. Also be careful to purchase gluten-free oats.
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS
- 100G SPELT FLOUR (OR WHOLEMEAL WHEAT FLOUR)
- 100G MEDIUM ROLLED OATS
- 100G SOYA FLOUR
- 100G LINSEEDS (ALSO CALLED FLAXSEEDS)
- 100G RAISINS
- 200G PITTED DATES, CHOPPED
- 100G APRICOTS, CHOPPED
- 50G SUNFLOWER SEEDS
- 50G SESAME SEEDS, LIGHTLY TOASTED
- 50G FLAKED ALMONDS, LIGHTLY TOASTED
- 2 TBSP HONEY
- 2 TSP GROUND GINGER
- 2 TSP CINNAMON
- 4-5 PIECES OF STEM GINGER IN SYRUP, CHOPPED
- 650-750ML SOYA MILK
Directions
- Whizz the linseeds in a food processor to crack open, then place all the dry ingredients into a large bowl, along with the chopped stem ginger. Stir in 550ml of the soya milk and the honey and stir until the mixture has fully combined. Leave to soak for half an hour, then add in the remaining soya milk to loosen the mixture to a dropping consistency from the spoon, if needed.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5. Line a small loaf or round cake tin with baking parchment or silicone paper, and spoon the mixture into the prepared tin (it should drop easily from the spoon – add a little more soya milk if the mixture seems to dry or dense).
- Bake for about an hour or until a sharp knife comes out of the centre cleanly to indicate the cake is cooked. Tip out onto a wire rack and leave to completely cool before slicing with a very sharp knife.
Get your free copy of the eBook The Menopause by Eileen Durward.