This is a wonderful cake recipe from Richard Sax, and to be perfectly honest, it involved more swearing than any cake I've ever made. Was it worth it? I think so! Here's a slice of Lemon-Molasses Marble Cake.
So why the swearing? It wasn't the cake's fault, just my mindset. First, I got the recipe from my daughter who casually sent a photo saying she'd made a lemon and molasses cake from Richard Sax. She's a very good baker, but she doesn't have a stand mixer, her oven is a cheap electric and she probably only has two mixing bowls. So before really reading the directions, I just felt it was going to be real simple. And in hindsight it was simple, but it took a lot of bowls! And I realize that maybe I should have just used mixing bowls and a handheld rather than a stand mixer, but that's neither here nor there. It was my attitude and the fact I didn't bother to read the recipe.
Lemon-Molasses Marble Cake
Okay, now that that's out of the way, it's actually a really good cake. It's a marble cake with half molasses batter and half lemon. The molasses part is deep and rich with molasses-spice flavor and the lemon is not super lemon-y unless you choose to make it so by adding a little extract. It's not at all dry, but does have crusty edges. I do not think it needs a glaze at all, but a dusting of sugar looks good.
10 Cup Bavaria Bundt Pan
To make this cake, you'll need a bowl for each batter plus a bowl to whip the egg whites. I have a stand mixer and two bowls that fit it, which is what threw me off. It's probably easier to just use three normal mixing bowls and a good handheld. You'll also need a tube pan or a nice fluted pan. I scored a Nordic Ware Bavaria pan from the local thrift store. This was my first time using it, and as far as I know whoever donated it could have put it through the dishwasher a hundred times. To ensure it would release, I made something called "cake goop" and it popped right out!
Cake Goop
Greasing intricate pans makes me anxious, and I really don't like the smell of flour-added cooking spray. So what's left? Cake goop! It's a solution you rub on your pan with a pastry brush To make cake goop, mix ¼ cup partially melted shortening with ¼ cup flour and ¼ cup oil. Stir until smooth, then brush all over cake pan with a pastry brush. I took it one step further and chilled the pan to set the coating. It worked perfectly on the thrifted Bavaria pan, and now I'm excited to try it on another intricate pan. Hooray!
Changes Made
This recipe is pretty close to the original, but I increased the salt and used sour cream in place of yogurt. The recipe states the bake time as 45 to 50 minutes. My cake took an hour, but I did use the very thick, heavy, Bavaria pan. For the molasses, I used mild Golden Barrel, and I did add a little splash of lemon extract.
Overall, I would 200% recommend making this cake. As mentioned, I got it from my daughter who got it from Classic Home Desserts, where Richard Sax says he got it from Mary Leize Simons of Charleston.
Recipe
Lemon Molasses Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Molasses Batter
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (84 grams)
- 6 tablespoons brown sugar (75 grams)
- 3 large egg yolks
- ¾ cup molasses (240 grams)
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour (weigh or measure lightly) (210 grams)
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon salt (my addition)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp each of nutmeg and ground cloves
- ⅓ cup cup whole milk yogurt or sour cream (70 grams)
Lemon Batter
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (84 grams)
- 1 cup sugar (200 grams)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract (optional)
- 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour (weigh or measure lightly) (210 grams)
- ½ cup baking soda
- ½ tsp. cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon salt (increased from ⅛)
- ¾ cup whole milk yogurt or sour cream (170 grams)
- 3 large egg whites
- 2 tablespoons Powdered Sugar for Sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour 9-inch Bundt pan (if you have one) or a standard size 10-inch Bundt.
- Measure your dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, spices) for both batters and put them in separate bowls. This is mainly to get it out of the way. You can do it at another point of the recipe if you like.
- Molasses Batter: Beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy, then add each egg yolk, one by one. Beat well, then pour in the molasses and beat until smooth.
- Add the flour mixture alternately with the yogurt (or sour cream) mixing until combined. Set aside.
- Lemon Batter: In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest until very light. Beat in the lemon juice, then add the flour mixture to the batter, alternating with the yogurt or sour cream.
- In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until almost stiff peaks. Fold about ¼ of the beaten egg whites into the batter to lighten it up, then gently fold in the remaining whites. Note: My lemon batter was fairly dry, so I didn't worry too much about deflating the egg whites and just folded them in the best I could. The batter was still pretty light in the end.
- Drop 3 or 4 large dollops of the lemon batter evenly around the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with 3 or 4 dollops of the molasses batter. Continue layering the batters.
- Gently drop the pan once against the countertop to settle the batter some. Swirl the batters together with a butter knife, 2 or 3 swirls - don't overdo it or they'll mix together!
- Bake for about 60 minutes (check at 50) or until cake appears set and edges are lightly browned.
- Let cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes, then run the tip of a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen it. Turn out onto a rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar.
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