Who is not familiar with the fluffy yet delightful taste of sponge cake? Sponge cake is a type of air-leavened cake that is made with three basic ingredients: wheat flour, sugar and eggs. The key to the soft texture of the cake lies in the technique of the making.
The whole eggs are beaten thoroughly, and thank heavens, it does not involve butter at all. However, another type of sponge cake that was originally found in Asia, called chiffon cake, incorporates a high amount of vegetable oil.
If you are not yet familiar with the health benefits of a sponge cake, probably now is the perfect time to get an idea on that. Here’s the complete health benefits of Sponge Cake:
- Low-calorie dessert option
According to information from United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the amount of calorie found in one piece of sponge cake equals 187 calories, which fulfills only 9 percent of the recommended daily caloric intake. In 187 calories of a one-piece sponge cake, the components are 77 percent of carbohydrates, 13 percent of fats, and 10 percent of protein. You may also read about the Health Benefits of Fruitcake
- Good source of energy
What better way is there to boost your energy than byeating a delicious piece of cake? Everyday our body is in constant need of energy supply, which is majorly met by consuming carbohydrates. The amount of 77 percent of carbohydrates in a sponge cake is contributed by the flour (and sugar) ingredient. You may also read about the Health Benefits of Rice Cakes
The carbohydrates particularly contain glucose, which is the main (and only) source of energy for the brain and the nervous system, as well as the muscle tissues. The amount of fats in a sponge cake also adds up to the energy fuel.
- High antioxidant activity with wheat powder
If you are concerned about the high carbs found in the flour of a sponge cake, worry no more. Many food researchers (yes, some people do conduct research on cakes, a lot of them actually), have attempted making sponge cakes with alternative type of flours which may provide added health benefits, including wheat flours, wheat-chickpea flours, mugwort powder, tigernut flour, and breadfruit flour. You may also read about the Benefits of Rice Cake and Peanut Butter
These attempts on baking creativity breeds health benefits. The wheat powder itself has numerous health credentials, but it is mostly known to contain high amount and variable antioxidants, including phenolics, flavanoids and luteins. All which function to fight free radicals to prevent cellular damage in our body, hence preventing diseases such as cancer and other chronic inflammatory diseases. You may also read about the Health Benefits of Cheese Pizza
- Increase satiety and decrease sugar level
Depending on what ingredients you are mixing to bake a sponge cake, if you put in the healthy ones such as whole-wheat powder or chickpeas flour (or both of them combined), it may satisfy your appetite and even lower your blood sugar level while at it. That is quite hard to believe in, especially for the fact that we are talking about eating a cake here. You may also read about the Health Benefits of Black Bean Burgers
But in all seriousness, a research in sweden was conducted in healthy adults who ate a large amount of wheat flour (in a bread, though), and the result was that all of them experienced increased in satiety and had lower blood glucose following a meal. Of course, this result would be nicer if we used that wheat flour in a cake instead. In case you have doubts on this, I can inform you that the USDA research service has confirmed this themselves, and even did a comparison between conventional and ultra-fine whole wheat flours (both resulted in low post-prandial glucose levels).
If you are not a fan of whole wheat, then perhaps a healthier alternative would be chickpeas flour. It is not a rare ingredient to add to a sponge cake mix, and it certainly would not disappoint your taste. Chickpeas flour contains starch, and is characterized with slow-burning carbohydrate, which means that it does not spike up your blood glucose immediately after eating. Thus, you won’t believe that there are more health benefits of Sponge Cake.
- Improve digestion with the blackberry jam
Looking to add a tasty ingredient that is potentially advantagous for your bowel health? Try the victoria sponge cake, which traditionally adds blackcurrant and raspberry jam sandwiched between the sponge cake batters. These fruits are loaded with fibers and help improve your digestion. Check on more health benefits of blackberry leaves here.
- A comforter for sadness
The sweetness of cake does not only add sweetness to the taste, but also to moods. Science has proclaimed that the sugary content from processed sugars used in baked goods induce increased release of endorphins in our brain, which are the chemical substances that boost our mood and is the reason behind the feeling of being ‘high’. Other than the glucose ingredient, the fat content also contributes to happiness.
There was another research conducted in Belgium that compared the administration of saline drip and fatty drip to test people’s reactions to negative images, and as you may have expected, the fatty drip resulted in people being less influenced by those images. A great way to lessen negative thoughts. Another source of sweet delicacy that may spark happiness is chocolate. See more health-related effects of pre-melted chocolates.
Health risk of Sponge Cake
As you have taken in the health benefits of Sponge Cake, you might as well be aware of the health risks. It is important to keep in mind that starch contains a significant amount of natural sugar that we have mentioned previously, namely glucose. People with diabetes, or have risk factors for diabetes, have to maintain strict levels of glucose in their blood.
If you consider attempting using alternative flours which have been suggested above, you may as well bear in mind that some people may experience digestive discomfort when eating whole wheat or high starch content. Thereby may cause bloating and experiencing loads of gas in their stomach.