Naturally Green St. Patrick’s Day Cake (No Food Coloring Added)

Naturally Green St. Patrick's Day Cake (No Food Coloring Added)

This green St. Patrick’s Day cake is naturally colored with sunflower seeds! Sunflower seeds + baking soda turn the cake green when it cools down.

Sunflower seeds contain cholorogenic acid which turns green in an alkaline environment. Chlorogenic acid – an ester of caffeic acid – is an antioxidant; it reduces blood sugar levels and slows down the body’s absorption of fat from food. Chlorogenic acid can also be found in eggplants, peaches, prunes, coffee, potatoes, stinging nettles and artichokes.

Naturally Green St. Patrick's Day Cake

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sunflower seeds
  • 3 eggs
  • 75g sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbsp vinegar

Naturally Green Cake (No Food Coloring Added)

Preheat the oven to 160°C/ 325°F. Grease a loaf pan. Blend the sunflower seeds in a food processor until smooth. Then mix all ingredients together with a mixer. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Don’t worry, the cake is golden brown when it comes out of the oven, but it turns green when it cools down.

14 thoughts on “Naturally Green St. Patrick’s Day Cake (No Food Coloring Added)

  1. This is fascinating Lina! I just made this for breakfast and it’s *so cool* to see it turn green and blue. You’re a chemist! 🙂 It’s amazing how you can make completely new recipes just based off what you know.

  2. More blue to me but I can see hints of green. Fun way to get natural colors. Never realized the chemical reaction of sunflower seeds – I just enjoy snacking on them 🙂 Thanks for sharing with Fiesta Friday and link up to the party if you can.

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