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.
Ingredients
- 1 cup sunflower seeds
- 3 eggs
- 75g sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp vinegar
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.
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.
Thanks! The color change is amazing, isn’t it?
what a cool idea! thanks for sharing 😀
Thanks, Tianna! 😀
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.
Thanks, Judith! Sunflower seeds are dark green. Natural blue food colorings are red cabbage and butterfly pea flowers.
How interesting – I would never have thought sunflower seeds could turn something green! Thanks for sharing with us at The Blogger’s Pit Stop! Roseann from This Autoimmune Life
Thanks, Roseann! 😀
That’s crazy! I had no idea.
Thank you, Jae!
Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party! Have a wonderful week and hope to see you at next week’s party too!
Thanks for stopping by, Helen! Have a wonderful week, too!
What a lovely idea! Never knew that sunflower seeds can turn a cake to green color. Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday!
Thanks, Debanita!