From the Cabin Kitchen.....Old Fashioned Blueberry Molasses Cake

Okay, so it doesn't look like much. Fair enough. You could chalk it up to my lack of skill at culinary photography, but honestly, it's not just the picture. Even in real life, this little cake is not going to be winning any beauty contests, bless her heart. But remember, appearances can be deceiving, and this cake is like the homecoming queen's funnier, smarter best friend. Not beautiful, by any means, but so full of other virtues that this lack of beauty becomes a complete non-issue.

This is another 101 Cookbooks recipe. Yes, I realize that makes the last two of my From the Cabin Kitchen posts direct Heidi knockoffs, so perhaps I should explain why I'm so enthralled with her recipes right now. Well, of course there's the obvious: sharp writing, eclectic recipes, and gorgeous photography. But that can be found elsewhere. What really sets this website apart is the focus on whole foods and natural ingredients, and that has recently become of paramount importance to me. I haven't mentioned this here yet, but a little over a month ago, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I was completely caught off guard, having had no problems at all during my pregnancy with Kate (who had more than her fair share of Nutella, chocolate cake, and peanut butter in utero), but as it sank in, I realized that really, this shouldn't have been so shocking after all. Like most young(ish) folks, I've always taken my good health for granted. However, in the back of my mind, I've always known that Type II Diabetes is rampant on both sides of my family, although it usually doesn't show up until the age of 50 or older (which, until recently, seemed almost as old as 30 seems to a teenager). So, despite the fact that I wasn't considered overweight and actually could get on quite the high horse about the perils and pitfalls of industrialized junk food, it turns out that all those processed/refined flours and sugars found in my "from scratch" cooking and baking routines could do me (and my baby) plenty of harm.

As it turns out, health (and even more so, the health of your baby), as a motivational tool is about a million times more powerful than vanity alone. The desire to wear a size 4 was never strong enough to force me to give up chocolate. But when we're talking about health (and I've witnessed the ravages of diabetes in more than one family member), all of a sudden, that brownie just isn't worth it. I'll admit that the abrupt removal of sugar from my diet was something of a shock. Especially given the kibbutz it put on my autumn baking regimen. No creamy, peanut buttery fudge. No raw apple cake with homemade cinnamon ice cream. No pumpkin bread. No hot chocolate. And yet, I found that after the immediate shock and initial feelings of deprivation, the cravings for sugary sweets gradually went away. Which is not to say that I could pass by a bakery counter with complete nonchalance, but the desire for sweets, unsated, moved to the recesses of my brain, no longer kicking up such a constan ruckus.

As many well-meaning friends and family have reminded me, gestational diabetes typically goes away after the baby is born. But this whole experience has made very clear to me that I can't view this as a "temporary" problem. For one thing, more than 60% of women who have gestational diabetes will go on to develop Type 2 diabetes within the next ten years. Given the genetic factors I already carry, I think it's clear that the lifestyle changes I've made over the past month are far from temporary. And, for that, I'm truly thankful. This has been a dramatic wake up call, but the unexpected silver lining is the realization that I can no longer take my good health for granted. Right now, with a baby inside me completely dependent on the decisions I make, these changes have come relatively easily. But after the baby is born, regardless of what diagnostic tests and blood sugar level numbers say, I know that refined sugar has no place in my diet if I want to be healthy. At one time, that last sentence would have sent me reeling into a deep dark depression, but not anymore. Gestational diabetes has led me to explore the world of natural, whole foods, and, more specifically, natural sweeteners, on a much deeper level than I ever bothered to before. And in all honesty, rather than being depressed, I'm finding myself so excited about all the natural options out there that, frankly, make white sugar just seem plain boring by comparison.

Which brings me back to this cake (whew.....that post grew much longer than I anticipated!) The past few days have kept Kate and I mostly indoors. She's getting over a cold (which so far I've managed to avoid catching....knock on wood), and outside it's a gray, blustery, very November-y sort of day. The old Aimee would have declared this the perfect day to whip up a batch of fudge, but obviously, that is out of the question. Still, I had an overwhelming urge to bake, and I vaguely recalled seeing this recipe several months ago. At the time, I dismissed it, with it's complete lack of sugar and appallingly scant use of butter as "hippie/health freak food likely to taste like syrupy cardboard." Amazing how one's mindset can change in just a few short months, huh? Well, I still had my doubts about it being edible, but decided we might as well give it a whirl. Besides, we're blessed with an abundance of molasses making friends so I've got molasses coming out my ears and relatively few recipes in which to use it. So we donned our aprons and got to work.

This recipe forced me out of my comfort zone on so many levels. Apple cider vinegar? In a cake? Seriously? I'm still not really sure what the purpose of that step was (some sort of buttermilk substitution trick?), but the end result removed any remaining worries. Perhaps it's due to the fact that I haven't had anything overtly sweet in over a month, but I fell head over heels in love with this cake. If it counts for anything, Miss Kate (who has not been abstaining from sugar like her mother.....Halloween sugar bonanza, for starters, ahem) was a big fan as well, quickly demanding a second piece after our first one was gone.

I indulged her, although for me, I limited myself to sharing a few bites of the first piece with her. Right now, even natural sweeteners have to be strictly monitored, because despite their other health benefits, honey and molasses will still cause a spike in blood sugar levels. So portion control is still key, and I told myself that slowly savoring those few precious bites was the very sophisticated, French thing to do. Truth be told, my savage American self would have had no trouble polishing off the entire cake in one sitting.

Rich and dense, infused with both the signature earthy tang of molasses and the sunny bursts of blueberry sweetness, this cake is sort of a love child of early summer and late fall. Rustic, simple, and, yes, even a bit homely, this is the ultimate "everyday cake," which begs no excuse more festive than to brighten up a gray November day. Which is exactly what it did.

*Since I didn't make any real modifications to Heidi's original recipe (I did use half white whole wheat flour and half all purpose flour per her notes), I'm going to direct you over there rather than type the recipe out here. And yes, by all means, if you are not diabetic, please sprinkle some powdered sugar on top! I think I'm going to make my own version of this cake for Thanksgiving dinner (assuming I'm not giving birth at the time) substituting cranberries for the blueberries, adding a pinch of cinnamon, and perhaps even tossing in a few toasted walnuts or pecans for good measure. I'll let you know how it goes.