Are you familiar with the health benefits of turmeric?
Turmeric, also known as curcuma, is a spice that has a wide range of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
The turmeric antioxidant properties stimulate the body’s own antioxidant mechanisms and destroy the free radicals that cause damage to the body cells.
And since inflammation and oxidative damage play a role in Alzheimer’s disease, the good properties of the turmeric can help prevent it.
Turmeric also seems to be a good antidepressant, to help fight age-related chronic diseases, to be helpful for preventing cancer and to help strengthen the immune system. This is why many people consider turmeric as a very effective nutritional supplement!
Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric, but curcumin is poorly absorbed into the bloodstream; adding a bit of black pepper when consuming turmeric enhances its absorption.
The turmeric blonde brownie recipe I am sharing with you today is a healthy version of my Lebanese family “Sfouf” (turmeric cake) recipe. This turmeric cake is light and fluffy, it has a beautiful golden colour and it is a nutritious treat for the whole family!
If you try this tasty and healthy vegan Mediterranean diet recipe of turmeric blonde brownie, please let me know, leave a comment and rate it. I would love to know what you come up with. Enjoy!
- 400g (3 cups) Organic wholemeal flour
- 130g (3/4 cup) Dark muscovado unrefined sugar
- 150ml (2/3 cup) Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
- 375ml (1 ½ cups) Almond milk
- 1 Tablespoon ground anise
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 3 Tablespoons organic turmeric
- A tiny pinch of freshly grounded black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon rose water
- 1 Tablespoon orange blossom water
- 2 Tablespoons raw pine nuts
- In a large bowl mix well the wholemeal flour, the ground anise, the baking powder, the tiny pinch of black pepper and the turmeric.
- Add the EVOO to the mixture and mix it all well with your hands to help the flour absorb the EVOO. (Be aware that your fingers will be a bit yellowish after this step!)
- In a separate bowl mix the almond milk with the unrefined sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Add the almond milk and sugar mix, the rose water and the orange blossom water to the flour mixture, and mix it all well until combined.
- Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C (350 degrees F). Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper, or lightly grease it with olive oil (my mother in law uses tahini sauce to grease the baking tray, it works very well too!)
- Pour the batter in the baking tray and spread it evenly with the help of a spatula.
- Sprinkle the pine nuts on the top and bake in the oven at 175 degrees C (350 degrees F) for 25 minutes. Allow it to cool down, divide in equal portions and serve.
As you may have noticed in my pictures, I did 2 batches of sfouf:
- The majority of the photos show a sfouf cake that looks like a blonde brownie because I baked it in a flat baking tray.
- But as you have seen in the last picture, for the 2nd batch I used a deep baking dish, thus its height! (when you bake it in a deeper baking dish you will need to bake it for 30 minutes instead of 25 minutes)
Absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing.
You are welcome John 🙂 Delighted to know you like it!
Can you help me out with the rose water and orange blossom water? How would I make or where would I source?
Hi Lynn, you can usually find it in Middle Eastern shops. If were you live there are none, most probably you can find them online. Enjoy! 🙂
Could this be made with coconut oil instead of EVOO? I know it would change the flavor a little, but has it been tried before? I can’t wait to try this!
Hi Amy, apologies for my late answer, I am on holidays and I have limited internet connection. I have never made this recipe with coconut oil, but I guess that if you use the same amounts than olive oil, the taste would be different, but it could work. Let me know how it goes if you try with coconut oil, enjoy! 🙂
OH my gosh. I love the traditional Lebanese sfouf but have been unable to eat them since going vegan…thank you so much for this recipe!
You are welcome! Glad to know you like it 🙂
I made it and loved it. So simple and tasty! Thanks for sharing
Hi Johnny, glad you enjoyed it! 🙂