Oil-free Quick Whole Wheat Walnut Jujube Cake [Healthy Staple]
For anyone who has tried the Wudaokou jujube cake: it’s honestly not as amazing as people say. Maybe the first warm bite is full of jujube aroma, but after a few bites it feels a bit greasy, and relying on jujube cake to fill you up is just wishful thinking. This rough-style, oil-free, low-sugar jujube cake doesn’t need a blender—simple and straightforward! The texture is moderately firm and soft, not that ultra-fine, super-soft, barely-there kind of cake. With whole wheat and rye flour, it’s both more filling and more nutritious. The sweetness is just right, and it’s great for both the elderly and children. It’s not greasy but very satisfying, with rich jujube flavor in every bite! Plus, there are toasted walnuts inside—jujubes and walnuts together are incredibly, incredibly fragrant. Red dates are great for nourishing qi and improving complexion, while walnuts supplement vitamins B and E to delay aging. But when you buy jujube cakes outside, you never really know how much actual jujube they contain, and eating too many desserts can actually speed up aging—better to make it yourself! Walnuts are rich in vitamins B and E, which can prevent cell aging, help nourish the brain, enhance memory, and slow down aging. They’re used to help with neurasthenia, hypertension, coronary heart disease, emphysema, stomach pain and other conditions, and are beneficial to overall health. For the quick bread/cake mixing method, please search the keyword on Weibo: 快手蛋糕搅拌手法 (quick cake mixing method).
Ingredients
Steps
Take 100g of jujube slices or dried red dates (pitted and cut into small pieces), add 200ml water, and simmer over low heat. Stir constantly with a spoon until all the water evaporates and the dates become very soft and mushy.
Mash the softened dates into a paste with a masher. Of course, you can use a blender if you have one, but I find the jujube flavor more intense this way.
Mash the ripe banana, add the egg, then add the jujube paste and mix well. Add the yogurt and mix again until even.
Add the brown sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder first, and mix thoroughly with the wet ingredients.
Finally add the toasted chopped walnuts (chop them a bit smaller so you can taste walnut in every bite) and dried cranberries into the batter and gently fold to combine; I stirred about 6–7 times. Pour into the mold (mine is relatively non-stick, but I still recommend lining it with parchment because an oil-free batter tends to stick). If you don’t have a suitable mold, you can use muffin cups instead.