Recipe

Solar Gingerbread Cake

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons light molasses
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 egg or egg substitute
• 1/2 cup brown suger, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup unbleached white flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

(Summarized from the show transcript.)

Preheat the solar box.

Stir the molasses and honey together in a small bowl. Pour in the hot water and whisk it all together. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, stir together the egg or egg substitute, brown sugar, canola oil, whole wheat flour, unbleached white flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.

Add the molasses mixture to the flour mixture. Beat it well, then pour the mixture into an oiled round or square, eight-inch pan^*. Put the cover on the pan. Place it in the preheated solar box and bake it for about one and a half hours, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Optional: Serve with cream cheese.

* Linda Frederick Yaffe recommends the dark, round, enameled pans that can be purchased from Solar Cookers International, a nonprofit in Sacramento that sells cookware for solar cooking.

Photos

Linda's Solar Box Cooker	Uncovering the gingerbread cake
Cake in close-up	Thermometer in the oven