Julia Turshen’s newest book, “Feed the Resistance,” was written as her awareness of political involvement grew after the 2016 election. The book is a collection of recipes designed to feed and nourish “folks who are too busy resisting to cook,” interspersed with essays about community involvement, activism and food-related issues.
Turshen, a renowned author of many cookbooks, including 2016’s “Small Victories,” tapped community organizers, food writers and activists for their recipes and stories about getting involved in local causes.
Chicago author and baker Jocelyn Delk Adams (author of “Grandbaby Cakes”) contributed her recipe for spiced brown sugar pound cake with rum molasses glaze.
“In my family, we make pound cakes for celebrations and life’s most unsettling times,” she writes. “It is our way of coping and evoking comfort when our spirits most need it.”
A dense cake with chest-warming flavors of nutmeg, ginger, cloves and rum, this treat can do double duty as breakfast or post-marching pick-me-up. Think of it as self-care, in cake form.
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SPICED BROWN SUGAR POUND CAKE WITH RUM MOLASSES GLAZE
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Makes: 10 servings
From Jocelyn Delk Adams, author of “Grandbaby Cakes” and founder of grandbaby-cakes.com, printed in “Feed the Resistance,” by Julia Turshen (Chronicle Books, $14.95).
Nonstick baking spray
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
5 large eggs, at room temperature
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
2 tablespoons rum
1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 10-cup Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray.
2. Place the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and mix on high speed until light and fluffy, 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until well incorporated. Slow the mixer to its lowest speed and carefully add in the flour in intervals of 1 cup. Add the sour cream and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. Mix in the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves until just combined.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out moist but mostly clean, 65 to 75 minutes.
4. Cool the cake for 10 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack, and cool to room temperature.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, molasses, rum and the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth and pourable. Drizzle over the cake and serve.
Nutrition information per serving: 752 calories, 35 g fat, 21 g saturated fat, 178 mg cholesterol, 102 g carbohydrates, 72 g sugar, 8 g protein, 256 mg sodium, 1 g fiber
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