Sponge cake is one of the most delicious and versatile desserts. You can enjoy it for breakfast, tea time, or as a mid-day snack. It's also very easy to do.
This begs the question: is pound cake harmful to you?
Starting a healthy lifestyle means giving up all cakes, including sponge cake! Although pound cake is not the most unhealthy of cakes, it is still quite unhealthy.
Want to know more? In this article, we'll tell you why sponge cake is unhealthy and how you can make your favorite recipe healthier. let's dive into
Is cake bad for you?
Unfortunately, pound cake is not on the list of healthy foods. Finally, this cake contains a pound of flour, sugar, butter, and eggs.
Store-bought cake mixes can be even worse. In addition to the high amount of sugar and fat, they contain preservatives and other dough improvers.
Other than that, everything is good in moderation. If you eat healthy and maintain an active lifestyle, a piece of cake once in a while never hurts.
However, eating cake every day is a problem. Not only are you eating unhealthy foods, but you are also depriving your body of important proteins and vitamins.
What makes cake bad?
Some people think that any food is healthy as long as it is homemade. However, this is not the case with cookies. While you can control the recipe to your liking, the base cake formula is incredibly unhealthy.
Here are the different reasons why pound cake is unhealthy:
1 - sugar
As the name suggests, the cake contains an entire pound of sugar. It makes the cake taste so irresistibly sweet.
However, everyone knows that the first step to eating healthier is to eliminate everything from the diet. Sugar contributes to heart and kidney disease, weight gain, tooth decay, and diabetes.
diabetes
Sugar has a rush It causes a spike in blood sugar levels, which causes a sudden spike in insulin. Over time, your cells get used to the insulin, so it doesn't work as well and high blood sugar persists.
This means developing type 2 diabetes. In this case, external insulin must be administered.
nephropathy
The second cause of excess sugar is
Simply put, the kidneys are responsible for filtering the blood. When your blood contains too much sugar, the filtration channels can easily become clogged, which can lead to kidney failure.
heart disease
When you eat sugar, your heart rate increases, and so does your blood pressure. Sugar also directly causes blood vessels to constrict, leading to high blood pressure.
If this continues, chronic high blood pressure may develop, which can lead to heart disease or stroke.
2 - butter
There is no doubt that butter improves the taste and texture of all foods, especially desserts. Unfortunately, this rich and tasty ingredient is far from healthy.
Although a small amount of butter can be beneficial, there are certainly many health risks in a pound of butter.
Butter is full of saturated fat. In large amounts, saturated fats increase the risk of heart disease.
This dairy product also raises your blood pressure, which can lead to clogged arteries and high blood pressure.
3 - Calories
Cutting calories is one of the first things healthy people do. Once you control your calorie intake, you can lose weight and increase your energy level.
Watching your calories allows you to include healthier, nutrient-dense foods in your diet instead of high-calorie foods without any benefits.
Usually, you need about If you want to lose weight, you need even less.
Well, there's a lot in a slice of pound cake! That's about 10% of your daily calories! However, you won't feel full or get any nutritional benefits.
4 - Gluten and lactose
If you're gluten or lactose sensitive, you definitely don't want to take a bite out of the cake. This cake contains a lot of flour and milk, which can trigger an immune reaction in people with allergies.
Even if you are not particularly allergic to lactose or gluten. Foods high in gluten can cause inflammation.
For this reason, many people who follow a gluten-free diet report relief from their muscles and joints and feel healthier overall.
When it comes to lactose, the world population is lactose intolerant. This inability to digest dairy products can cause stomach cramps, gas, diarrhea, and nausea.
How to make the cake healthier?
You can still enjoy your favorite cake sporadically if you maintain a healthy lifestyle. However, if you don't want to add cheat meals or eat pound cake as often as you want, you can make a healthy variation of pound cake.
Here are all the changes you can make to enjoy a healthier alternative:
1 – Reduce the amount of sugar
The best part about baking is that you can customize the ingredients to your liking. Fortunately, reducing the amount of sugar does not affect the recipe.
Instead, you get a healthier cake that will still satisfy your sweet tooth.
You can also add other flavors to the cake, such as vanilla, almond extract, or coconut flakes. This way the cake takes on a different flavor and doesn't need to be too sweet.
2 - Experiment with different sweeteners
If you want the sweet taste of sponge cake without all the sugar, you can use a variety of sweeteners.
First of all, stevia is one of the healthiest options you can use. This sweetener is perfect if you want to lose weight. Plus, it's safe for diabetics.
Alternatively, you can go the natural route and use fruit. However, you still need to add sugar to the cake. The fruits you can use are strawberries, blueberries, apples, peaches, or pineapples.
If you want a sweeter cake, you can drizzle it with honey or maple syrup once the cake is ready. This added sweetness, while not particularly healthy, is healthier than regular sugar.
3 - Use alternatives to butter
The butter gives the cake a rich, creamy flavor and a chewy texture. This can be difficult to replicate with other oils and fats. Yet, you can achieve a similar taste and texture by combining different ingredients.
Some excellent ones are olive oil, ghee, margarine, and coconut oil. To get the fluffy texture of the cake, you can also add a tablespoon of Greek yogurt.
final thoughts
Is cake bad for you?
The cake is incredibly delicious and easy to prepare. Unfortunately, it's loaded with fat, sugar, and calories, making it an unhealthy dessert.
Excess sugar in the cake contributes to the development of diabetes, heart and kidney disease. Butter is a major contributor to high blood pressure and clogged arteries.
Luckily, you can adjust the cake recipe to make it a healthier cake. Simply replace sugar and butterHowever, it’s a problem if you eat pound cake every day. Not only will you be having unhealthy food, but you’ll also be depriving your body of essential protein and vitamins.
Some people think any food is healthy as long as it’s homemade. Yet, this isn’t the case for pound cakes. While you can control the recipe to your liking, the basic formula for pound cake is incredibly unhealthy.
Here are all the different reasons why pound cake is bad for you:
1 – Sugar
As the name suggests, pound cake contains an entire pound of sugar. This is what makes the cake taste so irresistibly sweet.
Yet, everyone knows that the first step to becoming healthier is to cut out all simple sugars from your diet. That’s because sugar contributes to heart and kidney disease, weight gain, tooth decay, and diabetes.
Diabetes
Sugar has a high glycemic index. It causes your blood sugar levels to spike, resulting in a surge of insulin. Over time, your cells get used to the insulin, so it doesn’t work as well, and the high sugar levels persist.
This means the development of type 2 diabetes. In this case, you’ll need to take external insulin.
Kidney Disease
The second thing an excess of sugar causes is kidney disease.
In simple terms, the kidneys are responsible for filtering your blood. If your blood contains too much sugar, the filtration channels can easily become clogged, leading to kidney failure.
Heart Disease
When you consume sugar, your heart rate increases as well as your blood pressure. Sugar also directly causes your blood vessels to constrict, leading to hypertension.
If this continues, you can develop chronic hypertension, which can lead to heart disease or a stroke.
2 – Butter
There’s no doubt that butter enhances the taste and texture of any food, particularly desserts. Unfortunately, this rich, tasty ingredient is far from healthy.
Though a small amount of butter can be beneficial, a pound of butter will surely have plenty of health risks.
Butter is full of saturated fat. In high quantities, saturated fat increases the risk of heart disease.
This dairy product will also increase your blood cholesterol levels. In turn, this can lead to clogged arteries and hypertension.
3 – Calories
Cutting calories is one of the first things that healthy individuals do. Once you control your calories, you can lose weight and increase your energy levels.
When you pay attention to your calories, you can include healthier, nutrient-rich food in your diet instead of food that’s full of calories with no benefits.
Typically, you need about 2,000 to 2,500 calories a day. If you’re looking to lose weight, you require even less.
Well, one slice of pound cake has a whopping 215 calories. That’s about 10% of your daily calories! However, you won’t feel full or gain any nutritional benefits.
4 – Gluten and Lactose
If you have gluten or lactose sensitivity, you definitely don’t want to eat even a bite of pound cake. This cake contains a hefty amount of flour and milk, which can trigger an immune response in allergic individuals.
Even if you aren’t particularly allergic to lactose or gluten. Gluten-rich food might cause inflammation.
For this reason, many people who consume a gluten-free diet report feeling relief in their muscles and joints, as well as feeling healthier overall.
As for lactose, 68% of the world’s population has lactose intolerance. This inability to digest dairy products can cause stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhea, and nausea.
How Can You Make Pound Cake Healthier?
You can still enjoy your favorite cake sporadically if you maintain a healthy lifestyle. Still, if you don’t want to add any cheat meals, or you want to eat pound cake as often as you like, you can make a healthy version of pound cake.
Here are all the changes you can make to enjoy a healthier alternative:
1 – Reduce the Amount of Sugar
One of the best parts about baking is that you can adjust the ingredients to your liking. Fortunately, reducing the amount of sugar won’t mess up the recipe.
Instead, you’ll have a healthier cake that’ll still satisfy your sweet tooth.
You might also add other flavorings to the cake, such as vanilla, almond extract, or coconut flakes. This way, the pound cake will have a distinct flavor, and you won’t need it to be too sweet.
2 – Experiment With Different Sweeteners
If you want the sweet flavor of pound cake without all the sugar, you can use different sweetening agents.
For starters, one of the healthiest options you can use is stevia. This sweetener has zero calories, so it’s perfect if you want to lose weight. Additionally, it’s safe for diabetics.
Alternatively, you can go the natural route and use fruits. You’ll still need to add some sugar to the cake, though. Some fruits you can use include strawberries, blueberries, apples, peaches, or pineapples.
If you want an extra sweet cake, you can drizzle some honey or maple syrup once the cake is ready. While this extra sweetness isn’t particularly healthy, it’s healthier than simple sugar.
3 – Use Butter Alternatives
Butter gives the pound cake a rich, creamy taste and a fluffy texture. This can be hard to replicate with other oils and fats. Still, you can obtain a similar taste and texture by combining different ingredients.
Some great butter substitutes are olive oil, ghee, margarine, and coconut oil. To get the airy texture of pound cake, you can add a tablespoon of Greek yogurt too.
Final Thoughts
Is pound cake bad for you?
Pound cake is incredibly delicious and easy to make. Unfortunately, it’s full of fat, sugar, and calories, making it an unhealthy dessert.
The excess sugar in pound cake contributes to the development of diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease. As for the butter, it’s one of the main culprits for hypertension and clogged arteries.
Luckily, you can adjust the pound cake recipe to make a healthier cake. Simply substitute the sugar and butter for natural sweeteners and healthier oils. Then, you can enjoy your favorite beginner-friendly cake!
