Okara Pound Cake
I never throw away my Okara – especially not after I’ve managed to make this delicious Okara pound cake, that feels like the real deal.
Okara is leftover soy pulp remaining after making soy milk. It is rich with protein and fibers, and also stores some moisture during the milk making process. It can be dried out completely, but it takes quite long to do so (although dried Okara makes the best cookies).
This time I’ve used the wet Okara as a cake ingredient, and I was so happy to see my recipe worked.
The inner crumb is tender yet dense, similarly to that of butter-based pound cake.
I’ve made it in 3 flavors: vanilla, chocolate and matcha (with some mini white chocolate chips). I’d like to point that this cake is a great base for making an even healthier pound cake, if you make just some minor adjustments to the recipe. I’ll list those at the bottom of this page.
I also include vegan substitutions, and was so surprised that it managed to maintain similar characteristics as its non-vegan counterpart.
First published:
Last modified:
Okara Pound Cake:
Equipment: A single loaf pan, 20 cm (l) x 11.5 cm (w) x 7cm (h), lined with parchment paper
Recipe: A single cake
For the base batter (Vanilla, Non-Vegan):
| Ingredient | Amount (g / units) |
| Eggs | 150g (3 Medium Sized Eggs) |
| White Granulated Sugar | 120g (or up to 150g if you want it sweeter) |
| Vanilla Sugar | 20g |
| Canola Oil | 70g |
| All Purpose Flour | 180g |
| Wet Okara | 180g |
| Baking Powder | 10g (2 tsps) |
| Salt | 1/4 tsp |
| Almond Meal | 60g |
| Soy Milk | 30g |
For the base batter (Vanilla, Vegan):
| Ingredient | Amount (g / units) |
| White Granulated Sugar | 120g (or up to 150g if you want it sweeter) |
| Vanilla Sugar | 20g |
| Canola Oil | 70g |
| All Purpose Flour | 240g |
| Wet Okara | 180g |
| Baking Powder | 14g |
| Salt | 1/4 tsp |
| Almond Meal | 60g |
| Soy Milk | 120g |
| Apple Cider Vinegar | 8g |
For Chocolate cake variation (add to the base batter):
| Ingredient | Amount (g / units) |
| Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder | 30g |
| Soy Milk | 20g |
For Matcha cake variation (add to the base batter):
| Ingredient | Amount (g / units) |
| Matcha Powder | 6g (2 tsps) |
| Mini White Chocolate Chips | 60-70g |
Preparation Method:
To make the cake:
- Preheat your oven to 165C (fan mode off), setting a baking rack at the lowest level of your oven.
- In a large bowl whisk together the okara, sugar, vanilla sugar, salt, eggs and soy milk, to a smooth and uniform batter (if making the vegan version- skip the eggs and add the vinegar at this stage). The mixture should be whisked for 2-3 minutes to encourage dissolving the sugar as much as possible.
- Stream in the oil while whisking constantly and mix until combined.
- Sift the flour, almond meal and baking powder, and whisk just until the batter is fully combined and there are no visible traces of powdered ingredients (if you’re making any of the flavor variations, the other ingredients should be added at this stage).
If making the vegan version: note that the batter’s consistency will be thicker and more stable compared to the non-vegan cake batter, and that’s ok- there’s no need to add more liquids to the batter. - Pour into the prepared loaf pan, and bake for 50 minutes (or 45 minutes for the vegan version), or until a cake tester inserted to the center of the cake comes out clean. I like to take the cake out of the oven, after about the first 15 minutes of baking (or 8 minutes for the vegan version), or once you notice the cake’s top surface has stabilized, and using a small sharp serrated knife, score the middle of the cake lengthwise, cutting into the top crust. This will help the cake’s center dome in a more aesthetic manner. Then return the cake back to the oven to continue baking.
- Take the pan out on to a cooling rack and allow the cake to cool down 15 minutes before unmolding it, allowing it to cool down completely directly on the cooling rack.
To make cupcakes:
Follow the same instructions, and divide the batter into 12 holes of a standard muffin tin. Bake for 23 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of a cupcake, comes out clean.
For healthier substitutions:
- The all-purpose flour can be substituted with 135g of white spelt flour combined with 45g of whole grain spelt flour (for the vegan variation: 180g white spelt flour combined with 60g of whole grain spelt flour).
- White granulated sugar can be substituted with 100g of any natural sweetener such as honey, maple or agave syrup (or silan, in the case of the chocolate cake), however I’d not skip the vanilla sugar, or else ensure to include some high-quality vanilla extract or vanilla paste instead.
- Instead of canola oil, use the same amount of avocado oil, or a neutral-mild olive oil.
- If making the chocolate cake – Instead of Dutch processed cocoa powder, use the same amount of organic cacao powder, or Carob powder.
