Many Americans prepare a traditional dessert cake called thunder cake every day before Thanksgiving. This Thunder Cake Recipe is made from iced white cake and topped with a vanilla buttercream frosting tinted yellow and blue with food coloring.
The cake gets its name, according to some reports, because this dessert was first prepared during hurricane season to ward off any possible storms.
While the traditional recipe uses eggs, butter, and oil, which are all unhealthy for your heart, many different versions of this favorite treat can be much healthier.
According to some recent studies, thunder cake contains many vital nutrients that are very beneficial for your health. Firstly I will write about Thunder Cake Recipe, and then after that, I will share the other surprising health benefits of this sweet dessert.
How to prepare Thunder Cake Recipe?
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 60 minutes
Number of Servings: 12-14 servings
Ingredients:
- 4 cups of all-purpose flour.
- 4 teaspoons of baking soda.
- 2 cups of granulated sugar.
- 1 cup of unsalted butter.
- 1 cup of whole milk (or non-dairy substitutions like almond or soy milk).
- 2 teaspoons of vinegar (apple cider or white vinegar works best for this recipe, but any kind will do just fine).
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. You can also use vanilla bean paste instead, giving your cake a more rich, buttery flavor. Just make sure you only use half the amount if you use homemade extract instead of pre-made.
- 1 teaspoon of kosher salt.
- 6 eggs
- Blue and yellow food coloring. The amount depends on how light or dark you want your cake to be.
Preparations:
Step-1: Take the 4 cups of flour, measure out all 4 teaspoons, and set them aside for later.
Step-2: Now, take all of the cups of sugar (we used 1 cup here because that is what was called for in our recipe, and we had less sugar than that in our inventory, so we used 2 cups instead) and crack 3 eggs into a separate bowl. Beat them with a mixer until they get nice and bubbly and white. Then, add 3/4 cup of water to the mix by folding it to combine it with the whites.
Step-3: Then beat in the 1/4 cup of oil and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
Step-4: Next, add the 1 tablespoon vanilla extract to the bowl, and then fold in half (1 cup) of your dry ingredients from step one. This will help create a nice cake batter while leaving you with another cup that you can use as a substitute for some of the water needed to complete your actual cake mix later on.
Step-5: Take this yellowish batter and divide it evenly into two bowls that have been previously lined with parchment paper or plastic wrap (this will help to make clean-up easier).
Step-6: Next, you will want to evenly mix up the blue batter to distribute the blue and yellow throughout both bowls. Add about 2 tablespoons each of blue food coloring and salt to one bowl (green). Then add 1/4 cup of vinegar to the second bowl (teal), and then fold in half (1 cup worth) of your dry ingredients from step one.
Step-7: Now, take these two alternate batters and blend them thoroughly until they are combined as one batter again.
Step-8: Next, take what is left in both bowls of batters and blend them until they are smooth and well-combined. Then fill two cake pans with the batter and return to the oven to bake.
Step-9: While baking, prepare your buttercream frosting by adding 1/4 cup of butter (softened), 1/4 cup of milk (or non-dairy substitute), and vanilla extract to a bowl. Mix it up with a mixer until you have nice, fluffy buttercream ready to use on your cake.
Step-10: Once the cakes are fully baked and cooled, you can begin frosting with the buttercream icing. Take your frosting and place it on a piece of wax paper that you have placed over two cake pans (you really don’t need to do this, but it helps create a nice seal on the edges of the cake).
Spread out the icing to cover each cup equally, and then take a knife and spread the icing around each one. Then put it back in your freezer for at least 15 minutes or until cold enough to frost.
Step-11: After frosting is done, finish off with some sprinkles!
Step-12: Serve and enjoy!
Nutritional facts per slice of Thunder Cake Recipe:
| Nutrition | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 310 |
| Protein | 5 grams |
| Carbs | 45 grams |
| Fat | 11 grams (0 saturated) |
| Fiber | 0 grams |
| Sugar | 35 grams |
Top 10 Surprising Health Benefits of Thunder Cake Recipe:
1) Antioxidants
2) Contains a good amount of “good” fats
3) High in dietary fiber
4) It Contains a good amount of protein. Each slice contains about 4 grams of protein, which should be enough to help you feel full and satisfied. It provides approximately 8% of your daily recommended value for this essential nutrient.
One cup (136 g) white flour contains 2 grams of protein, and 1 cup (120 g) whole wheat flour contains 9 grams of protein. These numbers are only estimates based on my research and the ingredients used in this thunder cake recipe.
5) Contains no trans fat.
6) It Contains all essential amino acids, so it is good food for building muscle and burning fat while building strength in your body.
7) Good source of dietary fiber, which comes in at over 8% of your daily value. Fiber is a nutrient we often don’t get enough of, and it turns out that this cake helps with that! I have found that this Thunder Cake Recipe is incredibly filling and can help you feel happy and satisfied after you eat it!
8) High in potassium – this helps regulate blood pressure and may reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease. It also contains magnesium, which has been shown to lower blood pressure.
9) Low in sodium – Just a little bit of this cake contains less than 1% of your daily recommended value for sodium.
10) Very low in saturated fat. This is good news because it suggests that there are not many artery-clogging, bad fats like saturated fats in this recipe (which can be found in butter and shortening).
Is this Thunder Cake Recipe vegan?
Yes and no. You can make this recipe completely vegan if you use non-dairy milk (almond or soy milk) in the cake batter and substitute dairy-free cream cheese for the butter in the icing.
Also, vegan confectioners’ sugar is readily available at grocery stores, so feel free to use that instead of regular granulated or powdered sugar. However, even though there is no dairy in this recipe, you may be able to add more cheese flavoring to the buttercream frosting to make it taste more like dairy.
Is this gluten-free?
This recipe is gluten-free and can be made soy-free by using soy or almond milk in the cake batter and substituting vegan cream cheese for the butter in the icing. But even though it does not contain gluten, you may want to add some flour or arrowroot powder if you are looking for a super-gluten-free version of thunder cake. Also, if you are gluten intolerant, this cake is not for you.
Is this a healthy recipe?
Yes and no. This recipe does contain some saturated fat from the butter in the icing. But it is also high in dietary fiber, which helps lower cholesterol levels and makes you feel full for a longer period. This is a good recipe for a balanced diet with various nutrients.
Does Thunder Cake Recipe need more flour?
This recipe does not call for extra flour, but if you’d like to make it more cake-like and dense, feel free to add 2 to 3 additional tablespoons of white flour to the batter or 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to the buttercream frosting. Most cakes will stay nice and fluffy if they don’t contain extra flour.
Can I use something other than white or wheat flour?
Yes! Instead of white flour, you can use buckwheat instead of wheat flours or dark rye (or pumpernickel) flours. There are a few other gluten-free flour options: teff, corn, rice, and soy flour.
Can I use only whole wheat flour?
No, you cannot use just whole wheat flour. Whole wheat has a hard time rising as much as white flour, and if you do not add some white flour, your cake will never grow. To make this recipe, you will need a mixture of both flours.
Can I make the icing 1 or 2 days ahead?
This icing does not have anything that should expire, so it can be made days in advance and kept in an airtight container until ready to use!
Can I freeze this cake before frosting it?
Sure! You can freeze your cake for up to 2 months before frosting it.
Here I have shared the full recipe with you. Enjoy the Thunder Cake recipe and try it out. I hope it works out for you!
Nutritional Information:
The information stated above is provided as an estimate only using ingredients and measurements indicated in the recipes and is approximate only. Various conversions were used to convert the measurements to grams and ounces, which may slightly affect the accuracy of the information provided.
If you have any questions regarding this Thunder Cake Recipe, please leave them below in the comments. Thank you!