Mushrooms have a crazy medicinal super power that gives me pause. I’m not talking about our most common white button mushrooms. I love these — and I think you either love mushrooms or hate them — but they don’t add much by way of medicine.
There are many other mushrooms, some like shitake or portabella, well-known. But unless you are a mycologist, a true mushroom expert, immersed in the gourmet world as a chef or food writer, or your cultural heritage is steeped with mushrooms, they all have a sort of wild earthy, slightly sketchy reputation.
And then there is herbalism. To the herbalist mushrooms and medicinal go hand in hand. Reishi is perhaps the most loved, utilized and mainstream. I have seen it in drinks on supermarket shelves. But how in the world does this member of the fungus family have so many benefits? Benefits such as immune boosting, nerve calming, allergy and asthma relieving, circulation improving. I am in awe. Does adding a cup of reishi tea to this cake make a difference? If you cut the cake into 16 pieces you are getting about a half ounce roughly in each piece. That isn’t bad but it also isn’t what you would consider a medicinal dose.
My thoughts are as follows: When you eat a vegetable, let’s say a carrot, you know that it is a good source of vitamin A. We need vitamin A every day to support many body functions like good eyesight, healthy skin, nerve functions. Vitamin A is an antioxidant and decreases inflammation. But we know that eating a carrot won’t provide the total vitamin A needed. Instead it is a building block. one of many sources that you may eat throughout the day to reach an optimal amount. You may also eat romaine lettuce in a salad, broccoli and a sweet potato for dinner, some cantaloupe. I think the same can be applied to eating something that is made with an herb, like reishi. You eat a piece of cake and there is some reishi mushroom tea in it that will help support your immune system among other things. In addition, throughout the day you may be eating those carrots, broccoli, and sweet potatoes or drinking a cup of green tea and taking a spoonful of elderberry syrup, all immune boosters. It’s a building block, but in the meantime, this cake is one darn delicious block.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 16cake squares | 25-30minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 30minutes |
|
|
- For reishi tea decoction
- 1 ounce dried reishi mushroom
- 16 ounces (2 cups) water
- For cake
- 1 1/2 cup (171g) organic all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 stick organic unsalted butter
- 1 cup (200g) organic granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 organic egg
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup reishi tea, hot
- For icing
- 3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- 1 ounce bittersweet chocolate
- 1/2 stick organic unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- Tea can be prepared 1-2 days in advance and stored in covered jar in the refrigerator.
Break up reishi mushroom slices with hands into medium sized piece.
- Combine dried mushroom pieces and water in medium saucepan. Bring to gentle boil over medium low heat. Cover, reduce heat to simmer and continue to gently simmer for 2 hours. Liquid will reduce slightly.
- Strain reishi tea into a glass measuring cup. Use a fine mesh strainer lined with a cheese cloth cut to drape over the edges of the strainer. Measure tea to assure that you have 1 cup. If you have more, return to saucepan and simmer to reduce to 1 cup. If you have less, add more water to reach 1 cup level.
- Adjust oven racks to center of oven. Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a 9-inch square baking pan by buttering all over and then coat lightly with fine dried bread crumbs on the bottom only.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and slat. Set aside.
- Place butter into bowl of electric mixer, cut into four pieces. With paddle attachment, beat on medium high speed to soften for about 1-2 minutes using a spatula to push butter off of beater and up from bottom of bowl. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat for another 1-2 minutes until well incorporated, using spatula as needed.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition to mix. Add buttermilk and beat to combine.
- Warm tea , covered over lowest heat setting in a saucepan.
- Add cocoa powder and beat on lowest setting. Continue no lowest speed setting to alternately add flour and hot reishi mushroom tea. Begin with flour and add gradually in three additions, alternating with reishi tea in two additions.
- Remove from mixer and stir a bit with spatula to make sure that all ingredients are incorporated. Batter will be very thin.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes.
- Cool in pan for 10-15 minutes. Remove from pan by inverting on a wire rack and then invert again on another wire rack so cake is top side up. Cool completely prior to icing.
- Bring about 1-2 inches of water to gentle simmer in bottom of double boiler.
- Place both chocolates in top of double boiler and place over simmering water in bottom of pan. Gently heat until chocolate is melted, stirring as needed. Remove top of pan from heat.
- Whisk in butter, one piece at a time to thoroughly incorporate after each addition. Use immediately as icing will harden as it cools.
- Pour icing into middle of cooled cake and spread evenly over top with a metal spatula or icing spreader. Allow to cool and harden a bit before slicing into 16 squares.
*Using organic ingredients whenever possible will make your baked goods all the more nourishing. For this cake, use organic butter, sugar, eggs, flour and chocolate if available.
*Dried, sliced reishi mushrooms can be purchased from several different sources. For just a small supply, Rosemary's Garden sells a one ounce package for $2.73. You can find it here.
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