Lemon chiffon cake

I became an ardent fan of Anita’s blog, A Mad Tea Party after we tried her zamodod at home some time back. We’ve made the zamodod a hundred times since then.I tried her chiffon cake a few weekends back. She’s adapted her recipe from Bakign bites but I followed her recipe exactly, except for the fact that I halved it. A 6 egg cake seemed too big for my small family. You can read her original here.

Ingredients:

• 2 ¼ C sifted APF
• 1 ¼ Cpowdered sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ C milk
• 5 tbsp refined peanut oil
• zest and juice of 2 lemons
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla essence
• 6 eggs, separated

Method:

• Preheat oven to 160 deg.C.
• Keeping aside 2 tbsp of sugar, mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.
• In another bowl mix the yolks, oil, vanilla essence, lemon juice and zest and milk. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients mixture. Mix well till well mixed.
• In another dry bowl beat the egg whites till very fluffy. Add 2 tbsp of sugar kept aside of sugar and beat till stiff peaks form. Using a metal spoon, gently fold half of the egg whites into the cake batter. Make sure it is thoroughly mixed. Fold in the remaining egg whites.
• Pour into a prepared baking tin& bake for 45-60 minutes.

Notes: I like lemon flavour in general-in cakes, tarts, whatever. That was one reason for wanting to try out this cake. That and the fact that I had never made a chiffon cake before.  Beating the egg whites is not as hard as is often made out to be.  What I find hard is  folding it in the rest of the batter! Thats coz you have to be very gentle and patient while you are at it. I like cakes in which you can beat it all in! But really, if you put your mind to it, folding in is neither difficult nor very time consuming. The chiffon cake’s texture is very different from a pound cake. And if you are used to eating only pound cakes, you might say this cake tastes a bit strange. The first time I bit into a piece, I took a while to figure out how it tasted like the usual cake, yet tasted different. By bite 3 I was over the figuring-out phase and into the enjoying-the-munching phase. My colleauge however, never moved from one phase to the next. She kept saying “This is not your usual cake. Your usual cake is nice.. this is…umm…different…. is this kaccha?No? it tastes different.”  I guess when she said “tastes” she actaully meant “felt”.  Chiffon cakes do have a distinct texture thats hard to describe. You have to eat it to know for yourself. Based on my experience and that of my colleague, I think I should issue this warning- if you havent been exposed to chiffon cakes before, bite into one with an open, accepting mind. Its like trying out any other new food. You take some time to get used to the flavour and the texture but essentially it is a cake that looks and tastes just fine! Unlike angel cakes- I have tried those one and I think they just taste and feel so weird!:P

I made half the original quantity but it still took me about 50 mins to bake it completely. I served my cake plain but you could pair it up with ice cream as suggested by Anita or cover the cake with a layer of chocolate frosting like her.

Oh,by the way, I am so done with cakes for now. I have done so many cakes that they are no longer fun. So we arent going to do cakes for a while here. Unless you guys have some absolutely great recipe that you think I shouldnt miss…

Zebra cake

The entire food blogging world was doing Zebra cakes sometime back. I made my version of the cake sometime around then but never got down to publishing a post on it. My Zebra cake has been a draft for long enough I think and no matter how out dated the cake is, I am publishing it now.

Ingredients:

• Eggs – 4
• Maida – 200 gms
• Sugar (powdered) - 200 gms
• Fresh cream - 200 ml (the Amul tetra pack works just fine. Else you can save up fresh cream from milk over 3-4 days to collect the requisite quantity.)
• Baking powder – 2 tsp
• Cocoa powder – 3 tbsp
• Vanilla essence a few drops

Method:

This cake requires two separately flavoured batters. To get these separate batters, you can either use the entire quantities of ingredients and proceed till the point where the flavours need to be added ( i.e.till you reach the stage of adding maida ,baking powder and essence), or you can begin the entire process by preparing two separate batters right from the beginning. I chose the latter(dont ask me why! i like to take on challenging tasks.) Using the latter method would require some amount of quick action but it is doable!

• Divide the maida, baking powder into two. Sift together 100gms of maida, 1 tsp baking powder thrice and keep aside.
• From the other measured quantity of maida remove 3 tbsp of maida and substitute with 3tbsp on cocoa powder(the weight of cocoa powder and maida is almost the same).  Add 1tsp baking powder. Sift thrice and keep aside.
• Beat the eggs till fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat for another 3-4 minutes. Then add the cream and beat till the batter looks fluffy and light.
• Divide this egg-sugar-cream batter into two equal parts. You don’t need to be very precise, an approximate division will do.
• In one of the egg-sugar-cream mixture, cut and fold the sieved maida and baking powder (prepared in the first step).Add a few drops of vanilla essence. This is your vanilla batter. In the second egg-sugar-cream mixture, cut and fold the maida-cocoa mixture(prepared in step 2). To ensure an even aroma, you can add 2-3 drops of vanilla essence to this also. This is your cocoa batter. Thus you now have two separate batters.
• In a greased baking tin pour begin my pouring a ladle full of the vanilla batter at the centre of the tin. Take a ladle full of the cocoa batter at the centre of the vanilla batter.  Then add another ladle of the vanilla batter at the centre of the cocoa batter. Continue alternating between the two batters like this till you use up both the batters.
• Bake at 180 deg.C for 40-45 minutes.

Source: The recipe is the same that was used by us earlier for the marble cake.

Mandira’s notes: A Zebra cake is basically a marbled cake  with exquisitely done layers. Its one of the best looking cakes (without fronsting and icing) I have seen. Alternately pouring the batter to get the design is not difficult at all. It only requires a fair amount of concentration. If you would like to see a step by step picture guide about how to pour the batters, you could go here.

What I like about the cake is obviously how it looks. But what I dont like so much is the fact that the layers of the two batters are a little thin so when you bite into a piece of cake, you kinda get a blended taste of both the flavours. In a marbled cake, the layers are thicker and so the two flavours are more easy to distinguish. Nevertheless, I would make this cake if I were to impress someone. Look at those lines! Someone is bound to think you are a pro if you can make cake that looks like that!;)

apple and date cake

There is a strange joy in buying out of season ingredients and baking with them. Dont ask why, its there and there is no explaining it. Here’s an example of the very same- apple and date cake prepared with ridiculously expensive pureed ( not even whole pieces!!) apples.

Ingredients:

• 2 large apples- cored, peeled and chopped
• 1/3C or 85 gms softened butter
• 1C powdered sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp b.p.
• 1 ¾ C all purpose flour
• ½ C chopped walnuts
• 1C stoned and chopped walnuts

Methods:

• Blend apples to a puree with 4 tbsp water
• Sift flour and b.p. and keep aside.
• Beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
• Alternately add eggs and sieved flour to the butter.
• Add the apple puree and mix.
• Keeping aside 1 tbsp of walnuts and dates for the top, add the rest to the cake mixture.
• Grease a 11” X9” cake tin and pour the batter in it.
• Bake at 180 degree C for 45 min to 1 hour.
• Cool, cut and serve.

Source: Nita Mehta’s Bakes and Cakes

Notes: The cakes texture is obviously heavier than the basic cake that we make.  Its  got too many things inside to not be!! But that doesnt mean its dry or that there is something wrong with the texture. Apple and date make a wonderful and combination. I have never made cake with apple puree but have read a few recipes.I was quite happy with the overall effect it had on the cake- I believe it made it softer. While the cake is soft, the chopped walnuts add just the right amount of crunch to it.  This is a recipe that you should try…..sometime in December!!

Orange marmalade cake

I like marmalade  and I like cake. What could then be better than a cake that has marmalade in it?

Ingredients:

• 2oo gms maida
• ½ tsp baking poweder
• ½ tsp soda bi carb
• ¼ tsp salt
• 300 gms powdered sugar
• 125 gms butter, softened
• 3 eggs
• 200 gms or 1C marmalade
• ¼ C curd mixed with ¼ C water to get ½ C buttermilk

Method:

• Sieve flour, soda bi carb,baking powder and salt. Keep aside.
• Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
• Add eggs one at a time to butter-sugar and beat well after each addition.
• Beat in the marmalade
• Add flour and butter milk alternately till the entire quantity is used up.
• Pour in a greased cake tin(9″ or 10″) and bake at 180deg.C for 25-30 mins.
• Cool before removing from tin.

Source: Nita Mehta’s Cakes and Bakes.

Mandira’s notes: I picked up this recipe from the book only because it had the words “marmalade” and “cake”. I had no idea that it would turn out to be so good. Its really moist with the right amount of flavour. Its not too sweet inspite of the addition of jam. I was a bit worried about it turning out to be the kind of cakes that are so sweet that they make your teeth stick together. But its not. It what I call just right. Plus it has a wonderful texture, somewhat like the banana bread.  I’d give this cake 5/5!

Orange-banana cake

A orangey twist to the good old banana bread.

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe banans (roughly mashed)
• 2 eggs
• 2C Maida
• 1 ½ C powdered sugar
• ½ C butter (softened but not totally melted)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ¼ t salt
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• a few tablespoons of milk(optional)

Method:

• Sift the maida, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinnamon/elaichi powder thrice and keep aside.
• Beat the eggs till light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat for 3-4 minutes more. Then add the butter and beat the mixture some more.
• Add the mashed bananas and vanilla essence and beat for a minute or two to ensure even mixing.
• Cut and fold the maida mixture (prepared in point 1) along with the dry fruits/nuts.
• Bake at 180-190 Deg. C for 35-40 minutes (or till a toothpick comes out clean.)

Source: Original recipe can be found at Shyamala’s food blog. Slightly  modified at BB.

Mandira’s notes:  I love the texture of this cake or bread as a lot of people call it. Fresh orange zest  adds the zing to the cake/ bread. I skipped the bi carb of soda that the original recipe asked for and added an additional quantity of baking soda instead. The end result was just as good. If you like sweetness of bananas and the tanginess of oranges you will like this recipe too.

Carrot Cake

Its winter, the markets are flooded with carrots. What better than to put them to good use and make a yummy cake outta them?

Ingredients:

• 1 cup carrot (grated)
• 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour (finely ground 100% Whole Wheat Atta)
• 1/2 cup Honey
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Nutmeg (I used 1 tsp – it was quite spicy. I’d recommend adjusting this to taste.)
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 2 Eggs (Substitute: Usually I replace 2 eggs in most cake recipes with 1/2 cup (milk+1tbsp curd)+ 1/4 tsp cooking soda. Since eggs here are primarily for moisture and some leavening this should work. I had to use the eggs bought for my sponge cake experiment. )
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Cooking Soda
• Few Drops of Vanilla

Method:

• Grease and line an 8inch Baking Dish.
• Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, cooking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and sieve once. Add grated carrots.
• Grind the sugar. In a bowl beat the sugar, honey and eggs together. Add this to the flour mix, add vanilla and combine.
• Bake at 200C in an oven for 40 minutes till the cake is well browned. The cake is done when it springs back if pressed lightly and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.  Oven timings may vary and it is recommended that you test for doneness at the 35th minute and keep for more time accordingly.
• Allow cake to cool. Take cake out of baking dish, cut into pieces and store in an air tight container.

Source: Lakshmi’s recipe from the YumBlog.

Lakshmi’s notes:<coming up! Been a bit busy will fill in this field soon!>

Mandira’s notes: I used all purpose flour instead of wheat flour. I also changed the proportions a bit. With 2 eggs, I used 100 gms of maida, 100 gms of sugar and 100 gms keeping other proportions the same. I also used 100 gms of cream even though Lakshmi’s recipe doesn’t have any cream or butter.

Bombay gets two varieties of carrot- one is the orang-ish colour one that we get all through the year and the other is a deep red one that we get only during the winters. The orange-ish carrots tend to be a little bland in taste so if you are using this variety, increase the volume of sugar by about 2 tbsp.

Eggless Apple Cake

Apples are a great fruit. They taste good , smell divine and allow you to do a lot with them-baking wise.

Ingredients:

• Maida – 1 cup
• Sugar – 3/4 cup
• Fresh Cream (Heavy) – 1/2 cup
• Apple puree – 3/4 cup (approx 1 medium apple)
• Apple wedges  - approx half or 1 apple cut into wedges – depending on size of apple
• Demerara Sugar – 2-3 tbsp
• Cinnamon – a small stick
• Cinnamon – 1/2 tsp powdered
• Vanilla – a few drops
• Baking Powder – 1 tsp
• Cooking Soda – 1/4 tsp
• Curd – 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Line baking tin/muffin pan.
2. Sieve Maida with Baking Powder and Cooking Soda together.
3. Powder Sugar and Cinnamon stick.
4. Cream powdered sugar with fresh cream and Apple Puree. Add Curd. Fold in the Maida.
5. Transfer cake batter to baking tin. Lay apple wedges in the batter and push them half way into the batter. Sprikle with demerera sugar and cinnamon powder.
6. Bake at 200 C for 50 minutes or until browned and skewer inserted in center comes out clean.

Source: Sweet and Simple Bakes

Lakshmi’s notes: I replaced the eggs in the original recipe with apple puree. For the loaf I baked (pic below) I have used an apple crumble topping instead of just demerara sugar.Please note that it turns out  darker than what is indicated in the picture – since Mandira skipped the topping and I used an apple crumble topping, our cakes look lighter. The recipe also works well for muffins – reduce baking time by 10-15 minutes since muffins bake much faster.

Mandira’s notes: This is my first eggless cake. I have some kind of a mental block against eggless cakes-thats why I have never tried one before!My first attempt wasnt bad. It tasted ok but it wasnt as nice as my other cakes are. I am told by Chef Lakshmi I lack practice!

Going bananas!

Fruit based cakes are fun to do. They are quick and easy and they give you a lot of scope to experiment with.

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe bananas (roughly mashed)
• 2 eggs
• 2C Maida
• 1 ½ C powdered sugar
• ½ C butter (softened but not totally melted)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ¼ t salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder or cardamom powder
• ¼ C of dry fruits/nuts of your choice
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• a few tablespoons of milk(optional)

Method:

• Sift the maida, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinnamon/elaichi powder thrice and keep aside.
• Beat the eggs till light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat for 3-4 minutes more. Then add the butter and beat the mixture some more.
• Add the mashed bananas and vanilla essence and beat for a minute or two to ensure even mixing.
• Cut and fold the maida mixture(prepared in point 1) along with the dry fruits/nuts.
• Bake at 180-190 Deg. C for 35-40 minutes( or till a toothpick comes out clean.)

Source: The basic recipe was found at Shyamala’s food blog. We made a few minor modifications.Please note Shayamala used a different order of mixing ingredients.She creams the butter and sugar first and then adds the eggs etc. You can use our method or her’s-both should work.

Lakshmi’s notes: I substituted half the maida with ground almonds. I substituted the butter with fresh cream. I added an additional banana + 6tbsp of milk intead of the two eggs the recipe requires. I cut the sugar by 1/2 of a cup since I was using really ripe and sweet bananas.  Instead of roughly mashing the bananas, I pulsed all of them in a blender with milk.

This is most definitely a cake rather than a bread. Its really rich and moist.  

Mandira’s notes: This is my first even banana cake(or bread). I totally skipped the dry fruits/nuts and instead of the cardamom powder mentioned in the original recipe used cinnamon powder. I also added a tsp of vanilla which wasn’t mentioned in the original recipe.( I got this idea from another blog but I had read so many banana cake recipes before I baked mine, that now I cant remember which one mentioned this!!). I dint have bicarbonate of soda at home, so I increased the quantity of baking soda by ½ a teaspoon. After cutting and folding, I felt the batter had become a little thick so I added 2 tbsp of milk. I made half the quantity of the original recipe.

Please make sure that the butter is really soft before you add it to the batter else it wont blend it well with the rest of the batter and that will make your cake a little dry in some portions. I made this mistake and though the error dint kill the cake, I could have got better results had I followed instructions properly! if the sugar isn’t finely powdered, you may get granules of sugar when you bite into your cake. My sugar wasn’t as fine as it should have been but I kinda liked the texture the granules of sugar lent to the cake- especially in the crust!

Coffee- Currant cake

Siri and Srivalli almost got it right when they guessed Lakshmi’s birthday cake contained coffee and some kind of raisins/berries. The cake is a coffee-currant cake.To keep our promise, we are posting the recipe of the cake. We have for you two different recipes- Lakshmi’s has no eggs and uses butter while mine has eggs and substitutes butter with fresh cream.

Version1-

Ingredients

• All Purpose Flour – 1 1/2 cups
• Sugar – 1 cup
• Butter – 1/2 cup
• Coffee Decoction – 1/2 cup (coffee concentrate)
• Dried Currants – 3/4 cup
• Espresso Powder – 4 tbsp
• Curd – 4 tbsp (adjust as per batter consistency)
• Baking Powder – 1/4 tsp
• Cooking Soda – 1/4 tsp

Method

• Line and Grease a microwave safe square glass dish (8in to 9in in size). Leave some paper to hang from the sides.
• Soak the Dried Currants in Coffee Decoction for 1 hour or so until the currants are plump.
• Powder the sugar. Take a large mixing bowl and cream the butter and sugar.
• Add the flour followed by the Espresso Powder. Mix well.
• Add the dried currants with the Coffee dicoction.
• In a small cup, mix the curd with baking powder and cooking soda. Add this to the batter in the mixing bowl and mix well.
• Check the consistency of the batter which should be thick but flowing. Add a couple of more tablespoons of curd or milk to adjust consistency if required.
• Transfer batter to the greased dish and microwave on high for 7 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center of the cake. Keep for an additional minute or so if the toothpick doesn’t come out clean.
• Remove from oven when done and wait for the cake to cool before cutting into pieces.

Version-2

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 200gms maida
• 200 gms sugar
• 200 ml fresh cream
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 4 tbsp Coffee decoction
• 2 tbsp Cocoa powder
• 2 sachets of Bru Coffee
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 100 gms of black currants 

Method:

• Sift together maida, cocoa, baking powder and keep aside.  
• Whisk the eggs using a beater. When light and fluffy, add sugar and continue beating.  
• Add the dry ingredients(maida,cocoa, baking powder) gradually, beating lightly.
• Mix the Bru coffee in the coffee concoction and add to the batter. You can increase the quantity of either of the two coffees depending on personal preferances.
• Add the black currants and vanilla essence and mix using a ladle.
• Pour into a greased tin and bake at 200Deg C for about 40 minutes.

Source: original recipe is from the Yum Blog

Lakshmi’s notes: This cake can be baked in both microwave as well as convection mode with identical results. Use glass ware if you choose to bake in microwave mode, glass or aluminium tin if you’re using convection mode. Remember to line your baking dish if you’re making an eggless version.  

Mandira’s notes: I have basically taken Lakshmi’s recipe and turned it into an egg based one- blended the flavouring ideas from Lakshmi’s recipe and made the egg base using the fundas of the Marbled cake. I was surprised to find black currants in my local market and so I have used them. Any other currants will work just as well I suspect.  I like the use of coffee decoction- it ensures that there is a distinct flavour of coffee even after baking.

Marbled cake

Mandira: Now this is a cake that looks as good as it tastes. It’s a basic marbled cake with flavours of cocoa-coffee and vanilla.

Lakshmi: In keeping with my tradition of writing about unrelated stuff along with the recipe (the tradition is just a post old), I shall diligently push the recipe down by at least a sentence. I am after all the “co-author” of the blog, so I might as well contribute to the blah I can already hear “Oh no”es and “sighs” – but worry not, its really not much blah.

I have to bring to the notice of the ”esteemed” audience of this blog that I’ve not contributed to the “muchest-needed” photo to accompany the recipe for this post. This is what I call the luxury of co writing a blog the way we (bakingbuddies) do it – trying the same recipe and posting it. The photographs and the collage that you see on this post have been painstakingly taken by Mandira with her obsolete mobile camera. I really love how the cake looks in real life and particularly in her snaps!!!  

Ingredients

• Eggs – 4
• Maida – 200 gms
• Sugar (powdered) - 200 gms
• Fresh cream - 200 ml (the Amul tetra pack works just fine. Else you can save up fresh cream from milk over 3-4 days to collect the requisite quantity.)
• Baking powder – 2 tsp
• Cocoa powder – 3 tbsp
• Bru instant coffee sachet 1 or 2 (depending on preference)
• Vanilla essence a few drops

Method

This cake requires two separately flavoured batters. To get these separate batters, you can either use the entire quantities of ingredients and proceed till the point where the flavours need to be added ( i.e.till you reach the stage of adding maida ,baking powder and essence), or you can begin the entire process by preparing two separate batters right from the beginning. I chose the latter(dont ask me why! i like to take on challenging tasks.) Using the latter method would require some amount of quick action but it is doable!

• Divide the maida, baking powder into two. Sift together 100gms of maida, 1 tsp baking powder thrice and keep aside.
• From the other measured quantity of maida remove 3 tbsp of maida and substitute with 3tbsp on cocoa powder(the weight of cocoa powder and maida is almost the same).  Add 1tsp baking podwer, and 1 sachet of Bru instant coffee. If you like a stronger coffee flavour, add another sachet. Sift thrice and keep aside. The cocoa is added along with the coffee because otherwise the batter becomes a little bitter. Sift this dry mixture of ingredient thrice and keep aside.
• Beat the eggs till fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat for another 3-4 minutes. Then add the cream and beat till the batter looks fluffy and light.
• Divide this egg-sugar-cream batter into two equal parts. You don’t need to be very precise, an approximate division will do.
• In one of the egg-sugar-cream mixture, cut and fold the sieved maida and baking powder (prepared in the first step).Add a few drops of vanilla essence. This is your vanilla batter. In the second egg-sugar-cream mixture, cut and fold the maida-cocoa-coffee mixture(prepared in step 2). To ensure an even aroma, you can add 2-3 drops of vanilla essence to this also. This is your cocoa-coffee batter. Thus you now have two separate batters.
• In a greased baking tin pour the two batters in alternating layers. To get the marbled effect, you can either begin pouring both the batters together or pour them one over the other.
• Bake at 200 deg C for 40-45 minutes.

Lakshmi’s notes:  The cake is super soft, moist and yet spongy. It’s the most delicious good looking cake I’ve ever made. I’ve made this recipe 4 times since Mandira wrote it out. It’s that delicious!!! 

Mandira’s notes: I was initially hesitant about making two separate batters right from the start. a-It meant too many utensils and b- I wasn’t sure if I could manage to make two batters side by side. I discovered if all the ingredients are measured and ready, it isn’t too tough a task. But if you are baking a cake for the first time, it is suggested that you make the batter till the cream stage, and then divide it into two to add the flavouring agents. You can use your creativity to come up with more flavour combinations.

I love the way this cake looks when its cut!