Tag: cake

Vanilla and Almond Cake

Vanilla and Almond Cake

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

This is a cake that I whip up in 15 minutes and bake for 40 minutes. When guests call and say they will be at my place in less than an hour, I make this for tea and gossip. Goes well with wine as well.

A cake with a bite

Ingredients

All-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups

Eggs 3

Butter 180 g

Sugar 1 cup

Baking powder 1 tsp

Vanilla 1 tsp

Whole almonds 10

Milk 2 tbsps

Method

Cream the butter and sugar together till it is smooth.

Beat the eggs in a bowl and add to the mix. Whisk well to get the air in.

Sift the flour and baking powder together and mix into the beaten mixture.

Add the vanilla essence and milk and mix well.

Pour into a greased cake tin. I used a heart-shaped cake tin for a change.

Arrange the almonds on top. They will sink in as the batter rises in the oven.

Bake in 160 degree C oven for 40 minutes but check after 30. A toothpick stuck into the cake should come out clean.

Cool on a rack and cut into cubes. Serve with tea or red wine.

Banana and Chocolate Rice Cake

Banana and Chocolate Rice Cake

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

I was trying to come up with a way to use rice flour and remembered some lovely dishes I had in Japan. Thinking of some the sweets made from rice flour, I decided to make a banana cake. The chocolate chips added a delicious but subtle taste.

Ingredients

Bananas 3

Eggs 2

Sugar 3/4 cup (150 g)

Vegetable oil 4 tbsps

Milk 6 tbsps

Rice flour 1 cup (200 g)

Baking powder 2 tsps

Chocolate chips 1 tbsp

Method

Mash two of the bananas well in a wide bowl.

Add the eggs and mix well. I use an electrical whisk, my trusted hand-held blender Braun.

Add the sugar, oil and milk and whisk for two minutes.

Add the rice flour and baking powder and mix with a wooden or rubber spatula. Then whisk at high speed for a few minutes. In the case of rice flour there is no gluten and so you can whisk well to get in as much air as you can.

Line a round baking tray with greased butter paper and pour in the batter. Slice the remaining banana and arrange on top of the batter. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.

Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C and bake the cake at 170 degrees C for 45 minutes. Check after 35 minutes and stop when a toothpick poked into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Orange Cake

Orange Cake

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

This citrus cake has a kick from the local oranges, kinnows, I used. Kinnows are available mid-January to mid-February in northern India and Pakistan. This year, the fruit is particularly juicy, maybe because of the pollution-free days that the region enjoyed for a long time due to the pandemic lockdowns. Use seedless kinnows for the best taste. Otherwise, ensure that you remove all the seeds or your cake will taste bitter.

Ingredients

(Serves 5; 10 slices)

Orange or Kinnow 1 large, seedless

Sugar 3/4 cup

Vegetable oil 1/2 cup

Eggs 3

Flour 1 3/4 cup

Baking powder 1 tbsp

Method

Chop the orange roughly. If it is not the seedless variety, ensure that you remove all the seeds.

Grind in a blender and keep aside.

Add oil and sugar to the pan of a stand mixer and mix for about two-three minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time.

Sift the flour and baking powder together.

Take the pan off and add the flour in using the fold and mix method.

Pour into a greased baking loaf pan.

Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C and bake at 170 degrees C for 40 minutes till a skewer poked into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Cool and slice.

Serve with a side of marmalade for those who want a more citrusy taste.

Eggless Carrot Cake

Eggless Carrot Cake

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

I love carrot cake, but hesitate to have it often because of the amount of butter, eggs and sugar that go into its making. So I decided to experiment with a healthier version. This has no eggs or butter. Only four tablespoonfuls of oil goes into the cake. This is a moist cake that melts in your mouth.

Ingredients

All-purpose flour 1 cup (136 g)
Baking soda 1 tsp
Baking powder 1 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Vegetable oil 4 tbsps
Apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp
Vanilla essence 1 tsp
Carrots 1 cup, grated

Method

Mix all the liquid ingredients together. Add the sugar and whisk till the sugar is mostly dissolved.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.

Add the liquid mixture to the flour mix.

Mix till blended well. Add the carrots, folding it into the batter.

Pour into a greased cake tin and bake at 170 degrees C for 30-40 minutes till a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Cool and cut.

Chocolate Cake with Icing

Chocolate Cake with Icing

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

I made this cake for a friend’s husband. I approached the icing with fear and trembling, but it turned out really great. So go ahead and try this icing.

Icing that melts in your mouth

Ingredients

Unsalted butter 250 g

Icing sugar 2 cups

Cream 1 cup

Cocoa powder 1/2 cup

Method

Bake the cake according to this recipe. I used brown sugar for a less sweeter option.

When the cake has completely cooled down, trim the top and edges to get even surfaces for the icing.

Whisk the butter and fold in the icing sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa powder. Whisk again and add the cream gradually.

Spoon the icing on the cake and smoothen it with a flat spatula. Use a serrated cake smoother to get the design on the cake.

Add the rest of the cocoa to the remaining icing and mix well. Spoon it into an icing bag with a star-shaped nozzle and decorate the cake freehand.

Slice and serve.

Chocolate Walnut Cake

Chocolate Walnut Cake

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 2 Comments

Cake was one of the first things I learnt to bake when I was still a schoolgirl. Over the years, I have made many cakes, both simple and complicated, but a favourite that I keep returning to is this Chocolate Walnut Cake.

Family favourite

Ingredients

All-purpose flour 1 cup (220 g)

Cocoa powder 3 tbsps

Sugar 3/4 cup (150 g)

Butter 180 g

Eggs 3

Milk 2 tbsps

Baking powder 1 1/2 tsps

Walnuts 1/2 cup, roughly chopped

Method

Cream the sugar and butter in a stand mixer.

Add the eggs.

Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder.

Add it a tablespoon at a time to the mixer pan.

Add the milk and walnuts.

Grease a baking pan and pour in the batter.

Bake in a 160 degree C oven for 40 minutes.

Cool and slice.

Vanilla Cake with Buttercream and Fondant Icing

Vanilla Cake with Buttercream and Fondant Icing

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

This cake will appeal to even those who don’t like very sweet desserts. The mix of buttercream icing and fondant keeps the sweetness balanced to a level that will suit most palates.

Elegance in white

Ingredients

All-purpose flour 1 cup
Salted Butter 180 g
Eggs 3
Sugar 3/4 cup
Baking powder 1 tsp
Vanilla essence 1 tsp
Milk 3 tbsps
Fondant 250 g

For the buttercream icing:
Unsalted butter 250 g
Icing sugar 1 cup
Cream 1/4 cup

Method

Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer.

Add the eggs one by one.

Sift the flour and baking powder and add it to the mixing bowl, a spoonful at a time.

Add the vanilla essence and milk.

Pour the batter into a round greased 9 ” cake tray and bake at 160 degrees C for about 40 minutes. Test with a toothpick. It should come out clean.

Cool the cake on a rack.

Mix softened butter and icing sugar well. Add the cream in a slow stream while whisking the icing. If the icing is too liquid, add more icing sugar.

Slice off the top of the cake to get a flat surface.

Apply the buttercream icing with a butter knife. Dip the knife into hot water and smoothen the surface.

Refrigerate for at least two hours to stabilise the icing.

Knead the fondant to make it pliable.

Dust the work surface with icing sugar and roll out the fondant into a circle of 1/4 inch thickness. Put it on the cake. Pat it on using a cake smoother. Go over the sides as well. Trim the excess fondant.

Knead the cut fondant and roll it out. Using a star-shaped cutter, cut out three shapes. Cut out three leaves. Draw the veins using a butter knife.

Attach the cutouts to the cake using a little water. Attach tiny balls of fondant to the centre of the flowers. Use fondant strings to link the flowers.

Roll out two strings from the remaining fondant and twist it to form a rope. Attach it to the bottom of the cake.

Keep it cool. Serve as wedges.

Bournvita fudge cake

Bournvita fudge cake

by Shailaja Nair ♥ 1 Comment

Bournvita rock — this is something that happens to me quite often. I love drinking a cup of hot Bournvita in winter. In summer, however, I prefer cold milk with Nesquik. By the time winter rolls around again, the Bournvita is a lump of hard brown rock.

Usually, I throw it away. This year, I decided to try and use it.

I poured boiling water over the lump and left it to soften. A couple of days later, it had melted into a thick syrupy liquid. I used it to make fudge cake.

Fudgy and delicious

Ingredients

(Serves 5 persons)

All-purpose flour 1 cup
Butter 180 g
Eggs 2
Baking powder 2 tsps
Bournvita syrup 1 1/2 cups

Method

Using a stand mixer, cream the butter. I used Amul salted butter, so there is no need to add salt. Add the eggs one by one. Sift the flour and baking powder and add a spoonful at a time. Add the Bournvita syrup.

Grease a 9” round baking dish and pour in the batter. Bake in a 160 degree C preheated oven for 60 minutes.

Cool and slice into squares. Makes 13 pieces.