Tag Archives: Cakes

Cakes and Bakes

Dates & Carrot cake | Sugar free

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I love baking during my free time. Especially healthy bakes without sugar and using wheat flour instead of maida. My kids have been eating these cakes since they were babies and love them a lot. So I keep experimenting with different proportions and ingredients.

Dates and carrot cake is a commonly found cake in bakeries specially in Cochin where I have spent 13 years of my life. I used to ask my Aanu (my dad) to bring it for me when he went out to buy groceries. I never thought then that I would bake this cake at home and it would turn out exactly the same taste and texture.

Also this cake uses dates paste as main sweetening agent. So does not need sugar at all. Jaggery can also be skipped if you don’t have an extra sweet tooth. Hence best for people who don’t want any form of refined sugar in their diet.

I feel happy to share my bakes as I am really proud of them. Hope you all try and love it too. Happy and healthy baking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients: { 1 Cup = 240 ml}

Dry ingredients:

1 Cup whole wheat flour/ Gehun ka Atta (I use Pillsbury brand)

1 tsp Baking powder

1 tsp Baking soda

1/2 tsp Salt

Wet ingredients:

1 Cup peeled and grated Carrots

1 Cup Milk (Use 1/2 Cup to soak the dates and 1/2 Cup to add to the mixture)

3/4 Cup Dates (after removing seeds)

1/4 Cup Ghee

1/4 Cup Jaggery powder (Optional)* check notes

Step by step recipe:

1. Soak dates in 1/2 Cup milk for about 30 mins to an hour till it turns soft. Grind the soaked dates and the milk to a smooth paste. After that preheat the oven at 180 C for 10 mins.

2. Sieve together wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Keep aside.

3. In another bowl, take the dates paste, grated carrots, ghee and jaggery (if using).

4. Mix well using spatula. Now add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients and fold well. Do NOT overmix. Just mix once so that the flour specks are not seen.

5. Now add the rest of the 1/2 Cup milk and mix once.

6. Grease the loaf pan with ghee and pour the batter into the pan. Level using spatula.

7. Bake at 180 C for 30 to 35 mins or till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Note: Every oven is different. So keep an eye after 25 mins so that the surface doesn’t turn black.

8. Allow it to cool completely. The top surface may be hard when you touch. It will be super soft as it cools down. Invert, slice and serve.

Notes:

* This cake tastes sweet even without jaggery as it has dates paste and carrots but since my kids have an extra sweet tooth, I add 1/4 Cup Jaggery. You can reduce or completely skip it if you don’t like cakes extra sweet.

* Please see that you divide the 1 Cup milk into two halves. 1/2 Cup milk to soak the dates and 1/2 Cup milk to add to the mixture as last step.

* Grind the dates in the soaked milk itself. Don’t add extra milk or water while grinding.

* My cake takes exactly 30 mins at 180 C. Every oven is different. So keep an eye after 25 mins so that the surface doesn’t turn black.

*Allow the cake to cool completely. The top surface may be hard when you touch. It will be super soft as it cools down.

* Lasts well for couple of days at room temperature if kept in an airtight container and handled well. Tastes even better the next day and the texture turns even softer.

* If you are new to baking, I have written an article combining all notes and pointers that I learnt in my decade long baking journey. You can check that if needed – Baking Basics for Beginners

* You can also check my Healthy Cakes and Cookie recipes Compilation for more healthy baking.

* Dates in cakes taste so heavenly and my Dates Chocolate Brownie and Dates Oats Cake recipes are examples to that.

I have tried to note down as much points as possible so that it’s easy for you all to follow but if you still have any doubts, either comment here or message me on my Facebook page Healthy cooking with mitha and I would be happy to help. Happy baking!

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Desserts

No bake Chocolate cheesecake | Easy recipe

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I love desserts that are easy to make and get ready quickly. After Easy Mango mousse, here is another super easy dessert which tastes so delicious that you will keep licking till the last drop.

It hardly takes 30 mins to make and involves no hard work. Just mix and refrigerate. You are done! Also it looks very beautiful.

Here’s sharing the step by step recipe. Hope you all make and enjoy it as much as we do. Happy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients: ( Makes around 4 servings)

For the biscuit base:

100 grams Digestive biscuits (you can also use milk bikis)

2 Tbsp melted butter

For the cheesecake layer:

225 grams Cream cheese ( I use Puck or Kiri brand)

1 tin sweetened condensed milk (397 grams)

1/3 Cup Lemon juice

For the chocolate layer:

1 Cup full fat milk

1/4 Cup Sugar

2 Tbsp Cocoa powder

1 tsp Vanilla essence

Step by step recipe:

1. Take the biscuits and powder it either in a mixer or put it in a ziplock like this and crush it using a chapati roller.

2. Take it in a bowl and add melted butter.

3. Mix well and add into individual glasses or bowls as shown.

4. Refrigerate the glasses for 10 mins so that they set.

5. Now take cream cheese at room temperature. Whisk it well for a minute so that it turns creamy.

6. Now add sweetened condensed milk and whisk again till they blend well.

7. Add lemon juice and whisk again till the mixture is combined well.

8. Add into the glasses till three fourth of the rim.

9. For the chocolate layer, combine milk, cocoa powder, sugar and vanilla essence in a non stick pan. Whisk well. Cook on medium flame till it thickens as shown.

Note: In a non stick pan, it thickens very easily compared to steel vessel.

10. Pour into the glasses as shown.

11. Refrigerate for about 4 hours till the layers set well. You can also refrigerate overnight. Done!

Notes:

* If you don’t have cream cheese, you could try substituting with hung curd. Since the texture of both cream cheese and hung curd is same, it will do the work though the cheese flavour might be missing.

* I don’t use the biscuit layer most times as my kids don’t like it. I make only the cheese layer and chocolate layer.

* This cheesecake is very easy to make and hardly takes 30 mins to get things ready.

* The chocolate layer is my frosting for Eggless chocolate banana cake and works very well for this too.

* Garnish with more chocolate shavings if needed. Enjoy!

#Update by my reader Sonali Baindur:

She doubled the measurements that I had given and set the cheesecake in a springform pan for almost 24 hours. It set beautifully and look how perfect it looks.

Cakes and Bakes

Mango Rava Cupcakes | Easy one bowl recipe

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I am so happy to be able to share this amazing recipe finally. A soft mango cake with heavenly cardamom flavour and the aroma of ghee. A delicious package altogether. And it’s so easy to make. Just mix few ingredients in a bowl and bake. The easiest cake ever!

I also love this recipe for the fact that it uses very less and easily available ingredients. Also, it gets ready in about 30 mins in total. What else do we need? Easy, quick, no fuss recipe. Do try and you are sure to love it. Happy Baking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

1 Cup Wheat Rava/ Sooji/ Semolina (use the finest variety available)

1 Cup Mango pulp( fresh/ canned)

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/4 Cup Ghee

1 tsp Baking powder

1/4 tsp Cardamom powder

1/8 tsp Salt

Step by step recipe:

1. Preheat the oven at 180 C for 10 mins.

2. Take 1 Cup semolina/ rava in a large mixing bowl.

3. Add 1 Cup mango pulp, 1/4 Cup ghee, 1/2 Cup sugar, 1/8 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp cardamom powder. Mix well with a spatula.

4. Grease the muffin pan with ghee or line them with cupcake liners. Add a spoon of the batter into each mould. It won’t rise much. So you can add 3/4th of the muffin mould.

5. Bake at 180 C by keeping the pan at the center rack of the oven for 20 to 30 mins or till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clear. In my OTG, it took exactly 30 mins.

6. Allow it to cool slightly. Remove and enjoy!

Notes:

* I have also used Mother’s recipe sweetened Alphonso mango pulp for this recipe when it was not mango season and it was perfect too.

* Please make sure the mango pulp is thick and not watery. If watery, then rest the batter for about 15 mins till the rava absorbs the mango pulp.

* Ghee gives a wonderful flavour to this cake so don’t substitute it with oil. I have tried this cupcake with both oil and ghee and ghee ones are really heavenly.

* I have used regular upma rava for this cake.

* Don’t skip cardamom powder if you can. It is the soul of this cake.

* This cake does not brown much at top. So don’t wait for it. Check at 5 min intervals after 20 mins into baking time. DO NOT open oven door before 20 mins.

Cakes and Bakes

Eggless Chocolate Banana cake, using wheat flour and Jaggery

5 Comments

Baking a cake is very easy. Hardly takes 15 mins to make the batter and then you just have to keep it in the oven to see magic happen. But those 15 mins while making the batter needs to be done precisely. Else the whole recipe can turn a disaster. In my case, post two kids, getting alone time for even 5 mins is difficult, leave 15 mins. Hence baking becomes a rare occasion when the husband is at home.

During Christmas holidays, I got some free time and decided to bake my favourite banana chocolate cake. It really gives me immense pleasure to bake and my free time was spent well. The family loved it and it made me happy to see them devour the cake.

You can never say this is a wheat jaggery cake. I have tasted many chocolate cakes from renowned bakers and this one really matches them in all levels. The cocoa powder and bananas mask the wheat taste very well.

I have used the same frosting that I used for Ragi Chocolate cake and it really takes the cake to another level. Hope you all try the cake and love it. Happy and healthy cooking!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:

2 Cups Whole wheat flour

1 1/4 Cup powdered Jaggery/ Cane sugar

2/3 Cup unsweetened Cocoa powder

1 tsp Baking soda

Wet ingredients:

1 1/2 Cup hot water

1/2 Cup fully mashed Bananas (ripe ones)

1/2 Cup melted Butter [1 stick or 100 grams] (salted/ unsalted)

1 Tbsp Lemon juice

1 Tbsp Vanilla extract/ 2 tsp Sugared vanilla

For the frosting:

1 Cup full fat Milk

1/4 Cup Sugar

2 Tbsp Cocoa powder

1 tsp Vanilla extract

Step by step recipe:

1. Preheat the oven at 180 C for 10 mins.

2. Meanwhile, sieve wheat flour, cocoa powder and baking soda in a bowl. Add powdered jaggery and mix well. Keep aside.

3. Add mashed bananas, melted butter, lemon juice and vanilla extract in another bowl. Add 1 1/2 Cup hot water and whisk.

4. Now add in dry ingredients to wet ingredient mixture. Mix so that both are combined well and you can’t see any flour specks. Do not over mix.

5. Line a baking pan with parchment paper or with oil/ butter. Pour the mixture evenly into it.

6. Bake at 180 C for 20 to 30 mins. My oven took exactly 30 mins.

7. Remove and check with a toothpick in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done. If it comes out wet or sticky, it still needs some more baking time.

8. Allow it to cool. Invert and remove the parchment paper.

9. For frosting, combine together milk, cocoa powder, sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Whisk well first and then keep on flame.

10. On medium flame, keep whisking continually while allowing it to get thicker (usually takes about 5 mins). Once it gets thick, remove from flame and pour over the cake and spread evenly.

11. Allow the frosting to set for atleast 30 mins before you slice and serve.

Notes:

* This cake lasts well for a day without refrigerating. After that stays well for atleast 4 days if handled properly.

* Ensure that you use over ripe bananas and mash them well with fork before adding into the cake.

* The cake tastes amazing with the frosting. So don’t skip it unless you want just a plain banana bread for tea time.

* Since it is made of wheat flour, it takes time to bake. So give the cake atleast 20 mins of baking time before checking. Don’t open the oven door before that to ensure even bake.

If any doubts, do message me on my Facebook page Healthy cooking with mitha or on my Instagram handle and I would be happy to help. Happy cooking!

Cakes and Bakes, Millet recipes

Eggless Ragi Chocolate cake

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Baking is therapy for me. I love how the ingredients mix in together to create something so delicious and the aroma which fills the house is magical. I have been baking different varieties of cakes now using wheat flour and jaggery. My daughter loves it more than the refined flour based cakes. There is a richness in wheat flour cakes which makes it more tastier and of course healthier.

Ragi Chocolate cake was an amazing find of a recipe as it uses another healthy ingredient but is quite hidden in the cake. You could never say it has ragi in it. Even when I made it the first time, my little girl had loved it so much.

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The simple frosting of chocolate sauce takes this cake to another level. We are a huge fan of this cake and it’s my pleasure to share it with all of you. Happy and healthy cooking.

RECIPE:

Adapted from here.

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:

3/4 Cup Ragi flour/ finger millet powder/ Nachni atta

3/4 Cup Whole wheat flour/ Atta

2 Tbsps Cocoa powder

1 tsp Baking powder

1/2 tsp Baking soda

Wet Ingredients:

150 grams (2/3 Cup) Butter (salted or unsalted can be used)

80 ml (1/3 Cup) Yogurt/ thick curd/ Dahi

3/4 Cup Milk

1 Cup powdered Jaggery/ cane sugar

1 Tbsp Vanilla extract

For the frosting:

1 Cup Milk

1/4 Cup Sugar

2 Tbsp Cocoa powder

1 tsp Vanilla extract

Step by Step recipe:

1. Preheat the oven at 180 C for 15 mins. Keep the heating rack as the center one if using a conventional oven like me.

2. Keep the baking tin ready by lining with parchment paper or applying butter inside so that the cake does not stick to the pan.

3. Sift all the dry ingredients using a sieve to ensure all the powders are lump free and mix uniformly.

4. Melt butter by microwaving it for two to three mins on high. Allow it to cool down. Add in the milk, Yogurt (which has been whisked well), jaggery and vanilla. Mix well using a whisk.

5. Now add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix using a spatula such that everything is mixed uniformly and there are no specks of flour visible. Do NOT over mix the batter.

6. Pour the batter into the baking pan and spread uniformly.

7. Bake at 180 C for 30 to 35 mins. It took 35 mins for my cake to bake in my conventional oven. In microwave with conventional mode ovens, it gets done even quickly. So keep an eye after 25 mins into the baking time. Read NOTES.

8. Check with toothpick inserted in the center of the cake. Is comes out clear, then the cake is done. If comes out sticky or wet, it needs few more mins of baking. After done, allow it to cool for few minutes.

9. For frosting, combine together milk, cocoa powder, sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Whisk well first and then keep on flame.

10. On medium flame, keep whisking continually while allowing it to get thicker (usually takes about 5 mins). Once it gets thick, remove from flame and pour over the cake and spread evenly.

Check how thick it has got. Sticks well to the spoon.

11. Wait for a while for the frosting to set before you slice and serve. Refrigerate the cake after a day at room temperature.

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Notes:

* Use a pinch of salt while sifting the dry ingredients if using unsalted butter. I used salted butter.

* This cake tastes heavenly with the frosting. So don’t skip it. But for those who prefer their cakes plain, without frosting tastes good too. And no, there is no ragi flavour at all as cocoa, vanilla and jaggery do an amazing job at masking the ragi flavour.

* While baking, always ensure your oven is preheated well (180 C for 10 to 15 mins is the norm).

* Don’t keep opening the oven door between bake times. Check only after 25 mins if the bake time says 30 mins of baking. Else opening the door too often leads to uneven baking.

* This cake tastes good even after getting refrigerated. The frosting sets well and enhances the flavor. Just microwave for a minute before serving. I have kept the cake a maximum of three days in the fridge before it got finished off by my family.

* I have used organic powdered jaggery. You could also use cane sugar. Both work well for this recipe.

If any doubts, do message me on my Facebook page Healthy cooking with mitha or on my Instagram handle and I would be happy to help. Happy cooking!