Eggless Sponge Cake

As you all know that cake is synonymous with celebrations. So on my daughter’s birthday I thought, what better way to celebrate it than with a simple home baked cake. I chose a heart shaped pan to emphasize the fact that I am baking this cake from my heart!

The cake turned out so good that I wanted to decorate it but knowing that my daughter's dislike for icing, I refrained from doing it. So I thought of writing her name on it by piping it. I do not own an icing bag besides this was my first attempt at piping.

I prepared the icing cone from a food grade sandwich bag by folding it into a cone and then filled it with the icing mixture that I prepared. The first few letters came out fairly well and then the bag split due to the pressure that I applied on it. I had a tough time cleaning the mess and completing the remainder of the letters. Somehow I managed to complete what I wanted to convey though the result was not very refined.

Finally the look on my daughter’s face when she saw the cake (with her name on it) was all that mattered!!

  Fresh from the oven

Overturned cake after cooling it completely

 My attempts at piping

Cake slices

Ingredients:

Condensed milk	200 gms(or half a tin)
Maida (all purpose flour)	140 gms
Water	75 ml
Baking powder	1 tsp
Baking soda	½ tsp
Mixed (chopped) dry fruits & nuts	about ¼ cup
Melted Butter	60 gms
Vanilla essence	¼ tsp

Method:

1. Sift maida (flour), baking powder & baking soda together (twice) so that they are well combined.  Keep aside.
2. Lightly smear the baking tin with butter and dust it with flour and keep aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade.
4. Put all the cake ingredients (except mixed dry fruits& nuts) in a large bowl and beat well for about 10 minutes. An electric beater will do this job quickly.
5. Now combine the mixed dry fruits & nuts into the batter.
6. Pour the cake batter into the readied baking tin/pan and shake the pan a little to level the batter and bake at 200 degrees C for 10 mins.
7. Then lower the heat to 150 degrees C and bake for another 15 mins.
8. Allow it to cool for few minutes. Then turn it over.
9. Let it cool thoroughly on a wire tray and then cut into desired slices or pieces.
10. Decorate it with icing or just leave it plain.

Preparation time : 30 mins

Baking time        : 25 mins

Note:

• Do not add the mixed dry fruits & nuts directly into the batter. Sprinkle a tsp of the flour (maida) over the dry fruits & nuts.  Mix it thoroughly and then gently fold it into the batter. This will prevent the dry fruits from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
• For mixed dry fruits & nuts, I used dates, raisins, cashewnuts & walnuts.

Semolina Banana Cake (eggless)

This is one of the most easiest eggless cake to make. Ideally, it should be called "No fuss  No Mess" Cake !. Its very simple to make as all the ingredients are almost always available in all homes and according to me a healthy one too, as it contains no maida, no baking powder and no butter !! This cake will not rise so there is no anxiety at all and this is best suited for a small oven as it will take only 15-20 mins to bake. The taste is simply delicious. However if baked in a loaf tin which I did this time, it takes a longer time to bake.

Just removed from the oven

Sliced cake

Ingredients:

Semolina (Fine sooji)	1 cup
Sugar	¾ cup
Milk	1 cup
Bananas (Robusta or Chiquita)	2-3
Cardamom  powder	½ tsp
Mixed chopped nuts	2 tbsps
Raisins	1 tbsp
Saffron/Kesar	A few strands
Ghee (clarified butter)	About 2tsps

Method:

1. Roast semolina in 1tsp of ghee till light brown.
2. Crush the saffron in a tsp of warm milk and keep aside.
3. Peel the bananas and puree it in the blender. Then add to it sugar, milk and the roasted and cooled semolina and run the blender for a few seconds.
4. Mix in the nuts, raisins, cardamom powder and the saffron into it.
5. Pour this batter into a greased (with 1 tsp of ghee) loaf tin.
6. Bake in the (preheated) oven at 170 degrees centigrade for 35-40 mins.
7. Cool it on a wire rack and cut into slices.

Preparation time: 30 mins
Baking time  :      40mins
Makes : 20 slices

Note :

If the cake is baked in a square or round cake tin instead of a loaf tin, then the baking time will be reduced to 15 to 20 mins only.

Chocolate chip cookies (eggless)

Its that time of the season when everybody is in the mood to have a good time and to eat yummy things. The climate too adds to the festivity. I too am in a mood of baking and what better way of starting it than the delicious chocolate chip cookies. 

This is an easy recipe and does not take much time to prepare or bake but the aroma of the baking lingers for quite sometime not only in your kitchen but also in your neighbour's ! So be prepared !

Ingrdients:

Margarine /Butter	125 gms
Castor sugar	50 gms
Brown sugar	50 gms
Vanilla essence	1 tsp
Following  to be sifted twice
All purpose flour (maida)	200 gms
Cocoa powder	25 gms
Bi-carbonate of soda	¼ tsp
Baking powder	½ tsp
Salt	¼ tsp
Combine the following
Chocolate chips	50 gms
Walnuts	50 gms

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180degrees centigrade. 
2. Cream butter and both sugars and vanilla essence together until light and fluffy.
3. Fold in sifted dry ingredients.
4. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
5. Mix and combine well into a dough.
6. Knead the dough and make little balls, flatten and place on baking tray 4-5cm apart.
7. Bake for 10-15mins.
8. Cool on a wire rack and store in an air-tight container when completly cooled.

Preparation time: 35 mins
Baking time       : 15 mins


Makes             : 40 cookies


Note:

• .If salted butter is used, do not add salt.
• Cookies will rise a little and will not expand much but small cracks may appear. 
• Cookies will be soft until cooled to room temperature.

Eggless Chocolate Pudding

The word "chocolate" brings a smile on any childs' face or for that matter any human being. It is difficult to resist the offer of any chocolate. Now-a -days more so, as  it has also been proven that dark chocolates are good for health. Moreover, its the season to cheer so even if you are health concious, once in a way I feel there is no harm in indulging !!

I have made this chocolate pudding using "China Grass" or "Agar Agar" as it is also known as. It  is used as a gelatine substitute mostly by vegetarians as gelatine contains animal matter. China Grass is derived from seaweed which helps to coagulate or 'set' liquids.

This is a very tasty and easy to make pudding.

 Ingredients:
 

Milk	½ litre or 500ml
Cocoa powder	2 tbsps
Drinking chocolate	1 tbsp
Sugar	100 gms or ½ cup
Corn flour	5-6 tbsps
Cream	100 gms or ½ cup
China grass (agar agar)	About 5 gms
Water	1/4th cup
For Decoration (optional)
Whipped cream and glazed cherry

 Method:

1. Put "china grass" (agar agar) in 1/4th cup of water and heat it till its completely dissolved.
2. Combine sugar, corn flour, cocoa powder,drinking chocolate in a bowl. Add litle milk and make a paste.
3. Boil remaining milk. Lower the flame and add to it the corn flour sugar etc mixture stirring constantly and until a thick and smooth mixture is formed. Switch off the gas.
4. Now add cream and the melted hot china grass into this smooth mixture. Mix well.
5. Rinse a jelly mould with cold water.
6. Pour the mixture in the mould and set in the freezer for 1 hour or refrigerate it for 2-3 hours.
7. Unmould pudding before serving and decorate it with whipped cream and glazed cherry.

Preparation time : 20 mins
Cooking time      : 10 mins


Note:

• China Grass is readily available in any Super Market.
• Instead of whipped cream, the pudding can also be decorated by mixed nuts or grated chocolate.

Tomato and Oregano Omelette

After pruning the Oregano plant ( I had written about it in my last blog), I preserved the leaves to prepare this tasty snack. This is a breakfast snack. Those who are vegetarians/vegans or allergic to eggs will enjoy this. Children just love this.

Ingredients

Tomatoes (medium)	2
Onion (medium)	1
Oregano (leaves)	8-10
Green chillies	1
Ginger	½” piece
Gram Flour	2-3 tbsps
Salt	1 tsp
Water	1-2 tbsps
Oil	for frying

Method :

• Wash and chop - tomatoes, onions, green chilies, oregano and ginger.
• Put all the chopped ingredients in a bowl.
• Add salt and gram flour to the mixture.
• Once the salt is added, the mixture will leave a little water.
• If the mixture is still dry, you can add a tbsp of water. Do not make the mixture watery. Mix well and keep aside.
• Now take a frying pan and heat it on a medium flame and spread a little oil on it.
• When the pan is hot, take a spoonful of the mixture and spread it on the pan and fry it like pancakes or dosas.
• Dribble oil on the sides and turn it over after about 3-4 mins.
• Fry the other side too till done and remove.
• Serve hot.

Makes 4 small omelettes.

Serving Suggestions:

This can be eaten with bread slices either toasted or fresh. It can also be eaten

with the chapattis (as a chapatti roll) or just as a snack by itself.

Note:

Chopped coriander leaves can also be added along with oregano.