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.

Healthy (Multi Grain ) Bread

Bread is one of the most versatile bakery item. It can be had as a quick breakfast snack for all those who are on the run and at the same time the humble bread can be converted into a healthy sandwich with assortment of vegetables for the vegetarians or with non-veg fillings for the non-vegetarians. One can also make savoury dishes or even sweets. It is ideal for lunch packs, for parties or even while travelling. The choices are endless. I simply love the bread. Even during my childhoood days, I would always prefer to have bread for breakfast and I was aptly named "Miss Pav" - because in those days in Bombay/Mumbai we would get freshly baked "Pav" early in the mornings and with a dollop of butter spread on it - it tastes heavenly!

According to my opinion, there is nothing to beat the freshly baked homemade bread. The aroma of the bread that wafts through the kitchen while it is being baked is truly amazing and I really do not have words to describe this wonderful aroma.

Freshly baked Multi-grain bread

Tea-time - open sandwiches

Ingredients:

Multi Grain flour	3 cups
All purpose flour (Maida)	2 cups
Dry yeast	1½ tsps
Honey	1 tsp
Warm water	2 cups
Salt	1 tsp
Oil (sunflower oil)	3 tbsps
Warm milk	1-2 tbsps

Method:

1. Mix in a small bowl -  warm water, dry yeast and honey. Set aside to foam.
2. In a large bowl, mix the multi-grain flour, all purpose flour (maida), salt, oil and the formed yeast and mix thoroughly. Knead it well for  about 10-15 mins.( If you have a food processor, your work will be done much quicker).
3. Cover the dough with a wet cloth and leave it to rise for about half an hour or till the dough has doubled in size.
4. Place the dough in an greased loaf tin or you can also form it into any shape and place it on an well oiled baking tray. Leave it to rise for another 20 minutes.
5. Moisten the cloth with the warm milk and brush the surface of the dough.
6. Bake it at 200 degrees centigrade for 25 mins.
7. Allow it to cool before slicing.

Makes: 12 round bread (about 3"-4" diameter each)


Note:

• This is a simple basic bread recipe. It will be slightly dense than those available in the market.
• You can also substitute multi-grain flour with whole wheat flour.
• Variations can be made by adding chillies, some herbs, spices etc. for different flavours.