CAKES, PIES & COOKIES - CAKES
Banana Almond Loaf
2 cups white self-raising flour
½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
½ cup sugar
½ cup butter
2 tbs. milk
4 tbs. sour cream
3 medium bananas
1 cup chopped almonds
1 tsp. grated orange peel
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Use a 900g/2 lb loaf tin. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the sour cream and orange peel, beating well. Mash the bananas, combine with the milk and add to the creamed mixture alternately with the flour mixture. Beat until smooth after each addition. Stir in the nuts. Turn into the greased loaf tin. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, and turn out onto a wire rack.
Banana Juggery Teabread
2 ½ cups white self-raising flour
1 tsp. baking powder
¾ cup soft brown sugar
¼ cup jaggery
6 tbs. butter
2 medium bananas
½ cup water
½ tsp. grated nutmeg
For the Icing:
¾ cup icing sugar
1 small lemon, grated rind and juice
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Use a 450g/1 lb loaf tin. Lightly grease the loaf tin. Sift the flour, nutmeg, sugar and baking powder into a bowl. Put the jaggery in a little warm water, just enough to make it liquid. Cook for a few minutes, then strain to remove particles. Put in a pan with butter and water water. Stir until the butter has melted, then put aside to cool a little. Mash the bananas and stir into the melted mixture. Pour into the flour and stir until evenly mixed. Pour into the loaf tin and bake for 1 hour 5 minutes. Turn out and cool on a wire rack. Icing. Sift the icing sugar and add enough lemon juice to make a thick icing. Stir in the rind and pour over the cooled cake. Slice the remaining banana and arrange on the top. Serve in slices, spread with butter.
Banana Lemon Cake
2 cups white self-raising flour
½ tsp bicarb
Pinch of salt
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup butter
½ cup milk
2 medium bananas
½ tsp lemon juice
3 drops lemon essence
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Use three 15cm/6 inch sandwich tins. Cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat thoroughly, stir in the lemon essence and mashed bananas until blended. Sift flour, soda and salt together. Mix milk with lemon juice to sour the milk, then stir both into the creamed mixture until combined. Grease and line the sandwich tins. Divide the mixture evenly between the three tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until light brown. Turn on to wire racks to cool.
Banana Walnut Cake
1-3/4 cups white self-raising flour
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp bicarb
salt to taste
¾ cup caster sugar
½ cup butter
3 tbs. yoghurt
3 large bananas
½ cup walnuts, finely chopped
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Use two 23cm/9 inch sandwich tins. Line and grease the sandwich tins. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt into a bowl. Cream the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Mash the bananas and mix into the creamed butter. Add the dry ingredients, one third at a time, alternately with the yoghurt, beating well after each addition. Stir in the walnuts and spoon into the prepared tin. Bake the cakes for about 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Carrot Cake
1 teaspoon Flax Seeds
1 cup Unrefined Sugar
1 cup Ghee
1/2 cup Milk
1/4 cup Apple Juice
1-1/2 cups Plain (unbleached) Flour
1/2 cup Whole wheat Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Mixed Spice
1/2 cup Raisins
4 medium Carrots, grated
1/2 cup Mixed nuts (optional)
Grind the flax seeds. Add the ghee, sugar, apple juice and milk. Blend till a thick smooth mixture is formed. Sift the flour into a bowl and add the baking powder, salt, mixed spice and baking soda. Pour in the blended mixture and combine. Add the carrots and the raisins and fold the entire mixture together. Pour into a greased and floured baking tin and cook at 175 C for about 45 minutes. Test with a knife, it should come out clean in the very centre of the cake, then done. The sweeter the carrots, the sweeter this cake will be. Ice it with a sour cream/cream cheese mixture if you like, and offer.
Date and Banana Cake
2/3 lb Wholemeal Flour
2 tbsp Baking Powder
6 Dates, pitted
2 tbsp Date Syrup
1 tbsp Molasses
3 Bananas
3 tsp Vanilla Essence
1/8 pt Milk
1/8 pt Water
1/4 lb Apple Sauce
1 doz Whole Almonds to Garnish
Mix the flour and baking powder together. Cut the dates up and add to the flour. Put the bananas, the date syrup, molasses, apple sauce, vanilla essence, water and milk in a blender and blend for about twenty seconds. You don't really want the bananas to be totally pulverised, a few little chunks are nice. Mix the liquid and dry ingredients together. Place in a 6 inch baking tin, which has been previously coated with butter and dusted with flour. Optionally place a few almonds on top of the cake for decoration. Spray the top of the cake with a little milk or oil (optional, though the cake gets quite crusty without it). Bake in an oven at about 170 deg C/ 340 deg F for approximately an hour or until a knife comes out clean. Ice the cake, garnish, and offer.
Eggless Cake #1
2 cups maida (regular flour)
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 can of condensed milk
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
a few drops of yellow colour
Water as needed
Put melted butter in a bowl and add sugar and mix thoroughly. Add condensed milk and mix it. Add maida and water and beat unto a cake-like batter. Add baking powder, baking soda, colour and vanilla essence and mix it. Pour the mixture into a pre-greased cake pan and bake it in pre-heated oven at 180 C for 35 to 40 minutes.
Eggless Cake #2
Maida (flour) 1-1/4 cups
Butter 1/2 cup
Condensed milk 1 tin (400 gms)
Lemon lime soda or carbonated water, 8 to 10 ozs. (150 ml)
Baking powder 1 tsp
Vanilla essence 3/4 tsp.
Melt butter in a pan. Sieve maida, soda and baking powder together. Empty contents of the condensed milk into a vessel. Stir in butter, vanilla and a quarter bottle of the soft drink. Stir in a quarter of the flour mixture gently. Repeat till both the liquid and the flour mixture make a smooth batter. Pour into a greased cake tin and bake in a moderate oven till it is golden brown in colour. Add icing, and offer.
Naradi Cake
1-1/2 cups all-purpose Flour
1 cup Sugar
1/3 cup carob flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
½ teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Lemon juice
1 cup Water
¼ cup Ghee
Mix all the dry ingredients, add all the wet ingredients, mix at low speed for 2 minutes, increase speed and mix until all the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth. Bake at 375 F for about 25-30 minutes. Decorate and offer.
Paneer Cake
1/2 gallon milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
Pinch of baking soda
1/4 tsp. rava
1/4 tsp. maida (flour)
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. Cardamom powder
Using milk and lemon juice, make paneer in the usual way. Drain and add weight for about 20 minutes. Knead the paneer or roll out with a rolling pin. Mix into the paneer the rava, maida, soda, and 1/2 cup sugar. Mix well. In a non-stick pan, lightly grease with butter and put on low heat. Add the paneer mixture. Cover and let cook. When one side is light brown, remove the cake on a plate and slide it back to the same pan to cook the other side to brown. Meanwhile, make chashni (sugar syrup): to the remaining 1/2 cup sugar add 1 cup water. Add cardamom powder. When the paneer cake is done, pour hot chashni on the top, while it still is in the heat. Cover and let cook in slow heat for a minute. Then remove from the heat and let the paneer cake cool to room temperature. Cut into slices, and offer.
Paneer Lemon Cheesecake
9 ounces paneer -- blended until smooth
1 can condensed milk, sweetened
1/2 pint double cream
2 lemons
8 ounces digestive biscuits -- crushed
3 ounces butter
Melt the butter over a low heat and stir in the biscuit crumbs. Press into a large loose-bottomed flan tin and refrigerate. Blend paneer until smooth, or a fine crumb. Add rind and juice of lemons, condensed milk and cream. Blend again until mixture thickens. Pour into the crust and chill overnight. Decorate with fresh berries and mint, and offer!
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
¼ cup Butter
½ cup Brown sugar
8 candied Cherries
1-1/4 cups all-purpose Four
¾ cup Sugar
2 teaspoons baking Powder
½ teaspoon Salt
1 cup Milk whole
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
8 slices Pineapple (canned or ripe fresh)
Melt butter in a pan in the oven oven. Blend in brown sugar. Arrange pineapple slice (about 8) over the brown sugar, around the pan and one in the center. Place a cherry (or walnut) in the center of each pineapple slice. Mix flour with sugar, baking powder and salt into mixing bowl. Add remaining butter and milk. Blend well at low speed. Add vanilla extract, continue beating at medium speed (or with a hand wisk). Spoon it over the fruit. Bake at 350 F. for about 40 or 50 minutes ‘till golden brown and springs back when touched in the center. Cool down 10 minutes. Put a tray over the pan and turn it over. Let stand about one minute before removing pan.
Sooji Cake
Maida (flour) - 1 cup
Powdered Sugar - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Fine Rava (Sooji) - 1/4 cup
Butter - 3/4 cup
Baking Powder - 3/4 tsp
In a wide vessel add maida, sugar and milk. Make it into nice paste without any lumps in it. To the above batter add rava, butter and baking powder. Mix it well and allow it to stand for about 10 minutes. Grease and flour a pan if baking in an oven, otherwise just grease the pan with some butter and cook it in a steamer. Pour the batter into the pan and bake in a pre-heated oven at 100 F for first 10 minutes, then raise temperature to 300 F and bake for another 15 minutes. If using a steamer, first put 2 cups of water in the steamer and heat it to boiling, then add one cup of water, let it just come to boil, and put in the cake. Keep on medium heat for 45 minutes. However you cook the cake, a toothpick should come out clean, and it’s done.
Sponge Cake
Condensed milk - 1 cup
Self-raising flour - 1 cup
Melted butter - 1/3 cup
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Pre-heat oven at 400 F. Sieve the flour, along with the baking powder and baking soda. Mix the condensed milk, butter, vanilla essence and 1/3 cup of water and beat well. Grease the baking pan with butter. Pour the mixture into it. Bake the first 15 minutes at 400 F and next 10 minutes at 300 F. Take it out and allow the cake to cool completely before frosting, and offering.
Sweet Potato Cake
2 pounds Sweet potato, grated
½ cup coconut, grated
1 cup white sugar
1-1/4 cups coconut milk
3 tablespoon custard flour
¼ cup butter
1-1/2 cups of self-rising flour
Sift the custard flour. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the sweet potato and 1/2 cup grated coconut to the butter mixture and mix well. Slowly beat in the custard flour. Add all the other ingredients and mix well. Pour the mixture into a greased baking tin and steam it for 40 minutes before baking it. Pre-heat oven to 180oc. Place the tin inside. Bake at 180oc for 40 minutes.
Tamil Nadu Carob Cake
Maida - 1 cup
Sugar - 2-2/3 cups
Carob powder - 4 tbs
Ghee - 4 tsp
Vanilla 1 tsp
Milk - 1/2 cup
Cashews - 6
Heat up 1 tsp of the ghee in a pan and fry the maida in it slightly. Mix the carob powder in the milk until it dissolves completely and evenly. Stir in the vanilla and ¼ cup sugar. Prepare the sugar syrup by heating up the sugar in a heavy bottomed vessel along with 1/4 cup water. The syrup should thicken to a consistency so that if a drop of the syrup is poured in water, it will settle down as a small droplet. Add the fried maida little by little with continuous stirring (else lumps would form). Also add the carob mixed in milk and the ghee and mix evenly. When the sweet no longer sticks to the sides of the vessel, add the cashew pieces and pour over a greased plate. Cut into diamond shaped pieces while slightly warm.
Vegan Carob Cake Supreme
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 tea spoon baking powder
1 tea spoon baking soda
1 tea spoon salt
2 table spoons carob powder
3/4 cup ghee
1 tea spoon vanilla
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cups cold water
Mix the first 5 dry ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the rest of the wet ingredients. Slowly add the dry mix to the wet ingredients; mix thoroughly. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes in a two nine-inch cake pans in preheated oven. After cooling these for about 2 hours, cool and decorate with frosting, and offer.
