Vanilla cake

I am always excited to bake cakes but many times it turns into a failure. So, I have started baking cupcakes first. Bingo! Perfect results come out every time. So, now I am more confident to make cakes.

My dearest friend wanted me to bake a cake for her daughter, Nyla's 1st birthday. The theme was Minnie Mouse. I have never made it before so I was a bit nervous but I took on the challenge. She had a Minnie Mouse cake pan, so I borrowed it from her. Now the fun part begins.

This cake was so moist, soft and the amount of sweetness is just right. I don't like to add more sugar because we cover it with frosting afterwards. My family loved it as well as my friend. She was excited to learn how to do butter cream icing, so I invited her to come over at my place and I taught her how to do icing with different types of icing tips. She was very happy. But I was more than happy because it was her daughter's first birthday cake and I wanted to make her little doll happy. 

I hope you like this recipe . Please give me feedback so I can improve!



Serves: Make 2 9" round cakes
                Make 1 9" x 13" pan cake

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups  sugar 
4 eggs at room temp.
2 1/2 cups  all-purpose flour 
1 cup  milk 
3/4 cup  vegetable oil 
2 1/4 teaspoons  baking powder 
1 teaspoon  vanilla 
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
1 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temp.
Flour for dusting
2 - 9" round cake pan OR 1- 9" x 13" rectangular pan

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F . 
2. Line two 9-inch round cake pans or one 9x13-inch rectangular baking pan with parchment paper. Grease the paper and dust with flour.
3. In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, beat  eggs until slightly fluffy, for about 1/2 minute. Add sugar and butter . Beat for another 1/2 minute. Don't overbeat the mixture. Overbeating won't makes cake moist and soft.
4. In another mixing bowl add flour, baking powder and sieve together.
5. Add 1/4 cup milk, 1/4 cup oil and vanilla into egg and sugar mixture and beat for 1/2 minute. Add 1/2 cup of flour and beat until the batter is smooth and creamy. Don't overbeat. 
6. Repeat the procedure until all ingredients mixed.
7. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan(s).
8. Tap the pan on flat surface to avoid bubbling in batter and to spread it evenly.
9. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until the tops are golden and poke a toothpick into the center of the layer to check if it comes out clean.
10. 9' x 13" rectangular pan will take longer to bake than two round ones.
11. Let it cool completely.
12. Carefully take out the cakes from pan and cover with your choice of frosting.

Enjoy!

Khandvi

Again after a long break, I am back to writing and sharing my food obsession!


Health is now my first priority as I have been diagnosed with early arthritis. I am not hesitant or shy to share it with you all. Our body is amazing and gives us surprises with age and time. Lifestyle and habits are responsible for our ill health. I have started changing my food habits and the way I take care of myself showed me shocking results. Soon, I will share my experience of Ayurveda and Naturopathy with you all in my New blog : My Care, My Way!

Today I would like to share a  tempting, delicious Gujarati snack called khandvi or you can say chickpea flour pinwheels. Khandvi is savory and spicy thin rolls that literally melt in your mouth!

It requires little effort and patience to make it. I have tried different methods and tricks to make it, such as on the stove top, microwave, or cooker but I liked the traditional way of doing it on a stove cook top. Other methods are easy as well. This recipe requires some skill to spread the mixture fast and spread it thin, but once you figure it out you'll get the hang of doing it!

In this recipe, you can make approximately 30 khandvi, depending on how small or big the rolls you make are.

Ingredients: (Makes 30 rolls)

1 cup besan (chickpea flour, gram flour)
1 cup yogurt 
2 cups of water
1/8th tsp turmeric
1/4 cup fresh shredded coconut
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp green chilli paste
Salt to taste
Cilantro chopped for garnishing
Aluminium foil
Oil
Mustard seeds


Procedure:

1. Lightly oil back of baking tray or prepare 12" aluminium foil pieces to spread the khandvi mixture.
2. In medium mixing bowl add flour , yogurt and water. With hand mixer, mix them well and make batter lump free.
3. Add turmeric, ginger, green chilli paste, salt. Mix well.
4. On medium heat, place nonstick or regular steel pot. Pour flour batter in to pot and stir it. Do not leave pot unattended.
5. Keep stirring mixture continuously and make sure  it doesn't form any lumps or burn the mixture.
6. Keep stirring until the mixture start leaving the sides of pot and start turning into a lump.
7. Take little lump and try to spread on tray, if it is wet then stir the mixture for little while.
8. Try to spread it again and if it is not wet and pull the sides and if you can roll it, means your khandvi mixture is ready. It takes time to get the hang of it, but it is not an impossible task:)
9. Switch off the stove and move pot away from heat and cover it so, mixture doesn't get dried up.
10. Spread the mixture on tray evenly and try to spread thin. But its ok if you are doing first time then thickness wont matter as such .
11. After 10-15 mins , spread coconut and cilantro on top of it. 
12. With the help of knife , make straight cut and roll each khandvi carefully.
13. Arrange khandvi on serving plate.
14. Heat little oil and add mustard seeds, green chillies and curry leaves.
15. Pour this oil on to khandvi rolls.
16. Garnished with cilantro, coconut and if you have pomegranate seeds available to make it more colorful.

Step By step procedure:

Enjoy!!!