The plight of studying and there after working, without being able to spend any time in the kitchen, was felt for the first time by me when I had to cook for myself. After I got married we went overseas, feeding the two souls soon became a nightmare. Bigger was the burden of not cooking when colleagues in office, I would call them male stereotypes, didn’t think much about woman who couldn’t cook. My state was obviously of astonishment. The ordeal continued for the next 8 years of constantly being reminded that without culinary skills, a woman is not woman enough.
Then we
moved to a new country and I decided to be at home. Now was the time to be
there. Every day was a new creation- some delicious some burnt, other days were
beautiful presentation without taste. After many hours being poured into
improvising, my first triumph came when after an evening party- compliments
showered from all over. Starters, main course, dessert- all vanished. .
Encouraged
by my friends and family I am sharing a simple recipe here.
I can call
this Idiots guide to baking for vegetarians- baking can be very easy if one
remembers the basics. Few simple rules to remember- gather all ingredients
before you begin. Always make the baking dish ready and preheat the oven. Bake
with lower grill on only, not both. Give it a try.
Feel free to write to me
with any questions/feedback
SPONGE CAKE
FOR VEGETARIANS AND VEGANS.
Both Vanilla
and Chocolate
Vegetarian:
Prep Time- 5
Min
Bake Time-20
Min
What do we need?
11/2 cup
whole meal flour
Half cup
cooking oil (Sunflower, Corn)
1 tsp
vanilla essence, 1/3 tsp baking soda,
1 tsp full
baking powder
¼ cup
coarsely powdered walnuts
50 ml - can
of any aerated drink ( I prefer 7 up)
50 ml –
milk- low fat/full cream
2 tbs- full
icing sugar
1 tsp lemon
or orange rind
What to do
we do?
Collect all
ingredients. Switch on the Oven for baking- lower grill- 180 deg or mark 3.
Prepare a 5
inch baking tin. (I prefer aluminum. Oil the tin and dust with the flour and
keep aside. )
To make the
batter-
In a glass
bowl, pour the flour, baking powder, soda, sugar, icing sugar and mix well with
a spoon. (I prefer flat wooden spoon). Make a well in the center- pour in oil,
essence, aerated drink, rime, nuts and half the amount of milk. Mix well in
circular motion to make a batter of smooth flowing consistency. Adjust the
consistency with more milk if required.
Immediately
pour into the ready tray. Clear off any sticky batter from glass bowl and pour
into the baking dish. Do not stir the batter once poured.
After twenty
minutes, check if the folk or pin comes clean. If not, bake for another 5
minutes. Cool onto a cooling tray.
Enjoy.
For the
chocolate version- add 2 tbs full of cocoa powder, 2 tbs sugar (if using
unsweetened cocoa) and a pinch of cinnamon. You can also use Almond essence
instead of vanilla.
For Vegan –
Use coconut milk instead of regular milk. Other ingredients are vegan.
If you have enjoyed reading this post, please take a moment to post a comment.
Tell me how
did it go? I will try to post some pictures soon.
n.b: This was the first post on the blog, but got deleted erroneously
Let me try this cake and surprise my wife with my cooking skills.....
ReplyDeleteThat is so encouraging to know .. so..someone is trying to woo her.. tell me how did it go..:).
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