Tag Archives: whole wheat cake

Cake in an hour – Whole Wheat Walnut Cake with Chocolate Ganache and Walnuts

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That was a busy afternoon, with normal after school snack, home work and other activities of the young one at home. When there was news of sudden guests, I started thinking of quick and easy sweets to serve them. With just a couple of hours in hand and a desire to serve something good, if not exotic, I started surfing my brain for quick goodies. I opened the fridge to find a box full of walnuts and decided to bake a walnut cake. What started as a quick bake, turned out to be a perfect cake with additional chocolate ganache and walnut topping too.  As always, the cake is 100% whole wheat with olive oil and no butter. To reduce more, I mixed the whole batter in a blender, without any stress on hands.

Quick recipe for the quick cake…..

  
Whole Wheat Walnut Cake with Walnut Coated Chocolate Ganache

  

  
Ingredients

  • whole wheat flour – 2 cups
  • sugar – 1 1/2 cups
  • olive oil – 1 cup
  • eggs – 3 no.s
  • baking powder – 1/2 tsp
  • baking soda – 1/2 tsp
  • milk – 1 cup
  • vanilla essence – 1 tsp
  • walnuts (finely chopped) – 1 cup

  

Method of Preparation

  

  

  1. In a blender, beat 3 eggs – white and yolks combined
  2. Add sugar, olive oil and blend. You would arrive at a mayonnaise consistency
  3. Add 1 cup whole wheat flour and beat well in the blender
  4. Add baking powder and the rest 1 cup flour and blend well. Now, the mixture would be quite thick
  5. Boil milk in a pan and pour into a bowl with baking soda. The soda added milk would bubble-up into a frothy fluid
  6. Pour this frothy milk into the mixer jar and blend till well incorporated
  7. If one feels the mixture is still thick, add little water to make the batter a bit thinner
  8. At this point, preheat oven at 180 deg. C.
  9. While oven is getting heated up, transfer the batter into a wide jar and fold in the finely chopped walnuts
  10. Pour into greased tin. I used small loaf tins to bake tea cakes. One can bake a whole round or rectangular cake as preferred
  11. Bake the batter for 25-30 minutes or till a tooth pick comes out clean.

  

  

Chocolate Ganache with walnut topping

  • 70% dark chocolate – 150 gms
  • full cream – 150 gms
  • hersheys unsweetened cocoa powder – 2 tbsp
  • walnuts – 1 1/2 cups – little more or less – very finely chopped

 

 

  

  1. For the ganache, keep a double boiler on stove and place any good quality dark chocolate, preferably 70% cocoa. I prefer 70% here as there is no extra sugar needed and it is not too bitter.
  2. 70%-80% also gives me the freedom to use unsweetened cocoa powder to make it more chocolatty and slightly bitter as per my taste buds. 90% is truly bitter and adding sugar solidifies it more and that ends up in more cream for the texture of ganache.
  3. So go in for your own favorite good quality dark chocolate and combine with unsweetened cocoa powder and cream, and make your own very bitter/moderately bitter/less bitter ganache as preferred.
  4. Once the chocolate starts to melt, add cream and cocoa powder and stir well till it becomes thick enough to spread with ease. We don’t need pourable consistency here nor a thicker version to apply over the cake.
  5. Spread the ganache on the cake with ease and sprinkle the very finely chopped walnuts on top.
  6. Keep in freezer for 10 minutes to set.
  7. Cut and serve.
  8. The cake is equally good without the ganache too.

  

Eggless Whole Wheat Date and Walnut Cake

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Merry Christmas to one and all!!

Next on the list is an eggless date and walnut cake. This was requested by one of my readers quite some time back. I know this is a very late response, my heartfelt regrets on that… yet better late than never!

This can also be an excellent substitute to a fruity Christmas Cake. There is no need for the caramel syrup in the Christmas Cake, this cake has the true goodness and color of dates. With no empty calories, it is surely a healthy snack or dessert for kids and adults alike.
100% Whole Wheat Eggless (No Butter) Dates and Walnut Cake

 

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Ingredients

 

heaped cup of flour

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dates and walnuts

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  • whole wheat flour – 1 heaped cup – 175 gms
  • brown cane sugar – packed 1/2 cup – 90 gms
  • refined oil – little more than 1/2 cup – 90 ml
  • yoghurt – 4 tsp
  • baking soda – 1 1/2 tsp
  • chopped dates – 1 cup – 175 gms
  • chopped walnuts – 1/2 cup – 50 gms
  • boiling hot water – 3/4 cup – 120 ml extra water – 1/2 cup (if needed to add in the end to make the batter thinner)

 

soaked dates in water

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Method of Preparation

  1. Preheat oven at 160 degrees C
  2. Grease a baking tray and keep ready
  3. In a wide bowl, place chopped dates, sugar and hot water; Close and let it soften for 10 minutes
  4. In another bowl, add baking soda and chopped walnuts to the whole wheat flour
  5. After 10 minutes, the dates would have become soft; add refined oil to the date, water, sugar mixture
  6. To this liquid mixture, add flour – walnut mixture little by little
  7. Now, the batter would be a thick one, add 4 tsp yoghurt and mix well
  8. Use the reserved 1/2 cup water if the cake batter is very thick or use as little water as possible to bring the batter to spoonable consistency
  9. Bake for 50 mins to an hour till a tooth pick comes out clean
  10. Cool and serve the cake.

 

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Eggless Whole Wheat (No Butter) Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Carrot Cake is something special for various reasons-  it is a healthy one as it has carrots and has a distinct spicy flavor with cinnamon and nutmeg. I remember baking carrot cake once or twice when I was young, when I didn’t know it was a winter cake. I also firmly believe climate and craving can be diagonally opposite to each other.

Now, how can I bring in winter/snow to Chennai to bake my carrot cake… then I would never have tried this wonderful cake. Remember, I come from Tamilnadu,a state where thaathas (grandpas) and aachis (grandmas) use their mufflers and pull overs for their early morning walks or temple walks, only in Maargazhi Maatham (the tamil month of Maargazhi) – mid December to mid January, when the early morning temp. would be just below 20 degrees.

This report a couple of years might summarise the actual climatic condition of Chennai, Tamilnadu –

 

A report recently released by the Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, said the actual minimum temperatures fall below 20 degrees Celsius during January and February. At times, the actual minimum temperatures varies 2 to 4 degrees Celsius below normal values. Records of the past 25 years show there is a gradual rise in minimum temperatures over Chennai ranging between 17 and 20 degrees Celsius.

The Met office recorded the lowest temperature in the last 28 years on January 27, 1982 (15.6 degrees Celsius), followed by 16.2 degrees Celsius on February 3, 1982. In 2010, the minimum temperature range went up to 17.5-23.4 degrees Celsius, with a monthly mean temperature of 21.2 degrees Celsius. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-01-19/chennai/28356276_1_lowest-temperature-degrees-celsius

 

This is what winter means to us the Tamils! For more on our seasons – see dosaikal.com/thai-pongal-the-harvest-festival/.

Now, with global warming there is a decrease in temperature levels – where aachi has to stay with her sweater for the whole night. Now, Phnom Penh –
‘Citizens Warned to Wrap Up Against Cold Snap’

read the headlines of Cambodia Daily.

 

While the ministry’s website put temperatures in Phnom Penh at 21 degrees last night, Oum Ryna, director of the ministry’s meteorology department, said in some areas of the country temperatures could drop as low as 14. degrees.  http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/citizens-warned-to-wrap-up-against-cold-snap-48739/

 

So, Carrot Cake justified!!
The FLOP STORY and The JOY OF SUCCESS

 

too watery… not good

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When I tried as usual to make this cake a 100% whole wheat, eggless, butterless cake, it was a heart breaking flop consecutively 4 times. My desperation has no words to express that I even tried baking twice a day the same cake (of-course wasting nearly 200 gms of flour and other things twice in the same day . Thanks to my better half who never mentioned a word on wastage!). And that I tried converting the flop carrot cake into carrot cookies is another story.

The cake looked great from the outside – but was pudding like in the inside. Tried with crushed pineapple and once without the pineapple. One thing became sure – the cake was becoming too moist with yoghurt as substitute to eggs. Mixing all the wet ingredients – oil and yoghurt to sugar as first stage was making the mix more watery. So, adding pineapple created more problems.

Then I came across a few recipes – some vegan, some with all purpose flour and a few egg-less but with butter. A very few had a difference – where the dry ingredients were taken first and then the wet ingredients were added one by one to be immediately spooned into the cake tray and baked in the oven. By this the batter remained intact and didn’t let sugar and yoghurt and oil to become watery. I decided to give this a last try. Hurray!! This method worked well and my long awaited Carrot Cake was delivered in great shape!

Because of the continuous flops, I went in for a smaller cup size.
100% Whole Wheat Egg-less (No Butter) Carrot Cake

 

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Ingredients

dry ingredients

  • whole wheat flour – 1 heaped cup – 125 gms
  • brown cane sugar – 3/4 cup – 100gms
  • salt – a pinch
  • cinnamon powder – 3/4 tsp
  • nutmeg powder – 1/2 tsp
  • baking powder – 1 tsp – 4 gms
  • baking soda – 1 tsp – 4 gms
  • chopped walnuts – 1/4 – 1/2 cup

wet ingredients

  • grated carrots – 1 cup – 125 gms
  • refined oil – 1/2 cup – 75 ml
  • thick curds – 1/2 cup – 100 gms
  • grated ginger – 1/2 tsp
  • vanilla essence – 1 tsp

 

Method of Preparation

  1. Preheat oven at 175 degrees Celsius
  2. Grease a baking tray or place greased baking sheet, ready for the batter to be spooned in
  3. In a large bowl, take all the dry ingredients – flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, baking powder and baking soda one by one except chopped walnuts
  4. Start adding the wet ingredients one by one  – carrots and ginger first
  5. Next, add oil and last thick curds/yoghurt and mix well
  6. Incorporate well as the baking powder and baking soda with the flour should dissolve completely, yet make it quick as the yoghurt and sugar doesn’t make the batter watery
  7. Fold in the chopped walnuts
  8. Spoon the batter into the baking tray
  9. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or till a tooth pick comes out clean.

 

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Carrot Cakes look great with Cream Cheese Frosting – as a family we would prefer a plain carrot cake and avoid the sweet frosting. Still for the great experience of making a frosting and my latest culinary interest – please do bear with me.. my dear friends!
Cream Cheese Frosting

 

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Ingredients (Less quantity for the above small cake – I had some left over frosting too)

  • cream cheese (I used Philadelphia cream cheese) – 115 gms
  • unsalted butter – 60 gms
  • icing sugar or confectioners sugar – 110 gms
  • vanilla essence – 3/4 tsp
  • chopped almonds for topping

Method of Preparation

  1. Keep the cream cheese and butter out of refrigerator and bring to room temperature
  2. Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth
  3. Add vanilla essence
  4. Spoon in sugar and mix well till a spreadable texture is achieved
  5. Amount of sugar can be altered to individual preference – (this was a bit too sweet for us)
  6. Spread on the cake with a blunt knife or spatula
  7. Arrange chopped almonds or any other nuts of your choice or decorate as you wish.

Egg-less Whole Wheat Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is ready!

Whole Wheat-Oatmeal Chocochip Cupcake

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I truly loved this cake. Raised well and fluffy and very light too, might be because of oatmeal! As a cup cake, this was also easier to pack as a break time snack for my daughter. The most delightful thing about the cake – my little princess made it herself. Most of the cakes posted in dosaikal are child-friendly in making- tested and trialled at home with my 6 year old. I give her the ingredients one after the other, while I preheat the oven; She never allows me to grease the cake tray too! So, I can bet on this, this is the best way to engage those little minds of constant energy.

I made this in a small cup measurement. Reason – with the cake series to keep going – baking a cake once a week, is too much for a small family and surely I do not want to put on those extra calories. As a kid’s snack, my kid loves to bake than to have her share.

Whole Wheat-Oatmeal Chocochip Cupcake (makes 6 cupcakes)

 

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Ingredients

  • whole wheat flour – 1 cup – 75 gms
  • oatmeal – 1/2 cup – 30-40 gms
  • brown cane sugar – 1 cup – 100 gms
  • oil (used refined sunflower oil)- 1/2 cup – 50 gms
  • egg – 1 no.
  • baking powder – 3/4 tsp
  • baking soda – 3/4 tsp
  • hot milk – 1/4 cup (more or less as per consistency of cake)
  • vanilla essence – 1 tsp
  • chocochip – 1 handful
  • chopped walnuts (optional) – 1/4 cup

*substitute 1/2 cup yoghurt in place of egg
*if yoghurt is used, quantity of milk needed might be less – adjust accordingly
*double the quantity of ingredients for more cupcakes

Method of Preparation

  1. Preheat oven at 175 degrees C
  2. cupcake tray or moulds
  3. Mix/Sift whole wheat flour and baking powder and keep aside
  4. Measure the oatmeal and mix with wheat and baking powder and keep ready
  5. In a wide bowl, beat the egg and mix sugar and oil
  6. Add vanilla essence
  7. To this mixture, add the dry ingredients (wheat flour, oatmeal and baking powder) in batches
  8. Heat milk and add to baking soda and it would turn foamy
  9. Pour into the cake batter immediately
  10. If consistency of the batter is too thick, add little more milk; the batter is good if it is spoon-able and need not be pourable
  11. Mix in the chocochips
  12. If adding walnuts, mix in little flour and then add to the batter; this would avoid walnuts settling in the bottom of the cake
  13. Spoon the batter into moulds
  14. Bake for 20-30 minutes or till tooth pick/skewer comes out clean

 

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Remember the Chocolate Ganache that I had kept in fridge? That made a good topping on the cupcake! Slightly microwaved the thickened ganache and poured over the cupcakes and decorated as per my daughter’s wish!!

 

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Enjoy.

100% Whole Wheat Banana Cake (Butterless, Eggless)

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100% whole wheat cake
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A long line of festivities and longer line of sweets and snacks have been in display at homes. Why not start a CAKE SERIES… while Santa is on his way!

I have always wanted to increase the list of cakes in dosaikal. The main reason is not simply a passion to bake – but to bake HEALTHY as much as possible. So, how about having a favorite snack without the guilt of adding more empty calories?!

And especially for those little ones who are always tempted towards donuts, pastries, french fries and many more in the same category of junk with white flour – why not let them have their share with fewer restrictions – with these cakes made of 100% whole wheat, without butter and mostly without eggs too!

 

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And for adults too – these butterless delicacies can certainly help reduce those extra calories! So, don’t control your cravings.. just indulge!!

The recipes have reached this stage after a series of trial and error experimentation and I have also tried to follow a few recipes from fellow bloggers and converted the butter, egg and flour into oil, yoghurt and wheat as the previous cake recipes.

Let’s start with Whole Wheat Banana Cake, adapted from the recipe of one of my friends. The cake she had made was made to ‘Bakery Perfection’, with the flavor and aroma of banana. For me, after a few flops, this combination of ingredients turned out to be good and almost perfect for an experimentation.
100% Whole Wheat Banana Cake (Butterless and Eggless)

 

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Due to continuous flops, I preferred to experiment with a very small cup measurement. The cup I chose was a small bowl which measures 75gms of wheat flour, equivalent to a small tea-cup.  The proportions of flour, sugar and oil can be done with any cup measurement, but calculating the quantity of baking powder and baking soda might be difficult with cup measurements. Hence, the weight in grams is also given for perfect ratios.
Ingredients

  • whole wheat flour/gothumai maavu/atta – 2  cups/150 gms
  • brown cane sugar – 1 cup/100 gms
  • refined oil (I always use sunflower oil) – 3/4 cup/75 gms
  • yoghurt – 1 cup levelled – appr. 80-90 gms
  • well ripen bananas – 4 no.s small – 1 cup/125 gms when mashed
  • baking powder – 1 tsp/4 gms
  • baking soda – 1 tsp/4 gms
  • hot milk – 1/2 cup
  • banana essence – 1 tsp (can also use vanilla essence)

 

had a lovely brown colour in the bottom – thanks to the gas oven

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Method of Preparation
Keeping things ready

  1. Preheat oven at 170 degrees C or if gas oven keep the knob at 4
  2. Grease the required cake tin
  3. Sift wheat flour and baking powder and keep aside
  4. Mash the bananas with spoon (original recipe); I blended in a blender

Preparing the Batter

  1. In a wide bowl, mix oil, sugar and yoghurt
  2. Then, add banana essence and mashed bananas and mix well
  3. Dissolve baking soda in hot milk – this will form into a foamy white mixture and add this to the above batter
  4. Fold in the sieved flour-baking powder
  5. Spoon the batter in the cake tin. Smooth top with a spatula
  6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, depending upon the oven – till skewer comes out clean. A bigger cake would need more time.

 

and the upper crust soft and lighter in colour

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