Almond Strawberry Wholemeal Sponge (Eggless & Butterless)

Almond Strawberry Wholemeal Sponge (Eggless & Butterless)


It has been a hectic week but can see light at the end of the tunnel. As part of my effort to deplete my pantry stock as much as possible before an important milestone, I tried making another cake. I quite enjoy making these with a twist and I do not think there is much point in making a wholemeal flour cake with loads of sugar, butter and eggs. I saw this recipe in a vegan cook book but adapted it to our taste and non-vegan cooking. If you are vegan, replace yogurt and milk with equivalent soya products. The original recipe does not call for any added sugar and infact says add sugarless jam etc. However, I had my own doubts about taking it to that extreme and added little brown sugar and used regular jam. I was utterly clueless about the result because usually what makes a sponge cake spongy is the all purpose flour, egg and butter and without these key ingredients, would it really be as sponge. Indeed it was fair to call it a sponge and I was very glad to have found a healthy cake recipe that one can have for snack or even breakfast. Usually I do not sift wholemeal flour as I like to keep the bran, this time I did just so that it does not affect the texture of the sponge. Also I wanted to ensure sifting was done so the flour is aerated to result in a spongy cake. Next time I would overcome the issue of keeping the bran by simply adding it back to the flour after sifting (sometimes it takes a wee while to figure out simple things). Now for the recipe...

225g wholemeal self rising flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoon strawberry jam
100g strawberry yogurt
¾ cup sunflower oil
175g strawberries, hulled
50ml milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
50g ground almonds
More jam to smear between layers

Preheat oven to 180degCand line the bottom of a cake tin with baking paper and grease the sides and paper

In a blender, blend together the oil, strawberries, jam, milk and yogurt until smooth

Put this in a large mixing bowl and add the ground almonds and sugar and mix

Sift the flour and baking powder together and fold into the mixture

Pour this into the cake tin and level. Drop the tin from a height of about 4 inches about ten times to get rid of excess air

Bake for 25 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.

Cool in the tin for 10 minutes and transfer to wire rack and cool completely

Cut into two halves by slicing in the middle of the cake and spread jam on one half

Put the other half on top and cut the cake to serve!

Eggless Mango Cake

Eggless Mango Cake

Baking is so relaxing these days. I find myself wanting to bake if I feel very stressed. It is a bit strange therapy for me, but it works and what better than having something yummy to eat at the end of a stress relieving session. I somehow avoid eggs in my baking mainly because not everyone in my family eats eggs and I noticed that not all my readers eat eggs. Many have been quite keen on eggless recipes and I am trying to make as many as possible. I am trying to perfect my cake making or any baking skills and have been reading a bit about it. This cake recipe, which is dairy free and low in fat, is very easy. However, it is following the nuance disciplines while baking that makes a difference. I was trying my best to make a moist and crack free eggless cake. Even professional bakers get cracks but they tend to cut the top off. Anyway, I tried a few tips I learned over the last few days. Right from sifting the flour – this helps aerate the flour so it will rise. Next is fold the batter slowly in only one direction and just until no lumps can be seen. Anymore mixing will make the cake hard. Tapping the cake tin filled with batter to allow excess air to escape. And most important, have the patience to wait until the cake has cooled before cutting it. Result, a cake that got good feedback from a number of people who tasted it. I used blueberries for topping; you could use any fruit of choice or even skip it.

1.5 cups all purpose flour
1.5 cups mango pulp
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
Couple of pinches of salt
1/3 cup oil
½ teaspoon almond extract/vanilla essence
2 tablespoons flaked almonds
Handful of blueberries

Preheat oven to 180degC and grease the cake tin sides and line the bottom with greaseproof baking paper

Put some blueberries on the base of the cake tin and also the almond flakes

Sift the flour and baking powder together

Add the salt and sugar to the flour and mix well

Add the mango pulp, oil, almond extract and gently fold in until just combined. Do not over mix the batter

Pour batter into the prepared cake tin and level it. Gently drop the cake tin about 10 times from about 3-4 inches height. This is to allow excess air entrapped to escape so cake rises well

Bake for 30 minutes or so (until a skewer inserted at the centre comes clean)

Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then open the tin and cool the cake in cooling rack. Put a sheet of baking paper on the rack before placing the cake so the rack does not damage the cake. Also peel off the baking paper from the cake

Once completely cooled, cut and indulge!

Methi Chapatti

Methi Chapatti


One of the wonderful ingredients Indian cuisine has to offer is methi, fenugreek. The leaves are very nutritious, ofcourse it is no surprise considering it falls under the leafy green vegetable category. It is a good source of fibre and also said to be rich in vitamin C. It is usually said to be bitter although I have never really found to be bitter enough to stay away from it. It is extremely aromatic and even in the dried form it adds a lot of flavour and aroma. It is important that the food is aromatic because the aroma triggers the secretion of digestive juices (yep, that would explain the drooling when sniffing aromatic and ofcourse very well presented food) which are important for effective digestion of food which eventually results in making nutrition available for absorption. This chapatti was extremely delicious and I really wish I had unlimited access to these leaves so I could make this chapatti more often. You do not need a side dish for this as it has a good load of flavours so would be ideal if you are running out of time or energy.

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour (atta)
½ bunch methi leaves (about couple of handful)
Salt to taste
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
Cooking oil
Ghee

Mix all ingredients except oil and ghee. Add enough water (about 1 cup of hot water should be enough) to make a soft chapatti dough. Rest the dough for atleast 10 minutes

Divide into equal portions and make balls

Using some flour to dust roll the balls into chapattis

Cook on a hot tava (once bubbles appear on bottom side, flip, then press, once it bubbles again flip and press) and dab some ghee on both sides

Serve with yogurt and or pickle!