Breaking away from the traditional
means change. And Change is painful, its an evolution in itself. But it was
fun.
No I am not talking about
metamorphosis or a butterfly’s lifecycle :-))
Baking – the fear of yeast, the
fear of burnt breads, of overeating too much flour, sugar : all laid to rest.
Although I cant say I have mastered baking by any measure, the run up to the
Month long Baking Marathon – Fire up your oven - did help me become friends with
Mr. Yeast.
Thanks to Valli for this theme, this helped me largely to strike off more of my baking bookmarks collected over the years, while learning how to
deal Mr. Yeast and tame him a bit… 🙂
Amply helped by the ever
supportive husband who lovingly lugged back bags of organic wholewheat bread
flour, packets of instant yeast & non alcoholic vanilla, the house has
smelt like a bakery over the past few months whenever we baked. Despite a no-maida
(APF), low sugar and almost zero butter restriction zone at home , we enjoyed making
these bakes.
31 bloggers are participating in
this April Marathon of Baking Theme. Stay tuned to see what all we have dished
out...
Starting on a sweet note, today’s
post is a special almond cake that I made sometime ago with wholewheat and almond
flour. As I don’t frost any of my
cupcakes or cakes, we enjoy these sweet treats with an afternoon cup of tea.
Kiddo enjoys a warmed up slice post her school or in her snack box. Hope you enjoy the series….
Day 1 : Eggless Orange & Wholewheat almond
meal tea cake
Recipe type : Cakes (tea cakes)
Source / inspiration : Deeba’s recipe
Prep time: 20 mins
Bake time :
30 mins (varies from oven to oven)
- Wholewheat flour – 1.5 cups
- Almond meal – ½ cup
- Condensed milk – ½ cup
- Orange juice - ½ cup
- Cold butter - 50 gms
- Oil – ⅔ cup
- Baking soda – 1 tsp
- Baking powder – 1 TBSP
- Salt – a pinch
- Cinnamon powder – ½ teaspoon (optional)
- Vanilla essence – ½ TBSP**
- buttermilk – ½ cup (or substitute
with ¼ cup yoghurt mixed with ¼ cup water) - Topping : sliced and / or blanched
(or whole almonds) – 2 handfuls, pistachios and some diced walnuts
** original recipe called for
almond essence which I didn’t have so substituted with vanilla essence
Method:
- Sift the flour with baking soda,salt and baking powder. Cream the butter and oil. Add the almond meal and mix well. Pre heat oven to 180
deg C, line a cake pan and grease / line with parchment. - Mix the liquids – buttermilk, orange juice, condensed milk and oil well, add vanilla essence and cinnamon and mix well. To
this, add the above flour mix . Add a handful of the nuts (floured in a teaspoon of flour) and mix well - Transfer the lumpy mass (add a teaspoon or two of
milk if its too dry) into a cake pan. Top with chopped almond - Bake for 30 mins (keep an eye
after 22 mins) or till done well. Cool, slice and serve
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 51
"
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MySpicyKitchen says
Lucky you, this time husband refused to eat that I am cooking for the blog.. 🙁 The cake looks decadent and would not mind it as a n afternoon snack. Even I do not frost most of my cakes and enjoy them without any frosting on it. Looking forward to seeing your wonderful bakes.
vaishali sabnani says
Kalyani I know your bakes are going to be healthy so really looking forward..well truly we dont need that sugar, butter and flour..but can afford healthy ones sometimes. The cake looks fantastic !!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Very lovely tea time cake and I would really like to sit down and have a piece of that with my afternoon coffee! I am also not a big fan of frosting and always save a chunk with no frosting for myself. Looking forward to your rest of the bakes 🙂
Priya Srinivasan - I Camp in My Kitchen says
Wow, kalyani, cake looks scrumptious. Yup as Vaishali said we know that it is going to be a healthy bake list from your side, looking forward for all those delicious bakes!!!!
Srivalli says
Such a lovely bake Kalyani..can't wait to read up all your bakes...I don't like to frost and prefer a tea cake, so this will surely be bookmarked!
Foodiliciousnan says
Cake looks beautiful! I too don't add any icing when baking for home. Love the way you have topped the cake with almond slivers. I find out is very easy to sub maida in most cake recipes with Indian attack and a bit of almond powder.
Unknown says
the last click looks awesome!!! beautiful cake and a great start to the marathon...
Unknown says
So we can have some healthy bake recipes from you, cake looks so yummm..
Gayathri Kumar says
Awesome Kalyani. That slice of cake looks absolutely delicious with that nutty topping...
Padmajha says
Nice to hear that you have befriended Mr. Yeast :). And this cakes sounds delicious. I have been looking forward to you bakes.Want to try out the no APF and healthy bakes from here 🙂
Harini R says
Beautiful looking cake Kalyani. I shall look forward to all your bakes this month. I am just like you - don't like frosting and I have never done that. My older one is totally a different matter 🙂
veena says
Another healthy bake. Looks stunning. Waiting to see all your healthy creations Kal!!
Rajani S says
Butterfly's lifecycle :-))))))...Yes, its quite a change especially for those who started baking late. We Indians cant stand bread and cakes on a daily basis and hats off to our families in supporting this adventure!
Srividhya says
Wow loved this cake. No yeast is great. Loved the nutty toppings
Priya Suresh says
Thats a beautiful cake Kalyani..I dont like frosting as well, looking forward for ur beautiful bakes ..
Unknown says
yum yum
The Pumpkin Farm says
that is some recipe i want to taste...the picture is stunning, i wud have loved to take it in my hands and look at it for a moment , great to have you here and looking forward to doing this month with you
Saraswathi Ganeshan says
Love this fluffy cake.. It would have tasted great with crunchy texture and bursting orange flavor.. Yumm
Nalini's Kitchen says
Perfectly made,healthy version..We too love the cakes without frosting..Must be a flavorful cake..
Pavani says
What a flavorful and delicious looking cake Kalyani. Looks moist & fluffy. Looking forward to all your bakes this month.
Suja Ram says
That Tea cake is absolutely stunning Kalyani! Wholewheat, Almond meal and bursting flavour of Orange and crunchy nut topping - cake can't get any healthier and delicious than this. Bookmarked! Lovely pics!
Suja Ram says
That Tea cake is absolutely stunning Kalyani! Wholewheat, Almond meal and bursting flavour of Orange and crunchy nut topping - cake can't get any healthier and delicious than this. Bookmarked! Lovely pics!
Varada's Kitchen says
Sourcing whole wheat flour suitable for baking is a big step. The cake looks great, nice crust. I look forward to your baked goodies.
Archana says
Looking forward for more such yummy bakes from you Kal. This one looks amazing and is bookmarked.
Sneha's Recipe says
This cake is perfectly baked and has a lovely crust.
Suma Gandlur says
Love the ingredients that went in there and the beautiful color. Bookmarked.:)