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I was planning to bake a cake.I thought about making a coffee & even a date cake.Then ,I realised that the bananas were going to get overripe soon.My kid will eat banans when they are just ripe not over ripe.So ,I had to make a banana cake.My kid broght some berries ( assorted in a packet worth Rs 160 /- ) .As any mom, I saw red. Then ,she proceeded to make a smoothie with a handful of those berries & almond milk.The berries just got a little crushed & stayed at the bottom.They were not blending with the almond milk.She then strained the berries.And she realised that she will not be able to either drink the strained almond milk ,collected in a glass nor able to gulp down the berry mix that lay in the strainer. She left them like that on the kitchen platform.I was cross as almond milk is too steeply priced just like the berries.This is because she liked the appearance of neither the strained almond milk nor that of the strained berries .So much so, that she left without tasting either of them ! So,I thought ,it would be a good idea to use both the almond milk as also the strained berry mix in banana cake.Otherwise,I would have used yoghurt, in place of almond milk as it gives good results.
I googled & got many vegan cake recipes. I mixed up the many recipes .
Ingredients : 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour, 1/4 cup maida, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 cup oil, 4 medium to small bananas ( the over ripe they are ,better for the cake ) , 1 -2 tbsp berry mix ( optional ) , 1 cup almond milk, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, salt to taste, a handful of almonds for garnish,water if needed.
Method : Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade.
Add 1 tsp apple cider vinegar to the 1 cup almond milk to curdle it.Keep aside.
In a bowl, mix whole wheat flour, maida, baking powder, baking soda, salt & sugar.Mix all many times over with whisk or fork.Keep aside.This is the dry mix.
Blend the berry mix with the bananas. Add oil & curdled almond milk to banana berry mix. Mix nicely.This is the wet mix.
Make a well in the centre of the dry mix.Add the wet mix slowly into the dry mix well.Blend the dry & wet mix. Blend till you get a batter.If , it is getting very dry or not blending as wet mix is insufficient, add water spoon by spoon. A smooth batter must be obtained without any lumps.
Line a baking vessel with butter paper. Pour the batter into the baking vessel on the butter paper. Arrange the almonds on the batter in any pattern .Bake at 180 degrees in oven for 45-50 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean.
Mine was wet when 50 minutes were over. Actually,I baked for 50 minutes.Next,I went out for my evening walk.I returned after one & half hours.I inserted a knife & it came out wet.I was horrified. I baked it at 180 degrees for another 10 minutes.I then put the oven in microwave mode & baked in microwave mode for 4-5 minutes.Then ,allowed it to cool inside the oven for 15-20 minutes.I again inserted a knife & this time it came out clean. I was relieved.I kept the cake out of the oven to cool .After half an hour, I put the baking vessel upside down on to a plate.Tap the bottom of the baking vessel.The cake will drop down on to the plate. Cut into desired shapes & serve.
I found it crumbly. The cake was breaking.And yet, the texture was superb ! It was yumm !
The almonds were making it very difficult to cut the cake into thin slices.I was forced to cut the cake into thick slices ( size of slice equalled the almond length ).A food blogger blogs that almonds need to be chopped & toasted before being used in cakes & breads .I need to keep that in mind.Perhaps toasted almonds would make cutting thin slices easier !
I cover the baking vessel with aluminum foil so that top of cake does not get burnt. In this instance, I forgot to do so.I realised it when 29 minutes were over. I switched off oven & covered the top of baking vessel with foil & then continued baking. Usually,I cover with foil during the first thirty minutes or more.Last ten minutes, I switch off , remove foil & continue baking.
I googled & got many vegan cake recipes. I mixed up the many recipes .
Ingredients : 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour, 1/4 cup maida, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 cup oil, 4 medium to small bananas ( the over ripe they are ,better for the cake ) , 1 -2 tbsp berry mix ( optional ) , 1 cup almond milk, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, salt to taste, a handful of almonds for garnish,water if needed.
Method : Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade.
Add 1 tsp apple cider vinegar to the 1 cup almond milk to curdle it.Keep aside.
In a bowl, mix whole wheat flour, maida, baking powder, baking soda, salt & sugar.Mix all many times over with whisk or fork.Keep aside.This is the dry mix.
Blend the berry mix with the bananas. Add oil & curdled almond milk to banana berry mix. Mix nicely.This is the wet mix.
Make a well in the centre of the dry mix.Add the wet mix slowly into the dry mix well.Blend the dry & wet mix. Blend till you get a batter.If , it is getting very dry or not blending as wet mix is insufficient, add water spoon by spoon. A smooth batter must be obtained without any lumps.
Line a baking vessel with butter paper. Pour the batter into the baking vessel on the butter paper. Arrange the almonds on the batter in any pattern .Bake at 180 degrees in oven for 45-50 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean.
Mine was wet when 50 minutes were over. Actually,I baked for 50 minutes.Next,I went out for my evening walk.I returned after one & half hours.I inserted a knife & it came out wet.I was horrified. I baked it at 180 degrees for another 10 minutes.I then put the oven in microwave mode & baked in microwave mode for 4-5 minutes.Then ,allowed it to cool inside the oven for 15-20 minutes.I again inserted a knife & this time it came out clean. I was relieved.I kept the cake out of the oven to cool .After half an hour, I put the baking vessel upside down on to a plate.Tap the bottom of the baking vessel.The cake will drop down on to the plate. Cut into desired shapes & serve.
I found it crumbly. The cake was breaking.And yet, the texture was superb ! It was yumm !
The almonds were making it very difficult to cut the cake into thin slices.I was forced to cut the cake into thick slices ( size of slice equalled the almond length ).A food blogger blogs that almonds need to be chopped & toasted before being used in cakes & breads .I need to keep that in mind.Perhaps toasted almonds would make cutting thin slices easier !
I cover the baking vessel with aluminum foil so that top of cake does not get burnt. In this instance, I forgot to do so.I realised it when 29 minutes were over. I switched off oven & covered the top of baking vessel with foil & then continued baking. Usually,I cover with foil during the first thirty minutes or more.Last ten minutes, I switch off , remove foil & continue baking.
