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Tuesday, July 20, 2010

The softest and best cake ever

This cake has the record of making it in the shortest time from kitchen to blog. Seriously, I just made it, clicked some pics and ate a slice a few minutes back.
The little one is staying home today because of a fever and that means, I have to endlessly search for means to keep her entertained. A cake seemed like a good idea...she was involved in measuring out the ingredients and stirring them for me. And then, while it baked, she stood guard next to the microwave, telling me every few minutes that it was ready.
The original recipe is from here. I tweaked it a little to use up some of the stuff that's been in my fridge for a while.
As far as ingredients go, I had all the stuff on hand. So, some dates and candied fruit were soaked in hot milk and then ground. An egg that threatened to hatch into a chick if I didn't use it up soon went into the mixture. A dash of cinnamon, some oil, sugar and maida later, into the oven the cake went. What came out is the softest, darkest, and undoubtedly the best cake I've ever made.

What you need:
Maida/All purpose flour - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Milk - 3/4 cup
Dates+candied fruit - 1/2 cup
Oil - 1/2 cup
Egg -1
Cinnamon - 1/4 tsp
Cashew nut - a few

Soak the dates and candied fruit in hot milk for 30-40 minutes. Grind to a smooth paste along with sugar and the egg. Transfer this to a mixing bowl. Add oil. Stir well. Mix in the flour, little by little, stirring well. Add cinnamon....inhale its heady smell.....throw in some cashews....mix well.
Transfer this to a greased microwave safe cake pan. I used a loaf pan, as I wanted to cut these into tea cakes. Bake in convection mode at 175 degree celsius for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

This goes to Valli's MEC which is being hosted by PJ MEC-Favourites and to Valli's 365 days of microwave cooking.

Edited to add : People who ate this cake liked it texture, but felt that it should have been sweeter. The original recipe calls for 3/4 cups of sugar, while I used only 1/2 cup. I like my cakes to be slightly less sweet....but if you want yours sweet, please do use more sugar.

21 comments:

AswathiBabu said...

jayashree, I need a piece...ha ha

Unknown said...

sounds so simple...and so delicious..i too made a date cake just last week..

Veggie Hut said...

I love the texture and colour of the cake.. mouthwatering!!

Priya dharshini said...

same pinch here...hansika is at home..Luv ur new template and ur cake...simple and easy recipe...

lata raja said...

The cake sure looks soft...I understand why T might have loved it..she has put in hard work with mom:)

Nithya said...

Looks fantastic dear.. Soft and yummm :) And as you said it really quick :) Never thought you would post it right away :)

Divya Kudua said...

Shilpa's Dates Cake always guarantees perfect results.One of my first bakes,this recipe gave me the confidence to move on to other complicated recipes.The slice looks really soft..time for me to bake a batch now!!

Satya said...

hi jayashree,
u r having a beautiful space here ,with lot of yummy recipes..
this cake looks so delicious , perefct baked ,moist n soft ...never prepared cake in MV...thanks for this wonderful post
if u get time do visit my blog

Satya
http://www.superyummyrecipes.com

Mythreyee said...

how about having this cake with a dollop of vanilla icecream...hmmm....delicious....

Padmajha said...

That's a lovely recipe!!Looks so soft..Thanks for sending it to the event :)

Srivalli said...

Looks great Jay, hope Lil T is better now..

Sanyukta Gour(Bayes) said...

awesome ,delcious and moist cake....yummo..first time here...u hv a lovley spcae...following u

Unknown said...

Jayashree, lovely and really soft looking cake. Love the close-up shots.

Krishnaveni said...

beautiful cake, dekicious

sanjeeta kk said...

Moist and delicious looking cake. Thanks for sharing the quick recipe. Best wishes.

Renu said...

Looks delicious! how is the little one?

Prabhu Rangasamy said...

Akka .. i had a piece of this cake today.. thanks for sending it through Manickam ..It was very good except for lack of sugar ... should be bit more sweet!! Rest is fine ... might be you may think of making it more fresh for couple of days ... he he he !! I understand it is tough but that is where your expertise should come out !!!!!!!!!! However I request you to try and make good brownies for me and you know the reason why !! Give a try please .. please !!

Rachel said...

Wow..that is the texture I'd like any cake to have.

Hema said...

Looks lovely Jayashree. Will try it out and let you know what came out!

Aparna S Mallya said...

Looks good! I tried this recipe long back, got it from the same source,and it has always been a success.
I have a question abt microwave baking. Though I have tried cakes in the microwave, I have never tried baking in the convention mode in the microwave ( I have an oven). Is it similar to a regular oven as far as the temp is concerned? Also, can we use aluminium pans or only glass/ plastic microwave safe pans?

Vishali said...

The cake really looks delicious and soft
I love baking and i have a little one too.

thanks for the fast and easy recipe! Wil try and let u know how it turned out.

i am a new blogger form singapore, residing in US, Idaho. I like to cook fusion food. do visit my blog if u r interested.

http://vishalicookbook.blogspot.com