Bou’s cake

In all my cooking endeavours, if there is one thing that I have made the most number of times it is cake. This was the first thing I ever cooked. This is Bou’s recipe…. a very modest one but so comforting (like Bou)….no fancy ingredients, no elaborate equipment… just carries with it warmth and love that wafts from the oven in afternoons, sometimes packed in boxes for hostels, made for birthdays of friends and family and perfect for a midnight snack. Come to think of it, I still make it now whenever I want to treat my three and half year old. His heart melts and excitement reaches the roof at the sight of Mamma baking.

When we were growing up, Bou had a special items menu (like in the South Indian restaurants) – cake, custard, pudding, nimki, noodles and she did them all to perfection. Once she would start beating the batter, we waited impatiently for the cake. So much so, that we would lick the uncooked batter off the bowl. I have a vivid memory of our oven too…. it was a round aluminium oven with a glass hole for us to peep in and watch the progress and holes to dive in the knitting needles , to check if the cake was done. The waiting period seemed like eternity. And to top it all, the oven invariably would have a loose connection and we would have to scan our neighbour’s houses for the connection wire. Once done, the cake was something meant to be shared with everyone( I hated this part when I was a kid)… with cousins and neighbours, with house help and their children. Now as we have grown up, I realise what Bapa and Bou have taught us through these small things…. “Always share. Giving has immense power.There is enough for everybody”.

Coming to the cake, after having baked in almost all kinds of ovens, my vote will be for an OTG (or of course, the cooking range that is available abroad). You get the perfect mix of crunch and softness in an OTG.

Ingredients : (Mind you, everything is refined here… So please make it but definitely share it. It just multiplies the joy and divides the calories)

Dry ingredients :

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup powdered sugar( you could go for brown sugar as well)

1 tsp baking powder

1 pinch baking soda

Wet ingredients : (all ingredients at room temp)

1 cup refined oil

3 eggs ( In my vegetarian avatar, I replace one egg with 1/2 cup curd at room temperature… Though I know that the egg cake is the perfect blend of soft and crunchy)

1 tsp vanilla essence

3 tbsp of milk

Ghee/butter for greasing the cake tin

Additions:

1/4 cup tutti frutti (dust with plain flour)

2 tbsp raisins

How to get it together :

The first step is to take out all the ingredients and keep them at room temperature for 2-3 hours. Sift the flour along with the baking powder and baking soda. (In case you want to make it a chocolate cake, add in cocoa powder and flour in 1:1 ratio).

At this stage, pre-heat the oven at 180deg Celsius for ten minutes.

In a blender, add the eggs, oil, sugar and blend it to a smooth consistency. Transfer this to a large mixing bowl. To this, add the flour mixture a few spoons at a time and beat the cake mixture to avoid any lumps. Once half the flour is in the mixing bowl, the mixing will get tougher. Add in the milk to adjust the consistency. Once done, add the vanilla essence and add the dusted tutti frutti or raisins or nuts. (Dusting ensures they do not sink to the bottom of the cake tin)

The cake tin should be clean and greased with ghee/butter. Dust some flour. Or if you have a baking sheet. Line the cake tin with the baking sheet. Pour in the batter and carefully place it in the hot oven. You could top it with nuts or chocolate chips to make it fancy.

Depending on the oven and the cake tin size, the cake should be ready in 25-40 minutes. You can comfortably bake it for 15 minutes and then check on it after very 5 minutes by sticking a toothpick or knife.

In a microwave, the cake gets done very fast in ten minutes(you literally have to watch over it). Personally, I feel, the cake gets a pudding texture in a microwave but still gets the job done.

By this time, your kitchen and home smells heavenly. You will have everyone asking you what’s cooking. Let the cake cool outside the oven. ( We have never been able to do this because of hungry souls waiting for the cake) . Just turn it on a plate. Sing, cut, share and enjoy.

Pro tip: For the perfect brown colour, cover the cake tin with a foil after 15 mins. Poke some holes in the foil so that the steam can escape. And bake for another 10 mins… checking after every 5 mins.