Paneer Cake | Eggless Cake with Indian Cottage Cheese with Step by Step Recipe

One of the things that I often wanted to experiment in making cakes was Paneer. I know it's been an oft beat ingredient off late, can't really help it nor let it go waste. I think it's always good if we come around with a recipe that makes the best of a worse situation.

Coming back to the topic, I wanted to know if I could use paneer in making cakes. I have used buttermilk, curds, milk so far, so assuming that Paneer can also be used was only the next thought, naturally. A while ago when Champa posted a cake made with tofu, I naturally thought back to using Paneer. Then something somewhere led me to Nandita's post on Paneer cake. Only then I remembered that I had bookmarked the recipe.

I set out to make it the moment I could and infact ended up making it twice. Meaning the first time there was so much commotion at home the morning I made this, that something went wrong and the cake got burnt. I saved it before it got worse, still I felt so bad for the overlook. Though I must confess that the burnt cake tasted extremely good..:)

The second time I made I made sure I checked how much of baking powder I was adding, as I realized this was the cause for the quick rise. I was very patient and careful to make sure I don't burn this, in the end I must have spent lot of time just trying to see how it rose. Coming to the verdict, this isn't your typical soft and spongy cake that you get when you do with eggs, it's more dense and more like a brownie, if you can accept a non chocolaty brownie, then this is surely tops!

I was happy that Peddu liked it very much and almost eat it without prompting.

Step by Step Picture Recipe:

Paneer Cake | Sponge Cake with Indian Cottage Cheese

Ingredients Needed:

To make Paneer

Milk - 1/2 litre 1 tbsp white vinegar / 1 Lemon

To make the Cake

Whole Wheat Flour / Atta - 1.5 cups

Baking Powder - 1 tsp

Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp

Sugar - 1 cup, or slightly less, ground with seeds from 2 cardamoms

Condensed Milk - 4 tbsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Vinegar - 1 tbsp

Milk - 1/4 cup, as required

How to make the Paneer Cake:

Check this to know how to make Paneer

If you are making the paneer just before making this cake, save some of the whey water. Else you can use milk for a loose batter.

Preheat oven at 180 C.

First time I used aluminum foil packs. Second time used a non stick loaf tin. Grease with butter/oil
 

Powder the sugar along with the cardamom. Keep it aside.
 

Dry Ingredients:

In a wide bowl, sieve the flour along with the baking soda and baking powder.

Wet Ingredients:

In a large bowl, mash the paneer well with the oil, condensed milk. Add 1 tbsp vinegar, Sugar to this and half the whey water/ Milk. Second time I blended the paneer with half the milk to get a pouring liquid, mixed the rest of the wet ingredients.

Then add the flour in batches into the whisked wet ingredients. Use the reserved whey water and extra milk if required to get a batter consistency.

Pour into the greased baking tray, pat it on the floor so that the batter spreads evenly.

If you are using two small tins, bake for 30 minutes or 45-50 minutes for loaf at 180 C reducing the temperature after 20 minutes to 160 or so in case of square tins to prevent excessive browning of the tops.

Remove, cool in the tin itself for 15 minutes and remove out with the foil. Slice and serve warm.

Notes: The second time it took more time for baking as I reduced the temperature to 125 and baked for 30 mins. So totally it took me about an hour for the cake to be baked.

The result was not the spongy one you get when you use egg, as I said it was more dense and brownie type.

Next time I will be reducing the sugar, maybe use all purpose flour and more of baking soda instead of powder. Though using wheat flour is healthy I want to see how it might turn with flour.

Enjoy your piece cake for a evening snack.

Eggless Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffin with Flax Seed | Step By Step Recipe to Make Banana Bread

 Today is the last day of Blogging Marathon Edition#6. Time surely flies, especially when it is Blogging Marathon Time. I know I sound so boring, but life surely is hectic, even if I repeat this often. This edition has been really very tightly squeezed and what with the idea of pairing two bloggers to cook from each others blog. All my BM posts have been cooked just before posting, so you can imagine the haste the entire process has been. For all the planning I normally do, I know I end up being hard pressed for time so much. Still I have enjoyed the entire two weeks of blogging and our discussions.

I am working on the next theme already, hopefully it's should be even more interesting.

For the last day I got myself paired with Cool Lassie and I checked her collection of Egg replaced Cake/ Bread and found the first post I saw to be most appealing. It's Easy Eggless and Moist Banana Walnut Bread. I thought I should make this over the weekend but couldn't do. And I have been planning to use Flax seeds for a long time and since have two packs of flax seed powder. But I never came using it. It's also nearing it's shelf life. So got some ripe banana last night and knew I will have to get up early to make this. I wanted to send this for the kid's snack box.

Since my kids don't like any nut in their food, I had to skip walnuts. Then I saw that my all purpose flour was not enough. So made this even more healthy by adding more of wheat flour. Added chocolate chips to please the kids. Well I know all my bakes have these chips, it surely excites the little ones.

Finally when it was baked, I was so excited seeing how well it has risen. The taste was exceptionally good. Very moist and soft. I know next time I am going to make this as a loaf or a cake. I halved the recipe from what CL mentioned. This yielded me 12 mini muffins, 4 big muffins. Thanks for the wonderful inspiration CL!

But making this in mini size is always good to serve kids.
Sending this to Champa for Kid's Delight themed on Mini Bites

Step by Step pictures for making Banana Muffin

Dry Ingredients

Whole Wheat flour -  3/4 cup
All purpose Flour / Maida - 1/2 cup
Baking powder 1 & 1/4 tsp
Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp
A pinch of salt

Wet Ingredients

Sugar - 1/2 cup
Flax Seeds - 1/2 tbsp
Hot Water - 1 & 1/2 tbsp
Butter, melted - 1 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Curds - 1 tsp
Ripe banana - 2 big ones.
Vanilla essence few drops.


Method to prepare:


Shift all the dry flours in a bowl, keep it aside.

Pulse the banana to get the puree

Add the hot water to the flax seeds and keep it aside. It will foam after a while.

In a bowl, take the sugar, add flax seed mix, banana puree, butter, oil, curds, vanilla essence. Mix well.

Pre heat the oven at 170 degree C

When the oven is ready, line the muffin tray with liners.

To the wet ingredients, add the dry ingredients and mix well. There is no need to beat or mix fast.

Spoon into the cup to half full. Bake it at 170 degree C for 15 mins. Then reduce to 155 C and bake for 5 mins.

The big muffins had to be baked at 170 degree C for 20 mins and then at 155 for 2 mins.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#6

Eggless Butterless Banana Chocolate Muffins

Next in the Mini Bites series I have these delicious Eggless Butter less Banana Chocolate Muffins. As you must already know my kids love anything chocolate and I had some very ripe bananas which were begging to be used. So I thought I should address both in one shot and that's how this muffin came into being created.

I don't actually think I should deprive my kids their share of butter or Ghee. Infact I remember my kid's pediatrician telling me that I can give 2 tsp of ghee to the kids without fearing. We always make sure we add ghee to their dal rice and any curry that they like to eat.

So you know it's only natural I never think twice about adding butter to the baked dishes. It so happened that I didn't add and was surprised that the muffins turned out quite well too.

This is seriously such a simple recipe to get done that you will not believe once done. I didn't bother to take step by step as I have already taken enough recipes, check these Eggless Vanilla Muffin for step by step pictures. I pretty much did the same way. The recipe is very straight forward mixing and baking, no beating or creaming required.

This recipe might again look like a repeat of previous muffins on the blog, but I want to record every small change I have done to a recipe and that which came out prefect.

Eggless Butterless Banana Chocolate Muffin

All Purpose flour / Maida - 1 cup
Corn Flour - 2 tbsp
Cocoa powder - 2 tsp
Cooking Soda -  2 tsp
Icing Sugar - 1 cup

Wet Ingredients

Banana Puree - 3/4 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup

Chocolate Chips handful

Method to prepare:

Measure cornflour in a cup and add the flour over it. Then shift it together with cocoa and cooking soda. Add in icing sugar.

Pre heat at 185 deg C

Make a puree of the banana. Fold in the banana puree into the dry ingredients and gently combine everything together. Then add the milk.
Line the muffin tray with liners spoon in enough to fill half of the cups.

Bake for 12 mins at 185 degree C first and then at 155 for 3 mins.

Allow it to rest for 10 mins.

You might wonder at the shapes and the number. Though I got about 12 min muffins, they disappeared before I could even set the scene. I was left with only these for the picture..I guess that's really good right.

Sending this to Champa for Kid's Delight themed one Mini Bites.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#6

Eggless Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Chips | Step By Step Recipe

After my venture with those delicious short cakes, I wanted to make something else right away. Though the recipe is very similar, I modified slightly and used more proportion. Not sure what but these sure came out differently. I want to record all the experiments so that I can resort to whichever proportion I need when the situation arises. 

I baked these in a bread loaf and it very much looked like a bread to me, like those tea cakes or sponge cakes texture. Maybe I need to increase the proportion of corn flour next time, but the cake sure came out moist and soft. I added quite an amount of chocolate chip and it tasted heavenly in each bite. 

One thing I love baking in convection mode is the way the entire house smells heavenly. Nothing beats a fresh cake being baked.

I couldn't wait for this to get cooled. Imagine Konda saying it tasted great, I loved seeing her expression change, Chinnu of course sniffed his nose. He doesn't like anything else but a chocolate flavour. If he had his way he would have removed all the chocolate chip from this. So didn't show him the tin. I delicately sliced the cake into small pieces. Each went into the snack box for the next day.

Athamma was again saying I should bake those chocolate biscuits as the boys like them a lot. I was much too involved admiring this cake, nodding absently that I will bake them soon.

I had the day off today, but I took off saying I have work. Kids were busy with their new pack of sketch pens. So much so that an entire colouring book was completed and they hadn't budged from their spot.

Ok let me show you the steps in making this delicious cake!

Shift the flour with Corn four, Baking soda, Baking powder.

Measure 1/2 cup of curds

Melt the butter.

Add all the wet ingredients to the flour, mix well.

Finally add the olive oil.

Add in as much as Chocolate chips you want, if you are like me, you will add quite some!

Grease and dust the loaf pan with butter and flour. Pat the pan down so that excess flour falls off.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Pat the pan down so that the batter spreads well. Don't spread it with spoon, cake will not rise well.

Top the batter with more chocolate chips

Pre Heat the oven before baking the cake at 185 degree C for 25 minutes

Don't open the door between the first 15- 17 mins. Insert a tooth pick in the center to check the doneness.

When the toothpick comes out clean like this, you know it is almost done. Bake for the rest of the time for more complete baking.

Allow it to cool in the oven for 5 mins, before taking it out.

Again let it cool completely before you slice it.

Eggless Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Chip

Flour - 1 cup
Corn Flour - 1 tbsp
Icing Sugar - 3/4 cup
Baking Soda - 1 & 1/2 tsp
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp

Curds/ Yogurt - 1/2 cup
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
Butter - 2 tsp
Milk - 1 - 2 tbsp

Chocolate Chips - as required
Vanilla Essence few drops

Extra flour and butter for dusting

Method to prepare:

Butter and dust the baking pan. Gently pat it down to remove excess flour from the pan.

Shift the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Melt the butter, beat the curds. Add the butter and curds to the dry ingredients. Using a spoon/ fork gently mix the mixture. Finally add the olive oil

Add the chocolate chips to the batter and gently mix in well. Don't beat at this stage.

Pre heat the oven at 185 degree C.

Check consistency, it should be pouring, else add 1 tbsp of milk.

Pour into the prepare tin, tap the pan down for the batter to spread on its own. Don't use spoon.

Bake at 185 degree C for 25 minute. Don't check for done ness until the first 15 mins.

Use a toothpick to see if the cake is done. Insert the stick in the center and if it comes out clean, the cake is done.

Once the full time is done, allow it to cool in the oven for 5 mins, then remove and cool outside for a while.

Slice the cake into small serving pieces when it is completely cooled.

Was a great snack for Konda's School snacks

Check out my Blogging Marathon buddies in action! Priya Suresh, Jay, Gayathri, Monika, PJ, Priya Vaasu, Azeema, Reva, Ayeesha, Veena, Usha & Soumya.

Vanilla Short Cake Eggless - Quick Nirvana!

As years pass by, I think it is natural to end up having a myopic attitude towards holidays. Holidays for me, by far are very less, even those that come my way are spent without realizing it went by. And those holidays no longer have a meaning attached anymore, sorry to say that! I remember during childhood when on Republic day we used to do either the drill or March at school. Few years later, it was at least simply attending the school for either Republic day celebrations or Independence day parade.

Then during early years of marriage, I made sure I caught up the celebrations in TV. Sadly now it has boiled down to mean a holiday when I can either catch up with pending work at home or on the blog. Or even better cook something new. This was my original plan for this 26th, but just as I know, plans get changed so easily. I was at home, trying to do some work but boy my boys! Gosh they know tactics how not to make one work. It was either Peddu complaining or Chinnu complaining all the time. I had plans to make buns, only at the last moment realized my yeast of many months old had died on me. I went to buy but it was not in stock.

 

Came back resigned to do whatever I could. But in the end couldn't do much. So at least thought I should make the lunch special on account of the holiday. And I was happy to get hubby dear appreciating a feast that was laid out. Guess what I forgot about the dessert! It stuck me that dessert was missing and asked if he could wait for 15 minutes. I immediately set out to make these Vanilla Short Cakes.

 

I actually baked them in muffin trays, but the batter and method were more of a ShortCake.  I had a great confusion on what to call these. Though these didn't come through clear off the bottom, they were so soft and delicious. I had made Chocolate Icing, hoping I will make muffins. Whatever these tasted great.

Spot solution for quick Nirvana is what I will call these!

Vanilla Short Cake

All purpose Flour / Maida - 3 tbsp
Cornflour - 1 tsp
Soda - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Icing sugar - 3 tbsp
Vanilla essence  few drops
Olive oil - 2 tsp
Curds - 2 tbsp
Butter - 2 tsp
Chocolate chips - handful



Method to prepare:

Mix the dry ingredients together in bowl.
Next add the melted butter, curds, oil to the dry ingredients

Pre heat the oven at 185 degree.

Then grease the muffin tray with butter and bake for 10 mins.

To make the Chocolate Icing,

Icing Sugar - 2 tbsp
Cocoa powder - 1 tsp
Butter - 2 tsp
Mix everything together until it is creamy

Once it is baked, allow it to cool down. Then scoop down a spoon over each of them before enjoying them!

These were really very delicious, I know I can't tag it as one particular bread or cake. But really tempting ones!

Vanilla essence really added quite a drama as the bakery baked cakes.

Check out my Blogging Marathon buddies in action! Priya Suresh, Jay, Gayathri, Monika, PJ, Priya Vaasu, Azeema, Reva, Ayeesha, Veena, Usha & Soumya.