carrot cake with cardamom - 1 carrot cake with cardamom - 2

My friend P celebrated her 40th birthday last month. Although I had all plans of baking a birthday cake, it did not happen. I knew she likes my cakes, so I promised her I will bake one for her soon. She said she loves carrot cakes. She also mentioned that she likes her cakes without any frosting on them. I have few recipes of carrot cakes that I have already tried like – carrot cake with apple filling , eggless banana cake with carrots and raisins , banana-carrot cake . I wasn’t sure she would like banana flavor in cake, so I thought of trying out a new recipe. I used Alton Brown’s carrot cake as the reference and changed few spices in it to suit our taste.

The following quantity made two oval cakes. P came in when it was still warm, just out of the oven. Half of one cake was finished before it even had time to cool down. She said she does not want icing, so she had plain one. I packed the other oval cake for her to take home. V and Ishaan declared it was one of the best cakes and Ishaan wanted me to bake one the next day. I have promised him to bake it soon again, may be for his birthday. P told me the cake was completely finished within 10mins of her reaching home.

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Pictorial: Make the spice powder. Sieve together the dry ingredients. Mix the wet ingredients. Fold in the flour and then carrots. Grease the baking dish. Pour the batter in the baking dish and bake.

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Carrot Cake with Cardamom

Ingredients

  • 2 and 1/2 cups 12 oz cake flour
  • 2 cups 10 oz grated carrots
  • 3/4 cup 6 oz yogurt
  • 1 tea spn baking powder
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tea spn baking soda
  • 3/4 cup 6 oz oil
  • 8 pods of cardamom
  • 2 " cinnamon
  • A small piece of nutmeg almost size of a small cardamom pod
  • 1 and 1/3 cups sugar
  • 1/4 tea spn salt

Frosting (optional)

  • 1 and 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
  • 5 tea spns orange juice

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven at 350F for 10mins.
  • Grease baking pan/s with butter and sprinkle flour, shake the pan such the the flour covers the the pan Then remove the excess flour to make sure there is only a very thin coating of flour (I used a parchment paper at the bottom of the pan and then applied butter on top of it and sides. This way the cake cake out of the pan very easily).
  • Take out the seeds of cardamom and powder them with cinnamon and nutmeg.
  • Sieve together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and the cardamom powder just made.
  • In a mixing bowl, take eggs, oil, sugar and mix well.
  • Then add yogurt and beat till mixed.
  • With a spatula, fold in the flour mixture, a little at a time.
  • slowly mix in grated carrot (do not over mix).
  • Pour the batter in the pan. (I equally divided them in two oval pans).
  • Bake at 350F for about 40mins or till a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Let the cake cool before topping with the icing. It can also be served warm.
  • For the icing, beat together confectioners sugar and orange juice till it forms a uniform mixture.
  • When cake is completely cooled, add it on the cake.

Notes

Carrot Cake with Cardamom - 24

Carrot Cake with Cardamom

Ingredients

  • 2 and 1/2 cups 12 oz cake flour
  • 2 cups 10 oz grated carrots
  • 3/4 cup 6 oz yogurt
  • 1 tea spn baking powder
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tea spn baking soda
  • 3/4 cup 6 oz oil
  • 8 pods of cardamom
  • 2 " cinnamon
  • A small piece of nutmeg almost size of a small cardamom pod
  • 1 and 1/3 cups sugar
  • 1/4 tea spn salt

Frosting (optional)

  • 1 and 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
  • 5 tea spns orange juice

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven at 350F for 10mins.
  • Grease baking pan/s with butter and sprinkle flour, shake the pan such the the flour covers the the pan Then remove the excess flour to make sure there is only a very thin coating of flour (I used a parchment paper at the bottom of the pan and then applied butter on top of it and sides. This way the cake cake out of the pan very easily).
  • Take out the seeds of cardamom and powder them with cinnamon and nutmeg.
  • Sieve together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and the cardamom powder just made.
  • In a mixing bowl, take eggs, oil, sugar and mix well.
  • Then add yogurt and beat till mixed.
  • With a spatula, fold in the flour mixture, a little at a time.
  • slowly mix in grated carrot (do not over mix).
  • Pour the batter in the pan. (I equally divided them in two oval pans).
  • Bake at 350F for about 40mins or till a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Let the cake cool before topping with the icing. It can also be served warm.
  • For the icing, beat together confectioners sugar and orange juice till it forms a uniform mixture.
  • When cake is completely cooled, add it on the cake.

Notes

Chicken gravy with mint - 25

It was over a year ago, one of our neighbors had invited us for dinner. She made a chicken gravy with mint which was so good that I still remember the taste of it after a year. I meant to try recreate it, but never got to it. Finally I made it last week and it was so tasty. I don’t she followed the same recipe, I pretty much made it up.

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Pictorial: Marinate chicken pieces and keep aside. Fry the ingredients for the paste and grind them. Heat oil, fry onion, ginger-garlic paste and then tomato paste. Add chicken, then mint, paste and cook till done.

Chicken Gravy with Mint

Ingredients

  • 1 lb 1/2 kg approx chicken
  • 1 cup onion
  • 2 tbl spn dessicated coconut
  • 1 tea spn garam masala
  • 1 tbl spn cashews
  • 2 tea spns ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 tea spn coriander seeds
  • 2 red chillies
  • 1 tbl spn tomato paste
  • 1 tea spn chilli powder
  • 1/4 cup mint leaves
  • Oil
  • Salt

Instructions

  • Apply salt, 1 tea spn ginger-garlic paste, chilli powder and leave aside for 30mins.
  • Heat oil and add coriander seeds.
  • When they are fried, add onion, red chillies and fry till onions are translucent.
  • Then add coconut, cashews, fry till the coconut turns brownish.
  • Add garam masala, fry for a minutes.
  • Grind to a smooth paste, keep it aside.
  • Heat oil and fry remaining onion(add little salt), ginger-garlic paste till onions turn brownish.
  • Add tomato paste, fry till raw smell goes off.
  • Add chicken and fry for a minute.
  • Then add chopped mint, already prepared paste, a little water, cover and cook till done.
  • Serve hot with chapatis or rice.