Jackfruit Muffin - Ponsa Mulik Cake

Like the popular phrase goes "When life gives you lemons make lemonade", I say, "When life gives you jackfruit make mulik". 

Not just mulik, but a healthier version of it, mulik cake or jackfruit muffin!

Yes. Like many other innovations based on traditional dishes/ingredients such as Dumrote Cake, Kashi Halwa Cake, Neyappa Cake, Cucumber Cake and Raw Papaya Cake with semolina, I have also come out with this wonderful baked dish. 

I am fond of jackfruit and its preparations, especially mulik or fried fritters/dumplings. Brahmins have perfected the art of making mulik or as they call it, Mulka. I thought, why not make something more healthy and better looking based on the mulik recipe. So, I formulated this recipe based on my Dumrote Cake recipe and each attempt in making this was a thumping success. Then I thought, why not make muffins that look even better, stay more firm and also can be kept unspoilt more more time at room temperature. Thus born Jackfruit Muffins in my kitchen.

Every ingredient that goes into this healthy tasty cake is natural, except the baking soda and baking powder. I have tried making this at least 10 times before presenting this ultimate version. In earlier versions I have tried making it with regular jaggery, palm jaggery and sometimes with added caramel. This time I used organic honey jaggery(Jenu Bella) from my relative Dr Arun Isloor's farm Sahyadri Greens and achieved the best results. You can add normal jaggery, demerara sugar or even white sugar, but if you add white sugar, you need to add some caramel/orange yellow food colouring for that golden hue. A good Jackfruit Muffin has crisp upper crust, well browned side and bottom and not spongy but soft firm inner. 

These will be liked by modern day kids for sure, as kids love muffins. Seniors maybe remain speechless, and they may just nod their heads in approval!

Ingredients:
Bombay Rava(Semolina) - 2 Cups
Salt - 1/2 Tsp
Baking Powder - 1/2 Tsp
Baking Soda - 1/2 Tsp
Cardamom Powder - 1/2 Tsp
Ghee - 30 Ml
Plain Yogurt - 1/2 Cup
Oil - 2 Tbsp(I used coconut oil)
Powdered Jaggery/Demerara Sugar - 250 Gms
Jack Fruit - 1 Cup coarsely ground/mashed
Tender Coconut Malai - 1/2 cup minced
Honey(Optional) - 1 Tbsp
Raisins(Optional) - 25 Gms chopped/coarsely ground
Cashewnut Bits - 25 Gms preferably roasted with little ghee
White Sesame Seeds - 2 Tsp

Method:
Preheat oven to 200 C.
Grease 12 muffin moulds or line with muffin paper and keep ready.
Mix semolina with salt, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom powder, ghee and cashewnut bits.
In a mixing bowl, take yogurt and powdered jaggery/demerara sugar.
Beat well until jaggery/sugar melts.
If you have jaggery syrup, skip this step and directly mix all the wet ingredients.
Add mashed jack fruit, optional honey, oil, optional raisins, mix well.
Now gently fold in semolina ghee mixture, 1/3 portion at a time.
Fill the cake batter into muffin moulds to the brim.
Sprinkle sesame seeds generously over the top.
Bake at 200 C for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 170 C, continue to bake for another 20-25 mins, or until a bamboo skewer or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool on the rack at least for 1 hour.
Loosen the  muffins and remove from the moulds.
Once completely cool, store them in a cake box.
These muffins remain good at room temperature for 3 days.
After 3 days transfer into a fridge.

Eggless Carrot Date and Walnut Cake

Of late, I have been exploring the possibility of making simple vegetarian cakes that are healthy as well as tasty. Since I took to baking, I more or less come out with perfect cakes, thanks to my strong science subject in College, that is Chemistry. 

Yes. if you apply science in general and Chemistry in particular, baking is kid's play for you. All you should know is to balance between liquids and solids, leavening and shortening agents and of course the right measure of alternative protein rich supplements like yogurt, milk or khova.

Meena had been making Carrot Date and Walnut cake since tile immemorial, but she follows the method adding eggs. For our vegetarian followers, I felt like making the eggless version. Besides, we had left over grated carrots in the fridge that I wanted to consume faster in some recipe or the other. So here it is, soft spongy delicious Eggless Carrot, Date and Walnut Cake for you all. Don't forget to have a cup of hot coffee, tea or chocolate drink by your side when you relish this.

Ingredients:
Refined Flour(Maida) - 2 Cups
Salt - 1/3 Tsp
Baking Powder - 3/4 Tsp
Baking Soda - 1 Tsp
Brown Sugar(Demerara Sugar) - 3/4 Cup
Butter - 120 Gms Softened(Or Olive or Sunflower oil 1/2 Cup)
Caramel - 1 Tbsp
Plain Yogurt - 3/4 Cup
Carrots - 1 Cup grated
Dates - 200Gms deseeded and chopped
Walnut Kernel - 100Gms chopped
Vanilla Essence - 1 Tsp
Honey(Optional) - 1 Tbsp

Method:
Set the oven to 200°C and preheat for 10 mins.
Grease a long 8" x 4" loaf tin and line with butter paper. 
Sift flour with salt, baking powder and baking soda.
Cream butter with brown sugar for 10 minutes.
Add yogurt, caramel, honey, vanilla essence, beat for another 5 minutes.
Add grated carrot, chopped dates and walnut, mix well.
Fold in flour mixture, 1/3 portion at a time and prepare the cake mixture.
Scrape the cake mixture into the prepared tin and smoothen the surface.
Cover the tin with aluminum foil.
Bake at 200°C for 10 minutes and then at 160°C for another 10 mins.
Remove the aluminum foil and continue baking at 160°C for another 25 mins or until the surface turns brownish and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Allow to cool down completely on the rack for 1 hour.
Slice and store in airtight cake box.
Relish with hot or cold beverages.

Christmas Fruit Cake(Rich Plum Cake)

"Wish You All Merry Christmas and Happy New Year"

In the Sixties, I grew up in the cosmopolitan surrounding of Ballal Bagh Mangaluru, where we had friends from all communities meeting and playing together. However, at home, we had restrictions, were discouraged by our parents about walking into any Christian friend's home during Christmas, giving reasons that it is not good manners to attend Christmas parties uninvited. Yes. We never used to be invited by our Christian friends for Christmas because we were vegetarians and were living in a house owned by the Dharmasthala Heggades!

However I used to buy basic sponge cup cakes at a Christian's shop near our home whenever I felt like eating cake. That was made by Vas Bakery and was ultimate according to my experience. Later on, we moved to our own house and then slowly some Christian friends started to invite me for Christmas and offer cake, kuswar and juice. I used to wonder what that brown slice of cake was made of. It had French Polish like aroma and bits of dry fruits and nuts within. I was very fond of Christmas Fruit Cake, which they simply called as 'Christmas Cake'. That was light brown in colour and not very rich. Some of the best cakes were made by M D'Souza And Sons, Vas Bakery, City Bakery, Famous Bakery, Ganesh Bakery and Pinto Bakery.

In the Eighties, I moved to Bengaluru when I was working for a Bank. Then my brother Kamalakanth used to get Rich Plum Cake from Nilgiri's on Brigade Road. I too was regularly buying that whenever I went that side on weekends. Rich Plum Cake at Nilgiri's has loads of prunes, dry fruits and nuts within and is very moist and heavy. The name Rich Plum Cake suits Nilgiri's cake well. They still make awesome cakes, and Nilgiri's is undoubtedly my most favourite hangout for cakes and bakes. VB Bakery in South Bengaluru also has very good cakes and pastries.

Meanwhile in Mangaluru, as the city expanded geographically and people from all parts of India settled down for education and job, bakers came of age and started making exotic cakes. Moti Mahal and Manjarun started making birthday cakes and a variety of other cakes to order and also opened sales counters. We have seen many small and big bakers invading Mangaluru with exotic cakes. Hassan Iyengar Bakery opened on KS Rao Road sometime in the late Eighties and they had very good cakes. Focam Bakery and Bon Bon started supplying cakes to local Bakery outlets and their products are also good. Then we had Nilgiri's in Balmatta which closed down few years ago and now there is a big departmental store with bakery run by Mohtisham Group in Empire Mall under franchise from Nilgiri's. Crumbz by Food Pearls and Bon Bon's own outlet sell very good cakes. Every shopping mall has good bakeries within. Just Bake has outlets in prime locations and Cochin Bakery has many branches too. Monginis' Smokie and many more in the list. Dinoo's is one of the best bakers in Mangaluru making perfect cakes. Getting good cakes today in Mangaluru is not at all a problem when every major street has more than one good bakery!

Yet, making cakes at home has its own beauty. Taste of home made cake is anytime better because we add pure ingredients and avoid adding margarine. Margarine is bad for health, as it is made from refined vegetable oils with hydrogenation process. Using pure butter or ghee, we can make healthier and more aromatic cakes at home. Besides, when we share the cake with nears and dears, their happy faces and gratification speak volumes! Cake classes are run by youngsters and the middle aged, Shashi Shetty a veteran culinary expert used to run such classes in the Eighties in Kantharaj Shetty Lane Mannagudda, as far as I remember. Meena has attended baking classes by Mariam Mohiudeen and Meena bakes many cakes as a pastime. However, she hadn't ventured into making Christmas Fruit Cake or Rich Plum Cake any time. I decided to make it this time, as my zeal for baking is increasing day by day!

I must confess that am just a toddler in baking cakes, having baked very few cakes over the last month or two. I have an idea about rich plum cake, the ingredients and the method by reading recipes on books and magazines, but I wanted a demo of how to make it perfectly. So I browsed through online recipes, and found Joy Of Baking the best website with perfect recipes. Meena also follows Joy of Baking mostly and her cakes have been quite outstanding. The recipe I followed is this, but I made few changes here and there. Soaking dry fruits in alcohol for at least 2 days gives the cake a better taste and flavour than just pouring it into the cake batter. Adding spice powders like cinnamon, dry ginger and nutmeg enhance the flavour and give the cake a spicy touch. Adding fruit crush like the one I have added, enhances the taste and adds a fruity flavour. I avoided adding lemon zest and orange zest, but I added caramel, which is readily available. I also added dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar. Thus the colour of the cake became as dark as the Rich Plum Cake made by Nilgiri's. Dry fruits used are mostly sourced from local stores like Nilgiri's and Phalguni's, but we procured almonds and walnuts freshly from Kashmir, through Kashmir Box. They have very good Kashmiri dry fruits and nuts at reasonable prices. I baked these cakes with double the quantity of ingredients mentioned and the total weight was over 4 Kilos.

Whenever he visits home from Barbados, my brother Radhakanth brings me 'Barbados Great Cake by A Mill Yard', one of the best in the world. It is made from finest Mount Gay Rum. To make cake as fine as that one, we need to spend a fortune over finest rum and soak raisins for at least one year in rum! I have never fancied spending huge money on alcohol for making cakes! I deem our local brand Khodays good enough for making rum based cakes. You can also use any other alcohol like brandy or sherry, but Khodays rum is inexpensive and has its own unique aroma good enough for making this awesome soft, moist, rich Christmas Fruit Cake.

Ingredients:
Unsalted Butter - 200 Gm
Dark brown sugar - 200 Gm
Eggs - 3
Alcohol (Grand Marnier, brandy, sherry, rum, etc.) - 90 Ml
Caramel(Or caramalise 2 Tbsp sugar with little water) - 1/4 Cup
Orange Juice - 1/2 Cup
Almonds, Walnuts, Cashew Nuts, Pecans, or Hazelnuts - 100 Gm coarsely chopped
Assortment of dried and candied fruit (Apricots, Figs, Prunes, Raisins, Sultanas, Dates, Black Currants, dried Cranberries, dried Cherries, mixed Candied peel and/or cherries) - 1 Kg deseeded and chopped into bite sized pieces
Mixed Berries Crush(Strawberries, Blue Berries, Black Berries) - 1/4 Cup
Refined Flour(Maida) - 2 Cups
Finely Ground Almonds(optional) - 3/4 Cup
Baking Powder - 1 Tsp
Salt - 1/2 Tsp
Grated Nutmeg - 1/4 Tsp
Cinnamon Powder - 1/2 Tsp
Dry Ginger Powder - 1/2 Tsp

Method: 
Be sure that you use all the ingredients at room temperature.
Mix in 45 Ml alcohol(I used rum) with the chopped dry fruits and candied peel in an air tight jar and allow to soak for at least 2 days at room temperature.
You may soak the fruits in alcohol for upto one year, but keep adding alcohol once in two weeks.
Preheat oven to 160° C.
Grease an 8" nonstick square or round baking pan. 
Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. 
Also preferably line the sides of the pan with a strip of parchment paper that extends about 2 inches (5 cm) above the rim of the pan.
Add 1/2 cup of the flour mixture and mix into the alcohol soaked dry fruits.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ground almonds, grated nutmeg, cinnamon powder, dry ginger powder, salt, and baking powder.
Beat the butter until creamy with a hand mixer in a wide bowl. 
Add the brown sugar, caramel and beat until light and fluffy. 
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
Scrape down the sides and bottom of your bowl as needed. 
Add another 30 Ml alcohol(I used rum), orange juice and blend well. 
Fold in the chopped nuts and berries crush.
Next fold in all the dried and candied fruits. 
Then fold in the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and, if desired, decorate the top of the cake with blanched almonds. 
Cover the pan with aluminum foil if you want the cake not to get too browned on top.
Place the pan inside the preheated oven and bake for 30 mins.
Remove the foil and continue to bake for another 30 mins.
Insert a bamboo skewer into the center of the cake.
If it comes out clean with few moist crumbs sticking to it, your cake is ready.
If the cake is still wet, reduce the oven temperature to 150° C and continue to bake for further 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs. 
Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. 
Then, with a skewer, poke holes in the top surface of the cake and brush with remaining alcohol (brandy, Grand Marnier, sherry, rum or whiskey).
Slice and serve with choice of juice or hot beverage.
Serves about 16 people.

Preserving the Cake: 
Wrap the cake thoroughly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and place in a cake tin or plastic bag. 
Store in a cool dry place or store the cake in the refrigerator.
Brush the cake periodically (once or twice a week for about two to three weeks) with alcohol. 
This cake will keep several weeks or it can be frozen.

Dum Ka Rote (Ash Gourd Semolina Cake)

I had presented the wonderful sweet dish famous in Bengaluru called 'Dumrote Halwa' couple of years ago. Dumrote is based on Dum Ka Rote, a kind of semolina cake mostly baked by the Muslims of Hyderabad but we also find it in Tamil Nadu. I think these delicious cakes made by Muslims is basically from Persian origin and the Sindhis of Karachi have brought it to Hyderabad.

Dumrote Halwa is cooked traditionally on dum, that is slow heat in a closed vessel. I have seen original Dumrote at Balepet Udupi Sri Krishna Bhavan and also at Venkateshwara Sweet Meat Stall having golden brown crust on them. Last time when I made the halwa, I made it in a kadai just like we make Sheera or Kashi Halwa. I had a vague idea then to bake dumrote in the oven like a cake. Dum Ka Rote is almost like a cake with a crusty outer and soft inner as per few recipes I glanced. It is made with semolina, milk, ghee and sugar adding flavours and dry fruits. I thought of making it with added ash gourd.

Just when I was thinking about that, my friend Dr. Sai Giridhar Kamath, a leading ophthalmologist in Mangaluru sent me message, asking if I want ash gourd grown in his garden. He said, today is Manjeshwar Shashti, a festival during which majority of GSBs cook ash gourd at home. Though I don't follow that festival, now is holiday season, and baking a cake with ash gourd should be a fine example for all. So, I didn't hesitate to say yes! 

He brought an ash gourd weighing just above 2 Kilos, which is suitable for my recipe. Then I had to think about how to bake it. Halwa is normally a very moist and sticky sweet dish whereas cake should have a moist but fluffy and grainy texture. Using the right amount of solids and liquids, adding right amount of leavening and shortening agents make a cake perfect. Apart from that, one needs guts to experiment with a cake that has expensive ingredients going in. I had that courage and self confidence. So I formulated the recipe according to the following scientific explanations.

1. I increased the amount of semolina and also used chiroti rava, which is superfine Bombay rava.
2. I didn't roast the semolina but just coated it with ghee, so that each grain swells up slowly as liquids heat up and get absorbed by the grains.
3. I chopped the raisins so that they mix well in the batter. I roasted the cashew nuts in ghee so that they remain firm.
4. Adding one cup of milk and avoiding adding water ensures homogeneous mixing of khova with the wet ingredients.
5. I covered the baking tin with aluminum foil for half the time, so that the upper crust of the cake remains golden and does not get burnt. This is a vital step in baking any crusty dishes.
6. I added calculated amount of salt, baking powder and baking soda to make the cake taste better and become fluffy.

So once I decided to make the cake, I didn't waste any time. Ash gourd was fresh, all other ingredients were in stock and most of all, the electricity department MESCOM was kind to me by not shutting down power! The end result can be seen in the pictures, but those who tasted the cake have given a Hi Five. What more can I expect than seeing happy faces! You too can make your family and friends happy this Christmas by baking this delicious moist fluffy Dum Ka Rote Ash Gourd Semolina Cake.

Ingredients:
Ash Gourd(Well grown one) - 2 Kg
Chiroti Rava(Semolina) - 2 1/2 cups
Salt - 1/4 Tsp
Baking Powder - 3/4 Tsp
Baking Soda - 1 1/2 Tsp
Ghee - 180 Ml
Sugar - 2 cups(Reduce or increase according to taste)
Khova - 200 Gms crumbled(Or Condensed Milk 100 Ml)
Milk - 1 Cup
Cashew bits - 25 Gms
Raisins - 25 Gms chopped
Green Cardamom - 6-8 pods, peeled and seeds crushed
Edible Camphor(Pachcha Karpooram) crystals - A pinch
Orange Red Food colour - A pinch dissolved in little warm water
Saffron(Optional if you are not using food colour and camphor) - A pinch dissolved in little warm milk

Method:
Wash peel and cut ash gourd into thick wedges.
Grate them and collect the grated ash gourd in a bowl.
Using a juice strainer, squeeze out the juice from the grated ash gourd and collect the juice separately.
You should get 3 cups of the grated ash gourd and little more of the juice.
Heat 3-4 Tbsp of ghee in a nonstick pan.
Fry the cashew bits, drain and keep aside.
To the same ghee add grated ash gourd on high flame, mixing continuously, so that it doesn't get burnt.
Keep stirring for about 10 mins when the mass gets partly cooked, changes colour and ghee starts leaving the sides.
Now add the collected ash gourd juice and keep mixing.
Stir fry on high flame for another 10 mins when the mass gets mushy and semi dry.
Allow to cool and then mix in milk and crumbled khova.
Add chopped raisins, nuts, camphor and cardamom powder.
Mix well.
Preheat oven to 225° C for 10 minutes.
Grease a 12" x 8" baking tin and keep ready.
Mix semolina with salt, baking powder and baking soda.
Add remaining ghee and mix well to coat the semolina.
Now fold in semolina and sugar into cooked ash gourd milk and khova mix.
Add food colour or optional saffron in milk and mix gently.
Pour the mixture into greased baking tin.
Bake at 225° C for 10 minutes and then at 180° C for another 30-35 minutes, or until edges turn brown and a toothpick or skewer inserted comes out clean.
Allow to cool on the rack for about 1 hour.
Once cool, slice into pieces and store in an air tight cake box.

Note: 
All measures are in standard cup of volume 200Ml.
If you add condensed milk instead of Khova, reduce the quantity of sugar.
You can also make this cake by replacing ash gourd with cucumber.

Blueberry Muffin(Cake)

Ending this year's Christmas Bonanza with this cake. We do hope our readers liked the other presentations as well.

"Wishing you all Season's Greetings and a Very Happy New Year 2015"

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This recipe has been featured on the TV show Zee Khanakhazana.

Ever since Meena started baking cakes, she's been mostly following known few recipes that she had noted down in her recipe book. Of course, Chef Sanjeev Kapoor who inspired us both to cook wonderful dishes over a period of time, is our most favourite Indian Chef on TV. Meena watches his Khaana Kazana program regularly and she saw this one some months ago. She jotted down the recipe quickly and made it. I didn't know the name nor did I see what's the recipe. All I know is taking the pictures and whacking two slices of the cake during the session and convincing her that the log shrunk due to sudden change in weather!

She made this not in muffin cups but like a bread loaf. She also didn't have Blueberry Jam, so she added mixed fruit jam. It tasted very good. Try this, and you'll also like it.

Ingredients:
Blueberry jam(or any other good flavour) - 4 tablespoons
Refined flour (maida) - 1 & 1/2 cups
Eggs - 2 
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Vanilla essence - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
Baking powder - 2 teaspoons
Butter - 4 tablespoons
Milk - 3/4 cup
Lemon rind - 1 teaspoon

Method:
Preheat oven to 180º C. Break eggs into a bowl and whisk adding sugar till light and frothy. 
Add vanilla essence and mix.
Sift refined flour, salt and baking powder into another bowl. 
Melt butter. 
Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix gently. 
Add melted butter and mix. 
Add milk and mix. Add lemon rind and mix. 
Add blueberry jam and mix lightly.
Pour the batter into the muffin moulds and bake in the preheated oven for ten to fifteen minutes or till they rise properly.
Remove them from the moulds when slightly cool and serve warm. 

Recipe Courtesy: http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/recipe/Blueberry-Muffin-KhaanaKhazana.html