There's everything for everyone in this cake. Once it's baked, you cannot fault it. It's going to pump you up with lots of vitamins and minerals and is a great energy booster! I still won't say it is healthy as it contains sweeteners; it is however "one of the healthiest" cakes ever baked by me if you compare it with all the chocolate, coffee and sugar-laden ones. Another reason for experimenting with this bake was - I was bored of Ragi porridge, Ragi upma and wanted a breakfast pick-me-up dish. Something that one can bake, refrigerate the left overs and re-heat and eat the following day. It's a life saver. This also makes for a great tea time snack. So let's begin with our loooong list of ingredients..but worth it!
Ingredients:
- 60 grams Wheat flour (Lightly roasted)
- 50 grams Ragi Flour (Lightly roasted)
- 1 medium sized Carrot, grated
- 1/4th tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4th tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4th tsp Garam Masala powder
- 1 tsp Cinnamon powder
- A pinch of Salt
- 4 Dates, pitted
- 6 Walnuts, broken
- 80 ml cup of oil
- 2 ripe Bananas
- 2 Eggs
- 30 grams Sugar or 20 grams powdered Jaggery
- 1 tsp Vanilla essence
- Oats to sprinkle
TIPS:
Roasting: Lightly roast the wheat flour and ragi flour for about 5 minutes on a small flame.
Oven temperature: Bake times vary for this cake because wheat flour takes longer to bake than most flours. It also depends on your oven.
Baking powder and Soda: This is a loaf cake so do not worry about it not rising much. The more baking soda and powder, the more you end up with a metallic after taste. So keep it to the minimum.
Sweetener: If you want to eliminate Jaggery or sugar altogether, you can by being generous with the dates. Do taste the raw batter to gauge sweetness.
Texture: Do not sweat over this cake's appearance. Please note, this is a dense yet super moist cake.
No Eggs?: You want it without eggs, then opt for 2 tbsps of flaxseeds finely ground and then mix in 6 tbsps of water till it turns into a gelatinous consistency. AND add about 30 ml cup yoghurt.
Method:
Step 1: Beat the eggs, sugar/ jaggery, oil, bananas and vanilla essence in a blender
Step 2: Take a utensil and sift the lightly roasted flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk well.
Step 3: Add the grated carrot, dates, walnuts, cinnamon powder and garam masala powder and whisk until it is coated well with the flour.
Step 4: Pour the egg mix into the dry ingredients and fold in thoroughly.
Step 5: Grease a 25 x 13 x 6cm loaf tin and pour the batter in.
Step 6: Sprinkle generously with oats.
Step 7: Preheat Oven and Bake at 180° C/ 350° F for approximately 35-45 minutes. Start checking at 35 minutes.
Happy Baking!
