Mawa Cakelets (a tea cake recipe)

It’s a fascinating thing about memories. How even the most insignificant and ordinary part of our daily lives, gets etched on our minds. And all without a trace, till one fine day, something, by mere remote association makes you travel back in time, reminding fondly of the days gone by.

It was late in the evening and I had just finished making Gajar ka halwa (carrot pudding). As I cleaned the kitchen counter, I quickly put away all the leftover ingredients in the fridge – a bit of mawa (milk solids) and some condensed milk. Too tired to even think of anything else, I resigned from my kitchen duties for the day. The following day, I was back in action to prepare our meals. I opened the fridge to get some things out. Another look and I made a mental note to use these leftovers.

Mawa/Khoya/ Milk solids

Leftovers…yes, strangely something like leftovers took me back in time. Grandmom grew up during the hard times. Probably, that’s why it was so very important to not throw away things that could be reused. Something she had learnt, something she taught us as well. Leftover food would get a new avatar the next day so that we would find it interesting enough to eat it again.

I find no shame in being frugal. It’s not like we cannot afford to go and buy a whole lot of stuff to cook whatever we want, whenever we want. It means we should respect the value for things and not be callous about it.

Don’t waste, I told myself, like my grandmom would tell me. But these ingredients would probably only be used for desserts and having made one just the previous night, I wasn’t too keen. What can I use mawa for?! Not that I did not already know, Mawa holds its royal kingship in most Indian desserts. But I wasn’t in a mood of anything really sweet. A little search online and I saw… Mawa cakes! Why didn’t I think of mawa cakes before! As a kid I had eaten plenty of mawa cupcakes. Subtly sweet, with the slightest lingering of cardamom that are perfect for tea time. While most recipes use sugar, I intended to use the leftover condensed milk instead. If you have some leftover condensed milk and want something light, here is the recipe for the Mawa cakelets.

Mawa Cakelets
(The quantities mentioned in this recipe makes around 8-10 regular sized cupcakes)

Ingredients:

Mawa 100 gms
Condensed milk 120 gms
Egg 1 medium
Butter 50 gms

Flour/Maida 160 gms
Cardamom powder 1/2 tsp
Baking powder 1 tsp

Milk 6-7 tbsp

Almonds, slivered for garnish

Method:

• Preheat the oven at 175 degrees C for 10 mins.
• In a bowl, take mawa, condensed milk, egg and butter. Whisk till smooth and runny.
• In another bowl mix the dry ingredients together. Flour, cardamom powder and baking powder.
• Add half the dry ingredients to the smooth and runny batter and fold in till well combined.
• Add in the milk and mix well to incorporate. Fold in the remaining flour mix.
• Add the batter to a lined cake tin, top with slivered almonds and bake for 25-30 mins (time mentioned is for cakelets and for cupcakes, a loaf may take a while longer)
• To test the doneness, insert a skewer or a clean knife. If it comes out clean, its ready.

Note: The cake, although baked will look white. For a golden hue on top, increase the temperature and bake on top rack with top side heat for 3-5 mins. Condensed milk gives a slightly dense texture like a blondie. Because it is subtly sweet, it may not come through with the first bite itself, but the second bite onwards you will be assured of its sweetness.

Bottle gourd, clove and yoghurt tea cake

What would a cake be without the essence that uplifts it? The essence that renders a mellow yet significant depth of flavour. The essence that distinguishes bakes from merely being a lump of sugary/ floury substance. It is no wonder that vanilla forms an integral part of most bakes. Another powerful addition that renders it another dimension is that of spice.

Consider cinnamon, with its heady aroma, the woody sweet flavour and the sublime heat that it provides, makes it a favourite among most bakers. Or cardamom, that blends with bakes equally well to lend it another characteristic flavour profile. Or saffron, that enwraps any dessert with royalty. With such capabilities of making its presence felt even with the almost negligible quantity, the spice addition, I feel remains the unrecognized hero of the baked dish/desserts.

Recently, I was toying with the idea of using spice for baking. But I had the desire to explore more rather than just going by the universal favourite, cinnamon. I must tell you now, that of all spices, Cloves are my favourite. And aren’t the little dried flower like things a pretty sight as well? Cloves are slightly more pungent compared to cinnamon or cardamom and so I was curious to find out details, from what I could bake using cloves to the different possible flavour combinations. Did you know cloves pair up excellently with bananas and oranges?

I took a few cloves in my hand, inhaled the aroma, popped in my mouth and rolled it around, while doing my research. And that led me to design this recipe. I baked this beautiful tea cake, with bottle gourd (since I had it at hand, and also something I wanted to try baking with) and yoghurt.

This mildly sweet cake, soft and moist, with a gentle hint of spice can be presented as a perfect accompaniment with tea. Below is the recipe for my Bottle gourd, clove and yoghurt tea cake.

Recipe: Bottle gourd, clove and yoghurt tea cake
Serves 4 (I used a loaf mould – 8″x 4″)

Ingredients:
125 gms plain flour (maida)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp powdered clove
100 gms butter
75 gms castor sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
75 gms plain yoghurt
100 gms bottle gourd (measured after grating)

Method:

1. Beat butter & sugar

2. Add an egg

3. Add vanilla

4. Sift the flour, baking powder and clove powder

5. Fold in the flour mixture as mentioned in the recipe

6. Add yoghurt as directed in the recipe

7. Mix in the grated bottle gourd

8. Fill the mould & bake

9. Fresh out of the oven

1. Peel, de-seed and grate the bottle gourd.
Very very important note: On grating the bottle gourd, it secretes a brown bitter juice that discolours the grated bottle gourd and alters its taste. Ensure you rinse the grated bottle gourd 2-3 times under running water to wash the bitter juices away. Squeeze out any excess water and leave it to drain in a strainer/ colander.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and powdered clove in a bowl and keep it aside.
3. In another bowl, beat the butter and sugar till light and creamy.
4. Add the egg and beat to incorporate. Add the vanilla essence and mix again.
5. Add the flour mixture and yoghurt alternately, folding it gently into the batter till incorporated. Starting and ending with flour; F-Y-F-Y-F.
6. Gently fold in the grated bottle gourd and add the batter in a baking mould/container lined with parchment paper. If you do not have parchment paper, you can grease the baking mould with butter and dust some flour on it. This is to avoid the cake from sticking to the container.
7. Bake at 175 degrees Celsius for 25-30 mins.
8. Once done, allow the cake to cool for 5 min and remove it from the baking mould on a cooling rack. Leaving it in the mould longer will make the cake soggy from the condensed steam.
9. Dust with some icing sugar and powdered clove. Cut and serve.

You might also want to check another modern Indian/fusion recipe: Pasta in spinach sauce

Learning from Pinterest…I baked a White Chocolate Mud Cake

When something new starts, I am curious. I wouldn’t really say quickly but I do get on to the bandwagon.
With Pinterest I wasn’t really sure. I didn’t know what it was all about or how it would help me but I signed up anyways.

Obviously, the food & drink category was my go-to place. Checking out the lovely pictures that make you drool, Stumbling from one blog to another, getting inspired enough to go to the kitchen and cook something. I started bookmarking ( or rather pinning) recipes I wanted to try. And one of them was the White Chocolate Mud Cake.

“Melts in your mouth” was the description. Surely, that was enough to get my attention. Now, I must tell you that I have tried many recipes that I’ve got online. But many a times it doesn’t quite turn out the way they portray it.

I had never baked a cake with white chocolate before. So I felt it’s worth a try. And I’m glad I tried. It truly lives up to its description. My family and friends loved it.

I think it should be called – The Cake that Everyone Loves.
White Chocolate Mud Cake Recipe source
I’ve saved all the recipes I’ve tried and worked well, this one is the latest addition.