A good teacher can make a world of difference in a anyone’s life, impacting everything from their classroom learning to their long-term success. In India, September 5 is celebrated as Teachers’ Day to honor teachers for their contributions in shaping the life of students. This day is the birth anniversary of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan – First Vice President and second President of India and an educationist at heart. As an educationist, he was an advocate of edification and was a distinguished envoy, academician, and above all a great teacher.
In India on this day, in most schools, senior students take the responsibility of teaching junior classes to show their appreciation for the teachers. I still remember my school days when we used to dress up like teachers and teach junior students. Later students also organize a small performance to show appreciation to our teachers.
My favorite teachers in school were my science teachers – Sangita Mam & Jyoti Mam. They always encourage students and try to get best out of them. I am lucky to be still in contact with Sangita madam.
Now in Netherlands, I am again a student and this time to learn a new language Dutch. Learning a new language is challenging but I got again some amazing teachers ( Docent means teacher, Juf means mam in Dutch language, ) – Juf Sacha & Juf Jannu, Juf Ineke.
Cakes are a delight of all times. Nothing beats the flavor that cakes add to the celebration. They have and would always be one of the most sought after desserts that make a perfect statement of sweetness. For all these awesome teachers I baked Chocolate Dates Cake for them. Happy Teacher’s Day :).
This cake goes perfectly with a warm cup of tea or coffee. I used dates instead of sugar for sweetness. I love to use dates not only in cakes but also in making dressings (“chutneys”) or dips. This is baked without eggs and has loads of crunchy mix nuts. It has whole-wheat flour which has almost four times more fiber than all-purpose flour and provides more potassium, magnesium, and zinc.
Ingredients :
Whole wheat flour – 1 cup + 1 tbsp
Dates – 18
Few prunes
Cocoa powder- 1/4 cup
Milk – 1 cup
Refined Oil – 1/4 cup
Baking Soda – 1 tsp
Chopped walnuts –1/4 cup
A pinch of salt
Topping : Few chopped dates, prunes, walnuts and some chocolate sprinkles
Method :
- Soak dates in 1 cup of warm milk for 20 minutes.
- Add chopped walnuts, Himalayan pink salt to a mixing bowl and add 1 tbsp of flour. Mix them well and keep them aside.
- Sift Dry Ingredients: Sift whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Mix them well.
- Wet Ingredients: Now put soaked dates with milk (Use the same milk in which dates are soaked), prunes, and oil in a grinder. Grind all ingredients into a smooth puree.
- Now mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients.
- Put prepared batter into a greased pan. Tab the pan on a countertop to release any large air bubbles.
- Sprinkle topping chopped over batter and with help of spoon press topping gently.
- Put the pan into the preheated wok and bake it for 1 hour 15 minutes.
Tips:
- Don’t demould quickly allow it to cool down completely.
- Cover cake with kitchen towel for half an hour before slicing.
- Baking time may vary.
- If cake batter looks dry, add 2- 4 tbsp of orange juice.
- If baking in Oven: Bake in the preheated oven at 180 deg Celsius or around 360 Fahrenheit for about 1 hour. The baking time may vary. So keep checking the cake after 40 to 45 minutes.
HOW TO BAKE THE CAKE IN KADAI (WOK)
In a heavy bottom, kadai add a cup of salt or sand. Place a steel stand in a wok. Cover and preheat the kadai on high heat for about 8 minutes. (Adding salt at the bottom ensures that the kadai doesn’t burn. Heavy bottom kadai acts as oven and ensures even cooking from all sides). I never used salt in my baking because I use a heavy bottom kadai (Prestige Brand) and I am baking for the past 2 years in the same kadai. It works perfectly fine. But, it depends on the brand, quality of the kadai.
After 8 minutes, lower the heat and put the baking tin in a kadai (wok). Cover a lid and bake bread for 60 minutes. After 60 minutes check the cake with a knife, if the mixture does not stick, it means the bread is done. If batter still sticks to the knife then again bread for another 10 minutes.
Mad About Cooking 