There’s something about the smell of baking bread that creates a feeling of comfort and cosiness – and the very act of making something with your hands can improve your mental health. There’s something about the smell of baking bread that creates a feeling of comfort and cosiness – and the very act of making something with your hands can improve your mental health.
Spending time in the kitchen can ease stress and restlessness, and enhance mindfulness, the study concluded. Not only does the process of cooking and baking improve moods, the feeling of satisfaction gained when seeing the end product naturally enhances happiness.
“It’s all about a balancing act between time, temperature and ingredients: That’s the art of baking.”
A golden sunshine color, soft and spongy cake recipe made with custard powder and carrots. It is perfect served with a warm cup of tea or coffee. Custard powder is mainly used to make dessert recipe like fruit custard. Most common recipe is fruit custard which is made with milk to form a thick sauce to top with fruits. I also make custard rice kheer with custard powder and it tastes delicious. I usually use custard powder in my cake recipes to give a nice yellow color. Some cake recipes with custard powder – Malai custard cake, Pumpkin cake and I always use custard powder in my most favorite cake – Orange cake.
Custard powder not only adds good aroma in baking it also makes them more delicious, and it gives beautiful golden yellow color after baking. This custard carrot cake have perfect golden color with perfect texture that melts into your mouth and its eggless, butterless too.
Ingredients :
Flour – 1 & 1/2 cups ( All purpose flour or maida & whole wheat flour)
Greek yogurt – 1 cup
Grated carrot – 1 cup (1 medium size carrot)
Sugar – 1/2 cup
Vanilla custard powder – 1/4 cup
Refined Oil – 1/4 cup
Baking powder – 1 tsp
Baking Soda – 1/2 tsp
A pinch of Himalayan pink salt
Chocolate Ganache – Chocolate sprinkles (1/2 cup ), 4 tbsp of milk
Rainbow sprinkles
Method :
- Dry mixture: Shift all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda. Mix salt and keep it aside.
- Wet mixture: In a grinder add sugar, curd, oil and custard powder. Grind until smooth.
- Mix dry mixture into wet mixture with grated carrot.
- Put prepared batter into a greased pan.
- Tab the pan on a countertop to release any large air bubbles.
- Put the pan into the preheated wok and bake it for 1 hour.
- When cake is done, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove bread from the pan and set them on a rack set over a tray or sheet pan.
- Allow cake to cool completely .
- Chocolate sauce– In a bowl add chocolate sprinkles with milk. Microwave high for 2 minutes and allow sauce to 5 minutes in a refrigerator. Its ready.
- Spread ganache of cake and sprinkle some rainbow sprinklers.
Tips:
- Baking time may vary.
- If cake batter looks dry, add 2- 4 tbsp of milk.
- 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 baking tin in a kadai. Cover a lid and bake bread for 60 minutes. After 60 minutes check cake with a knife, if the mixture does not stick, it means the bread is done. If batter still sticks to knife then again bread for another 10 minutes.
Mad About Cooking 