Hummingbird Cake

 I heard about Hummingbird cake for the first time a few weeks ago from a friend. I learned some interesting facts about how and why this cake got this name. This cake is believed to have been originated in the 1960's in Jamaica. Some say the cake was named after the bird because it was sweet enough to attract  hummingbirds (who eat only nectar). The cake is made with bananas and pineapple, making it sweet as nectar, hence the name Hummingbird cake. It is believed that the first printed recipe of Hummingbird cake appeared in Southern Living magazine in February 1978. The recipe was supplied by Mrs. L H Wiggin. It has become a popular cake of the South ever since. The cake is made with banana, pineapple and pecans, and filled with cream cheese frosting, and topped with crushed pecan clusters. I always make a new cake for my husband's birthday every year. This year, we visited my daughter to spend his birthday weekend. For the first time in 25 years I did not bake a cake for him. My daughter made the cake, and I made the frosting. She did a great job of baking the cake and decorating it. It was delicious.

Ingredients:

For Cake:

3 Cups all purpose flour

2 Cups sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 large eggs, beaten

1 1/2 Cups Vegetable oil

1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla extract

1 (8-OZ.) can crushed pineapple in juice, 

2 Cups chopped ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)

1 Cup chopped pecans, toasted

Vegetable shortening or butter for greasing the pans

For Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 (8-OZ.) packages cream cheese, softened

1 Cup butter, softened

32 OZ. powdered sugar ( 2 16-OZ. packages)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For Decoration:

3/4 Cup pecan halves, toasted

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 3 round 9-inch cake pans and dust with flour. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.

                         

3. Add beaten eggs and oil. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.

                                                   

4. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, bananas, and toasted pecans.

                             

5. Divide batter evenly among 3 prepared cake pans.

                                                 

6. Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans to racks, cool completely before assembling.

                                          

7. Meanwhile prepare the Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating on low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Increase speed to medium-high, and beat until fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Keep refrigerated until using.

                          

8. Place 1 cake layer on a serving platter. Spread top with 1 cup of the frosting. Top with second layer, and spread with 1 cup frosting. Top with third layer, and spread with remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Arrange pecan halves on top of cake.

 

My daughter arranged the remaining pecans on the sides of the cake. 

                                 

                                 

Notes:

Recipe adapted from Southern Living 

Eggless Mango Cake

My husband wanted me to make mango cake with the ripe mangoes we have. My "other daughter" made mango cake for her parents' anniversary last week. All this talk about mango, and what do you know, I have been getting mango cake recipes on YouTube. We are being constantly watched and heard people. 

I did not want to make a layered cake with frosting and filling, as my daughter is making a big cake for her dad's birthday this weekend. I came upon this quick and easy egg less mango cake recipe on YouTube this afternoon and gave it a try. It was light in sweetness and made with semolina (sooji).

Ingredients:

1 ripe mango (1 cup chunks)

1/2 Cup sugar

1 1/2 Cups semolina (sooji /rava)

1 pinch salt

1/2 Cup vegetable oil or melted butter or ghee

1/2 Cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

 

1/4 Cup milk

Method:

1. Peel and chop ripe mango into chunks ( 1 cup). Puree with sugar in a blender. Set aside.

                   

2. Powder semolina in to a fine powder. Transfer to a large bowl. Add a pinch of salt.

                                                                 

3. Add melted butter to the flour. 

                                                 

4. Then add mango puree to it. Mix well to blend.

                                                 

5. Stir in 1/2 cup milk. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.

                                                

6. Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. Grease and dust 8 inch baking pan. Add baking powder and 1/4 milk to the batter. Gently mix to blend. Do not over mix batter.

                                               

7. Pour batter into prepared pan. Tap to remover any bubbles. Garnish with sliced almonds and pistachios.

                                         

8. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning over on a cooling rack. Cool completely before serving.

Notes:

My cake was not sweet. You may want to increase the amount of sugar to 3/4 cup. You can add honey or agave nectar if you like.

You can make this cake in a pan too:

1. Place a stand in a pan or pressure cooker, and preheat for 5 minutes on medium heat.

2. Follow the recipe for cake batter. Place the cake pan on the stand. Cover and cook on low heat for 40- 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool for 5 minutes before turning it over a cooling rack and cool completely.

Recipe adapted from Madhavi's Kitchen.

Empty Salna (plain gravy)

 The word salan means curry or gravy in Urdu or Hindi. In Tamil it is called salna. Salna or curry could be made with large pieces of meat, fish or vegetables. typically, biriyani would be served with plain or empty salna or salan. I have had salna in Indian restaurants, but do not like the taste. This morning, I watched Chef Venkatesh Bhat on YouTube explain how to make empty salna, and made it for the first time for lunch. I served it with parotta ( layered flat bread). It was amazing. 

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons peanut oil

2 Bay leaves

2 small pieces of cinnamon

4 cloves

4 green cardamom

1 Cup thinly sliced onion (1 medium sized)

2 Tablespoons ginger-garlic paste

1 Cup thinly sliced tomato (1 medium size)

4 Green chili, slit

1/2 Cup fresh mint leaves

1/2 Cup fresh cilantro

6-10 fresh curry leaves

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 1/2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder (this is not spicy)

1 Tablespoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon Garam masala

salt to taste

1 1/2 Tablespoon chickpea flour (besan)

To Grind to Paste:

1 Cup fresh grated coconut

1 Tablespoon fennel seeds (saunf)

1 Tablespoon poppy seeds (khus khus)

1/4 Cup cashew nuts

                                                             

Method:

1. Grind coconut, fennel seeds, poppy seeds, and cashew nuts to a paste. Keep aside.

                                           

2. Whisk besan with 1/8 cup of water to a paste without lumps. Set aside.

                                                              

3. Heat oil in a  Dutch oven or a heavy bottomed sauce pan. Add the whole spices to hot oil. 

                                              

4. Add onion and cook well until golden brown. Add a pinch of slat to aid in faster cooking of onion. Add ginger-garlic paste, and stir till raw smell of the paste leaves, 2 minutes.

                                                             

5. Add slit green chili, curry leaves, mint leaves, and cilantro. 

                                              

6. Add tomato and salt. Cook well, 5-6 minutes.

                                             

7.  Now add turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder and garam masala. add 1 cup of water, and cook for 5 minutes.

                             

8.Stir in the coconut paste. Add 3 cups of water. Bring it to a boil.

                                             

9. Gently stir in besan paste. Add 3 cups water. Cover and cook on medium low flame for 15 minutes. 

                                                 

10. Turn the stove off. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Cover and leave for 10 minutes before serving. 

                                                                

11. Empty salna goes well with parotta, kuska biriyani, jeera rice, set dosa, and appam. I served salna with parotta. 

                                              

Notes:

It is important to cover the salna and cook for at least 15 minutes after stirring in the besan paste. 

Salna is neither thin like soup nor thick like kurma. 

The best way to eat parotta with salna is to pour it over the parotta.

                                                  

Recipe courtesy Chef Venkatesh Bat's Idayam Thotta Samayal on YouTube.