Spiced Carrot cake with walnuts (with eggs/eggless recipe-both)

Happiness is when your beloved Husband bakes his first cake while you're asleep and that too without any occasion. Sushant baked his first cake early morning, without any of my directions and also without any recipe. I was surprised to see the texture, it was just perfect. He woke up early morning and baked it. We didn't have any such plans but still he did it. Felt like I was on the top of the world. Though he was beaming a lot after it, but anything for this lovely cake :)
 

As it was a morning surprise hence I clicked it on the bed only. After a lot of tantrums, he wrote the recipe and sent to me, hence sharing with you all.

Ingredients :

• All-purpose flour/ Maida – 1 and 1/2 cups
• Baking powder – 1 and 1/4 tsps
• Baking soda – 1/2 tsp
• Cinnamon powder – 1 tsp
• Nutmeg powder – ½ tsp
• Brown Sugar – ½ cup firmly packed
• Granulated white Sugar – ¼ cup
• Grated carrots – 1 and ½ cups
• Walnuts – 1/2 cup chopped
• Vegetable Oil – 1/2 cup
• Large Eggs – 2
• Vanilla Essence – 1 tsp

Method :

• Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and dust a 6” diameter round pan.
• Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon and keep aside.
• Coat the chopped walnuts with a tbsp of flour mixture and keep aside.
• In a bowl mix the brown sugar and the grated carrots and keep aside for 8 to 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl whisk eggs, sugar and oil together. Now add the vanilla essence and whisk.
• Now add the grated carrot+sugar mixture and mix well. Add the flour mixture in small portions and gently fold in. Also add the walnuts and fold in.
• Transfer the mixture to greased pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into center comes out clean (cover loosely with foil if over-browning). Stand in pan for 5 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy warm with any ice cream or with coffee or tea. 

Notes :

• If you don't have brown sugar simply replace it with white one. 
• For the eggless recipe, simply replace 2 eggs with 1/2 cup of thick yogurt/curd and follow rest of the same recipe. 

Please do share your experiences and feedback with me in the below section of comments or on my Facebook page. I too have a You Tube channel please do visit for all the video recipes. All the links mentioned below :) 

YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/user/cookwithpriyanka 

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/cookwithpriyanka 

Thanks & Happy Baking
Priyanka and Sushant

 

Quick Roasted Murmure/ Laiya/Lava - Low cal (Roasted Puffed Rice)

It was raining here in London since morning and I was craving for some adrak wali chai (Ginger Tea), I love it and can have 4-5 cups in a day, though I have started controlling my tea and switched to green tea more :))). 

We always have some snacks with evening tea, I am sure you all too. Usually in my Native Town, we all sit together and have evening tea with lots of fried snacks and no one is worried about the weight gain at all. I still remember during my schooling whenever I had my exams, mummy used to make a big dabba of murmure namkeen. She used to roast it in batches with lots of oil. I loved it and had it in huge quantities, later realized the unhealthy part. After marriage I started roasting them in a nonstick pan with no oil, but the results were not that good. Then one day I made this namkeen in microwave and voila the results were just mind blowing. My mother didn't realize that they were made in 1 tsp of oil (that too for only tadka/tampering). Its supereasy and quick to make too. I also prepare flattened rice/chivra namkeen almost in the same manner and pretty sure that you all will love it :))).

Here is the link for roasted chivra namkeen - Click here

Ingredients :

• Laiyya/Murmure/Puffed rice - 2 cups
• Peanuts - 3/4 cup
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Black salt - 1 tsp
• Green chilies - 3 medium sized (finally chopped)
• Curry leaves - 15 (appx)
• Sugar - 1 tsp (optional)
• Salt - if needed (I didn't add)
• Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

• Take a microwavable big bowl, dry roast murmure in microwave for 2-3 minutes on high (do stir twice in between) and keep aside. Following the same procedure roast peanuts also for a couple of minutes or unless nicely done.
• In the same bowl, heat oil for 2 minutes in microwave. Now add curry leaves, green chilies turmeric powder, mix well and again microwave it for a min.
• Finally add black salt and sugar, mix (If you are adding plain salt, add at this point of time)
• Now add roasted peanuts and murmure, mix very well.
• Cool the mixture completely and store it in an airtight container for a month and enjoy with tea, coffee or cold drink. But I am sure it won't last for such long :)))

Note : 

• You can add some dry fruits like coconut, raisins, almonds etc.
• Adjust the quantity of peanuts, green chilies & salt as per the taste. You can also add red chili powder while tampering, and omit green chilies.

Do share your experiences and feedback with me in the below section of comments or on my Facebook page. I too have a You Tube channel please do visit for all the video recipes. All the links mentioned below :)

YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/user/cookwithpriyanka

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/cookwithpriyanka

Thanks & Happy Healthy Cooking
Priyanka :)))