Baking Made Simple – How to Bake a Cake

BAKING MADE SIMPLE

HOW TO BAKE A CAKE
Mathematical Formula Recipe

By 

VIKRAM KARVE 

Mathematical Formula Cake Recipe

 

“ ¾ : 1 : 1 ½ ” 

Hey – what’s that...?

No – it is not what you think – it’s not a secret code or some mathematical formula.

This mathematical ratio exemplifies the recipe for a simple cake – probably the first thing I learnt to cook.

 

It’s simple. 

Take ¾ [three-fourth] Cup of fresh Butter.

Cream the butter till fluffy with your hand.

[Instead of butter you can use Margarine or Dalda (Hydrogenated Oil) if you prefer]

Add 1 (one) cup of Sugar to the butter. 

Whisk vigorously till the sugar and butter blend smoothly.

Whip 3 Eggs till they fluff up into peaks.

Fold the three well beaten eggs into the butter-sugar batter mixture carefully.

Beat the mixture with your hand till the batter emulsifies nicely.

 

Sieve 1 ½ [one and a half] cups of Maida (flour) with a teaspoon of baking powder and keep ready in a plate.

 

In a glass – pour a generous “tot” of full-bodied Dark Rum (like Old Monk Rum)

The darker and mellower the Rum – the better it is – as it will have more caramel content – which will impart an inimitable heavenly bitter-sweet flavour – blended with the richly aromatic enveloping tang of molasses.

 

Now start adding – by the tablespoonful – the sieved Maida (flour) to the butter-sugar-egg emulsified batter.

Gently fold in and smooth the flour into the batter with your fingers.

At the same time – alternately – from time to time add a few “drops” by the teaspoonful of the full-bodied Dark Rum to the batter.

You must taste the batter by licking your fingers from time to time – rolling on your tongue – sampling and tasting at every step – till you get the right creamy consistency and taste.

I love to mix in a wee bit of powdered spices like cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg or cloves.

For Fruit Cake – get some raisins, orange rind, dried fruit pieces and petha – and soak these in a glass of Rum for a few hours – till the fruit soak in the Rum – and then – gently blend in the Rum Soaked Fruit to the batter. 

This will prevent the Fruit from sinking – and will also release aromatic flavorful Rum vapour into the cake while it bakes – and make the cake rise up well.

You must ensure a proper dropping consistency of the batter by appropriately balancing the liquid Rum and solid Maida (flour).

Innovate as per your mood and taste – and add a few drops of vanilla essence to remove what remains of that “eggy” taste.

Cream the batter with your hands till super smooth.

 

Now bake your cake in an oven at moderate temperature (180 Celsius) for around 30 to 40 minutes till done.

(Test with a clean dry knitting needle or small knife – poke the needle or knife into the cake and if the cake is done the needle or knife will come out dry).

The Rum will guarantee that the cake does not flop – and – the hot spicy alcohol vapour escaping from the cake will perambulate within the oven – and this will impart a tantalizing aroma and enticing fragrance to the cake.

 

This cake tastes best when eaten hot – as the blissful fresh spicy hot sensuous vapours overwhelm your olfactory and gustatory senses with their zesty fragrance and rich full-bodied flavour.

 

This is the first recipe I learnt from my mother – when I was a small boy.

The “Rum” innovation came a bit later – after I joined the Navy. 

I prefer to use stainless steel katories (vaties) – but you can use standard size cups if you want. 

Don’t be too finicky about precise proportions.

Sample the batter – taste at every step – and maintain dropping consistency of the mixture.

And – of course:

Do Your Best – and – Trust the Rum to do the rest...!!!

If you prefer – try using Brandy instead of Rum – for a different flavour.

 

I bake the cake in half an hour and it tastes heavenly.

Baking a cake is so simple – isn’t it..?  

To recap.

For a 3 Egg Cake:

Just remember the simple formula – “ ¾ : 1 : 1 ½ ”  

¾ cup Butter 

1 cup Sugar 

1 ½ cup Maida (Flour)

For larger cakes – just use multiples of this breathtakingly simple formula. 

Happy Baking.

Do remember to tell us how your cake turned out and how yummy it tasted.

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:

All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (All Rights Reserved)

     

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

I developed this recipe for baking a cake 50 years ago in the 1960s and I have posted this recipe online in my blogs many times - this recipe also features in my foodie book APPETITE FOR A STROLL - here are some recent urls where I have posted this recipe : http://creative.sulekha.com/baking-mathematics-1-1_455611_blog  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2015/05/how-to-bake-cake-mathematical-formula.html  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2015/12/how-to-bake-cake-recipe-for.html  andhttp://creative.sulekha.com/baking-a-cake-made-simple_488539_blog and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2016/04/cooking-for-nerds-how-to-bake-cake.html etc

Aflatoon – Mouthwatering Mumbai Memories

MOUTHWATERING MUMBAI MEMORIES

I wrote this post about AFLATOON around 14 years ago, in the year 2003, after one of my food-walks in Mumbai.

This piece is included in my book of foodie adventures APPETITE FOR A STROLL.

I loved to eat Aflatoon, especially in winter...

AFLATOON

Mouthwatering Mumbai Memories

by

VIKRAM KARVE

Aflatoon is the Persian name of Plato (the Greek philosopher). 

Aflatoon also refers to a person who talks about improbable ideas. 

Aflatoon is also the name of a sweet – a delicious dessert – a pudding – made in India. 

Aflatoon is a rare baked delight. 

Now that is what this blog post is all about.

First – I will tell you about Aflatoon.

Then – I will give you my improvised “try it at your own risk” recipe for Aflatoon – a rich fortified nourishing sweet – ideal for the winter season.

AFLATOON

 

Cooking is more a qualitative art – rather than a quantitative science.

The other day, a friend of ours dropped home a packet of scrumptious Dharwadi Pedhas.

My dear wife does not believe in the dictum: “There is no greater love than the love of eating”

So she promptly put them in the fridge and forgot about it.

Now what greater inanity can be there than consigning fresh soft flavorsome mellifluous Pedhas to harden up in some remote cold corner of the fridge?

So when I first discovered the packet of cold hard Pedhas lying hidden deep inside my fridge during one of my surreptitious midnight raids, when my better half was fast asleep, I was first miffed, then improvising, decided to soften them up in my microwave oven.

 

I put a piece of warm softened-up Pedha in my mouth – Lo and Behold! – The Dharwadi Pedha had metamorphosed into a Lal Peda.

Yes, it tasted like genuine Banarasi Lal Peda with its unique wholesome “crispy roasted milky taste”. Now that’s serendipity. I’ve searched for Lal Peda all over but nothing could match the authentic Lal Peda I used to enjoy near Sankat Mochan in Varanasi.

 

I love sweets – especially Indian Sweets – Pedhas, Barfis, Rosogulla, Gulab Jamun, Kala Jamun, Cham Cham, Sandesh, Jilebi, Imrati, Son Papdi, Mysore Pak, Petha, Mahim Halwa, Malpua, Karanji, Anarse, Chirote, Lavang Lata, Ladoos – you name it, I love it – and one of favorites is a superb wholesome treat called “Aflatoon”.

Now the only place I have had Aflatoon is on Mohammed Ali Road in Mumbai, atSuleman Mithaiwala near Minara Masjid, and I think also at Zam Zam – a little distance down the road.

Aflatoon not only satisfies your sweet-tooth – it provides rich nourishment and is blissfully satiating too.

 

I am in Pune now.

Like my search for Lal Peda – my search for Aflatoon also remained elusive – so I decided to improvise and hope for the best.

Now remember – My Dear Reader – I am no great cook – nor am I a high-falutin connoisseur – nor a culinary expert. 

I am just a simple down-to-earth trencherman, an avid foodie – so – I asked around, searched around, explored, extrapolated, reverse-engineered – and – here is what I improvised – a purely ingenious adventurous concocted experimental recipe.

IMPROVISED RECIPE FOR AFLATOON

(Try it at your own risk !!!)

 

First, with a fork, I thoroughly beat 3 Eggs till fluffy, added one cup (vati or katori) ofsugar (add more if you like it sweeter) and then vigorously whisked away till all the sugar dissolved and the mixture was nice and fluffy.

 

I had already switched on my oven – yes – Aflatoon is a baked delight – one of the rare Indian sweets which are baked in an oven.

 

I rubbed pure ghee on the palms of my hands and kneaded half a kilo of fresh Khoya [khava, mawa made from buffalo milk] till it was slippery smooth.

Then I blended in and coalesced the Khoya into the feathery egg-sugar emulsion and whipped strongly with my hands till my wrists pained, and my biceps and triceps strained, and the khoya had fully dissolved and merged into the mélange and the fusion was complete, the rich blend velvety smooth.

 

Now in a plate, I mixed together one cup of rawa, half cup of maida, and a pinch of baking powder, and gently folded this mixture, spoon by spoon, into the egg-sugar-khoya amalgamation and robustly swirled and pasted the batter with my hands, till my hands got tired again and my muscles ached.

Here, there is no exact proportion of how much rawa-maida mixture is to be added to the batter; my hands tell me when to stop – later I can always add a bit as and when required to get the right baking consistency.

 

Now the interesting part – I lovingly blended in three katories or vaties [yes, three full cups – one cup per egg] of pure ghee and churned with my hands for a long time till the ghee fully dissolved into the delectable mixture, indiscernible.

Now here is the difference in sequence of ingredients – while baking a cake you start of with creaming the butter, then blend in the sugar, then eggs, then maida – for Aflatoon you start off with beating the eggs, then the sugar, the khoya, the rawa-maida flour, and last comes the pure ghee (clarified butter).

 

Hey – remember to lick your fingers from time to time and taste the delightful mélange at each stage and plus-minus the proportions accordingly.

Also – your fingers will tell you when the consistency is perfect.

That is why I never use mixers, blenders, juicers, measuring cups and all those hi-fi gadgets when preparing dough and batter for baked delights, or cooking dishes – I always rely on my own tongue to tell me the precise taste, use my hands to cream, blend, the concoction to the right consistency, improvise the ingredients and proportions accordingly – if you want to cook creatively, there is nothing to beat your own sensory perception, isn’t it?

And yes, don’t forget to use your nose too – food must be fragrant, appetizingly aromatic, besides looking deliciously mouthwatering and tempting to feel and touch!

 

Now I mixed in the spices – powdered jaiphal, dalchini, elaichi, lavang  - and, while gently stirring with my hand, slowly poured in yummy thick creamy buffalo milk, about half a cup, till the consistency of the smooth paste becomes soft and silky, and ready for baking.

Remember to always have the rawa-maida flour ready in stand-by mode to even up the batter, if required.

Then I mix in some dry fruit – kismis, manuka, crushed pasted khajur, squeezing my fingers.

Oh, just a minute, I thoroughly mix in a few drops of vanilla essence to make even the slightest trace of the smell of eggs go away.

Finally I embellish with crushed dry fruit like badam, pista, kaju etc.

 

I now pour in the rich creamy dough into pure-ghee greased baking trays and bake it in my conventional pre-heated oven at medium heat till the characteristic mouthwatering aroma wafts through the kitchen and the Aflatoons looked appetizingly brown.

With all the khoya, creamy milk and rich ingredients it sometimes takes almost an hour or so to be done. 

Time doesn’t matter, when cooking, as in eating, I like to be unhurried – the slower the cooking the tastier the food. I always like to keep the heat moderate and my senses, especially olfactory, alert.

 

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. 

I was dying to sample the result of my culinary experiment, so I didn’t even wait till it cooled – Oh yes, it tasted wholesome, sumptuous, appetizing, good.

Just imagine – if you fortify milk-cake with eggs – enrich it – spice it up – and roast it well – that’s the nearest I can describe how Aflatoon tastes.

I wonder if aflatoon can be made by roasting it on a tawa instead of baking it!

 

I relished my homemade “aflatoon” – but then nothing can beat the original aflatoon for which I’ll have to head to Mumbai.

Till then – I’ll keep savoring these – I’m sure with all the pure ghee imbibed in them these aflatoons will last for days – provided I keep them hidden away from craving children and other insatiable trenchermen like me!

 

Dear Reader – and fellow Foodie – why don’t you too improvise, be creative, experiment, use your own ingredients and proportions, conjure up your very own aflatoon, savor it, try it out on your family and friends, and tell us all about it.

And if you happen to live in Mumbai – why take all this trouble?

Just walk down to Zam Zam or Suleman Mithaiwala – and go ahead and relish the original Aflatoon.  

Happy Eating !!!

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:

1. This is an improvised recipe – so try it at your own risk.

2. All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the story are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (All Rights Reserved)

     

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

 

This article written by me Vikram Karve 14 years ago in early 2003. The article is included in my book APPETITE FOR A STROLL (2008) and was posted online by me a number of times in my blogs at urls:

http://creative.sulekha.com/aflatoon_303216_blog

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2010/08/aflatoon.html

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/07/eating-out-in-mumbai-proof-of-pudding.html

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/03/aflatoon-rare-baked-delight.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2015/01/aflatoon-mouthwatering-mumbai-memories.html

Cooking for Nerds : How to Bake a Cake

COOKING FOR NERDS

HOW TO BAKE A CAKE
Mathematical Formula Recipe

By 

VIKRAM KARVE 

CAKE RECIPE

 

 

“ ¾ : 1 : 1 ½ ” 

Hey, what’s that?

No – it is not what you think – it’s not a secret code or some mathematical formula.

This mathematical ratio exemplifies the recipe for a simple cake – probably the first thing I learnt to cook.

 

It’s simple. 

Take ¾ [three-fourth] Cup [vati  or katori ] of fresh butter.

Cream the butter till fluffy with your hand.

[Instead of butter you can use Margarine or Dalda (Hydrogenated Oil) if you prefer]

Add 1 (one) cup of sugar and whisk vigorously till the sugar and butter blend smoothly.

Whip three eggs till they fluff up into peaks.

Fold the well beaten eggs into the butter-sugar batter mixture carefully.

Beat the mixture with your hand till the batter emulsifies nicely.

 

Sieve 1 ½ [one and a half] cups [vaties or katories] of maida (flour) with a teaspoon of baking powder and keep ready in a plate [thali].

 

In a glass pour a generous “tot” of full-bodied dark rum.

The darker and mellower the rum the better it is – as it will have more caramel which will impart an inimitable heavenly bitter-sweet flavour blended with the richly aromatic enveloping tang of molasses.

 

Now start adding, by the tablespoonful, the sieved maida (flour) to the butter-sugar-egg emulsified batter.

Gently fold in and smooth the flour into the batter with your fingers.

At the same time – alternately – from time to time add a few “drops” by the teaspoonful of the full-bodied Dark Rum to the batter.

You must taste the batter by licking your fingers from time to time – rolling on your tongue – sampling and tasting at every step – till you get the right creamy consistency and taste.

I love to mix in a wee bit of powdered spices like cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg or cloves.

(For fruit cake, get some raisins, orange rind, dried fruit pieces and petha and soak these in a glass of rum for a few hours till the fruit soak in the rum and then gently blend in the rum soaked fruit to the batter. This will prevent the fruit from sinking and will also release aromatic flavorful rum vapour into the cake while it bakes and make the cake rise up well)

You must ensure a proper dropping consistency of the batter by appropriately balancing the liquid rum and solid flour.

Innovate as per your mood and taste – and add a few drops of vanilla essence to remove what remains of that “eggy” taste.

Cream the batter with your hands till super smooth.

 

Now bake your cake in an oven at moderate temperature (180 Celsius) for around 30 to 40 minutes till done.

(Test with a clean dry knitting needle or small knife - poke the needle or knife into the cake and if the cake is done the needle or knife will come out dry).

The rum will guarantee that the cake does not flop and the hot spicy alcohol vapour escaping from the cake will perambulate within the oven will impart a tantalizing aroma and enticing fragrance to the cake.

 

This cake tastes best when eaten hot – as the blissful fresh spicy hot sensuous vapours overwhelm your olfactory and gustatory senses with their zesty fragrance and rich full-bodied flavour.

 

This is the first recipe I learnt from my mother when I was a small boy.

The “rum” innovation came a bit later.

I prefer to use stainless steel katories (vaties) but can use standard size cups if you want. 

Don’t be too finicky about precise proportions.

Sample the batter – and taste at every step – and maintain dropping consistency of the mixture.

And – of course – trust the Rum to do the rest! 

If you prefer, try using brandy instead of rum for a different flavour.

 

I bake the cake in half an hour and it tastes heavenly.

Baking a cake is so simple – isn’t it?  

Just remember the simple formula – “ ¾ : 1 : 1 ½ ”  

For larger cakes – just use multiples of this breathtakingly simple formula. 

Happy Baking.

Do remember to tell us how your cake turned out and how yummy it tasted.

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:

All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (All Rights Reserved)

     

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

I developed this recipe for baking a cake 50 years ago in the 1960s and I have posted this recipe online in my blogs many times - this recipe also features in my foodie book APPETITE FOR A STROLL - here are some recent urls where I have posted this recipe : http://creative.sulekha.com/baking-mathematics-1-1_455611_blog  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2015/05/how-to-bake-cake-mathematical-formula.html  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2015/12/how-to-bake-cake-recipe-for.html  and http://creative.sulekha.com/baking-a-cake-made-simple_488539_blog etc