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CAMEL MILK PISTACHIO CAKE



    A time for family gatherings and celebrations, November 18th commemorates the 369th anniversary of independence from Portugal.

    This day also represents the National Day since Qaboos bin Said al Said’s rise to the throne of the Sultanate, as well as his birthday. During this trifecta of a holiday, you’ll see the red, white, and green of Oman’s flag waving freely. These colors have come to represent the geography of Oman in green, the Imamate leaders of the past in white, and the Sultanate itself in red.

    Hence raised the toast in celebration of Sultanate’s big day by making a camel milk pistachio cake, keeping the colours of the Omani flag in mind. The cake was absolutely divine with a super soft texture, and drool-worthy, delicious cream cheese frosting.


    SERVES: 10-12 servings

    PREP TIME: 10 minutes

    BAKING TIME: 20 minutes



    INGREDIENTS

    • 1 cup unsalted pistachios, shelled

    • 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour

    • 1 cup granulated sugar

    • 1 1/4 tsp baking powder

    • 1/2 tsp baking soda

    • 3/4 tsp salt

    • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature

    • 3 egg whites, room temperature

    • 2 tbsp full cream labneh, room temperature

    • 1/4 cup full fat Laban (buttermilk), room temperature

    • 3/4 cup whole camel milk, room temperature

    • 1 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

    • 3/4 tsp almond extract

    • 1-2 drops of green food colouring (optional)

    For Cream Cheese Frosting:

    • 8 oz cream cheese (Philadelphia slab), room temperature

    • 185g butter, room temperature

    • 1 tsp vanilla extract

    • 1 1/4 cup confectioners sugar



    METHOD

    1. Grease and line two 8” round baking tins with parchment paper.

    2. Using pulse settings on your processor grind pistachios to a fine crumb. If you grind too much it will form into a pistachio spread. So be careful not to over blend.

    3. In a bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, add ground pistachios reserving a tablespoon for garnishing later. Mix them well and keep aside.

    4. Cream the butter and sugar in a handheld or stand mixer until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add egg whites and whisk on high speed until combined, about 2 minutes. In a small bowl, using a hand whisk, whisk labneh and laban together to combine well. Add the laban mix, almond extract and vanilla extract to butter mix, and beat them together.

    5. Now add half milk and half of the dry ingredients to the bowl and give a quick blend until combined. Add the rest of milk and dry ingredients and give a quick blend again until just combined altogether.

    6. Pour the batter in the prepared pans and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 20 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean. Leave in pan for 10 minutes, take them out on wire rack to cool completely.

    7. For cream cheese frosting, in a stand mixer bowl, cream butter and vanilla extract, until pale and creamy approximately 2 mins; add cream cheese and blend until smooth and combined well with butter. Add confectioners sugar and beat to thick and fluffy consistency, about 2-3 minutes.

    8. Shave-off the bumps of the cakes to level them for layering, place one layer of cake on top of the cake stand or cake board, keeping the cut side up, add big dollops of cream cheese icing and level it with off-set knife, place the second layer of cake on top keeping cut side down and smooth side up. Spread the rest of icing on sides and top of the cake; decorate with reserved pistachio crumbs and fresh flowers if you wish.


    COOK'S NOTES:

    • Cow’s milk can be replaced in the recipe if you can get hold of the camel milk.

    • Please use full fat milk for the soft and spongy texture of the cake.


    GLUTEN-FREE EGGLESS BROWNIES



      These rich, fudgy, gluten-free, egg-free and refined sugar-free Ragi (finger millet) brownies are guilt-free indulgent treats. Amazingly delicious and much more fudgy than the classical flour brownies. Experimenting with different ingredients and finding similar results of the traditional recipe could be challenging and chances are of failure in your first attempt, but to my surprise my first attempt was a great success. These are super fudgy and moist that your hand won’t stop at just one. I couldn’t resist myself from eating 4 slices in a row... yes you heard it right, “4 slices”!! Damn, they were simply irresistible, but was quiet complacent of the fact that I was digging into some guilt-free indulgence.


      These gooey goodness are made with Ragi flour, also known as finger millet, an ancient grain which is a powerhouse of nutrition. It helps control diabetes, weight loss, reverse skin ageing, and a great source of protein and calcium too. Try these and you won’t go back to your traditional brownies. It’s baking time!

      YIELDS: 16

      PREP TIME: 15 minutes

      BAKING TIME: 30 minutes

      PASSIVE TIME: 1 hour



      INGREDIENTS

      • 1 cup ragi (finger millet) flour

      • 1/2 cup oats flour

      • 1 cup brown sugar

      • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, room temperature

      • 275g semi sweet chocolate chips

      • 150g butter, cut into cubes

      • 1 tsp vanilla extract

      • 1/2 cup pecan nuts, chopped

      For Frosting:

      • 125g semi-sweet chocolate chips

      • 3 tbsp sour cream, room temperature

      For Sugar Glaze (Optional):

      • 1/3 cup confectioners sugar

      • 2-3 tsp milk



      METHOD

      1. Grease and line 8x8” square pan. Preheat oven at 180° C.

      2. In a heatproof bowl melt chocolate and butter together over a double boiler until they are just melted, gently combine them with a spatula, and remove bowl from the double boiler.

      3. Add sugar to the chocolate mix, combine with spatula, let it cool for 2 minutes. Add Greek yogurt and gently fold to combine well.

      4. In a bowl, sieve ragi and oats flour and add half the quantity to the chocolate mix and gently fold them with a spatula. Add rest of the flours and fold to combine well. Add pecan nuts to the brownie batter and mix.

      5. Now pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake it for 30-35 minutes. Let it cool in pan completely, transfer on a tray or chopping board, upside down.

      To Make Frosting:

      1. Melt chocolate in a bowl over a double boiler, as it melts remove from double boiler and add sour cream; mix gently with the help of a spatula until it’s well combined and glossy.

      2. Let it cool down, about 5 minutes.

      3. Pour over the brownie block and spread it with offset spatula. Let the frosting set for an hour and cut it into 16 squares and serve.

      To Make Glaze:

      1. To glaze the brownies, mix together confectioners sugar and milk and make like a stream dropping consistency, drizzle over the set frosted brownies.


      COOK'S NOTES:

      • Check if your oat flour is gluten free if you're intolerant as they can often be contaminated in factories (though oat flour is gluten free).


      SPICED GINGER COOKIES



        Spiced ginger cookies were made for tea the other day... I bought the candied ginger from winter bazaar few weeks back which I picked up thinking it would be a nice soother to clear up my throat, but realized it was way too strong on my pallet and thought I need to change its avatar...I had to create a recipe for my magazine column and quickly thought of making ginger spiced cookies... well, what other way would be best to utilize my candied ginger which was sitting in my pantry unused. Here's the recipe for you all below, give it a try!

        YIELDS: 20-22 pieces

        PREP TIME: 15 minutes

        REFRIGERATION TIME: 2 hours

        BAKING TIME: 10 minutes



        INGREDIENTS

        • 3/4 cup unsalted butter

        • 1 cup light brown sugar

        • 1 egg

        • 1/2 cup molasses

        • 2 1/4 cup plain flour

        • 1 tbsp baking soda

        • 1/2 tsp salt

        • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

        • 1/2 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated

        • 2 tsp ginger powder

        • 3 tablespoons candied ginger, chopped

        • 1/4 cup caster sugar



        METHOD

        1. In an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add egg and molasses, blend to combine well.

        2. In a bowl, sift flour, add baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger powder and candied ginger, mix them all together. Now, gradually add the flour mix to butter mixture and blend until just combined. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours.

        3. Now preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.

        4. After 2 hours, make dough balls about 1 ½” big, roll them into caster sugar, place on baking sheet 2” apart and bake for 9-10 minutes.

        5. Leave it on tray for 15 minutes before transferring on cooling rack. Store in airtight container.


        COOK'S NOTES:

        • Add some chocolate chips to the dough for an indulgent treat. Can be stored in an airtight container for 2 weeks. Pairs really well with Earl Grey tea.


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