Cashew Cake
Cashew Cake is similar to Mawa cake but with curd as base. It is rich and delicious with goodness of cashews in every bite. A pleaser for elderly looking to satisfy their kaju katli cravings.
Last week was my father-in-law’s 77th birthday and he invited some of his friends (read senior citizens) for a party at home. Keeping in mind everyone’s age and preferences, I kept the menu very simple and everyday food.
There was Poha, sambhar-vada, dhokla, chutney, sev and hot tea. His friends got him a cake from a bakery and I made him another simple but rich in taste which will specially appeal to elderly, Cashew Cake.
I followed my basic cake recipe which I have conquered for tea cakes. I replaced some flour with cashew flour or meal. The more you replace, the dense cake can be. I recommend somewhere between 1/4 cup to max 1/2 cup of flour replacement.
Apart from richness, addition of cashew flour gives better taste and a softness which cannot come with essence. The taste is simple yet something like an Indian sweet. A very suitable cake to please elders, in-laws or people looking for different flavours. This cake lies somewhere near a Mawa Cake.
Cashew Cake
Ingredients
| 1 | cup of all purpose flour |
| ½ | cup of cashew flour or meal (cashew powder) |
| 1 | cup of home-made curd |
| ¾ | cup of granulated sugar |
| ½ | teaspoon of baking soda |
| 1¼ | teaspoon of baking powder |
| ½ | cup of olive oil |
| 1 | teaspoon of vanilla extract |
| ¼ | cup of blanched and roasted almonds |
Preparation
| 1. | Preheat oven to 200 C. Grease and line a 6 inch round pan. Sift flour 2-3 times. After toasting almonds in the oven, gently split them into 2 or you can use whole almonds also. |
| 2. | In a large bowl, beat the sugar and yogurt for 5 minutes on high speed. Add baking powder and baking soda, beat in on low, and allow to stand for 3 minutes. You will find that bubbles appear. Beat in the oil and vanilla extract to the curd mixture. Slowly add the flour in 2 lots, blending in well after each addition. Fold in cashew meal now gently. |
| 3. | Pour the batter in the prepared pan. Top with toasted almond slices. Bake at 200°C for 10 minutes, reduce temperature to 170-180°C and bake for 25-30 minutes or till a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. |
| 4. | Cool the cake for 30 minutes and then overturn onto a plate. Wait for at least 2 hours before slicing it, else it doesn't slice neatly. |
Notes
Heaped 1/4 cup of whole cashews will give approximately 1/2 cup of cashew flour.
I used oil for my cake.
Like a quickbread it is best to slice the cake next day.
