Saturday 23 May 2009

Celebrating Kichu Khon with Eggless Mango Cake


Warning : Long Post :-)

Two years back, on a whim I made an account on blogspot for my ramblings ... which I still do here . And then suddenly life took me on a whirlwind tour so fast I forgot who my own self was ..... leave alone blog. Then a year later when I came back to it, I decided to turn it into a log of my adventures in the kitchen.
And today Kichu Khon completes a whole year ! :-)

Learning how to cook does not only mean heat a vessel, dunk in stuff and wait for it to cook. After numerous accidents and burnt food, after numerous burns and scalds, after destroying the cooker completely for using it without enough water ... I learnt what this adventure is all about.

I learnt that the oil has to be smoking hot before you let in those potatoes / fish. I learnt that just browning the vegetables in a fry does not mean they are cooked inside too. The water has to boil well before letting in the rice / noodles.

Iodised salt is different from plain salt ... so the amount you are using matters. Not to mention learning how to buy fish / vegetables ... and to knead atta .... the biggest challenge of all.

I had to learn the North Indian way of cooking, the Rajasthani way of cooking and for my nostalgic self the Bengali way of cooking. All the while wishing I had spent a little time everyday in the kitchen back home. But cooks consider kitchens their domain ... so had no luck ( now I consider it luck). :-)

Today I am confident in the kitchen ... can rustle up a snack from almost nothing ... and can serve a dinner for 6 ( that's the max I allow at home ... if more ... we eat out ) successfully.

When I go through my blog, I see how I have grown. And the number of dishes I have dished out amazes me .... and that is only the tip of the iceberg. Not all dishes we cook lands up in our blogs. I wonder if every woman kept a track of the number of dishes / snacks she made in her lifetime ... what would the figure come to?

Anyway ... am ranting now. One year back, with much apprehension I started off with my first post. Today I have a pretty ok kinda blog ... if not a very gorgeous one.

And I want to thank Everybody who has visited Kichu Khon and have cared to leave a line. I thank those who have stuck by me even when I had no comments ... who have encouaged me ... advised me and helped me with your suggestions. I have learnt so much from your blogs.

And for turning into such dear friends ( you know who you are .... I could not have done it without your continious support & love ). :-)
Today I can say I love my virtual world friends as much as I do my real world ones. :-)
My blog gets so many hits .... and am so happy about it. People spend so much time here ... visit so many recipes ... download snaps ... my site has even been ripped once ... (I take it as a compliment though ) .... return to the same recipes. BTW I would like to mention here that my most visited recipe is .... Kundru ki Sabzi !! :-)

I just wish they would leave a line here. It does not take much to say "I liked this" / "I did not like this". I am not about to pout or stomp my foot demanding a comment ... but I still think it is good manners.

Initially I was disheartened .... the number of comments never seemed to increase ... now I know better. So all you fellow bloggers ... don't judge the popularity of your blog by the number of comments it gets. :-)
I made an eggless Mango Cake to celebrate ... ok, ok ... I am still on the lookout for a reason to get rid of those mangoes. I have made this cake earlier with mango juice ( I used Slice ) ... but this time I have added milk.
Need

1 cup maida / APF, a little less than 1 cup powdered sugar, a little less than 1/2 cup cooking oil, 
a little cold milk [ ( use enough to make the batter of pouring consistency ... I prefer a batter that keeps on flowing when pouring into the baking dish .... and not fall in huge lumps .... (get the idea? ) ],

2 teaspoon baking powder, 5-6 drops of vannila essence, one meduim sized ripe mango pureed ( I used the Begunfuli / Badam variety ... they are quite fleshy ... if using a smaller variety you can use 2 or 3).


How to : Mix everything together .... you can use a hand blender too.
Add the milk after adding the mango puree. The batter should be thick but of pouring consistency. So adjust the milk accordingly.
Warm oven. Grease a baking dish with a little cooking oil / butter. Pour in the batter and bake at 130 - 160 degrees C.
The cake turned out to be dense, moist and very flavourful. I got two medium sized cakes from the above measurements.

Note : If you are preheating the oven ... check that it does not get too hot. If you have the Warm option .... use it to preheat.
I start the baking at a low temperature first ... it helps in cooking the inside of the cake ... and then increase the temp. to brown it.
Keep checking ( by inserting a wooden knitting needle / knife / chopsticks) and turning off the oven at intervals for proper and even baking and browning.

And if you see that the cake is done yet has not browned well ... keep it in grill mode for around 2 mins ... and then switch off the oven. Do not leave it even for a while when on grill ... it burns very quickly.
Go by your instincts and by what you see. You will get that perfect cake. :-) 


Here's a slice for everybody who has visited Kichu Khon. :-) Enjoy !!

Updated on the 26th: Am sending this cake to Srivalli's Mango Mela! :-)

35 comments:

  1. Ok this was so touching that I feel like giving you a hug right now! Touching for you spoke from heart. Anyone will agree with you on how erroneously we begin our cooking lessons and self teach ourselves through the years into perfection. I guess we all get moulded into our own idea of perfection, ideas shaped by watching our moms cook!! :)
    I am sure most of us want to be as good as someone we have been inspired by...which is in most cases our moms or grandmoms or mom in laws!!
    Congratulations Sharmila for completing one year of such a beautiful creative piece of art...your blog deserves applause, you have every reason to feel proud of it!! :)
    Well...I got to try out this recipe just b'z it looks so good!! :)
    Thanks BTW for sharing what you have been sharing all along...

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  2. Congrats on finishing a year ! And sharing the recipe of eggless mango cake...Looks good.

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  3. Dear Sharmila, many congratulations on your one-year anniversary. I, for one, love visiting your blog and learning more about Bengali cuisine.
    That mango cake is a delicious way to celebrate your blog birthday. I make a mango cake but with canned pulp, since I don't get great fresh mangoes here. Yours looks amazing-- love the color.

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  4. COngrats on the anniversary, Sharmila! Wishing you many many more!
    Nice post too. Very nicely written.

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  5. Happy Birthday to KichuKhonn, one the sweetest blogs in the blogosphere for me
    This little baby of yours has turned into such an adorable toddler now:)
    And that mango cake is a gorgeous treat for this occassion.
    Lots of love

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  6. Congratulations!!!!
    May we get to 'eat' many more such slices in years to come!! ;))

    The cake looks so delicious...till date I've never dared to make eggless cake....must try this one..

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  7. Sweetie, I think your blog is gorgeous and not just OK!! I could feel how you have evolved when I read this post, and that is exactly how I felt. When people do not give you a comment don't get disheartened...it just means that there is something still that you can work upon(X factor). It is essential to have that factor too - let us just call it a 'negative boost'!! (For me that X factor is there in your blog!)

    Congrats and keep going girl!! Love your recipes:)

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  8. Thanks so much Joyeeta! Hugs to you too. :-)

    Thanks Jyoti! :-)

    Much thanks Vaishali! I'll try to post some Bengali recipes more frequently. :-)

    Thanks Vani! :-)

    Thanks Rashmi dear! I now know why parents are so happy on their babies' b'days. :-)
    Huggggggs. :-)

    Thanks so much SGD! Wish I could really hand you a slice. :-)

    Thanks so much Harini! X factor for a food blog? Hmmm ... I thought good recipes mattered. :-)

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  9. Congratulations for a year of learning, cooking, enjoying, for all the praises, for making new friends... and Thanks for sharing so much and for being around as a moral support to so many of bloggers around
    And Mango in any form is a great way to celebrate, so great going lady ...cheers

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  10. congrats on the anniversary and look forward to many more cakes. I am new to your blog but I really like the simplicity with which you put recipes across. Make them seem far less forbidding than it would in most other pages. I guess that is because you are sharing your own discoveries with us. Which is fantastic

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  11. Hi Sharmila. I'm so glad you posted an eggless cake recipe. My in laws will be coming to stay with us for a few months and they are pure vegetarians. I was on the lookout for eggless dessert recipes and this would be great to try out. Do you think this could be made with canned mango pulp? Hope all is well with you.
    Take care
    Naina

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  12. Sharmila,
    wow! time flies..many congratulations for completing one year :))...
    never mind about comments ..that doesn't show about how much your blog is popular or not(at least that I have understood).. if people stay and spend time here and again love to visit ..then you have always that X factor remember that...
    onek -onek bhalo laglo aar aro kichukhon ke barte dekhte iche ache :))mango cake ta darun hoyeche ...all the best ..
    hugs and smiles

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  13. been searching for eggless cake recipes for over a year now! this sounds promising!
    thanks :)

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  14. Sharmila - congratulations. You have such a nice blog here. Love it! Also you write so well... You should be writing stories, very nice flow of words... Mango eggless cake is awesome. Have to make it for my mom...

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  15. Hi. First of all congratulations on completing a year... i like your recipes.... I am on search of eggless cakes. So was glad to see yours....A small doubt... Can i use mango pulp instead of pureing the mango?

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  16. Much thanks Alka! :-)

    Am so glad you like my blog(s) Kalyan .. thanks so much for the nice words! :-)

    Thanks dear Naina! I have posted a few other eggless cakes too ... just search for 'eggless cakes' on my blog and you will get them. :-)

    Yes this can be made with canned mango pulp ... just keep in mind that if it has sugar, then you will have to adjust (decrease) the quantity of sugar in the cake .... and also since the pulp will be heavier, the cake might not rise too much ... so take care that the bottom does not burn ..... the cake will turn out to be dense ... and not very fluffy.
    I usually start baking at a lower temp. and later increase it.
    Hope this helps. :-)

    Onek onek thanks Jaya ... eto mishti mishti kothar jonne ... tomar moton mishti lokeder comments pawa chaara amar ar kichu chaina. :-)

    Thanks Raj! Hope you will try it. :-)

    Thanks so much HCOF! :-)

    Thanks Jltha! You can use mango pulp ... just check out my answer to Naina's question.
    Any other questions, don't hesitate to ask. :-)

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  17. Oh Happy Birthday dear kichu Khon!
    Your mommy has done a fabulous job with you ;-)
    Seriously, it's been a lot of fun visiting you Sharmila. Your post is sweet and the cake looks perfect.
    And girl, you want to "get rid of mangoes"?
    Do you know I went to the Indian store the other day and they had 6 carefully wrapped alphonso mangoes in a big box selling for 25 dollars?!! So please value your mangoes...lol.

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  18. Hi Sharmila,
    Congratulations on the wonderful journey you've had in the blogshpere :) continue with the same spirit :0 it's a very senti feeling to see how we ladies get attached to our blogs ...It's because of all the hard work, patience and love that goes into cooking up a dish,clicking, presenting .... may it be as simple as a lemonade or any A-LA-DI-DA ;)it's the inner joy right! reading through and yes re-reading for a second time I saw so much of me ...am sure so many of them will find a piece of themselves here :)the cullinary journey and the visit and no comment thingie ...tha's ok sweetie, comment or no comment, some know that u r a softie heart and a growing skillful cook :) :) tha's what matters....good manners also matters a LOT...but phir bhi it's ok, everything maaf and move on! I love ur blog,it gives a homely feel :) wishing to see many more recipes and write ups from u. here's a joke for u:

    Sunday strong hai ya Monday??? socho socho :)
    .
    .
    .
    .
    Sunday! kyu ki Monday weekday hai...lol ;)

    Mango cake looks absolutely mangolicious and a cute way to celebrate the 1 year that has flown by! love u! god bless!
    Enjoy he week ahead
    TC

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  19. Ha it happened many a times with me.....Just ignore the annoying commnets.....make them as stepping stones and climb forword...My very best wishes for the comming yummy years....I leant so many new things here and happy to be part of this blog......Happy b'day Kichu Khon....Mango cake looks scrummy....Parcel some...

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  20. Thank you so much Bharti! Kichu Khon loves your visits too. :-)
    Wowie! 25 dollars does sound shocking, even for alphonsos. Btw ... am about to eat my own words soon ... the monsoons are not too far away ... and even before we are a week into them I start missing mangoes. :-)

    That's so sweet of you Suparna! It did make me smile. :-)

    Thanks for the wishes KF! Btw ... I do not get annoying comments at all ... I think you missed something. :-)
    Wish could parcel you some. :-)

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  21. Anek anek shubheccha janai tomar blog anniversary-te..Wishing for many more years to come with your simple but lovely recipes...you're right, we learned so many things everyday from this blogworld, I learnt too from u. I just love to visit ur blog, very sweet & touchy write-up, Sharmila...carry on

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  22. Congrats and wishing you many more happy years of blogging ahead.

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  23. Mango cake looks really good.
    Yeah when i got married ( years and years ago) ididn't know cooking at all, had to learn everything from scratch.
    I guess you learn on the way you go :-)

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  24. Congratulation Sharmila! amar aste deri hoye gelo, we went for a short trip & just got back. All I can say is I am so glad I found you, you kitchen, your poetry & your travel diary.. I would want to spend more time of the other 2 if i had the time...

    The cake looks sooo good, almost like a moist pie. u are trying to get rid of mangoes & I am yet to taste my first this year! I will have to make a cake this year!

    Here's a toast to many more years of blogging & friendship:-)

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  25. Onek onek thanks Indrani! Tomar moto eto bhalo lokeder visit are comments peye amar enthu onek bere geche. :-)

    Thanks Jayasree! :-)

    Right HC! and thanks! :-)

    Hear, hear! Soma .. clink,clink ... here's to blogging and friendship! :-)
    And thanks! :-)

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  26. we have a tin of cocoa powder at home and a micro but no oven... can you suggest anything?

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  27. Kalyan .. do you mean you don't have an OTG or do you mean you do not have a convection mode in your mw? Can you be a little more specific?

    Write to me at kichukhonn@gmail.com.

    You can use cocoa powder in place of coffee and follow my coffee cake recipes ... both with/out eggs.

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  28. will write ... I don't have an OTG. Have a micro with a griller but no convection

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  29. Ok .. got it. As far as I know baking is always done with convection. Haven't tried without it ... so am sorry to say Kalyan ... I don't have any idea on this. :-(

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  30. Happy Blog Birthday Sharmila. Your blog is a pleasure and heres wishing you many many more years of blog life.
    Weekend e bari bhorti lok chilo, aaj office e eshe time pelam dekhar :)

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  31. Happy Blogiversary dear Sharmila! Its always a pleasure to visit your blog.
    Sweet Mangoes are rare and expensive delicacy here,would love try this cake next time I get a good deal on mangoes:)

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  32. Thank you so much Sandeepa! Weekender jhamela bujhi. :-)

    Thank you Yasmeen!

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  33. Happy Blog Anniversary dear Sharmila. Wishes for more and more to come. Loved the version o Mango Cake.

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  34. Much thanks RC! It means a lot to me for you coming here and leaving such nice words and wishes. :-)

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  35. Lovely blog and terrific recipes. Loved them. Viel Glück!

    Antara

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