The South East Asians don't have too much of an affinity towards milk and milk products and sugar.
Their desserts are not cloyingly sweet or milky -only just.
And they are sweet.
And fulfilling.
Date cakes and Coffee cakes were a standard on all the dessert spread s that we ate at. And they were not frosted. In fact whatever was frosted was done for the benefit of the tourists.So I just had to come home and try out a less sweet cake.
This is what I ate in KL assuming them to be soft cookies. And when the chef at the counter told me they had ZERO fat...I fell in love -with the chubby chef and with Kuih Bahulu.
And back in Mumbai, java in my cake was the best way to start.So while my Brookies were baking , I got out my loaf tin and did the batter for a whole wheat coffee cake.
If the pastry chefs in Malaysia manage with less sugar or zero oil ,so can I. Well ,one at a time.
Barring the fact that my chocolate chunks got a little dehydrated, my cake was perfect.
If I may say so myself.
Since I have few friends to feed here-the compliments have to be in first person.
For the
Whole Wheat Coffee Cake-Low Fat
you need
11/2 cup whole wheat flour or atta
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
100 mils neutral vegetable oil
50 mils hot milk
3 tbsp Instant Coffee
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1/2 cup Chocolate Chips or chocolate chunks
Dissolve the coffee in the hot milk and set aside. Once it cools add the vanilla extract or essence.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Preheat the oven to 175°C or 350°F and grease and flour the tin with oil and whole wheat flour.
Be sure to shake off the excess.
In a large bowl beat the oil and sugar till they sort of look mixed and add one egg at a time.
Now alternate between the dry and the milk and coffee and mix it all in.
In the end fold in the chocolate chips or chunks.
Tap once on the shelf to even out the batter and pop into the oven for 40 to 45 minutes.
Beautiful mocha aromas will be wafting from the oven... and you'll want to frink just that.After 45 odd minutes , check the cake for doneness and bring it out.
Cool and then run a knife around the cake and turn out onto a wire rack.
Slice and enjoy with a cup of coffee or cold coffee or green tea or just like that.
A lot of solace to your mind comes from the fact that it is low fat , healthy and has low sugar.
Guilty...
Or maybe not.
Sometimes, you just have to indulge.
And enjoy.
So what are you baking today???
