Pressure Cooker Baked Wheat Cake

தமிழில் 

Pressure Cooker Baked Wheat Cake

Ingredients (for 2 people):

1. Wheat flour – 1 cup (200 grams)
2. Ball Jaggery or Jaggery powder or Palm crystal – 1 cup (200 grams)
3. Water – 1 1/2 cup (approximately 250 ml to 300 ml)
4. Dry Yeast – 1/2 teaspoon
5. Cardamom powder – 1/4 teaspoon
6. Cashewnuts – as per your choice
7. Coconut oil or Sesame oil – 1/4 teaspoon

Preparation time:

• Cake batter preparation – 10 minutes
• Batter fermentation – 2 hours
• Transferring batter into desired shapes – 10 minutes
• Baking the cake – 30 minutes

Method:

1. Take Wheat flour in a wider bowl.
2. In another vessel take one of the sweetener of your choice from the above mentioned list, pour little water and heat it up. Let the sweetener dissolve completely and then switch-off the stove. Let the syrup cool down a bit and then pour this syrup in the Wheat flour bowl. 
3. Activating the Dry Yeast: Take half glass of warm water. Dissolve a teaspoon full of Jaggery powder in it. Then add Dry Yeast in it. Do not shake or move the glass from its position. The Yeast will drown completely in few seconds and float again on the surface of water and form froth. It will also have fermented fruits’ smell. Pour this liquid immediately in the Wheat flour bowl. 
4. Add the remaining water in the bowl and mix all these ingredients without any lumps. If required add more water and adjust the consistency to Idli batter. Cover this bowl with a lid and keep it aside for minimum 2 hours to maximum 4 hours. By now batter would be fermented. 
5. Meanwhile, dry roast the Cashew nuts until they become golden brown. After it cools down, break them into small pieces and keep it ready.
6. Before baking or steaming the cake, add half of the quantity of Cashews and Cardamom powder and mix it well. 
7. Now take the vessel or cake mould of your desired shape. Drizzle few drops of Coconut or Sesame oil in the mould. Transfer the cake batter to it. Sprinkle the remaining Cashew nuts on the top of the batter.

Baking in Pressure cooker:

1. Take a Pressure cooker of 5 litres to 7.5 litres. Remove the gasket and the weight. 
2. Place the cooker on the stove and fill it with sand for 1 inch height.  Turn-on the flame and let the cooker remain in medium high heat for about 5 minutes.
3. Place a ring inside the cooker. On top of it, place a wide stainless steel plate. Then keep the cake mould carefully on the plate. 
4. Cover the cooker with lid and let the cake bake on low heat. After 30 minutes, you will get the aroma of the cake. 
5. Then insert a stick in the middle of the cake to check the consistency. If the cake is fully cooked, the stick will come out clean. 
6. Remove the mould from the cooker and let it cool down for some time. Turn the mould upside down on a plate. The cake will come out on its own. If required, use a spoon or knife to take the cake out from the mould.
7. Let the cake cool down for few minutes and then enjoy eating it. Please refer this video to understand the baking process better.

Note:

• Usually, the cake is prepared by using unhealthy ingredients like Maida/Refined all purpose flour, White sugar, Baking soda and Baking powder, etc. I was trying to find out a Satvik method of cake preparation online and found few videos were useful. I have simply collated all the information learnt from them and come to this easiest method.
• After reading this post, a beginner may feel that the cake preparation is a lengthy and a complex process. But it is not so. One should try this just one time, and then they will change their perception.
• The Dry yeast packet is available in Super markets and Essence stores. If you buy this pack and keep it at home, you may use it handy whenever you want to make Cake and Bread. 
• The consistency of Cake batter should neither be too thick nor too thin. Add little more wheat flour if it is too watery. Similarly, you can also adjust sweetness as per your taste.
• The taste of cake is slightly different in steaming method and baking method. Try both types and then choose your preferred one.
• I have also tried to make cake using only with millet flour (Sorghum and Pearl millet) following the same process. But it was not successful. When I browsed online, I saw the recipes of millet cakes in which people also add wheat flour. As per Life Natural concepts, we stick to mono Carbohydrate concept. Hence I did not want to attempt that.