So it is Aman’s birthday today and it is quite surreal to celebrate during the Pandemic Times. Surprise midnight visit by friends holding balloons reduced to Whatsapp Calls and drunk parties at a pub get remotely replicated with a whiskey peg (or two) or a glass of wine, Pink Floyd playing at background. No one smearing cake on your face or giving you birthday bumps because “Hey! No touching!”. Home-baked cakes and nice lunches instead of quintessential drive-by parties at a restaurant. However, this has been one CRAZY year and this will be one birthday tale to talk about to your children!
With the outing plans in a pigeonhole, I was opting for a humble celebration but delighting him with things that I am (okay-ish) good at: Cooking! I had it all in mind: what to cook on his birthday, saw food documentaries for 4-5 days straight to derive with the perfect recipes, marination ideas etc. But, what about the cake?
If you didn’t know already, I suck at desserts. No, sorry. I suck at it. I am extremely comfortable baking/ making something sweet because I do not have a sweet tooth. But yknow, there are two things I exceptionally like: Bitter Dark Chocolate & Whiskey.
So I decided to bake a cake. Without a microwave/OTG/Blender/Parchment Paper/Baking equipment. The thought now gives jitters to my stomach but I guess I managed alright. Two breakdowns in between, but hey! The cake turned out really moist and chocolaty good.
So I made it in a saucepan.
Don’t flip out. It works. The ones you boil milk in.
Stay put. I am not going to blabber anymore. I will write my recipe down here.
But before everything else,
HAPPY FREAKING BIRTHDAY, AMAN!!
Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour: 1.5 cups
- Cocoa Powder: 1 cup
- Salt: 1 tsp
- Baking Powder: 1 tbsp
- Baking soda: 0.5 tbsp
- Whiskey: 60 ml (Preferably Baileys)
- Pineapple essence: 2 drops (Optional)
- Instant coffee powder: 2 tbsp (I used a double-mocha flavoured one)
- Vanilla Essence: 1 tbsp
- Refined Oil/ Melted Butter: 1 cup
- Sugar: 1 cup (Grounded into fine powder)
- Eggs: 3 nos.
- Cream: 1/4 cup
- Milk: As required to bind the batter
- Parchment/Butter Paper/Any white paper brushed with oil/butter: Cut it into the desired circle to fit the saucepan
- Chocolate chips: As required (Optional)
For the decoration:
- Cream: 1/4 cup
- Dark Chocolate: 1 large bar
- Cocoa powder: 4 tbsp
Recipe:
- Sieve flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda into a bowl.
- In a cup, mix whiskey, pineapple essence, coffee and vanilla essence.
- Mix powdered sugar and refined oil till it is smooth. I used a mixer grinder but if you have hand grinder you can use it.
- Added the eggs in the mixture and blended it further.
- In the wet ingredients, I added the dry ingredient mixture and the whiskey liquid alternatively in batches and mixed them as it went.
- Add cream and mix again. Add milk to dilute the mixture if necessary.
- Added the chocolate chips and mixed all together for a gooey texture.
- Cover the saucepan in parchment pan and brush it with oil and refined flour inside and outside. Pour the mixture in it.
- For baking, I used a large flat pan and place the saucepan over the pan and cover with a lid.
- Once the pan is hot enough, keep adding water on the pan and keep it for an hour or till the skewer in the cake batter comes out clean. That’s when you know it is done.
- Turn off the gas and keep the lid closed for 15 mins.
- To make the chocolate ganache, lightly simmer fresh cream and pour it over the dark chocolate and cocoa powder mixture. Blend it till thick and smooth.
- Cool the cake down in refrigerator or under a fan before pouring the ganache.
- Layer the chocolate ganache. I topped one half with dark chocolate shavings and other half with chocolate sprinkles.
- Your cake is ready!
If you liked this recipe and want to see more of this mother-daughter duo, don’t forget to reach out to us at rannabaati00@gmail.com and our Instagram Handle @rannabaati by Oliva Das. We look forward to your requests and feedback!
Ranna Baati 