OATS NOLEN GUR GREEN APPLE CAKE

So this was the cake I baked last week, the occasion was very very special. A beautiful cake had to come home, that much ability we have but its me who wishes to cook everything from the scratch on certain days. They are important dates in our lives that the world need not know. I want them to know how I want to celebrate such dates.  "I" because my men are anti-social media and do not like them to be used in live shows anywhere in public. Its my call and I do it in moderation to my benefit and convenience. Today is a day to relax at home with the family, the middle aged couple may feel very lonely sooner. If it is for good, we will survive the trauma too. I am just thinking how to keep alive my blog, I may not want to cook variety. In fact I may not need to as the husband is not a foodie. Until that situation arrives, there has to be a lot of cooking. Yesterday night too I cooked a very desi kind of platter as our pre x-mas dinner. My question to you is why do you have to be conventional during occasions? I mean why cannot I prep up a desi meal at home during x-mas or new year if ain't my friends from other community are joining us for dinner. I will share with you details about it tomorrow. Now let us share this vegetarian cake recipe with shredded green apple, date palm jaggery, oatmeal OATS NOLEN GUR GREEN APPLE CAKE which is been flavoured with cinnamon and nutmeg. 

What does my memory bank say about this day, I mean how an average Bengali would spend a x-mas? They go out for picnics [choruibhati] during this time of the year packing their bags with "JoyNagar er Moya, Komla Lebu, Cake Slices." They would have them in the bus, on reaching there  would be a breakfast of "luchi, aloor dum, jilipi ba roshogolla ba sandesh" and thereafter a lunch around 4pm with "mangsho bhaat, maach bhaja, aloo bhaja, chutney, doi" with no time to cook a vegetarian item. My earliest memory of x-mas is related to a small township in the Nadia district I was born in. That "city" has a Church which holds a or held a very important position in the cityscape running schools, a hospital and other charitable trusts. There stays a good number of average hindu converts who baked fresh, warm cakes I chanced upon to eat, the memories of "borodiner mela" in the Church ground is still fresh inside along with "rajbarir pujo" and "mocholman der parar mehendi gaach." Do not ask me about "club culture," I do not belong there. We do have friends from that section of the Bengali society but I will not work towards accepting their life. I will, I must incorporate a piece of me in today's share of the vegetarian cake which is the khejur gur, that is date palm jaggery. After using a good amount of shredded green apple in the oats cake OATS NOLEN GUR GREEN APPLE CAKE, the rest went to that bowl.

Green Apple comes to this home to be used in bakes or in smoothies for the junior most, its too sour to have as a fruit. Shall we proceed with the recipe? At one point you may feel you are having "oats er halua or halwa." It was dense & moist, not fluffy. I am not in the good baker brigade but I am a regular, amateur baker who shares only what comes out decent and matches the family's taste bud. 

INGREDIENTS : 

POWDERED ROLLED OATS : 1COFFEE MUG
SHREDDED GREEN APPLE : 1SMALL TEA CUP
BAKING POWDER : 1TSP
BAKING SODA : 1/4TSP
PLAIN YOGURT : 1SMALL TEA CUP
SHAVED DATE PALM JAGGERY / NOLEN GUR : 1/2MEDIUM TEA CUP
BROWN SUGAR : 11/2TBSP +1TBSP
CINNAMON POWDER : 1TSP + 1TSP
NUTMEG POWDER : 1/2TSP
SOFTENED BUTTER : 1/2MEDIUM TEA CUP [I used salted butter]
I USED 200 ML OF NESTLE OR MARRIGOLD FRESH CREAM TO TOP THE CAKE


PROCEDURE :

We have powdered the oats in an electric grinder. We have added the baking powder and soda to it and mixed well.

Cristine peeled and shredded two green apples for me. I washed them and rubble with 11/2tbsp brown sugar and 1tsp of cinnamon powder.

We had whisked the softened butter and date palm jaggery thereafter.

We had thereafter added the plain yogurt to the batter and whisked very well to make it lump free.

We had added the liquid batter to the flour mix and folded in well.

We then added the shredded apple and cinnamon + brown sugar mix, folded in throughly. Our batter for the cake is ready.

I preheated the convection mode microwave at 180*C keeping the low height wired stool inside.

We had poured the batter to a foiled cake tin till half and in four foiled cups up to half of each.

I baked them at 180*C for 24-25 minutes, the bigger tin first, then the four cups in a separate batch.

Once cool, I topped it with 200ml of Nestle or Marrigold fresh cream that has been whisked with 1tbsp of brown sugar. Done!