Saturday, March 25, 2006

Eggless maple syrup-pecan cake

Another scrumptious cake - and this time it's eggless. I'm very pleased to have tried out this recipe because it's something I can make again when my mother comes visiting. It's mouth-wateringly tasty, especially on the second day. It might not look like much but believe me, the taste is gorgeous.



If anybody is wondering why I recommend so highly each and every cake I bake - well, it's because I choose those that sound nice but, more importantly, are easy to make. I'm no baker, and in any case complicated, ultra-rich ganache cakes and such-like things dont tempt my fancy. Simplicity is everything.

Recipe for:
Eggless maple-syrup pecan cake



Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
6 tbsp caster sugar (superfine sugar)
3 tbsp pure maple syrup
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon (I used lime)
1/2 cup milk
Vanilla sugar for dusting (optional)

Method:

1. Grease and line an 8" square baking pan.

2. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.

3. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pecans thoroughly.

4. Stir in *the remaining ingredients and mix well.

5. Pour into the cake tin and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.



6. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out carefully onto a wire rack.

7. Dust with vanilla sugar (optional) while still warm.

8. Serve at room temperature.

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

hi shammi
thanks a lot for the eggless cake recipe .Iam going to try this out on monday & will let you know. I have been searching high & low on the internet for an eggless cake & even tried out a few versions , but they were not that good.i have got all the ingredients except the maple syrup so monday first thing i do is off to kadai to buy the syrup & try it out!
But can i do it without the maple syrup? or replace it with jaggery?
sumi

Anonymous said...

This looks yummy! And simpel enough that I could do it. Like you, I'm no baker. I'm a good cook, but all the characteristics that make me a very good savory cook (willingnesss to experiment, the taste and correct style of adapting seasonings, freely adding, substituting or modifying base recipes) are TERRIBLE things to do when you are a baker. baking is more like chemistry - proportions matter. I am always in search of easy and forgiving recipes. And since I don't always have eggs around, this is perfect.

Anonymous said...

Sumi: Gosh, this is the first time I've made this cake :) Maple syrup has a unique flavour, and jaggery is totally different to it. So the honest answer is I dont know how the cake would turn out if you used jaggery! :) It could still be very nice, but it wouldnt be maple-pecan cake! :D Tell you what, try it with jaggery and let me know how the cake turns out!

Diane: Precisely the reasons why I'm always on the lookout for easy cake recipes :)

Luv2cook said...

Hey Shammi:

This will be on my to-do list :)

Vaishali said...

Hi Shammi,
My hubby dear's birthday is coming up beginning of April. I know which cake I am baking now. Will let you know as soon as the candles are blown.

Unknown said...

Even the name sounds so delish. Just imagine how the cake would taste..... hmmm... yummilicious!!!!

The Cookbook Junkie said...

I'll have to pass this along to my Indian co-worker who has asked me in the past if I knew of any egg-less recipes for cakes/cookies. She enjoys all my treats that I bring in but some of her extended family abstains from eating eggs.

I should try it out first but how important are the nuts? We're avoiding tree nuts and peanuts now for allergy reasons.

Anonymous said...

Cookbook Junkie: I'd say the nuts are pretty integral to the taste of this cake, or it would be really plain, since it is not iced or frosted. But if really plain cakes are your thing, it would be quite nice, I'm sure.

Anonymous said...

Hi Shammi, I tried this recipe (got to your blog while on saffron hut and then another link!)but I was a bit disappointed. It came out a bit dry and I was not sure - maybe I baked it too long? or is it a dry texture? I will try again sometime but think I should add an egg/banana for some moisture? thanks!

Anonymous said...

Hi Anon,

It's possible that you baked your cake too long, because the texture of mine wasnt dry. It also shouldnt require an egg because this is an eggless recipe :) A banana would definitely add moisture but then again, that would make it a different cake. No reason why it shouldnt be a tastily different one, though! :) If you do give it a try, let me know how it turns out.

Chhaya said...

Hi Shammi, I have been an ardent reader of your blog for quite some time now...I tried out your maple pecan cake and it turned out beautifully ! The second time, I substituted half the oil with apple butter and it still tasted great :) Thanks for the recipe !!

Anonymous said...

Hi Shammi,

I took this down when you first posted about this cake cos I was so excited to find a eggless cake recipe.
And 10 months down the road, I've finally got around to trying it out. =)
I don't know why I waited so long because it turned out beautifully and is the best vegetarian cake I've made so far. Thank you so much for sharing this lovely recipe!

p/s: I've posted pictures of my attempt on http://tastegoblet.wordpress.com.

-C.

Anonymous said...

Hi Shammi,

Can I use all pupose flour instead of cake flour? What is cake flour? I can't find it where I live (Barbados).

Tks

Viji

Anonymous said...

Hi Viji: Cake flour is high-starch flour that is very good for baking. But you can use all-purpose flour for this recipe without any problem.

Anonymous said...

Hi Shammi,

I baked the cake with all purpose flour and walnuts instead of pecans. It came out very well and tasted really great !!! Thanks.

Viji

Altoid said...

Hey Shammi

Tried it with all-purpose flour too. Yumm-O! Simple, tasty and flavorful! Thanks for sharing.

--altoid

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I tried this recipe yesterday. It was very easy to make and all of us liked it a lot.

Thanks for a wonderful and easy recipe

Kavitha said...

hi shammi
wonderful recipe.
do you think i can substitute honey for maple syrup?

Shammi said...

Hi Spicelover, I think you should be able to substitute honey for maple syrup, although I've found that honey-based cakes burn easily... so keep a sharp eye out for any signs of burning! :) Ofc, the taste of the cake will differ, as maple syrup has a very distinctive flavour. Enjoy baking anyway! :)

Raaga said...

quick quick: can I substitute walnuts for pecans?

Shammi said...

Raaga: Absolutely, go right ahead with the walnuts :) I substituted pecans for walnuts, actually! :D

Ratna said...

hello syam!
I'm from Malaysia, and at the beginning I was quite sceptical to try your recipe out as it was just way too easy! I only had some difficulties to get pecan nuts in my town, so I substituted it with walnuts (the nearest to pecans, i think!). Anyway, the results were AWESOME!:) really scrumptious....planning to try it again tomorrow!

Shammi said...

Mindhaven: I'm very glad you liked the cake - it is ridiculously easy, isnt it? :D

Unknown said...

wonderful!!!
but tell me, is this cake good for pudding??

Anonymous said...

Hi Shammi,

When you say "cake flour", is this self-raising or standard high grade flour? This recipe sounds AMAZING and I'd love to try it tomorrow so would really appreciate you clarifying this point :)

Shammi said...

Hi Anon, it's standard high-grade flour, not self-raising.