"Pat a Cake"- Vegan Chocolate Cake (Eggless,Butterless)

Flower Shaped Cake: Happy 11th Month B'day my sweet little flower  "A "

Recipe by:Sheetal Momaya
My good friend Sheetal bakes amazing 'vegan' cakes. She is so good at baking, you cannot believe you are eating a home baked cake. I wish I could show you all the pictures of the cakes she has baked.They are truly a piece of art.Her cakes, though butterless and eggless...are still so moist, fluffy and delicious!!! You do not miss anything that is not in there!!! What you realize is that...you are in mouthful of Cake bliss!!!
Finally this week,I got to learn this cake from her.We made a 'Bundt' Cake which was totally 'vegan'.The Icing was melted 'white chocolate' (non vegan).
 But you can use 'vegetable- shortening' based icing to make it vegan.

 Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cup all purpose flour (sifted)
3/4th cup Granulated Sugar
1/3rd Cup Canola oil
1/4 th cup Cocoa powder
1tsp Baking soda
1/2tsp salt
1 and 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tbsp Vinegar
1 cup cold water

Icing:
3/4th cup White chocolate chips
Sprinkles for decoration
Oreo cookies for flower 'center'

Method: ( Sheetal gave me her 'expert' tips to bake this cake)
1) Preheat the oven to 350F (preheating is very imp). Grease the bundt pan/ any 8 inch pan with vegetable shortening. Apply liberally in all corners.Dust with all purpose flour to coat the pan.
2)First sift flour, sugar separately.Then by a spoon add to the measuring cup to measure exact amounts.Level with a knife.DO NOT pack the flour into the cup.The ratios will change and the cake will not come out as good.
3) Mix wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls.
4) Mix them together in a single direction.Bubbles will appear as vinegar reacts with baking soda.Do not over mix.But all the lumps should be gone
5) Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 mins.Do not open the door for first 20 mins atleast.
6) Check with a tooth pick, if the cake is done.The inserted toothpick should come out clean.
7) Flip on a serving platter carefully
8) Let it cool for 1/2hr or so before icing.
9) Melt the white chocolate in low power in the microwave oven till melted. Slather onto the cake.
10) Decorate with oreo cookies (flower center) and sprinkles to give it color.

Serve the cake at room temperature.The white chocolate hardens at cold temperature and will crack when cutting.

"Appetizers"- Vegetable Manchurian(Dry)

Indo-Chinese cooking is fun, tasty and one of my favorites. Back in Pune, there were always tons of street vendors selling this type of food.It used to be a 'to go' spot for youngsters. The food was tasty- really spicy- and probably nothing like the real 'Chinese' food!!!Actually many of the cooks at these stalls were 'Nepali' and not real 'Chinese'!! But they had successfully captured the 'Indian taste buds'!!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup finely chopped cabbage
1/2cup finely chopped carrots
1 tsp Ginger garlic paste
1tbsp chopped cilantro
2tbsp Soy Sauce
2tsp Maggie hot and sweet sauce
1/4tsp black pepper
1/4tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup finely sliced green peppers
1/4 cup sliced carrots
few broccoli crowns
1tsp sliced green chilies
2tbsp all purpose flour
1tbsp Corn flour
salt
oil

Method:
1) Mix together finely chopped cabbage, carrots, all purpose flour,corn flour,black pepper,1/2tsp ginger garlic paste, red pepper flakes, salt,1 tbsp soy sauce.
2) Add little water and make into thick batter( you should be able to make Manchurian  'balls' for frying)
3) Deep fry the balls till golden brown. Keep aside

4) Shallow fry sliced green peppers, carrots, broccoli, green chilies and remaining ginger garlic paste. Fry just for couple mins.The veggies should remain crisp.
5) Add the soy sauce, hot and sweet sauce, Manchurian balls and mix.
6) Garnish with Cilantro.