Coconut Mawa Cake With Ganache

 

It's a new birthday that I look forward to celebrate every year henceforth on 23rd Sep. Its a special person who has dared to accept me in his life. He who loves me and pampers me much. Meet AC, my beau.

I had ordered a cake with an elaborate theme but the homebaker services are unpredictable since its always a one person show. Well it turned out to be a blessing really. I made this simple cake myself in the flavors my beau would love, coconut and mawa and since its a day for celebrations poured some sinful ganache over it.

I baked the cake at home and made the ganache at his home. This was all before we stepped out for an evening of fun. We were joint by a friend for the cake cutting. It was so funny that I had two men watching me make the ganache like two little school boys. Thanks to the friend we had some moments captured on the cell that we will cherish for life. So we sang the happy birthday song and cut the cake. He liked it he said. Then I packed 2 boxes, one for AD the friend to take home and one for Mami.

Mami is one of our only 3 relatives. She is such a darling. She wished me happy birthday too! I laughed at the moment and only learnt later from a friend that it is an old tradition among the Parsees to wish both partners. Ain't it a cute tradition?!

I am blessed to have AC in my life and wish we have a meaningful, loving life together as long as we live.

Would you like to make this cake? Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

1/2 cups All purpose flour

1/2 cup rice flour

1 cup dry coconut powder 

1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 molten Amul butter

1/2 tin sweet condensed milk

100 gms Mawa

1/4 cup of sugar or more as you like

1 cup milk

In a bowl whisk together the dry ingredients first, then add butter and whisk till incorporated. Then add the condensed milk, sugar and mawa whisk again till sugar distributes well in the batter. Now add milk and whisk together to loosen up the batter into foldable consistency.

Prepare a tin by greasing and dusting with dry flour. I chose a heart shaped mould for obvious reasons, you can use any other as the occasion calls for. Pour the batter in it and tap the tin on the counter to even it out. I used a wet baking strip to control the rise of the cake. A blogger buddy had gifted it to me couple of years ago and I finally used it. It worked pretty well.

I preheated the oven at 200 degs, baked for 10 mins at the same temperature and then lowered the temp to 180 deg Celsius and baked further for 25 mins. Checked with a wooden skewer, it came out dry. Removed and cooled for an hour and a half. Then frosted it with ganache

The ganache 

1 bar of dark chocolate (I used 80gms bar of 50% cocoa)

1 Amul Fresh cream 200 ml pack

In a bowl melt together the chocolate and fresh cream in a microwave about 45 secs. Mix to get marbeled effect till all chocolate is liquid. Pour over a cooled cake.

Chill it before cutting and serving.

I picked out this nice plate to serve the cake on and got to know a bit of history about it. It is from AC's grandmother's collection of beautiful things that are lying in dusty cabinets that I am going to dig up some treasures from. This one is aged approx. 100 yrs. It is from Burma, a light weight porcelain. On the back is a logo that reads "Honeysuckle" with the Victorian crown prominent on it.

 

 Like a friend rightly commented on seeing the pics and it sums up my thoughts too...

"Many Parsis were settled in Burma and had flourishing trade as it was part of the old spice route (not many people know that). This beautiful plate must be an old English one and has probably seen many an elegant evening and much familial bonding. Precious!"

After visiting Mami and taking her blessings, AC took me out to dinner at Delhi Darbar, Colaba. We chose it for all our growing up years nostalgia sake and the food there still tasted so good. Greasy but good followed by a juice at another childhood favorite Canteena adjacent to the restaraunt. Later a walk by the Gateway of India. 

I had come to Gateway with my lover and it was a special feeling as that's where I had walked most late nights as a toddler held by the finger with my favorite uncles T kaka, MJK and Mothe baba everyday after dinner.

That night we returned home very content, my head lightly resting on the shoulder that has promised togetherness for life...