Easy Strawberry-Blueberry Tea Cake

Yesterday, I had the 3rd edition of my bread baking workshop - Breaking Bread. We made a rocket-basil-yellow cherry tomato pizza from scratch. Fluffy golden Mumbai pav was served with bhaaji. The cinnamon rolls we made today were turned extra special by adding raisins and orange zest soaked in brandy to the cinnamon-sugar mix. To add to the party we also made a little pull apart loaf using the left over dough spread with chocolate paste- which came out all ooey, gooey and chocolatey and made all the ladies go OOOOH The last one in the bread party was a braided bread dressed with sesame seeds.

Facebook Album: Photos from Breaking Bread -2 

 The best part of the afternoon for me was one of the participants telling me that the pizza was as good as the Toscano pizza and I'm a big fan of Toscano, they serve the best pizza in Whitefield. Photos of Breaking Bread-3 After 4 hours of talking, kneading, baking and walking to and from the oven - I'm invariably wrung-out tired and want to retire into a cave and snooze the whole of Sunday. But rarely does that happen.

Today, I ended up waking earlier than usual. Early coffee, early breakfast, early lunch and suddenly the day loomed in front of me as though telling me 'do something useful now'. After 3 rounds of doing dishes, cleaning up the kitchen, crazy people like me add another chore to the routine like baking, messing up 3 bowls and adding to the washing up. But fact is, baking rarely feels like a chore. Strawberries are in season. And have I told you, I've found the perfect brand of frozen blueberries (see resource section in the end). And since the cake is mostly sweetened using organic powdered jaggery, I don't feel too guilty about my son coming to the kitchen for multiple servings as a Sunday treat.Try this while the strawberries are in season. If you don't find blueberries, use any other mushy fruit like figs, which are also very much in season. It makes the perfect little bite along with tea or coffee. Simple, rustic and  beautiful. 

And hello! December workshops at Saffron Trail Kitchen are going to be dedicated to a round of Xmas goodies, except for a Salad workshop for a bunch of salad-loving girls. Stay updated by following Saffron Trail on Facebook.

Recipe for Strawberry-Blueberry Tea Cake
Makes 8-10 servings


Ingredients
1/2 cup maida
1/2 cup whole wheat flour 
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 egg
2 tbsp yogurt
2 tbsp cooking oil (neutral tasting like sunflower oil)
1/2 cup powdered jaggery
1/4 cup sugar
2 drops orange oil extract or 1 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 tbsp milk
1 cup finely chopped strawberries
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Icing sugar to dust over the top (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven at 180°C. Line a 9X7" baking sheet (to make a sheet cake) or a 6" round tin with baking paper or grease well and keep aside.
Into a large bowl, sieve the dry ingredients. Keep aside.
In another bowl, whisk the egg, yogurt, oil, powdered jaggery and sugar for 3-4 minutes till well combined and frothy.
To this, slowly add the dry ingredients and combine with a whisk or fork. Add 3-4 tbsp of milk as it will be quite thick at this stage and whisk into the batter. Into this mix in gently the chopped strawberries and frozen blueberries.
Scrape out the batter into the lined baking tin. 
Bake for 20 mins in case of 9X7 tin or for 30 mins in case of 6" round tin, in both cases, testing with a skewer if it comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes after which you can cut as desired and serve hot with a dusting of icing sugar using a small sieve.
Refrigerate the leftovers - they make excellent reasonably healthy treats for kids' lunchboxes.

Shopping guide:
Organic powdered jaggery: Namdhari's
Frozen blueberries: Delissh brand from Auchan (formerly Spar)

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Introducing Saffron Trail Kitchen - Baking & Healthy Cooking Classes in Bangalore

There's news to share with you. Because here's where it all started. Over 7 years ago. Cooking, writing about it, sharing recipes and the love for food. Teaching how to cook would seem like a natural progression after soaking myself in cooking and baking for over a decade and yet somehow it's taken me this long to finally take the plunge into this joyous role of being a food teacher. I started with a few sessions for the women and kids in my residence complex and driven by their encouragement and suggestions, I've finally started Saffron Trail Kitchen. 

Last month, we had a most fulfilling session on Baking Basics with a crowd of most enthusiastic and fun girls. The baked goodies were tasted over cups of tea and coffee. And my first batch of students have been bombarding me with pics of their baked stuff on Whatsapp, that they've tried at home and it brings me so much joy.

The next class I've scheduled is on Salads. My friend, Nandini says, this class is right up my alley and I can't help but grin. Moving to Bangalore, growing some little herbs and greens on my terrace garden has been the inspiration for many a salad. Friends who've tasted my salads (pardon me if this sounds like gloating) have always had a good word to say about them. It's all about the combination of fresh ingredients, paired with dressings and some glamourous components and you have a wow-inducing salad. 

My salad class, called 'Zesty Salads' makes its debut this Saturday. I want to show you that salads are anything but boring, can make a whole meal and can be put together using absolutely any ingredients you have on hand. My recipe notes are typed out, ingredients' shopping list written down and orders placed. The rocket and the different kinds of lettuce are waiting to be plucked on the morning of the class, so that they are at their freshest best. 

This is a beautiful and exciting world I'm stepping into, where I can share my love for cooking, my knowledge of food and nutrition with those who share my passion. This blog which started off as a personal food diary slowly reached out to a food loving audience, over the years garnered a large readership, finally in its 8th year of existence, connects directly with the people who love to cook, face to face.

I'm planning to do repeat sessions of the salads class, because of the demand and it's sort of the need of the hour, to eat healthy, eat fresh and keep it exciting. The classes will be held at Whitefield, Bangalore. If you are interested in learning to make the most amazing salads, do mail me at saffrontrail AT gmail DOT com - so I can schedule the further classes. I do have a few other classes in mind, but so unlike me to let all the cats out of the bag at once, right?

Also mail me with your suggestions on what you'd like to learn from me, given that you know my style of cooking & baking, I'd be thrilled to hear from you.

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