A few weeks ago, I saw this baking trend on Google about an Oreo cake. I was fascinated at how these cookies were incorporated into cakes. That evening, as Z was drinking his chai and dunking Parle-G's in it, I got a brilliant inspiration...Parle-G cake using dadima's steam baking technique. Of course, Z goes like "wait, what? No-oven cake, and that too with Parle-G biscuits...OMG". Well guys...to perfect the ingredients and timings, it took me nearly 3 weeks. But, this full-proof no-oven cake is fun, easy to make and, delicious.
At the risk of sounding a bit awkward, I find that there is special bond between my family and Parle-G biscuits. We all love the biscuits and have had it since childhood. Every time we open a packet of these, it truly takes me down memory lane. This weekend Z and I bought a jigsaw puzzle and have been working on that while sipping a cup of chai along with a slice of our Parle-G cake. We are hard at work creating some more fond memories :)
Why a no-oven approach you may ask? Well, back in the day, dadima did not have an oven at home. She used to bake in a pot...yes you heard it right, in a pot! I had seen her once making my birthday cake using that method. Since then, having learned it from her, I have used it once in a while to ensure that my skills at the technique don't get rusty.
Actually, come to think of it, even these days, I know of several people who don’t have ovens in their homes and they often expressed the desire to bake cakes nonetheless. So, here you go, now it’s your chance to bake a cake for your loved ones with no need for an oven. This recipe is so versatile that you can use any cookies to make it and, all the ingredients that go in it are pantry staples.
Before I delve into the recipe, I'd like to thank you all for your support and appreciation of my work...it inspires me. I will keep on sharing such fun and easy-to-make recipes with you guys every week. For now enjoy making and devouring this Parle-G cake slice by slice. Love you all :)
Parle-G Chocolate Chip Cake
quick, easy and no-oven required.
Serves: 12 portions | Calories*: 137 kcal
Ingredients:
120 g Parle-G biscuits
80 g sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
135 ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)
1/4 cup slivered pistachios (optional)
Instructions:
Grind the Parle-G biscuits into a fine powder using an electric food processor (or by placing them in a closed ziplock bag and crushing them using a rolling pin).
In a bowl, add the the powdered biscuits, sugar, baking powder, salt and cardamom. Mix well till combined.
Now, add the milk and vanilla extract. Using either a whisk, spatula or electric mixer, mix the batter until it forms a homogenous mixture.
Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate chips into the mixture and keep the mixture aside.
In a deep pot, put 6 cups water, followed by a doughnut/cookie cutter (or anything that can be used as a base to hold a baking pan). Put the pot on medium heat until the water starts boiling.
Separately, coat a 6-inch cake pan with butter using a pastry brush. Pour the cake batter into the cake pan and sprinkle some chocolate chips and slivered pistachios on top of the cake batter.
Now, place the cake pan inside the pot with the boiling water (be careful as the water will be very hot so do it very slowly and gently as you don’t want the water to splash on your hands - ideally use tongs to lower the cake pan).
Cover the pot with a lid and cook for 45 minutes on medium heat. Using a thin wooden skewer, test to see if the cake is cooked. If the skewer comes out clean, your cake is done. If not, bake for another 5 minutes and your cake should be ready (don’t worry if the top of your cake is a little wet, it is due to the steam build up in the pot).
Now, take the cake out of the pot and let it cool inside the cake pan for 1 hour at room temperature. Then transfer the cake into a serving platter or a cooling rack. Presto...your cake is ready! Enjoy :)
Tips on Variations:
Replace the Parle-G biscuits with Chocolate Bourbon cookies and, add 1 tsp of instant coffee powder to the cake batter instead of 1/2 tsp of cardamom.
Instead of adding 120 g of Parle-G biscuits, replace with 90 g of Parle-G biscuits and 30 g of cocoa powder. You will get a chocolate flavoured Parle-G cake. Replace the pistachios with walnuts.
*Please note that the nutritional information on this site is only an approximate.
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