One of the wonders of being Goan is that our cuisine is so diverse. We have been influenced by so many other groups - our captors from Muslim to Portuguese, our religious affiliations including Hinduism, Catholicism and the Muslim community. All these influences have brought to Goa a blended cuisine like no other in the rest of India.
Today I pay reverence to the cake. Bakeries in Goa have always carried cakes, pastries and baked goods for all festive occasions. Because of the European influence on our lives a birthday cake has long since adorned our birthday celebrations. The cake can be simply baked and served or covered in creams and icing sugars fit for royalty.
My earliest memories of birthdays at home were simple celebrations. As a child I could always depend on a cake and a special gift wrapped up for me. My parents went out of their way to make birthdays special for us and the most special touch was in the preparation of the cake. A birthday cake was made in a true partnership by my parents. Both mum and dad were co-conspirators in preparing a special, meaningful cake for each child's birthday. The whole project was done in secrecy and we waited for our birthday to see the cake revealed.
What was so special about the cake you may ask? While my mum baked our favorite "rainbow cake " as was her specialty, it was my dad who would then take over. Dad would sit and carve the cake into some charming creation....a train or bus for my brother, a doll or teddy bear for me or my sisters and any imaginative theme that would evoke the greatest joy from the child it was made for! Dad was a closet artist and he would ice and paint the cake (with edible colors) until it was a magnificent creation. My dad went on to make amazing creations for his grandchildren. My nieces who were born first managed to get glorious Disney themes from their grandfather. Unfortunately my dad passed away 2 years ago without knowing his great-grandchildren, but on every birthday I feel his presence and his love.
On March 1, 2019 our first grandchild Arjun turned one. Although he is slated for a big bash for this special event where many friends and family will participate, we spent the actual birthday, a weekday, with immediate family and a quiet celebration of love. Of course I had to make mum's rainbow cake for my grandson. Because of allergies the cake was not frosted but I dusted a little bit of icing sugar on it to add a little decoration. Seeing the pink, green and natural colors when the cake was cut made me feel like a kid all over again!!
Happy Birthday Arjun!!
Ingredients
8 oz flour
2 level teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
4 oz butter or margarine (1 stick) - softened
5 oz sugar
2 eggs
4 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence
Note: Double the ingredients for a Bundt Pan. These ingredients yield a small cake.
Method
Preheat the oven to 350 FPut the first 3 ingredients in a bowl and stir with a whisk to blend well.
In another bowl add the sugar and butter. Cut the butter into small pieces to ease mixing.
Beat well with a hand mixer or with a stand up mixer until the butter turns creamy and lighter in color. The sugar and butter should be well mixed. Remember to push down the sides of the bowl with a spatula so that all the ingredients get mixed.
Add one egg and mix gently.
Add 1/4 cup of flour and mix again till blended.
Repeat the process with the second egg (mix egg and then add 1/4 cup flour and mix again)
Now add the vanilla essence and mix in
now add alternatively a 1/4 cup of flour and mix well, and then a tablespoon of milk and mix well.
Repeat the process until all the flour and milk is used up. If you have any flour left over throw it in the bowl and mix in.
The batter should be well creamed and soft.
If using a round pan - line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease the sides and the bottom with a kitchen spray or some butter/margarine. Keep aside. If using a Bundt Pan, grease the inside of the pan well.
Divide the batter approximately in three by removing 2/3 and sharing them between 2 bowls. Colour each portion differently. I leave one natural and add red to one (for pink) and green to the other. This is the way my mother did it. Feel free to use your own favorite colours.
Try to layer the three colours as best as you can in the pan, by pouring each colour in.
Bake for about 45 minutes until lightly browned and well baked (not burnt). Check after 40 minutes to see if a toothpick or skewer pushed down into the middle of the cake comes out clean. If not return to the oven and check again later. My cake took 45 minutes to be fully cooked but times may differ with various ovens so please check your cake for done-ness.
Let cool and then remove from the pan. Enjoy!!
Approximate nutritional value per serving based on 12 servings of original recipe
- Calories85.8
- Total Fat0.4 g
- Saturated Fat0.2 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat0.0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat0.1 g
- Cholesterol1.0 mg
- Sodium12.4 mg
- Potassium20.6 mg
- Total Carbohydrate19.4 g
- Dietary Fiber0.3 g
- Sugars12.1 g
- Protein1.8 g
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