This recipe is one of the hidden gems of Pathare Prabhu community of Maharashtra. It's made on Shrawan Somvar of the Hindu Calendar and served as a pakwan or delicacy.
Chana Dal Cake also called Chikse is a delicacy made without maida, and eggs.
I think it's not a recipe very well known. Couldn't find much about it on Google also.
The original recipe is from here
I made a few changes to suit my palate.
You should ideally not add any water while grinding the dal but I had to add 2 tbsp as I was finding it difficult to grind it.
The baking time will defer from oven to oven .
Ingredients
Chana Dal 1/2 cup
Raw Sugar 1/2 cup powdered
Ghee 2 tbsp
Baking Soda 1/8 tsp
Cardamom Powder 1/2 tsp
Salt a pinch
Nutmeg a dash
Coconut dessicated 2 tbsp
Almonds 1 tbsp chopped
Cashew nuts 1 tbsp chopped
Pista 1 tbsp chopped
Method
Wash and soak dal overnight.
Grease a 5" round tin generously with ghee.
Line the bottom with parchment paper.
Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
Drain all water and coarsely grind it using minimum water.
Add ghee and half the nuts to the dal , mix well and keep it aside.
Add in salt, coconut , baking soda and nutmeg to powdered sugar and mix well.
Add the sugar mixture to the dal mixture. Give it a good mix.
Pour into the prepared tin.
Sprinkle remaining nuts. Press lightly.
Bake at 160 degrees Celsius until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Mine took 55 minutes.
Keep an eye after 45 minutes.
Let the pan rest on wire rack for 10 minutes.
Then invert on wire rack and let the cake cool completely before you slice it.
I have just joined the group A-Z recipe challenge. This is season 2. In this we will be making recipes with Hindi names of ingredients. For this month , it is alphabet C. So I have chosen Chana Dal as my star ingredient.
