Cake Bread

I love making this bread that's halfway between a bread and a cake. I got the original recipe from the internet, but I've tweaked it enough to be able to call it my own. I'll give the base recipe, and then suggest some variations. The base recipe isn't palatable by itself - you must make one of the variations for it to taste good.

Bonus! If you do not have an oven (as in most Indian homes), you can make this with a pressure cooker. Halve all of the ingredients and follow the bonus base steps below.

Base

• 2 large eggs
• 1 stick (8 tbsp, half cup) butter
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1-1/2 cup all purpose flour (maida)
• 1/2 cup sour cream (or greek yoghurt)

Banana Walnut Bread

• 2 overripe bananas
• 1 cup coarsely-chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Chocolate Banana Walnut Bread

• 2 overripe bananas
• 1 cup coarsely-chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder (and remove 1/4 cup flour from base recipe)

Lemon Poppy Bread

• 1 large lemon
• 1 tsp lemon essence
• 2 tsp poppy seeds
• 5 tbsp powdered sugar

Pink Lemonade Bread

• 1 large lemon
• 2 tsp poppy seeds
• 5 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 small beetroot (not canned)

"Payasam" Bread

• 2 overripe bananas
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 12 cardamom pods
• 2 tsp poppy seeds
• 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
• 1/3 cup powdered jaggery

Pumpkin Pistachio Bread

• 1/3 small can ground pumpkin
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cloves, freshly ground
• 2 tsp ginger, freshly grated
• 1 cup coarsely-chopped pistachios
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tsp cardamom freshly ground

Base Steps

• Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Soften the butter, either by leaving it out for a few hours, or leaving it in an oven that's pre-heating for 5 mins.
• Use the softened butter to coat inside of loaf pan.
• Break eggs and whisk enough to break the yolks. Add vanilla essence and softened butter and whisk.
• Add sugar and whisk.
• Sift flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl.
• Add the variations as described below.
• Fold flour mix into egg mix.
• When evenly folded, add sour cream and fold again. Pour batter into loaf pan.
• Add the toppings as desribed below.
• Bake for 60 mins or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Cool on rack for 10-15 mins.
• Add glazes as described below. Score the top of the bread with a knife, or go ahead and make slices of the bread before adding the glazes.
• Cool another 30 mins and serve.
• Store lightly covered at room temperature for 4-5 days before putting leftovers in the fridge.

Bonus Base Steps

• Halve all of the ingredients. Or make 2 batches.
• Take a standard-issue pressure cooker. Make sure the inside is fully dry. Line the bottom with sand. Or salt, if you don't have sand. Take off the pressure stopper.
• Pre-heat the empty pressure cooker with no lid on High for 4-5 minutes.
• Soften the butter, either by leaving it out for a few hours, or microwaving for 15 seconds.
• Use the softened butter to coat inside of loaf pan.
• Break eggs and whisk enough to break the yolks. Add vanilla essence and softened butter and whisk.
• Sift flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl.
• Add the variations as described below.
• Fold flour mix into egg mix.
• When evenly folded, add sour cream and fold again. Pour batter into loaf pan.
• Add the toppings as desribed below.
• Place pan in heated cooker over sand/salt. Lock in lid (again, no pressure stopper). Reduce heat to Medium-Low. "Bake" for 10 mins or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Cool on rack for 10-15 mins.
• Add glazes as described below. Score the top of the bread with a knife, or go ahead and make slices of the bread before adding the glazes.
• Cool another 30 mins and serve.
• Store lightly covered at room temperature for 1-2 days before putting leftovers in the fridge.

Banana Walnut Bread Steps

• Squish bananas with hands (messy!) and add right after adding sour cream. Add half of the chopped walnuts and all of the coconut as well.
• Top batter in the loaf pan with remaining walnuts.

Chocolate Banana Walnut Bread Steps

• Fold cocoa flour in with flour mixture.
• Squish bananas with hands (messy!) and add right after adding sour cream. Add half of the chopped walnuts and all of the coconut as well.
• Top batter in the loaf pan with remaining walnuts.

Lemon Poppy Bread Steps

• Grate lemon zest off a full lemon and add to egg mix. Add lemon essence as well.
• Add poppy seeds after sour cream.
• Juice the lemon and mix powdered sugar to make the glaze.

Pink Lemonade Bread Steps

• Grate zest off a full lemon and add to egg mix. Add lemon essence as well. Add 1 tsp pink/red food colouring if you like.
• Trim and peel beetroot. Grate it finely. Squeeze gratings and reserve juice. Add gratings after sour cream.
• Add poppy seeds after sour cream.
• Juice the lemon and mix powdered sugar to make the glaze. Add reserved beetroot juice to the glaze.

"Payasam" Bread Steps

• Substitute jaggery for equivalent sugar.
• Remove cardamom seeds from pods, powder seeds with mortar-pestle. Add cardamom, jaggery to egg mix.
• Squish bananas with hands (messy!) and add right after adding sour cream.
• Add poppy seeds, sesame seeds and coconut after sour cream.

Pumpkin Pistachio Bread Steps

• Add ground pumpkin to egg mix before folding flour. Whisk well. Add cinnamon, cloves and ginger as well.
• Add half of chopped pistachios after adding sour cream.
• Top batter in the loaf pan with remaining pistachios.
• Mix powdered sugar with cardamom. Add 1-2 drops of water or lemon juice to make a paste. Use paste as glaze.