Sunday, December 14, 2008

Happy Holidays! And a short Break...

I'm all set for leaving to India tomorrow for 4 weeks! Will be taking a break from blogging for a few weeks. I will definitely miss you all, but hopefully I'll get some time from there to read all your yummy recipes and posts from there once in a few days. And hoping to learn some new recipes too from mom and sisters...

Before my vacation, I just wanted to quickly post this pineapple cake that my husband made! I usually stay away from oven and hardly bake any cakes, except making chocolate chip cookies once in a while. Somehow, I enjoy the store-bought cakes rather than making my own :) I prefer stove-top cooking rather than baking. Give me a pan and pressure cooker, I will be happily cooking forever :) I get timid about baking cakes perhaps because of so many careful steps involved like pre-heating, pre-coating the pan, timings, batter consistency etc.. and most likely I'm going to mess up atleast one step :) So, I cheer up myself that I'd rather buy the readymade cakes from stores and enjoy it to the fullest, instead of undergoing the hazzle. But this holiday season, I was seriously tempted to try baking some holiday treats in the oven, after seeing many of my blogger friends rocking with super dishes fresh from the oven. Those soft and yummy looking cakes that I see in many blogs are indeed a lure to me, and they often stare at me as if they are challenging me with my cooking skills :)

Fortunately, my husband is interested in experimenting different cake varieties, and thats his only interest in the kitchen :) While I was debating about my baking "kick-off" this year, my hubby came forward to bake his favorite Pineapple Cake for Christmas and I too didn't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen because of my India trip preparation. With that as an excuse, I gave up my baking challenge this time too.. Hopefully someday I'll make it!

We all enjoy his pineapple cake that he makes often and its a hit in our family circle too. This is an easy to bake cake recipe and does not take more that 20 minutes for preparation and about 35 minutes baking time. His American friend once brought it to work and from that time on, it has been one of our favorite cakes. The natural sweetness and juices from the pineapple is what makes it really special.

Ingredients
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ( 20 oz. ) can crushed pineapple, un-drained.
  • 1 cup chopped nuts

Procedure:

  • Beat the eggs
  • Combine flour, baking soda, sugar, add beaten eggs, crushed pineapple, and nutsand pour into a greased shallow pan.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes

His Recommendations:

  • Add another 1/4 cup extra sugar but as mentioned above, sweatness for the cake comes from the pineapple.
  • Do not bake it over 40 minutes. This helps maintain the juicyness for the cake.
  • Use only crushed pineapple un-drained (with the juice in the can) and not chopped.
  • Rest the cake overnight before for the best taste.
  • Use Parchment Paper to lift this off easily.
  • While you make it for the second time, you can get creative and add finely chopped dates, raisns and other nuts if you like them.

Enjoy!

Wish you all a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year!

23 comments:

Cham said...

Sure he has done a great job, well baking is far easiest than cooking over stovetop!
The pineapple flavor is definetly a great one!

Raks said...

Wishing you the same,Sujatha :)

Deepthi Shankar said...

wow girl, you have a husband who bakes cakes .. Iam jealous .. LOL .. Neways cake looks yumm .. Have a great time in India .. Happy new year to you to .. Hugs & Smiles :)

Finla said...

Have a wonderful time in India.

Vijitha said...

Enjoy ur stay in India! happy vacation.
Yummy post dear!

Laavanya said...

Have an enjoyable holiday Sujatha. I love pineapples and that cakes sounds yummy with that and nuts... Kudos to your husband.

Kalai said...

He's certainly done a fantastic job!! This looks amazing! :)

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

yummy cake Sujatha. me too.. i would also buy cakes and enjoy them than baking at home. main reason why i don't bake these days is, my oven does not have a clock:( secondly, i will overeat and end up putting on weight :)

Mallika said...

And to you. Have a wonderful break!

Anonymous said...

Enjoy and have a great time. That cake looks delish!
By the way, can you mail me the details of the camera you use for food photography?
Thanks and Takecare!

TBC said...

My husband too likes baking the occasional cake. This is so simple. I'm going to try this when I can. Pineapple is one of my fav.:D
Have a good time in India with family and friends!

Andhra Flavors said...

have a wonderful vaction;).,

Unknown said...

wow the cake looks so yummy sujatha..u r lucky :)

and thanks for ur concern and wanted 2 let u know tat the issue is resolved now :)

Usha said...

Cake looks very inviting...Enjoy your trip to India, Have fun !

@the_whisk_affair said...

Have a great vacation in India, Sujatha!! Hope you would come back with many new treats for us!

Lucky you! to have ur hubby prepare delicious stuff for you! :-) It looks delicious! wish you would send this in to my event - Santa's Holiday Challenge!

Dori said...

I love pineapple cake! Really looks delicious and perfect!

Anonymous said...

This is Suja's Bro-in-Law. I loved the cakes make by Kumar. Suja had to literally stop me from finishing them before she could have the photograph taken for the blog. Suja sould post the paneer sandwich reciepe too. Its another yummy from Kumar.

Sanghi said...

Wow!delicious looking and mouth-watering dish. First time here, you have a great blog. Do visit mine.

Neha said...

Hi, first time to ur blog, gr8 blog,ur header itself is so eyecatching.Very nice snaps.
Just was thinking to cook something with pineapple, 'll show this one to my hubby, he never ever even enters kitchen... :)

Happy New Year to u...

Vibaas said...

Enjoy your break! Cake looks yum. Like deesha, i'm jealous too ;-)

Rohan said...

hey how are you??
My name is Rohan and I wanna be a part of this blog as well...can u tell me wat do i have to do?

notyet100 said...

come bck soon,..;-)

Sujatha said...

Rohan, Thanks for your interest in my blog! I'm just doing this out of my own interest and its not a commercial site that I can share with anyone. If you're interested in blogging, you could also start a foodie blog. Its quick and easy and you have plenty of pre-designed templates available to give you a good-start. I'll be happy to assist you if you have any questions while creating your blog..

Good Luck! :-)