Whole Wheat Chocolate Cake, Perfect To Beat Sunday Night Blues

After the success of my first whole wheat cake, here is another winner and a must try!

So what do you do when your weekend goes off the routine? Bake a cake and feel awesome!

I love weekends. I do absolutely nothing, kiss my bed and sleep until the bright sunlight hits my back, I toss and turn for another 2 hours covered tightly in my quilt, I remain there until my husband gets out of bed and think it’s better if he makes his own tea, I get out of bed when I hear the sound of the wind chime next to my kitchen door (indication that he has entered kitchen), I get up and walk down, enjoy my cup of hubby-made tea, perfect every time! By then it is already 10 or 10:30 AM and brimming with guilt I get up from the couch and walk towards the kitchen to return the favour (for tea) with a simple delicious breakfast, which we both enjoy watching TV. Then a couple of hours of talking, being lazy, watching the favourite shows and we order lunch from one of the restaurants nearby. Ah! There comes the best part – the much awaited afternoon siesta. By evening, I am mostly charged up and ready to indulge in some outdoor activities, outing, cooking and all that. That’s my perfect weekend routine. How about yours?

But then there are those days when things go completely off the routine and for some reason, you still end up enjoying it. Last weekend was something like that - a picnic that started around 6.30 AM on a Saturday (I mean, for a Saturday it is still midnight!), which ate up most of my time, but worth the effort, followed by a rocking party, which drained me off the leftover energy (find detailed account in my blogs Why Having A MalluFriend Circle Is So Essential? and Glenmorgan, Ooty - Vast Tea Estate, A LakeAnd Breathtaking View). A weekend that was both fun and crazy busy! It was already Sunday evening before I could even sit and relax. I wanted a distraction, something to beat Sunday night blues and I ended up baking this super soft and super moist chocolate cake, which is 100% whole wheat too!

I have always had my qualms about whole wheat cake; will it taste the same, will it turn out hard and what not. After the success of my first whole wheat try (following a recipe shared by one of my colleagues), I have got my answers right. Whole wheat cake has a slightly different taste, totally lovable though. It can also be super light and airy, and so moist that biting into a slice is like tasting the…heaven!

I substituted ¼ cup of whole wheat with unsweetened cocoa powder to make the chocolate version. If you have never tried baking with whole wheat, I suggest you do, do that now! You are surely missing out on something, if you aren't.

YOU NEED

• Whole wheat flour, 3/4 cup (12 tablespoon)
• Unsweetened cocoa powder, ¼ cup (4 tablespoon)
• Eggs, 2, at room temperature
• Baking powder, 1 teaspoon
• Baking soda, 1 teaspoon
• Milk, 1/2 cup (about 120 ml)
• Oil, 1/2 cup (about 120 ml)
• Powdered sugar, ½ cup (8 tablespoon, original recipe called for 1 cup, so if you like your cake very sweet, please follow that)
• Vanilla essence, 1 teaspoon
• Salt, 1 pinch

HOW TO

I have the habit of getting all the ingredients together as per measurement before I start. It’s easy that way to add things one after the other and saves time too.

In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt; keep aside.

In a larger bowl, using a hand mixer at medium speed, whisk together sugar and eggs until frothy. About a minute or two will do, we are not looking for peaks here.

Set the hand mixer to low speed and add milk, oil and vanilla essence. Blend everything in to prepare the wet mix. Add flour mix gradually to the wet mix and continue to blend until incorporated.

Preheat oven at 180 degree Celsius.

Line an 8 inch square baking pan with butter paper. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Remove from the oven when done and let it cool. Cut into slices and store. (I made it on Sunday night and we finished it by Monday noon!)