Monsoon delights: Cake recipes to enjoy with a steaming cup of tea

With monsoons in full swing for Mumbaikars, the city's bustling streets have turned into a tranquil, rain-washed haven. As the rain patters against the windows, it's the perfect time to cozy up with a steaming cup of chai and indulge in spongy, mouthwatering cakes. More so as, traditionally, chai has been deeply embedded in Indian culture, enjoyed by millions every day.

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Pairing tea and cake requires a balance of flavours that complement each other without overpowering. A classic pairing is a robust Assam tea with a rich chocolate cake, where the tea's strong notes enhance the cake's deep cocoa flavour. Alternatively, a delicate green tea pairs beautifully with a light, citrusy lemon cake, offering a refreshing and harmonious blend.

Ringing in the cozy pairing, Midday has scoured five delightful baking recipes to pair with your morning or evening tea. These recipes promise to add a touch of sweetness and warmth to your rainy days, making your monsoon tea time even more special.

Coconut Pannacotta

Ingredients (makes 10)
Full fat milk 1000 gm
Coconut milk 1000 gm
Sugar 200 gm
Gelatine powder 20 gm

Method:
1. Place the milk, sugar and gelatine into a thick-based pan and leave to dissolve for 5 minutes.
2. Once the gelatine has started to dissolve, place the pan over medium heat, constantly whisking gently.
3. Just before the milk boils remove from the heat and check that all the gelatine and sugar has dissolved.
4. Add the coconut milk.
5. Pass and pour into 180 ml daroil moulds.
6. Place in the fridge or chiller to set for at least 2 hours.
7. Serve chilled.

Recipe by Manoj Pandey, Partner Chef at The Piano Man

Chocolate And Orange Almond Cake (sugar-free gluten-free)

Ingredients (For a 9-inch cake)

Cake
Jaggery powder ¾ cup
Almond flour 2 cups
Unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 cup
Small oranges 2
Large eggs 6
Baking powder 1 tsp
Baking soda 1/2 tsp

Chocolate Ganache
Semi-sweet chocolate chips 1cup
Heavy whipping cream 1 cup

Candied Orange Slices
Orange 1
Water 1/2 cup
Sugar 1/2 cup

Method:

Cake
1. Place the oranges in a medium saucepan and cover with water.
2. Bring the pot to a boil then cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until oranges are soft, about 2 hours.
3. Once the oranges are cool enough to handle, slice them in half and remove any large seeds.
4. Place the oranges in a food processor with the powdered jaggery and pulse until smooth.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
6. Add the orange puree and the remaining ingredients to a bowl and mix well together.
7. Grease a 9-inch round spring form pan. Pour the cake batter into the pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Candied Orange Slices
1. Thinly slice an orange.
2. Bring the sugar and water to a gentle boil in a saucepan.
3. Place a single layer of orange slices in the boiling syrup and cook, flipping occasionally, for 15 to 30 minutes or until slices are softened and translucent.
4. Place the chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl.
5. Bring heavy cream to a simmer on the stovetop, stirring occasionally.
6. As soon as you see a simmer, remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips, swirling the bowl to ensure all chips are covered.
7. Let it sit undisturbed (no mixing) for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and whisk, starting in the centre and working outward until smooth. Once it's smooth, let it sit uncovered at room temperature.
8. Pour your ganache evenly over the top of your cake until the desired coverage is reached. Once the ganache is cool, decorate with the orange slices.
9. Serve warm.

(Recipe by Sunil Singh, chef at Bluebop)

Goan Bebinca

Ingredients:
Egg yolks 9
Granulated white sugar 400 gm
Coconut milk 600 ml
All-purpose flour 150 gm
Grated nutmeg powder 1/4 tsp
Salt 1/4 tsp
Ghee 1 cup
Sugar caramel 1 tbsp

Method:
1. Whisk together the sugar and egg yolks.
2. Add coconut milk and whisk until the sugar dissolves completely.
3. Tip in a little flour at a time and mix well, ensuring no lumps.
4. Add the salt and nutmeg powder. Strain this mixture and divide it into two bowls.
5. In one bowl, stir in the sugar caramel to get a nice brown colour.
6. In a baking pan, add one to two tablespoons of melted ghee.
7. Add half a cup of the light-coloured batter. Cook on slow fire.
8. Once you see the edges browning, transfer the baking pan to a pre-heated oven with only the top heat/grill option.
9. Bake till a toothpick comes out clean. Then, add one tbsp ghee all over the first baked layer. Pour the darker-coloured batter over the ghee layer.
10. Bake and repeat the process until all the batter has been used up. If there are any bubbles, poke with a toothpick to release the air.
11. Once the last layer has been baked, apply the remaining ghee over the top layer and allow the bebinca to rest in the baking pan for six to eight hours.
12. To de-mould, keep the baking pan over medium heat on a stovetop for a minute.
13. Run a knife around the edge to release the bebinca. Flip it over on a serving plate; cut it into slices and serve warm.

(Recipe by Fiona Fernandes from Fi's Delicacies)

Hazelnut and Coffee Cream Tart

Ingredients

Chocolate sable

Butter 360 gm
Flour 680 gm
Cocoa Powder 40 gm
Icing Sugar 280 gm
Salt 5 gm
Almond Powder 100 gm
Egg 150 gm

Baked chocolate mix

Amul cream 480 gm
Milk 200 gm
Dark chocolate 480 gm
Egg 100 gm
Butter 5 gm
Hazelnut Paste 100 gm
Espresso 30 gm

Method

1. For the chocolate sable, cream butter and sugar and add eggs to it.
2. Add all the dry ingredients and mix. Rest them for six hours after lining the tart mould with a 2 mm thickness.
3. Half-bake the tart for 12 minutes at 180 degrees. Take out and allow to cool.
4. For the baked mix, heat up milk and cream and add chocolate, hazelnut, and espresso. Add the eggs at the end.
5. Pour the mix into a tart shell. Bake in the oven at 100 degrees for 15 minutes.
6. Serve it warm with a cup of tea!

(Recipe by Himanshu Taneja, Culinary Director, South Asia, Marriott International)

Fromage Blanc and Framboise parfait on Brown Butter Cake

Ingredients

Yoghurt mousse

Elle and vire cream 300 gm
Yoghurt 240 ml
Caster Sugar 75 nos
Vanilla bean 5 gm
Gelatin 10 gm

Pistachio cake

Pistachio Paste 90 gm
Butter unsalted browned 70 gm
Caster sugar 100 gm
Egg Yolk 35 gm
Refine flour 150 gm
Sea salt 2 gm
Pistachio powder 130 gm

Raspberry cream
Raspberry puree 250 gm
Icing Sugar 60 gm
Gelatin sheets 10 gm
E&V cream 250 gm

Method
1. For pistachio brown butter cake, mix all the dry ingredients and keep them aside.
2. Take the butter, heat it in a pan and make it golden brown.
3. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolk and add all the dry ingredients.
4. Last, add the brown butter and bake in a tray for 10 min. Take it out of the oven and keep it in the refrigerator.
5. For the yoghurt mousse, soak the gelatin in cold water. Mix yoghurt and sugar, add cream and add gelatin, and set in the freezer.
6. For raspberry cream, boil puree, add icing sugar, and add gelatin. Fold in whipped cream and pipe inside the yoghurt mousse and freeze.
7. Place it in the deep freezer for a day, then serve it on top of the pistachio cake the next day.

(Recipe by Himanshu Taneja, Culinary Director, South Asia, Marriott International)