MEETHA PAAN CAKE (Betel leaf cake)

“एक दिल है, एक जान,

मौन व्रत नहीं है पगली, मुँह में है बनारसी पान”!

😀

“UP आए और पान नहीं खाए, तो क्या ख़ाक UP आए!”

😁

You might be thinking what’s up with me! Well, what can I say, eating the fragrant flavorful paan makes everyone a shayar (poet).

Banaras, a city in Uttar Pradesh, India, is very famous for its Paan (betel leaf & rose jam mouth freshner) and Silk Sarees. Banarasi paan is to be eaten in a specific way. You dont have to chew it, just keep it in you mouth and let it dissolve on its own. Its very refreshing and yummy.

Inspired by the flavors of paan, I have made this paan gulkand flavored cake. The gorgeous green color is the color of betel leaves and to get a little darker color, I have added natural color using 1/2 tbsp of spinach water as I am not a fan of artificial colors. Just blend 1 cup baby spinach with 1 tbsp water and strain to get dark green color extract.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour- 1.5 cups

Sugar- 1/2 cup

Baking soda- 1/2 tsp

Baking powder- 1 tsp

Fennel seeds- 1.5 tsp

Betel leaves- 4-5 (blend with 1/4 cup milk to smooth paste)

Oil- 1/3 cup

Curd- 1/2 cup

Milk- 3/4 cup

Green color or spinach water- 2 drops or 1/2 tbsp

Fresh grated coconut- 1/4 cup

Gulkand (rose petal jam)- 1 tbsp

Chopped cashews + almonds- 2 tbsp

Chopped Pistachio- 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree C (350 F)

2. In a bowl, add all purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, fennel seeds and give it a mix.

3. In another bowl, add oil, curd, milk, green food color, 1/2 tbsp gulkand and mix to make a wet mixture.

4. Now blend betel leaves with 1/4 cup milk into a smooth paste. Add it to the wet mixture.

5. Add dry mixture to wet mixture in batches and stir in same direction. Stir until a smooth batter is formed.

6. Add half of the batter in cake pan, add coconut and mixture of gulkand and almonds+cashews on top . Then add the remaining batter and garnish with pistachios on top.

7. Bake at 350 F or 180 C for 40-45 min.

The exotic paan flavor of this cake brought a wave of nostalgia for me reminding me how much I loved meetha paan as a kid! Do give it a try and enjoy 😊