Janana Cake
A classic Parsi tea-time cake, known as Janana Cake, featuring a rich, buttery crumb studded with sweet black raisins. This historical recipe creates a dense and satisfying dessert by combining wheat flour, fresh eggs, and milk with a generous amount of butter. Perfect for serving warm with tea, its golden crust and moist interior offer a comforting taste of traditional home baking.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Wheat flour (Mill No. 1 quality (fine wheat flour))
- 1 1/4 cups Granulated sugar (Originally 25 Tolas (approx 10 oz))
- 1/2 pound Black raisins (Large black raisins (currants))
- 1/2 pound Butter (Hard butter, to be melted)
- 5 whole Eggs (Fresh)
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking soda (Flat teaspoon)
- 1 cup Whole milk (Originally '2 Pasher' (approx 1 cup))
- 1 tablespoon Flour (For dusting raisins)
- 1 tablespoon Butter (For greasing the pan)
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Instructions
- 1Remove seeds from the raisins. Wash them thoroughly, wipe them dry with a cloth, and sprinkle with a little flour (about 1 tablespoon) to coat them evenly.
- 2Melt the butter gently. In a separate bowl, break the eggs and beat them very well until frothy.
- 3In a large tinned vessel or mixing bowl, place the wheat flour. Add the beaten eggs, melted butter, sugar, and milk. Mix thoroughly to ensure there are absolutely no lumps ('sejbi gangdo rakhvo nahi').
- 4Fold in the prepared raisins. Finally, add the baking soda and mix well to distribute.
- 5Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a large baking dish or cake tin generously with butter. Pour the batter into the dish, leaving about 1 inch of space at the top for rising. Bake immediately in the moderate oven for 45-50 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
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