Gluten Free Paan Or Betel Leaf Cake

Gluten free paan or betel leaf cake with rose flavoured glaze.
A delicious eggless cake flavoured with mitha paan.
Cake is full of flavour and taste of mitha paan ingredients like paan or betel leaf, gulkand or rose preserve/jam, tutti fruity, fennel seeds, cardamom powder and rose essence or rose water.

If you are my regular reader then you may know that I love to use different gluten free flours in my bakes. I have already used soyabean flour and cornmeal in my bakes. This time I have also used buckwheat flour or kuttu atta.
Despite its name, buckwheat is not related to wheat and is thus gluten-free.
It’s used in buckwheat tea or processed into groats, flour, and noodles. The groats, used in much the same way as rice, are the main ingredient in many traditional European and Asian dishes.
Buckwheat has become popular as a health food due to its high mineral and antioxidant content. Its benefits may include improved blood sugar control.
To read more about buckwheat flour and it’s health benefits click here.

Earlier shared a Paan flavoured sandesh on this blog.

Paan or betel leaf is a mouth freshener of India.
According to traditional Ayurvedic medicine, chewing betel leaf is a remedy against bad breath. And can be used as mouth freshener.
Paan from Sanskrit parṇa meaning “leaf” is a preparation combining betel leaf with areca nut widely consumed throughout Southeast Asia, East Asia (mainly Taiwan), and the Indian subcontinent. It is chewed for its stimulant and psychoactive effects.
Chewing the mixture of areca nut and betel leaf is a tradition, custom or ritual which dates back thousands of years from India to the Pacific.
In a 16th-century cookbook, Nimmatnama-i Nasiruddin-Shahi, describes Ghiyas-ud-din Khalji, the Sultan of Mandu (r. 1469–1500), watches as tender betel leaves of the finest quality are spread out and rosewater is sprinkled on them, while saffron is also added. An elaborate betel chew or paan would contain fragrant spices and rose preserves with chopped areca nuts.
It is a tradition in South India and nearby regions to give two Betel leaves, areca nut (pieces or whole) and Coconut to the guests at any auspicious occasion. Even on a regular day, it is the tradition to give a married woman, who visits the house, two Betel leaves, areca nut and coconut or some fruits along with a string of threaded flowers. This is referred to as tambolam.
Betel leaf used to make paan is produced in different parts of India. Some states that produce betel leaf for paan include West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh. In West Bengal, two types of betel leaves are produced. These are “Bangla Pata (Country Leaf) and Mitha Pata (Sweet Leaf).
Source – Wikipedia

206 #Foodiemonday bloghop theme is gluten free treat suggested by me.
Some of my readers are suffering from gluten allergy. So I have suggested my blogger friends to share some recipes with gluten free flour. This way people can get different types of gluten free recipes.

In this paan flavoured cake I have used three types of gluten free flour. Soyabean flour, cornmeal and buckwheat flour or kuttu atta but you can use any flour of your choice. Khoya mawa or dried milk made the cake more delicious and rich. Rose flavoured sugar glaze is completely optional. Cake will be also delicious without glazing.

Recipe

Soyabean flour – 1/2 cup

Cornmeal – 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon

Kuttu atta or buckwheat flour – 1/2 cup

Baking powder – 1 teaspoon

Baking soda – 1/2 teaspoon

Cardamom powder – 1 teaspoon

Paan or betel leaf – 2

Powdered sugar – 3/4 cup

Tutti fruity – 1/2 cup + to sprinkle

Fennel seeds – 2 teaspoon

Oil or butter – 1/2 cup

Milk – 3/4 cup + 1/4 cup

Vinegar or lemon juice – 1 tablespoon

Sugar coated fennel seeds – 2 tablespoon

Gulkand – 2 tablespoon

Khoya/mawa or dried milk – 1/2 cup

Green food colour – 1-2 drops, optional

For glaze

Powdered sugar – 3 tablespoon

Rose essence – 1/2 teaspoon

Water – 1/2 tablespoon

Green food colour – 1 – 2 drops

Method

1. Preheat the oven at 170°.

2. Grease a cake tin or line with parchment paper.

3. Mix vinegar in 3/4 cup milk and keep aside. Milk should be in room temperature.

4. Grind paan or betel leaf, fennel seeds, gulkand and khoya/mawa or dried milk with 1/4 cup milk. Make a smooth paste.

5. In a bowl sieve all the flour, baking powder, soda and cardamom powder.

6. In a large bowl whisk powdered sugar, oil or butter and vinegar mixed milk. Whisk well till sugar dissolved.

7. Now add ground paste and whisk again.

8. Add the dry ingredients and mix well to make a lump free smooth batter.

9. Add green food colour if using. Mix well.

10. Fold in tutti fruity and sugar coated fennel seeds.

11. Pour the batter in greased or lined cake tin. Tap gently on your kitchen counter to remove the air bubbles.

12. Sprinkle tutti fruity and bake at 170° for 25 – 30 minutes. Or until the toothpick comes out clean. Insert a toothpick in the middle of the cake to check.

13. Let the cake cool down completely.

14. For glaze in a mixing bowl whisk powdered sugar, rose essence, water and green food colour. Whisk well till sugar dissolves. Your glaze is ready.
Spread the glaze all over the cake.

15. Decorate with tutti fruity and sprinkle.
Slice and enjoy.
Happy baking!

Notes

1. You can make this cake with whole wheat flour/atta or refined flour/maida instead of these gluten free flour. Or use any flour of your choice.

2. If you have gluten allergy, use gluten free food colour or skip colour.

3. 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon rose essence can be added in the batter if you like the flavour.

4. Glaze is completely optional. You can also serve it without glaze.

If you tried my recipe, you can share your food pictures with me in the social network sites by using hash tag, #batterupwithsujata
I would love to see your creations.

I would love to hear from you. Please share your thoughts and suggestions in comment.
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