Baking cakes is always a fancy thing but most of us are not comfortable with the technique it takes to bake it in an oven. There is always an ease when it’s done in our every day use pressure cooker that we feel more confident and sure. Like wise I had to make a dessert to be taken to my in – laws place for a feast where we had hubby dears NRI cousins visit all of us. I was pressed for time and opted to come up with some thing with the available ingredients at home. Checked the pantry and the refrigerator. My eyes went strait to the huge packet of dates in the refrigerator which are left overs from fasting time. Now it’s a sweet dish with dates being the main ingredient . A pudding.. Or may be a microwave cake.. Umm no no let me come up with some thing using a pressure cooker as its so much in now a days. I remember going through a pressure cooker cake that used cake crumbs to bake a cake. Keeping that in mind I substituted the cake crumbs with fresh bread crumbs and gave a try with fingers crossed. Pressure cooked for 3 whistles as I do for caramel pudding . Checked but the cake was not done so pressure cooked once again for another one whistle. The cake was cooked through . The cake was even better than my imagination but I felt I needed to serve it with a sauce. Chocolate ganache was the first option but my new fond  love for caramel sauce opted for the caramel sauce. Made a quick instant version just before heading to the feast venue . Dessert time , served the cake drizzled with the caramel sauce to all . Waiting for results … Hubby dears niece Murshitha with her eyes popping out say’s chachi this is yum . When I mentioned saying its a pressure cooker cake. She immediately asked for the recipe , her elder sister sabura followed with a recipe please soon after . Passed the recipe and Murshitha did give a try with great results except that her caramel sauce didn’t get that golden colour . A few days back I received a message from mushidha’s hubby saying ” loved the cook book, even though I can’t read Tamil.. Certainly has improved the food in my house. Thank you ” what more do you need , I felt so humbled and touched that my recipes has brought in a bit of joy at their home.

Ingredients	Quantity
Fresh Bread crumbs	3 cups ( blitz bread slices in a food processor to a powder with out adding water to get crumbs )
Eggs	4
Sugar	3/4 cup powdered
Dates	1 cup seeds removed
Walnuts	1 cup coarsely crushed
Salt	a pinch
Vanilla essence	1 teaspoon
Butter	to grease the mould

• Beat eggs and salt together. Gradually add the powdered sugar little by little and beat well to combine.
• Add the fresh bread crumbs and mix well. Top with the dates ,nuts and vanilla essence. Mix well.
• Grease a cake mould with butter generously. Pour the cake mix and cover with foil paper.
• Double boil in a pressure cooker with two inches boiling water. Place a ring mould over the water, place the covered cake mould on top of the ring. Close the pressure cooker .
• Place the whistle over the cooker lid and pressure cook for 4 whistles in medium heat . Remove from heat , Let the heat subside. open, remove the cake and cool completely.

Ingredients	Quantity
Sugar	3 cups
Butter	50 grams
Water	1 teaspoon
Vanilla essence	1/4 teaspoon
Cream	2 cups

 

• Heat sugar with water over a wide pan .Do not stir. Once the sugar melts and is caramelised  to a light brown colour.
• Add butter and mix well. Remove from heat adding a pinch of salt .
• Add cream and vanilla essence. mix vigorously to combine to get a thick gooey caramel sauce. Taste and adjust sugar and salt .

• Run a dry sharp knife over the edges of the cooled cake. Turn over on to the serving plate .
• Pour the caramel sauce over the  cake and serve.
• For individual servings, place a square cake piece into a bowl. Pour caramel sauce and serve.