Summer is the season of Hisaalu in the Hills. Soft, tangy and sweet Hisaalu are the Golden Himalayan Raspberries also known as The  Yellow Himalayan Raspberries ( Rubus ellipticus). Hisaalu grows in the hills in the forests and on the roadsides.


 The shrub is stout and thorny and it needs certain expertise to pluck the ripe fruit as the leaves also have bristles. You have to carefully put your hand under the ripe bunch and the ripe fruits fall  off with a gentle nudge. Ripe berries are sweet and juicy. The seeds are crunchy. It ripens around early June to mid- June and is much sought after by children, villagers, and birds.


 Children often stop by the bushes while coming back from the schools and amidst loud chatter and laughter they love collecting and eating the juicy berries. It is believed that the berries are the source of energy and were eaten by the travelers going uphill.



We have a lot of Hisaalu shrubs in our area. We used some in our cake and baked an Eggless Hisaalu Cake. We mashed some berries and added to the batter. 


We also added some whole berries to the batter. 


The crunch of the seeds and juicy berries in the crumb make a delicious cake. 



This cake can be made with any local berries.
  

Eggless Vanilla Hisaalu Cake | Eggless Vanilla Cake with Berries 



Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole grain flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup raw sugar / unrefined cane sugar
  • ½ cup butter (1 stick butter)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup Hisaalu (Himalayan Golden raspberries) or any seasonal berries

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and line one 8 inch round cake pan.
  2. In a bowl, mix milk and vinegar. Stir and keep for 10 minutes.
  3. Whisk together first three ingredients in a large bowl.
  4. Beat butter and sugar till pale and fluffy. Add vanilla extract.
  5. Add flour to the butter-sugar mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix well with a spatula ensuring that all the ingredients are well incorporated. Do not over mix.
  6. Mash ¼ cup berries. Fold in mashed berries and ¼ cup whole berries into the batter.
  7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
  8. Sprinkle remaining berries on top.
  9. Bake for about 25 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
  10. Remove from the oven. Let it rest in the pan for about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool on the rack.
  11. Slice when cold or slice the next day.
Note : You may use any local berries. Use all-purpose flour for a lighter crumb.












The day after the rains is beautiful. The sky is still heavy with clouds, and the sunrise is spectacular. 


The rays make way behind the gray clouds and a myriad hues paint the sky. 


The leaves glisten and dance in the morning breeze. There is freshness and fragrance in the air. Sweet songs of the Grey-winged back bird resonate.


 It is a magical morning.

A Lemon Pistachio Loaf is being baked. My daughter prepares the glaze that will be poured all over the hot bread.


It is a tangy sweet quick bread loaded with freshness and the flavor of lemons.
The glaze makes the slices gooey and scrumptious.
I have baked two versions.


The eggless and wholegrain version is soft, moist and juicy. If you are a fan of whole grain baking, take two cups of whole wheat flour. Or, take one cup all-purpose flour and one cup whole wheat flour. Bake for one hour covering the top with the foil. The crumb will be dense and very moist.
The second version has all-purpose flour and eggs. It has a lighter crumb.
Both the versions are delicious.


Lemon Pistachio Loaf

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour ( or, 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup all-purpose flour)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unrefined cane sugar
  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • 2 flax eggs ( 2 tablespoons flax meal whisked in 6 tablespoons water. Keep for 10 minutes. Beat with a fork, use.) or, 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • ¾ cup yogurt
  • ½ cup sliced pistachios

Glaze

  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • ½ cup icing sugar
  • 2 tablespoons sliced pistachios for garnishing

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Line the bottom and grease the sides of one 8 ½ x4 ½ inches loaf pan.
  2. Beat yogurt till smooth. Add lemon juice and zest. Keep aside.
  3. Whisk together first four ingredients. Keep aside.
  4. Beat butter and sugar till light and pale. Add flax eggs (or eggs, one at a time).
  5. Add half of the flour mix. Add half of the yogurt mix. Stir till well combined.
  6. Add remaining dry ingredients and remaining yogurt mix. Stir to get a homogenous mixture.
  7. Fold in sliced pistachios.
  8. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 50 -60  minutes or until the loaf is browned and shrinks from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Tent with a foil if the top is browning too fast.
  9. Poke the top of the bread with a toothpick and pour the glaze all over.
  10. Remove from the pan after 15 minutes.  Sprinkle sliced pistachios. Cool on the rack.
  11. Slice when cold.


Linking to Breadbakers
#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

BreadBakers
We take turns hosting each month choosing the theme/ingredient.
Our host this month is Stacy Livingston Rushton. Stacy chose to bake quick bread this month. She blogs at Food Lust People Love. Her blog is a treasure of recipes.

You'll love the quick breads made by the other Breadbakers.

·  Banana Nut Bread from Sneha's Recipe
·  Cheddar Bacon Chive Quick Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories
·  Chocolate Quick Bread from Sara's Tasty Buds
·  Cinnamon Swirl Quick Bread from Shockingly Delicious
·  Coconut Sweet Bread from Passion Kneaded
·  Cranberry Pecan Quick Bread from Food Lust People Love
·  Eggfree Oats and Dates Bread from Veena’s Vegnation
·  Espresso Banana Quick Bread with Espresso Streusel from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
·  Irish Soda Bread from Anybody Can Bake
·  Keto Low Carb Coconut Flour Bread from Cook With Renu
·  Lady Grey Date Nut Bread from A Messy Kitchen
·  Lemon Blueberry Bread from Palatable Pastime
·  Lemon Pistachio Loaf from Ambrosia
·  Summer Shandy Beer Bread from A Day in the Life on the Farm
·  Zucchini Bread from Simply Inspired Meals












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