Bajra Flour Cake
- ¾ cup pearl millet (bajra) flour
- 1½ cups almond milk
- 250 g organic dates (about 12 Medjool dates), pitted and quartered
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups rolled organic oats, ground to a flour (use grinder)
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (from 1 medium-sized lemon)
Method
Preheat oven to 160 ºC (325 ºF). Line a standard 9″ loaf pan with parchment paper. In a small bowl, stir together the chopped dates, almond milk and vanilla extract and keep aside (so that dates can soften).
Sift together bajra and oat flour in a bowl, so that they mix uniformly. Add to this the baking powder and poppy seeds, and mix with a fork. Blend the dates, almond milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour into the bowl of dry ingredients, along with the lemon zest and mix just until all of the dry ingredients have been incorporated.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 55-60 minutes, uncovered. It will be done when it is evenly medium brown and has some cracks on top. Insert a toothpick and if it comes out clean, it’s likely done. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, before removing from the pan to cool further, on a cutting board or wire rack. (It will rise during baking and then fall a bit during cooling.)
Cool for another 20-30 minutes before cutting.