This sponge cake tastes like “mithai” (typical indian sweet) with less calories. It does not have ghee (clarified butter) or milk powder so its quite light and a good substite for mithai. You can add chopped nuts or rasins to the batter (my family does not like) and you can avoid the white chocolate topping if you dont like white chocolate or you can spread a bit of condensed milk instead!!! I have made this for Diwali (our Indian new year which is next week)!!! So if you dont want the richness of typical indian sweets do try and serve this to your guests!!!
INGREDIENTS FOR A SMALL SPONGE CAKE:
125 grams of white room temperature yogurt
3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of oil
1 1/2 cups of white flour , sifted twice
3/4 teaspoon of soda bicarbonate
1 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
1 pinch of Nitu Didi pure spanish saffron
1/4 teaspoon of Nitu Didi cardamom powder
1/4 teaspoon of rose essence
1/4 cup of hot boiling milk
For the topping:
100 grams of white chocolate
4 tablespoons of milk
few drops of rose essence
METHOD:
heat the oven to 200. Mix the yogurt with the saffron and cardamom and the sugar. Add the baking powder and the soda bicarbonate and let it rest for 3 mintues. It will get frothy. Add the oil and then the sifted flour and mix well. Add the hot boiling milk and rose essence and mix very well. Put into a greased pan and put into the oven. Lower the temperature of the oven to 180. Bake for about 30-40 minutes till done. Cool and then add the topping you want
FOR THE TOPPING
heat the milk and then add the chopped white chocolate and let it melt. Add the rose essence when melted and let it cool a bit and pour on top of the cake
ANOTHER OPTION FOR TOPPING:
mix condensed milk (1/2 cup) with rose essence and some ground pistachios or nuts of your choice. Spread on the cake!!!

I have put both the pics so you can see both ways to make this wonderful cake!!

For the second pic i just sprinkled some colored sugar on it. To make colored sugar: just take a bit of sugar in a jar and add some good quality food coloring to it (just a drop or two) and shake well till you see the sugar is colored. Put it in a plate to dry for an hour and then store in that jar. Sprinkle on hot cakes and cookies.

To buy Nitu Didi excellent saffron

Batter can also be made in my Magic Bullet and save time!!