Instant Wheat Jaggery Plum Cake, No Alcohol, No Maida, No Sugar, No Oven, Easy Christmas Cake

 #SweetnSpicyAromas

Try this rich and healthier version of the traditional plum cake without which your Christmas celebrations are incomplete . Ingredients -

10-12 cashewnuts (Kaju) 3-4 walnuts (akhrot) 20-25 black currants (munakke) 20-25 raisins (kishmish) 10-12 dry prunes 15-20 almonds (badam) 2 tbsp mixed dried fruits 100 gm dark chocolate compound Half cup cranberry juice 2-3 small pieces cinnamon (dalchini) Half nutmeg (jayphal) 7-8 cloves (laung) 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger (adrak) 2 tbsp (25 ml) groundnut oil 4 tbsp cocoa powder 3 eggs 5 tbsp (75) melted butter Half cup (100 gms) powdered jaggery (gud) 1 cup (125 gms) wheat flour (gehu ka ataa) 1 n ½ tsp baking powder

#ChristmasSpecialRecipes #ChristmasCake #InstantPlumCake #InstantWheatJaggeryPlumCake #NoAlcoholNoMaidaNo SugarNo Oven #EasyChristmasCake

Jackfruit Muffins

Nowadays the markets are loaded with Jackfruits . Jackfruit comes in two varieties. In karwari we call these varieties " kappo" and "barko" . The kappo variety has firm texture whereas the barko variety is very soft and juicy .

This barko variety is usually used to made various dishes like sweet dosas, idlis , cakes etc . No essence or any extra flavor is needed in these muffins as the jackfruit itself imparts an lovely flavor to these muffins . If the jackfruit is very sweet you won't have to add sugar at all . So decide the amount of sugar accordingly.

So make these simply yet delicious muffins when  the season is in full swing .

Ingredients :


2 cups..................sweet jackfruit plup
1 cup....................rawa ( dry roasted for 5 to 10 minutes )
1 cup..................wheat flour
1 cup..................milk
1/2 cup..............sugar ( if needed)
1 tsp...................baking powder
1/2 tsp...............baking soda
2 tbsp...............pure ghee
few..................broken cashewnut pieces ( optional)



Method :


Mix everything except the baking powder and soda .

Keep aside for 2 hours .

If the batter is too thick add some more milk and mix.

Grease the muffin tray .

Add baking powder and soda to the batter and mix well.

Pour spoonfuls in the mould .

Bake the muffings in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes .

Insert a toothpick to check if the muffins are baked.

If the toothpick comes out clean without any batter sticking to it muffins are done.

Remove the tray from the oven and let the muffins cool down.

Basbousa - Egyptian Semolina Cake

This month for Home Bakers Challenge I chose to make this simple Egyptian semolina cake which was suggested by Nupur  .  Known as Basbousa basically this is a simple semolina cake .


Usually when we make a cake sugar is added before the cake is baked. But here the cake is first baked with very less sugar and then sugar syrup is poured on the baked cake which is still hot. This makes the cake moist and keeps it super soft for a longer time.

Ingredients :

2 cups .....................rawa ( semolina )
1/2 cup ..................sugar
1/2 cup................... scraped coconut
2 tbsp.......................ghee
1 tsp........................baking powder
1/2 cup.......................milk
3/4  cup....................buttermilk
few drops................vanilla essence
few almonds



For Sugar Syrup :

1 cup....................sugar
1 cup.....................water
1 tbsp...................rose water

Method :


Mix all the ingredients except almonds .

Keep the mixture in fridge for 2 hours.

Now grease a cake tin and pour the mixutre in it.

Press almonds on the batter top to garnish it.

Bake in a preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes at 180 degrees.

Make sugar syrup by boiling water and sugar.

Let the mixture boil for 2 - 3 minutes and switch off the gas.

When warm add rose water to the syrup.

Cut the baked basbouse into pieces when still warm.

Pour the warm sugar syrup on the baked cake immediately.

This will ensure that all the sugar syrup is soaked properly.

This makes the cake very moist and soft.

Cheesecake Cupcakes

Cupcakes - the goodness and flavor of cakes packed in mini cute package. This is the current trend going on. Making and eating big cakes is a complete no no in today's health conscious society. Its then better to make the cakes in small size where you can enjoy them and also control the individual portion.

I have made cheese cakes a lot of times in different flavors but never baked them. So when for home-bakers-challenge  our this month's host Siri @ thebravecook   gave this cheesecake cupcakes as one of the choices I decided to give it a try. The cakes when baked had fluffed beautifully, actually I should have taken at least one click at that time. But when they cooled down they just sunk . Though the texture of these cupcakes was amazingly soft . Topped with orange crush ( orange toppings being my personal favorite ) they tasted just out of this world.

Thanks Priya Suresh  and   Siri for this yummy challenge

Ingredients :

2 cups .......................cream cheese ( home made )
1/2 cup ........................sugar
2 ............................eggs
1 tsp......................butter
2 tbsp + 5 tbsp .....................orange crush
10 .......................plain vanilla waffers

Method : 

Place a paper cupcake liner in each of 12 muffin cups.

Preheat the oven at 180 degrees and keep ready.

In the meanwhile beat cream cheese until fluffy.

Add  sugar and butter and beat well.

Add eggs, one at a time, and again beat till very fluffy. 

In each muffin cup place a waffer at the bottom and spoon fluffy over wafers.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Let the cakes cool completely.

Top each  cupcake with a spoonful orange custard.

Milky Fruity Cake

Everyone in my family loves mawa cakes or simple sponge cakes  rather than creamy pastries. During Christmas I has soaked some dry fruits in rum to make Plum cake and the remaining I kept the remaining  in fridge for future use and completely forgot about them. Recently while cleaning the fridge found these soaked dry fruits they had lovely aroma and immediately I craved for some rich fruity cake .

 So decided to make this simple cake . Since I did not have any mawa handy I just added instant milk powder and the results were amazing . You can add mawa for the actual mawa taste .  If you don't have rum simply use the dry fruits you have but if possible do use the soaked dry fruits as it gives a very rich yummy taste to the cake.

Ingredients :

1 n 1/2 cup .................maida ( all purpose flour )
1/2 cup......................very fine rawa ( semolina )
1 cup........................sugar
3/4 cup....................butter ( used homemade unsalted butter )
4 heaped tbsp.........milk powder ( used Nestle brand )
4 ............................eggs ( can be substituted by 1 cup paneer or tofu )
1/2 cup...................milk
1 cup...................dry fruits n nuts ( walnuts, cashews, dates, raisins, orange peels , tutty fruity )
1 tsp ......................baking powder
1/2 tsp...................mix fruit essence
1/2 tsp...................vanilla essence





Method :

In a mixer grind together maida, rawa, milk powder and baking powder .

This ensures uniform mixing baking powder and all other dry ingredients.

Now beat together butter, milk and sugar with a blender .

Gradually add eggs beating continuously.

Now add both essences and beat well.

Now add dry mixture of maida one spoon at a time and mix gently but well.

Lastly add half the dry fruits and mix genly.

Pour the batter in a greased tin and sprinkle remaining dry fruits on top.







Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.









Linking this to potluck-party-cyber-style   @ Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey

Bienenstich Kuchen ( German Bee Sting Cake )

From this month I have become a member of a very adventurous  group called We Knead To Bake a brainchild of Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen  in which the members bake a different bread every month.

This month being the christmas month Aparna has chosen this special German cake which uses yeast in its preparation and so can be called a fusion between bread and cake. This is a very traditional cake and I enjoyed a lot making this lovely cake.

Though the cake requires some time to make as you have to make custard, topping and the main dough it does take some time . But then good things always come the hard way and the cake was not just good it was amazing . The process was very therapeutic and I loved the journey of making this cake. I made the cake with just half the measurements given below .

The original recipe called for one egg and so I replaced it with 1 tbsp of sour curd which was perfectly fine.

Thanks Aparna for this delicious cake and also for including me in the group.

Ingredients :


For the Dough :

2 cups................maida
1 tbsp ................sour curds ( to replace egg )
2 tbsp.................sugar
1/4 cup...............milk
1 tsp...................dry active yeast
a pinch.................salt


For the topping :

1/2 cup .................almonds ( sliced)
2 tbsp....................honey
50 gm....................butter
2 tbsp...................sugar
1/2 tsp.................vanilla essence

For the pastry filling :

250 ml ...................milk
200 gm ..................cream ( whipped till stiff )
5 tbsp....................vanilla custard powder
5 tbsp...................sugar
1/2 tsp.................agar agar ( to thicken the custard )







Method :

For the Pastry filling : ( Do this the previous day )

Dissolve the custard powder in 1/2 cup milk uniformly.

Boil the remaining milk and sugar.

Now add the custard dissolved milk slowly .

Continuously stir keeping the gas low , so that no lumps are formed.

Let the mixture become very thick.

Add the agar agar dissolved in some warm water ( say 2 tbsp )

Remove it from gas and allow it to come to room temperature.

Now chill it in fridge for 3 to 4 hours.

Add whipped cream and fold gently.

Again keep in fridge till further use.

Actually make the custard the previous day , so that it become enough thich to be filled.

For the dough :

Heat milk ( not boil ) and add butter to it.

When butter melts switch off the gas and let the milk become warm.

In a processor blend flour, salt, sugar, yeast till mixed properly.

Now add curd and again blend well.

Now add the warm milk butter mixture and blend.

Knead the dough loose and soft .

Now keep it in a big greased bowl and plastic wrap it.

Let it rise for 2 hours . ( This dough doesn't rise as much as bread dough )

Now line a spring form cake tin with parchment .

Punch the dough and keep it in the tin.

Press it to fit it in the tin.




Again keep the tin covered and let the dough rise for 1 hour.

For the topping :

Heat butter , sugar, honey and vanilla till the mixture bubbles.

When the mixture is brownish in color add sliced almonds.






Stir till the almond slices are well coated and mixture thickens.

The mixture will be like thick fudge.

Spread this on the pressed dough in the tin evenly .





Bake the bread in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

Cool it completely and slice it horizontally into two equal layers.






This can be beautifully done with a thread. See the picture.

In between the two layers spread the thick chilled custard evenly.

Again chill till further use.

Nicaraguan Christmas Cake

As we all know that the month of December brings fun and joy along with it and the atmosphere is so festive that you just don't feel like being left out .

 This month for baking-partners-challenge  too we were given such delicious options like Traditional Yule Log and Nicaraguan Cake by Swathi  which were perfect to bring in this festive mood . Nicaragua is a country in Central America and corn is extensively used in their cuisine. In this cake too the custard as well as the cake makes use of cornstarch and so decided to give it a try.

 I was also fascinated by the unusual method of custard making in which we had to boil the custard instead of being gentle and careful. In normal custard if you overheat it then the custard curdles . Whereas in this you actually had to boil the custard for 2 minutes to make it thick. So here I am finally with this beautiful cake . We enjoyed the cake thoroughly.

I have actually used half the measurements given below.

Thanks Swathi for this lovely recipe.

Original Recipe : seriouseats

Ingredients :

For the Cake :

1 cup.....................cornstarch
1 cup....................maida
1 tbsp...................unsalted butter ( I used homemade loni)
4 tsp....................baking powder
2 tsp...................cocoa powder
1/2 tsp................cinnamon powder
6 eggs...............yolk and white separated ( at room temp)
1 n 1/2 cup ........sugar
1/2 cup...............milk
1/2 tsp................salt
1 tsp...................vanilla essence


For the Sopa Borracha Syrup :

6 cups ...................water
3 cups ....................sugar
2 " ........................cinnamon stick
10 to 15 ...............cloves
1 tbsp.....................lemon peel ( remove the white pith)
3 /4 cup................rum
1/2 cup ...............raisins
12 .....................prunes


For the Manjar Custard :

4 cups .................milk
2 tbsp..................cornstrach
1 cup.................sugar
1 ".....................cinnamon stick
4 ....................egg yolks
2 tbsp.............chilled n cubed butter
1 tsp................vanilla essence
1/8 tsp..............salt

Method :

For the Cake :

In a pan dry roast cornflour till fragrent and aromatic ( for 5 to 8 minutes )

Blend together cornflour, maida, baking powder and cocoa powder in a processor .

In a bowl beat the egg whites and salt till soft peaks form.

Now gradually add sugar and beat till stiff .

Add  yolks to whites and beat till just mixed.

Now add flour mixture in 3 to 4 parts alternating with milk .

Add Vanilla and mix till just combined don't over do the mixing part.

Put this in a greased tin and bake at 180 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes in a preheated oven.

Cool the cake completely.






For the Syrup :

In the meanwhile prepare the syrup .

Boil water, sugar, cloves, cinnamon and lemon peels .

Let the water reduces to 4 cups . ( takes about half an hour )

Strain and discard the solids .

Add rum, raisins and prunes and let the syrup cool.

Again  strain it and keep raisins and prunes aside.






For the custard :

Boil milk along with cinnamon .

In another pan take sugar, cornflour, yolks , salt and mix very well.

Add 1/4 cup hot milk while beating vigorously .

Then add remaining milk beating all the while but not vigorously.

Again add the cinnamon and boil ( while continuously beating ) till mixture thickens .

It should be the consistency of yogurt.




Boil for some more time and switch off the gas.

Add butter and vanilla.

Take it in a bowl , plastic wrap it and chill for 2 to 3 hours


Assembling the cake :

Poke the cake on all sides with a fork.

Pour the prepared syrup uniformly and let it absorb completely.

Spread the chilled custard evenly on the top .

Decorate with raisins and prunes.

Chill before serving.

1. 
   

Pinacolada Cupcakes ( For Baking Eggless Challenge )

For October's Baking Eggless Challenge we were supposed to make a beautiful and rich Pinacolada cake and  I did make the cake but unfortunately had some camera problem . I lost few of my pictures which also included this pinacolada clicks.

 So I planned to make them again once the Diwali was over and I tried it and relished the taste once again. This time I was inspired by Soumya's  cupcakes and made mine too in muffin trays . These cute mini pinacoladas were really very yummy.

Though the original recipe had used lots of eggs I made a normal eggless recipe with wheat flour which usually never fails me. I have actually used half of all the quantities given below so it gave me about 6 cakes. The quantity given below will give you 12 to 14 cakes.

Linking this to gayathriscookspot

Ingredients :

1/2 cup......................wheat flour
1 cup.......................maida
4 tbsp.....................oil
4 tbsp....................curd
1 cup.................... thick pineapple puree
1 tsp......................baking powder
1/4 tsp....................baking soda
1/2 cup...................sugar
1/4 tsp.....................pineapple essence
1 cup......................pineapple juice ( grind the pieces with sugar and strain the juice)
1 cup .......................fresh coconut grated
1 cup .......................whipped fresh cream

Method :

Dry mix the flours, baking powder and soda in a processor till well mixed.

Keep them aside and in same processor mix oil,curd, puree and sugar till light.

Add essence and mix both wet and dry ingredients by folding gently.

Take care not to over mix.

Pour spoonfuls of batter in a greased muffin tray.

Bake the cup cakes in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes at 180 degrees.

When they are completely cold , sprinkle some pineapple juice on them.

Let the juice be soaked by the cakes.

Do not add more or else they will become too soft and soggy.

Now spread the whipped cream on top and sprinkle fresh grated coconut.

Pumpkin Oats Mummy Cupcakes ( for Home Bakers)

Hi everybody,

All of us know that October is celebrated as a Halloween month in many parts of the world  . So undoubtedly our this month's challenge for Home Bakers were some spooky and scary dishes like Mummy Cupcakes, Spooky Witch Finger Cookies and Pumpkin Cookies .

 I made the cup cakes for this event which is started by Priya Suresh  and hosted for this month by Nalini Suresh .

 Though I would have loved to try Witch Fingers I didn't get enough time to make them, but if possible planning to make them in future. The cupcakes were soft , moist and fun to have.....

Ingredients :

1 cup ................Pumpkin puree
1 cup.................oats
1 cup................wheat flour
1/2 cup .............any vegetable oil
3/4 cup..............sugar
1 tsp..................baking powder
1/4 tsp................baking soda
1/4 cup...............milk


Method  for Cupcakes :

Mix all the dry ingredients very well in a bowl.

Mix all the wet ingredients also very well in a separate bowl.

Now add the dry mixture in bowl with wet ingredients and fold gently till just mixed.

Spoon out in greased cupcake moulds.

Bake at 180 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes in a preheated oven.

Icing :

1 cup .....................fresh cream ( I used Rich brand )
1/3 cup.................icing sugar
few.......................choco chips


Method :

Whip the cream and sugar till very stiff.

Put it in a plastic bag and cut a small slit at the bottom of the bag.

Now carefully pipe out the ribbon shapes horizontally on the cupcakes.

Leave the middle of the cup cake blank.

Put two dots of cream in the middle and top them with choco chips for the eyes.

Also linking it to :

Halloween event  

lets-cook-with-pumpkin

Banana Walnut Loaf

Normally my house is well stalked with bananas as we are regular banana eaters. So often it happens that the bananas go overripe and I have to think ways to put them to better use.

At such times various recipes of banana  cakes, shakes and other desserts made with banana come handy . This banana loaf is one such easy recipe where you can never go wrong.

I have made this cake so many times only with semolina and bananas and other variations too like using soya flour or adding buttermilk and still always got a moist and soft cake.

This time however I used wheat flour and crushed walnuts and that made the cake extra soft and yummy. The coconut also imparts a lovely flavor to the cake.

You will always find this recipe handy if wanting to put your ripe bananas to a good and healthy use.

Ingredients :

2 cups .....................wheat flour
1/2 cup...................semolina
1/2 cup....................sugar
3 .............................very ripe bananas
1/2 cup ...................freshly grated coconut
2 tbsp.....................melted unsalted butter
1 tsp.......................baking powder
1/4 tsp...................baking soda
3 tbsp....................crushed walnuts
3/4 cup................milk
1 tsp...................cardamom powder

Method :

Mash the bananas roughly .

Mix the flour, semolina and add all other items and mix well .

Keep aside for 1 hour .

Before keeping in the oven add baking powder and baking soda and again mix very well.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes .

Check by inserting a toothpick, If it comes out clean the loaf is done.




Linking this recipe to : 

event-spotlight  @ cuisinedelights

back-2-school-event

lets-cook-with-coconut 

tribute-to-my-mom @ Gayathriscookspot 

walk-through-memory-lane @ priyas-virundhu

Whole Wheat Peach Brownies ( Groovy Gourmets)

Brownies are my favourites and I have always imagined them rich with chocolate, chocolate walnut brownie being my idea of a perfect dessert with ice - cream.

So this month when the Groovy Gourmets  were challenged  to make a brownie with something other than chocolate I did some surfing on the net and finally decided to try peach brownies as this time in mumbai we are getting fresh ripe peaches.

 Also I made it without eggs and used whole wheat instead of maida. I did not remove the skin of the peaches as I am against peeling the fruits unless it is an absolute necessity ( as in bananas ) . The brownies turned out to be super delicious, soft and moist . They were delicious with the tartness of peaches ( though I missed the chocolate part ) .

They tasted just out of this world with chilled whipped cream . I took the pics without whipped cream because I just couldn't take the risk . They were on the verge of getting vanished and so hurriedly took the pics.

Ingredients : 

2 cups ....................wheat flour
1 big......................peach ( stoned and cubed with skin on)
3/4 cup..................sugar
1/2 cup .................butter
2 tbsp...................milk
2 tbsp.................sour curds
1 tsp...................baking powder
1/4 tsp................mix fruit essence

Method :

In a mixer mix together wheat flour and baking powder and keep it aside.
Now in the same mixer blend butter, milk, sugar and essence .
Add the cubed peaches and fold in the wheat flour very gently.
Do not over mix it or else the brownie won't be soft and fluffy.
Pour in a greased baking dish and bake at 180 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.
Serve hot or cold with icecream of whipped cream.

Fruity Pizza Bites

Are you a Pizza lover and crave for pizza at each and every occasion  ? Then how about having a pizza as your dessert for a change. Yes thats exactly what came in my mind when I read Kalyanis this months magic-mingle-challenge with Kiwi and Basil leaves.

 Since long I wanted to try a fruit pizza with mangoes when they were in season but was not able to do it and now finally made it with Kiwi  and what better way to do it other than using delicious kiwi ?

This dessert though it looks pretty royal its very very simple , actually a matter of few minutes if the pizza base, in this case a sponge cake is store bought. This yummy dessert will get you lot of appreciation and you will be totally satisfied. It is a perfect dessert for a kids party .

 Basil too surprisingly went very well with this dessert although you can avoid it totally  if you don't want it.

We all loved it and am planning to have it often with different fruit combinations.

Ingredients :

1 small pack ...................slice cake ( I bought Brittania )
1 cup ..........................curds
2 tbsp............................powder sugar
1tbsp..............................chopped basil leaves
1....................................firm Kiwi fruit
few.............................pomogranate seeds

Method :

How to make Cream cheese as home :

Hang the curd in a muslin cloth for 2 hours to drain out all the water.
This hung dried curds is your homemade cream cheese.

Mix this cream cheese and sugar till smooth.
Add chopped basil leaves , mix  and chill in the fridge for 2 hours.
Now spread it on the slice cakes .
Arrange the cut kiwi fruit and pomogranate seeds decoratively.
Chill again till the time of serving.

Also sending it to :



gurus-cooking-giveaway-kids-special-13 

foodabulous--ramzan-and-mango  at sajustastes 

   Vallis kids-delight   at    sizzlingtastebuds 

Eggless Jam Swirled Muffins ( For the Baking Eggless)

We had to make Jam Swirled Muffins for the Baking Eggless Challenge of June . They were suggested by priya suresh from priyaeasyntastyrecipes  . These delicious muffins were an instant hit at my home and we all liked them . I have used curds instead of the eggs as I always feel comfortable using curds as a substitute and I was extremely satisfied with the results.

Thanks Gayathri and Priya for this lovely challenge.

Ingredients :

2 cups..................Maida (all purpose flour)
3/4 cup................sugar (powdered)
2 tsp....................baking powder
1/4 tsp................baking soda
1cup...................curds
1/2 cup...............milk
4 tbsp.................vegetable oil
few drops...........strawberry essence
1/2 cup...............strawberry jam ( add 1 tsp water and whip )

Method :

Blend maida, baking powder and soda in blender and keep aside.
Now blend sugar, curds, milk, oil and essence in the blender.
Carefully fold the blended maida mixture in the blended liquids.
Add the jam and just give a gentle swirl with fork so that the jam is not overmixed.
You should be able to see the jam and cake dough separately.
Now line a muffin tray with the paper cups and pour the cake batter.
Preheat the oven at 180 degrees and bake the muffins for 15 to 20 minutes .
If the inserted tooth pick comes out clean the muffins are done.
Remove from the oven and muffin tray and cool  them.
They taste good warm as well as cold.

Sending it to :
   Vallis kids-delight   at    sizzlingtastebuds