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

Kerstkransjes - Dutch Cookies

I have been making various cookies this week for Christmas . Two days back I made suji-crystal-cookies  and today it is these delicious Dutch Cookies. They were so yummy , they got over in a jiffy and I had to make one more batch the same day. These cookies are for International Food Challenge by Saras .

Recipe Source : dutchessroz.com

Ingredients :

200 gm .......................flour ( maida )
150 gm .....................cold butter ( finely chopped )
1 .............................egg  ( yolk n white separated )
1 tsp........................baking powder
100 gm .................sugar ( powdered )
pinch full ...............salt
1/4 tsp...................vanilla essence
2 tbsp..................almond flakes ( to garnish )



Method :


In a mixer add flour, butter, egg yolk, baking powder , salt , sugar and essence.

Process it for few seconds.

Knead into a smooth dough .

If needed add few drops of milk .

Wrap the dough in a cling film and chill it for 1 hour.

Take out the chilled dough and roll it to 1/23 cm thick disk.

Cut the cookies with cookie cutter.

Make a small hole at the centre with another cutter.

Brush the cookies with egg white and sprinkle almond flakes.

Arrange them on a greased baking tray 1 inch apart.

Bake in a preheated oven at 160 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Suji Crystal Cookies

Feeling very excited to post these colorful cookies which were instant hit with everyone in the family. Personally I don't like such colorful snacks as there is a liberal usage of artificial colors. But I think once in while we all can afford indulging in such lovely treats and be childish. After all they are perfect for this festive Christmas season.

Though the name of these cookies is Suji cookies they do not contain Suji ( semolina ) at all. Instead the are made of maida and the almond powder used lends it a very rich texture and flavor.

 Loved making these cookies for Priya's  Home Bakers Event  hosted  by Niloufer .

Recipe Source : umaskitchenexperiments.com


Ingredients :


1 cup.......................maida
1/2 tsp.....................baking powder
1/2 tsp.....................baking soda
1/2 cup ..................sugar powder
1/2 cup ..................almonds ( dry powder )
1/2 cup..................ghee
a pinch ................salt
1/4 tsp.................vanilla essence
1/4 tsp each ........ food colors (  used yellow, pink and green )



Method :

In a mixer pulse together maida , baking powder and baking soda.

Also add sugar powder, almond powder, essence and salt to it.

Now take this in bowl and add ghee to it and knead to a soft smooth dough.

Rest the dough  for 15 - 20 minutes .

Make three portions of this dough .

Add 2 / 3 drops of color of your choice to each part and knead well.

The color should uniformly be spread all over.

Now take a small ball of each color and roll them to form a big ball.

This should be done gently so the colors don't mix and you get a marbled effect.

Press this ball to get a cookie shape.

Spread 2 inches apart on a greased baking tray .

Bake in a preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes at 150 degrees celcius.

Manapparai Murukku - For ICC

Murukku or rather Chakali as it is known in Maharashtra is a very popular fried snack made for Diwali. In South  they are called murukku and many different varieties of murrukus are found here.

Today for indian-cooking-challenge ( ICC )  Srivalli suggested that we try out these crunchy and addictive manapparai murukkus a very famous n popular snack from Tamil Nadu .

 As I have always used store bought ready made murukku flour , it was a new experience roastign urad dal and then sieving it to get smooth flour . though a bit time consuming it was very satisfying experience. Satisfying because the resulting murukkus were so delicious n crunchy that I really doubt whether I would have achieved same result had I bought store bought flour for muukkus.

Now without any further delay let me tell you the exact recipe for this yummy snack.

Ingredients :

1 cup...........................rice flour
1/4 cup........................urad dal
1/4 tsp each................hing, ajwain, cumin seeds
1 tsp...........................ghee
2 tsp...........................oil
salt
oil for deep frying
water about 1/2 cup or little more




Method :

Dry roast urad dal and grind to really smooth paste.

Also dry roast rice flour.

Add all spices , ghee , oil and salt to the flours.

Knead a soft yet firm dough with just enough water.

Press murukkus in hot oil with the murukku press and deep fry till golden in colour.

Fry on a low to medium flame till the murukkus are crisp.

Lift them with a perforated spoon to drain out all the oil.

Cool n store in an air tight container.

Kunafeh - Sweet Cheese Pastry

This month for the  home-bakers-challenge a monthly baking event started by Priya Suresh and this month  hosted by Nupur we had a wide variety of Arabic desserts to choose from. Arabic sweets are very well known for their liberal use of butter and dry fruits.

I think Baklava is one of the most richest and most popular of the Arabic desserts . But few others like Kunafeh, basbousa are eqyally addictive ones and so I tried my hands at both these yummy treats.

Though I personally wanted to try baklava very badly I changed my decision due to the rich and heavy ingredients like lots of butter and dry fruits in this sinfully royal dessert. Instead I decided to try Kunafeh which is comparatively simpler and yet very addictive.

 The crispy pastry sheets with cheese and sugar syrup taste very yummy and one just can't stop eating this dessert.

Ingredients :


10 sheets ........................phyllo pastry
1/2 cup.......................molten unsalted butter
1 cup.........................mozarella cheese ( shredded )
1 cup.........................cheddar cheese ( shredded)
1/2 cup ...................sugar syrup or diluted honey
2 tbsp....................nuts ( almonds / pistachios for garnishing)




Method :


Pulse the pastry till it is shredded into small pieces.

Mix in the butter gently.

Press half of this shredded pastry in a small pan.

Spread the shredded cheese on it .

Again press the remaining half of the shredded pastry .

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or till golden brown and puffed up.

Pour the sugar syrup evenly over the pastry and let it get absorbed.

Garnish with nuts.

Fereni ( Persian Dessert )

This month the theme was Persian Cuisine  for  IFC  (International Food Challenge ) an event started by  Sara  & Shobana  . And though our this month's host Savitha Ramesh  had given us a wide variety of dishes to chose from since I was very busy and didn't have time to try out more exotic dishes I opted for this simple elegant dessert called Fereni .


This is much like our popular Kashmiri Phirni . The only difference being in phirni the rice is soaked and the ground to paste whereas in fereni ready made rice flour is used. Though the dish hardly takes any time to prepare you get a very delicious dessert perfect for special occasions or parties.

Ingredients :

2 cups ..........................milk
3 tbsp.........................sugar
2 tsp....................rice flour
2 tbsp................rose water
1/2 tsp...............crushed cardamoms



Method : 


In a non stick pan boil 1 n 1/2 cup milk with sugar.

In the remaining 1/2 cup milk add rice flour and mix well.

When the milk sugar mixture boils add the rice flour .

Stir continuously and keep the flame low.

When the mixture thickens add rose water .

Add cardamom powder and cool the fereni.

Chill it till the serving time.

Chocolate Orange Barfi - For SFC

I hardly know of a person who doesn't love chocolates . Chocolates are popular among kids and adults alike. Adding of rich cocoa flavor to any sweet or a dessert takes it to an altogether new level. This sinful chocolate barfee which is easy to make will also definitely satisfy your chocolate craving. 

 This barfee was suggested as the challenge for Sweet Fantasy Club an event started by a dear blogger friend Preeti Garg  . Since I already have posted the recipe of chocolate-walnut-fudge  which is very similar to the chocolate barfee I decided to add orange crush and dried and sweetened orange peels . The addition of orange flavor makes the barfee all the more irresistible. 

Do try this barfee when you  have less time in hand still want something yummy to indulge.

Thanks Preeti for this lovely sweet.

Ingredients :

1 small tin  ......................milkmaid
1 cup............................milk powder ( I used Nestle )
4 tbsp..............................unsweetened cocoa
2 tbsp ..........................orange crush
1 tbsp......................... dried sweet orange peels ( finely chopped )
4 tbsp.............................ghee

 Method :






In a bowl mix milk powder, ornage crush , chopped peels and ghee .

Add to it milkmaid and cocoa powder and mix well.

Heat ghee in a thick bottom kadhai and add the above mixture.

Keep on stirring continuously till the mixture thickens and starts leaving sides.

Spread this mixture on a greased tray and let it cool completely.

Cut into desired shapes and store.

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. 
   

American Sugar Cookies ( for HBC )

The month of December brings joy and festive mood and so we at HBC ( home-bakers-challenge)  an event by Priya Suresh  also have many Baked Christmas Goodies to choose from for our this month's challenge. Priya Ranjit  our host for the month of December gave us such a wide choice that I am tempted to try as many of them as possible. These traditional sugar cookies are the first from that list. Thanks Priya Suresh and Priya Ranjit for this yummy treat.

Ingredients :

1 n 1/2 cup................maida

1/2 cup .....................butter

1/2 cup.......................sugar

1...............................egg

3 to 4 drops.............vanilla

1 tsp.......................baking powder

1/4 tsp...................salt

50 gm ...................chocolate 

few silver balls 

Method :

Cream together butter and sugar till very fluffy .

Add egg and vanilla and further mix for 2 more minutes.

In a grinder add maida, salt and baking powder and just pulse for a minute.

This ensures uniform mixing of baking powder in the maida.

Now add maida little at a time to butter egg mixture.

Knead a dough and chill it for 4 hours or more . ( mine was in fridge for almost 8 hours)

Take out the chilled dough and roll it with a rolling pin.

Cut the cookies in desired shapes .

Brush the cookies with milk.

Sprinkle some sugar over the cookies . ( I did not do this )

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

Cool them completely and then decorate.

Instead of sprinkling sugar before baking you can decorate it after baking the way you want.

I melted  the chocolate over a double boiler.

And spread this evenly on the cookies and sprinkle some silver balls on them.

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.

Plum Cake

This is an essential cake made in each and every catholic household during Christmas. This cake is rich and has a fruity and nutty flavour and one just can't stop eating a single slice. The cake needs some advance preparation as the fruits have to be marinated in rum. Traditionally the fruits and nuts are marinated for nearly a month but I marinated them only for a week and still the result was awesome.

Ingredients :

50 gm.........................dry raisins
50 gm .........................seedless black currants
50 gm.........................seedless prunes
50gm ..........................seedless plums
50 gm..........................tutty fruity
50gm............................seedless dates
50 gm..........................cashews
50 gm .........................walnuts
5 tbsp.........................Rum ( Old Monk )
50 gm .........................Fine Rawa ( semolina )
200 gm .......................Maida (All purpose flour)
2 tsp.............................( clove, cinnamon , nutmeg powder)
1/2 cup..........................sugar ( to make caremelised water)
280 gm .......................Amul butter
225 gm .......................Sugar
6 ..................................eggs
2 tbsp.........................baking powder.




Method :

             One week prior to making the cake, cut plums , prunes , cashews and walnuts to smaller pieces .
              Mix all the dry fruits and nuts and marinate them in the rum, and keep them in a glass bowl.
                       Everyday stir the fruits and nuts for rum to be evenly absorbed.

                      On the day of preparing cake take 6 eggs and separate the yolks and whites.
                                Now in a big bowl take 280 gm butter at room temparature .
                                   Powder the sugar and add it to butter and mix well.
 Now go on adding 1 yolk and 1 spoon rawa at a time and go on beating well till all yolks and rawa is over.
                                         Add 1 tbsp baking powder and mix well.
Beat the 6 egg whites till very stiff and add to the above , mix well and let the mixture rest for 4 to 5 hours.

                                Now heat a heavy bottom pan and add the 1/2 cup sugar.
                                 Keep on stirring , after some time it will start melting.
            When it becomes dark brown in colour go on adding 1/2 cup water to make caremel water.
                                                        Keep this water aside and let it cool.
   After five hours to the above kept mixture of rawa and eggs add maida little at time mixing well each time.
                                Add  the clove , cinnamon and nutmeg powder and mix well.
                                                       Add the caremelised sugar water.
                     Add remaining 1 tbsp baking powder and in the end add marinated fruits and nuts.

                                                   Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the microwave.
                                                                Cut in desired shape.



Sending this entry to following events  :


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jagruti 's event  @  divyasculinaryjourney


  riappyayan - healthy-baking


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