Eggless Alcohol-Free Plum Cake

Eggless Wheat Plum Cake with soaked mixed fruits. This plum cake tastes exactly like the cake we used to eat as children from our favourite bakery, Rich and fruity. Soaked in orange juice and filled with chopped dry fruits. Have used wheat and almond for flours.

RECIPE

Serves : 8-10 people

Prep time : Soaking takes 24 hours time

Bake time: 45-60 minutes 

Tools: 6 inch round cake tin, wire rack, sieve, oven, mixing bowl, hand blender, chopping board.

INGREDIENTS 

Soaked fruits 110 g

Butter 1/2 cup

Brown sugar 3/4 cup

Molasses/ Jaggery syrup 2 tbsp

Vanilla essence 1 tsp

Milk 4 tbsp ( or more as needed)

Wheat flour 1 1/4 cup

Almond flour 1/4 cup

Baking soda 1 tsp

Salt 1/4 tsp

Cinnamon powder 1 tsp

Nutmeg powder 1/2 tsp 

Dry ginger powder 1 tsp

Clove powder 1/2 tsp

Almonds 2 tbsp

Cashew 2 tbsp

Walnut 2 tbsp

Hazelnuts tbspn

METHOD

Finely chop all dry fruits of your choice, add to glass jar. Add fruit preserve and orange or apple juice.

Mix and store in refrigerator to soak for atleast 15 hours or 2 days.

Dry roast almond, cashew, walnuts and hazelnuts.
Cool and chop them coarsely.

(If molases is not available)
Heat a sauce pan with water and jaggery and reduce till its sticky and thick.

Preheat oven at 170 degrees centigrade.
Line a baking pan with parchment paper and keep prepared.

Cream Butter and brown sugar for 2-3 minutes.

Add vanilla extract, molases and cream again.

Place a sifter on top of the bowl.
Add flour, baking soda, salt and spice powders. Mix gently.

Add almond flour. Cut and fold. 

Add chopped nuts and mix a little.

Finally add the soaked fruits mixture. Mix gently.

Pour the batter in prepared pan.
Place in preheated oven at 170 degrees C for 40-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Remove from oven and keep to cool for 5 minutes.

Invert the cake over wire rack. Let it cool a little. Decorate the cake as you like.

Slice and serve.

Tips
Soak the dry fruits in orange or apple juice for 48 hours. Keep the jar refrigerated while doing so.
As alcohol is a preservative, dry fruits are soaked for many months or even a year.

Whereas orange juice will become stale and get bitter after 2-3 days.

Hence this method works best for people who doesn't soak prior and also for those who avoid using alcohol.

Dried Apricot, candied kiwi, pineapple, papaya  can be added, dried figs can be added too.

Jaggery syrup works fine if you don't have molasses.

Milk requirement may wary as per the quality of flour, and its absorption level, so add more of the batter looks dry. But it must not become runny or loose.

Thanks for visiting 🌼😊

Pumpkin Bun

 

I am not sure about you all! But after tasting these soft and fluffy pumpkin buns, I am never going to make a bread without pumpkin!🎃😋

These delicious and soft wheat breads are so so amazing that I couldn't wait for them to cool. As soon as I took some decent pics, I just Stuffed my mouth with one. Potato, carrot and corn stuffing are perfectly complimenting with the buns 100%.

I am using a spicy stuffing for this, but it can be made sweet as well. 

RECIPE

Serves 8
Prep time 2 hours
Bake time 25
Tools: Oven, Baking tray, mixing bowl, kitchen scissors

INGREDIENTS

Pumpkin buns
Wheat flour 2 cups
Pumpkin puree 1/2 cup
Active Yeast 1 tsp
Salt 1 tsp
Jaggery powder 2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Peanut oil 2 tbsp
Milk + water 3/4 cup
Melted butter 3 tbsp
Chia seeds 2 tsp

Stuffing
Boiled potato 1
Grated carrot 1
Boiled sweet corn 1/4 cup
Grated cheese 1/4 cup
Salt 1 tsp
Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Garam masala 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder 1/2 tsp
Amchur powder 1/4 tsp


METHOD 

To a large mixing bowl add flour, salt, jaggery, active yeast, turmeric powder, oil and pumpkin puree. Mix everything together.

Knead a softer dough than chapati dough using milk and water mixture. Add half the butter while kneading the dough for richer texture.

Cover and keep the dough for 1 hour or until it doubles.

Mix potato, carrot, sweet corn kernels and cheese. Also add salt and seasonings and mix together. 

Divide into 8 parts and make even sized balls.

Once the dough has doubled, deflate it and divide into 8 equal parts.

Take one part of dough, using oil, spread it into a thick disc,  place one ball of stuffing, bring the edges together and seal. Grease your hands while doing so.

Make 6 slits around the ball and one hole in the centre for the steam to release.

Keep the buns in a well greased oven tray. Cover with kitchen towel and let them puff up for 1 hour. Preheat oven at 230 degrees centigrade, 10 minutes before proofing time is over.

After they have puffed up. Melt remaining butter and brush the top of buns with butter wash and sprinkle chia seeds.

Bake for 20 minutes or till the top is golden brown. 

The Stuffed Pumpkin buns are ready to enjoy.

Tips:

Use a fresh yeast. If there are some doubts, bloom them first in liquid and then Knead the dough with the yeast blend.

Preheating 10 minutes before putting the bread in oven is mandatory.

Bake them on top rack at highest temperature.

These can be made vegan by kneading the dough in any dairy free milk or water, and use an oil wash instead of butter wash. The taste will be still amazing. Skip cheese from the stuffing too.

Thanks for visiting 🌼😊

Eggless Tutti Frutti cake

Tutti Frutti cake is quite a popular cake available in Indian bakeries. Kids love these cakes with colourful tutti frutti toppings. Not only kids but adults also like enjoy tutti frutti cake with their tea or coffee. 

RECIPE

Serves 8-10 

Prep time : 10 min

Bake time : 30 min

Tools: Oven, Baking pan, mixing bowl, strainer.

INGREDIENTS 

METHOD 

In a small bowl mix tutti frutti with flour and keep aside.

Grease a baking pan and dust with some flour.

Mix wet ingredients in a bowl. Milk, oil, vinegar, sugar, vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl sift all dry flour ingredients. Flour, baking soda, baking powder, milk powder and corn starch.

Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients in 2 to 3 parts to make a thick batter.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Use cut and fold method to mix the batter.

Add tutti frutti to the batter. Give it a gentle mix.

Pour the batter in prepared cake pan and level the surface with the spatula.  Tap the tin over the counter for a few times to remove air bubbles.

Put the Pan into the oven and and bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Place the cake pan over a rack to cool for 5 minutes before inverting the cake. Let the cake cool down a bit before slicing.

Delicious moist tutti frutti cake is ready to enjoy with your tea or coffee. Serve it to your kids as breakfast or snacks

Tips;

Sifting will provide even distribution of leavening agents. 

Cut and fold method while mixing batter is highly recommended, if it is overmixed, cake will become dense and not rise. 

Pour batter only till 3/4 capacity of the pan. 

Tapping the cake Pan on kitchen counter helps release any air bubbles in the batter. This ensures smooth top after baking.

Preheating the oven 7-10 minutes before baking is an important step, not to be missed. 

Over baking must be avoided because it makes the cake rough.