Orange,almond and raisin cake

   

 Oranges are not just good source of vitamin C but also lift the spirits with their aroma. The color is beautiful and it just quenches the thirst in a most beautiful way. I wanted to use the beautiful luscious clementines are in season and I wanted to use them to get more flavors and move away from just chocolate cakes. This tastes great with fresh cream and a cup of black coffee. Do try this recipe. It’s not overtly sweet and is a great mood lifter  it also doesn’t leave you feeling heavy! Qualifies on many levels  

Ingredients 

3 clementines/ oranges 

1/2 cup chopped almonds 

1/2 cup raisins 

2 cups all purpose flour 

1 cup sugar 

1/2 cup oil 

1 cup evaporated milk/ regular milk 

2 tsp baking powder 

Pinch of baking soda 

1 tbsp vinegar 

Orange juice to adjust consistency 

Almond flakes for the top 

Method 

1. Wash oranges and pressure cook for 30 mins without cutting them. Or cook on slow heat for about 45 mins if you don’t have a pressure cooker. Cool  

2. Peel oranges and then scrape off the white pith from the peel. Take out any seeds and then put everything into a blender and purée them. 

3. Put the oranges, oil, milk, sugar and beat well. 

4. Add the flour and chopped almond and adjust the consistency with more milk or orange juice if needed. 

5. Add the baking powder and baking soda  mix slowly. Put the vinegar and fold well  

6. Pour into a greased baking dish that’s lined with butter paper. Sprinkle the raisins and swirl a bit. Sprinkle the almond flakes on top generously. 

7. Put into a preheated oven at 200 deg C till it is golden brown and is baked evenly. 

8. Keep your cool overnight so that the flavors blend well. It tastes better next day. 

9. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with black coffee and fresh cream. 

Baked Cheese cake (Veg) with fruit topping

 

Cheese cakes are my weakness. I have made plenty of uncooked ones with home made sauces. But baked ones were on my wishlist. Have refrained due to eggs. It is my son’s birthday and it was perfect time to try with my little girl doing research and shopping. I can’t even believe how easy and perfect it is. This is going to be a real deal always now. Enjoy it with a strong black coffee. Do try. 

INGREDIENTS 

Ingredients for base

200 gms crackers of choice 

2-3 tbsp sugar 

4-5 tbsp butter

Ingredients for filling

200 Gms heavy cream 

200 gms quark/ thick Greek yoghurt 

175 gms of cream cheese 

350 ml evaporated milk

100 gms sour cream 

1/2 cup sugar/ or to taste 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1 tbsp lemon juice 

4 tbsp cornstarch slurry 

Ingredients for sauce 

500 Gms fresh strawberries/ mixed berries 

1/3 cup sugar 

1 tbsp lemon juice 

1 tbsp cornstarch slurry 

METHOD

1. Break the crackers and make them into a rough powder. 

2. Add butter and sugar and mix into a rough mixture.

3. Line a baking tin and grease well with butter.

4. Press the cracker mixture well and refrigerate. 

5. Mix all the ingredients for the filling with a whip there should not be any lumps. 

6. Pour into the baking tin. Place the tin on a Aluminium foil and roll up the sides well so that water cannot enter the tin. 

7. Preheat oven at 200 deg C. Take a baking tin that’s bigger than the cake tin and place the cake tin. 

8. Now pour hot water in it, half way to the cake tin. Put in the oven and bake for 40 mins.

9. When it starts to brown slightly, turn it off and leave in the oven for another 40 mins. 

10. Leave to cool and refrigerate overnight to set. 

11. This is the basic cake. You can now top it with topping of choice.

12. Fruit sauce- put the berries in a pot and add 1/2 cup water and cook till slightly colored. Add sugar and cook again. Do not mash up the fruit. Tastes better when chunky. Add the slurry and thicken. Cool. 

13. Pour this sauce on top. Decorate with fruits of your choice. Serve chilled. 

Mann mange more mango cake delight

Mann maange more mango

This is a dish I came up to cater to many requirements of my family.... One wants cake, other wants fruit, another a dessert. So here it was ... We all loved it. 

Ingredients

1 bowl chopped mango

1/2 cup chopped strawberry

1/4 cup blue berries

1/2 Sour cream

100 ml Mango drink

2 tbsp sugar

For the cake

1 .5 cups atta

1/2 cup oats

1 cup suji

1/3 cup oil

200 ml mango drink/ purée

1 cup chopped mango

3/4 cup sugar

15 gms baking powder

1 tbsp vinegar

1/4 cup sunflower seed/ almonds

Method

For the cake mix all the ingredients and dilute with more mango juice if needed.

Pour into a greased dish and bake at 180 deg till knife comes clean when pierced.

Mix the fruits with sour cream, sugar , juice and refrigerate. 

To serve... 

Slice a piece of cake. Moisten with mango drink and too with the fruit salad. Put the few blue berries and serve chilled! Delicious !!!! 

Nectarine cake

A fruit cake is such a delight. I love the sourness from the fruit, a bit of mushy fruit and the sweet base of the cake. Germany has such a variety in such fruit cakes. I made this and my family loved it.Its nutritious and light and great with a cup of coffee or tea.

Ingredients
1.5 cups of flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup oil or melted butter
1/2 cup fruit juice
1/2 cup milk or as required
15 gms baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp vinegar
4/5 sliced nectarines( you could use any other fruit)
Brown sugar or normal sugar to sprinkle
Cinnamon powder to sprinkle

Method
Mix all the ingredients for the cake well except the fruit, sugar to sprinkle and cinnamon.
Pour into a greased baking dish.
Line up the nectarine slices and sprinkle sugar and cinnamon.
Bake it in a pre-heated oven at 180 deg for 15 mins and then at 160 deg till a skewer poked in comes out clean.
Cool and cut into slices.
Serve with cream and a cup of coffee.

Eggless Danish cake

Danish cake is such a delicious cake and I had it once at a friend's place and wanted to bake it at home. The flavors are so good and they suit us as it has coconut. I tried making it and realized that the next day it tastes even better. Very close to the one I ate.Sharing the recipe.Of course mine is eggless but you could try making it with eggs. Its the topping that makes it different.
Ingredients
2.5 cups flour
3/4 cup melted butter or oil
15 gms baking powder
1 cup sugar, I like a less sweet.
1 cup buttermilk
milk as required
Vanilla essence or sugar 1 tbsp/15 gms
1 tbsp Vinegar

Topping
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup sugar
50 gms butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla essence or 1 tbsp Vanilla sugar

Mix all the ingredients for cake and beat well. Pour into a greased tray and bake at 180 deg till a needle poked in comes clean.
Meanwhile cook all the ingredients for topping and cook till a bit of fluid is left only.
Spread it on top of the cake and bake again till the top is crusty golden brown.
Cool well before slicing. The next day tastes better and slices easily.
Enjoy !

Carrot and orange cake

I like to bring a little twist of health in my cooking. And last week it was time to try some experiment with carrots. Its a task at times to have kids eating them and they are so rich in beta carotene , good for eyes and loads of fibre. So thought of a nice cake and yes, it disappeared by the time we went to bed. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients
Grated carrots                    11/2 cups
Orange juice                      150 ml
Chopped almonds             1/2 cup
Raisins                              1/2 cup
Flour                                2 1/4 cup
cornstarch                        2 tbsp
Semolina                         2 tbsp
Oil                                   1/2 cup
Butter                               2 tbsp
baking powder                 15 gms (1 tbsp)
Sugar                               1 1/4 cup
Vinegar                            1 tbsp
Vanilla sugar/essence       1 tbsp
Method
In a bowl add flour,cornstarch,semolina, sugar,oil, butter,carrots, almonds, raisins and mix well. Add orange juice as required.Now add the rest of the ingredients and mix well for about 3-4 mins till the mixture is well blended.
In a greased ring baking dish, smear butter and sprinkle flour and pour the mixture into it.
Put this in a pre heated oven at 200 deg for 10 mins and then further at 180 deg for 20 mins.
Poke a tooth pick to see if it comes clean.
Cool on a rack and cut into slices and enjoy the wonderful healthy cake. Promise you that it would be polished off in no time.

Plum and berry cake

    Yesterday my son turned 15 and I was in a fix when Prisha asked me to bake a cake for him.The regular cakes were too boring for me and then the sight of fresh plums excited me. He too seemed more keen on that and so this lovely cake was made which had things I just threw in.But it was the softest, spongiest eggless cake I had ever baked.The kids couldn't have enough of it. So here goes the recipe.
Ingredients
Flour                                                   2 cups
Oil                                                      1/2 cup
Butter                                                 50 gms
Sugar                                                  1 cup
thick sour curd                                    1 cup
Baking powder                                    15 gms/2 tsp
orange/mixed fruit juice                        3/4 cup
Flax seed powder                                3 tbsp
split plums                                          250 gms
Frozen/fresh mixed berries                   200 gms
Sugar to sprinkle
Method
In a mixer,blend we together oil, butter, curd and sugar.
Now add the flax seeds,flour,baking powder, and the juice.Blend for about 4 mins.
Grease a 12 inch baking tin and dust with flour.
Pour in the batter.
Top with plums and the berries.
Sprinkle sugar and put into a pre-heated oven at 180 deg. in the middle rack.
After about 15 mins turn down heat to 150 deg and bake further.It would take about 45-50 mins to really bake well.
Now put in a dry needle to check if the cake has baked through well.If not , keep it for more time.
Check if the sides of the cake are leaving the tin a bit too.
Cool on a rack for about 1 hour.
Remove from the tin and serve with whipped cream,custard and coffee.

Summer pudding

Add caption

   Summer pudding sounds like such a lovely pudding and I tried to make in India with fruits locally available there.I used oranges, pineapple,grapes and pears.the result was good.But the dark red colour was something so luscious to look at and since most berries were not available back there, it was a dream to make it again.My husband had got a bag of frozen mixed berries and since they are really sour I tried using them in different ways.Last week was my daughter's birthday.I had left over chocolate sponge sheet lying in the fridge.I thought of making a summer pudding with it.Normally white bread is used in the recipe but I thought of using the chocolate sponge.Result was good and am planning to make it again soon.
Ingredients
Chocolate sponge 10"x8"           1 no
Frozen mixed berries                  250 gms
sugar                                          50 gms(more if berries are too sour)
whipped cream                           50 ml
scraped chocolate flakes for topping
Method
Line a glass bowl with the chocolate sponge such that it covers it completely.In a saucepan,heat the berries with 1/2 a cup of water.Add the sugar and boil well.Pour it into the bowl and use some cake to cover the top of the berries.Press with a plate which fits in the bowl well.Press hard and keep a weight on it.Keep to cool and later refrigerate.After a couple of hours,keep a plate on the bowl and gently turn it up side down and unmould.The pudding should fall like a big mound.Top with fresh cream and sprinkle chocolate flakes and serve chilled."Delicious" is the word for it.Enjoy.

Basic Eggless cake

I have always fancied baking cakes and I think everybody loves home made cakes.As kids I would often go to my mum's friend's house to help her do the cake decoration.So as I grew up I developed this interest in baking and slowly tried my hands on it.I joined catering college and did get even the 1st prize in cake decoration which thrilled me to bits.After I got married and had a son, I did baking from home and sold custom made cakes for birthdays for 3 years.Each cake was appreciated but slowly life's changes made me a home maker but the facination for cooking and baking always remsined.I now bake for home and each cake is different and try something new.But this is the basic recipe I have perfected in the last 3 years of eggless cake and would now share it on my blog.
Ingredients
Sift together
Flour                    2 1/2 cups
baking powder      1 tsp
baking soda          1/2 tsp
Put into a bowl
Sour curd             11/2 cups
melted butter         3/4 cup
powder sugar       1 1/4 cup
vinegar                 1 tsp

for chocolate cake, substitute half cup flour with cocoa powder.

Method
Beat all the ingredients in the bowl for about 3-4 mins.Add the dry ingredients and mix them well.Add some cold milk if the batter is too thick.Pour the batter in a buttered and floured baking tray (10"x8") and bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 deg C for 5 mins and then lower the temperature to 180 deg and bake further for about 10-15 mins.Poke a needle in the centre of the cake and see if it comes out clean.Cool on a rack and use as desired.Pour this mixture into muffin moulds to get cup cakes.