Baking with Sapana: Christmas Baking

Christmas Baking

Showing posts with label Christmas Baking. Show all posts

Today on Christmas Eve , I promised my daughter to make a christmas fruit cake . I always wonder why this cake is called Christmas Plum Cake as there are none of any plums in it. After googling I found that in the old days, the British fruitcake normally contains as much as half of dried fruit as its weight , that was referred as “plumb” or “plum” hence given the particular fruit cake its name.
It is very popular in Kerala and normally prepared with spices and caramel sauce that gives the cake dense deep brown color . I omitted that caramel part , may be next year will try that also.

My daughter couldn't take her eyes off from the cake and tasted some of it before clicking . You can see the shredded edges in the pics.

I like this time of the year most , it's Christmas !! Everyone is preparing for Christmas celebrations , markets , malls are decorated with Christmas tree and Santa Claus . I am sure all of you are baking something in your oven . Isn't it ? Well normally we would like to buy cake on Christmas but thus year I baked my own fruit cake . I adapted the recipe from sailu's and concocted it according to my taste.

For the last week of BM#35 I always ask for special theme as I like this theme the most . It gives us liberty to make our bookmarked recipes and I have bookmarked this cake since long . So here is my attempt of this wonderful eggless Christmas fruit cake. Let's star the recipe . Yum

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup All purpose flour +extra for dusting
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon all spice powder

Dried fruits to be soaked
1/4 cup tutti fruti
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup cashew nuts
1/4 cup raisins
1/8 cup walnuts
1/4 cup dates
1/8 cup apricots

1 cup apple juice
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup butter , melted

Method:
Preheat the oven at 180 degrees and line and dust the 8 " cake tin with butter and dry flour or parchment paper.
Chop all the dried fruits , and soak them in apple juice for one day . Drain the dried fruits just before baking the cake and dust them with dry flour.
Sift together all purpose flour , all spice powder , baking powder and salt . Set aside.
Take brown sugar in a bowl , add butter milk and whisk it . Add baking soda , and whisk again . Wait till it becomes frothy.

Now add melted butter and whisk again.
Add the sifted flour in the sugar mixture in two batches . Mix it gently .
Add dried fruits and nuts , stir gently and add hot water if required. Pour it into the prepared pans and bake for 45 minutes at 180 degrees.

Check with toothpick inserted in the center . Cool the cake on wire rack. Slice and serve.

Enjoy this wonderful cake .

One more slice...Merry Christmas !!

Serve-8. Baking time -45 minutes

Notes: Here I have used apple juice but You may soak the fruits in wine or rum 1 week or few days before and store it in refrigerator.
This cake can be kept at room temperature for 3-4 days. You may use your preferred choice of dried fruits.

Best regards,

Sapana Behl

We are now in Japan , the land of rising sun .Japanese cuisine is based on combining staple foods, mostly Japanese rice or noodles, with a soup and dishes made from fish, vegetable, tofu etc.

We are very happy to announce the first Anniversary of Baking Partners , a group of enthusiastic bakers , started by Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen . Wish to see many more anniversaries!!!

For this month's Baking Partners Challenge we have to prepare either Russian Honey Cake or Lemon Chiffon Cake. Both the cakes are beautiful and full of flavors . But I have to choose the one which I can make eggless. After a lot of thinking and searching , I had modified the original recipe by Sara and try to make the eggless version of this heavenly cake. It was not as much soft as it could be with eggs but it tasted really awesome . My daughter just loved it. So let's start the recipe . Yum

: Lemon Chiffon Cake

: Lemon Chiffon Cake

Dry Ingredients:

225g cake flour

1 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp. / 300g caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoon lemon zest

Wet Ingredients:

½ cup canola oil / sunflower oil

1/2 cup yoghurt

2/3 cup water

2 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon Vanilla essence

For Meringue:

1 ¼ teaspoon vinegar

2 tablespoon sugar

3 tablespoon oil+3 tablespoon water +3 teaspoon Baking powder(Egg replacer for 7 egg whites )

Method:

Preheat your oven to 155 degrees Celsius / 325 degree Fahrenheit .

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of the sugar and the lemon zest. With your fingertips, work the zest and sugar together until the sugar is grainy and very aromatic.

: Sugar +zest

Add the cake flour, baking soda and salt to the bowl.Whisk gently.

: Flours added

Make a well in the center of the ingredients and add the oil, yoghurt , water, lemon juice and vanilla. Mix for about one minute until the batter is smooth and there are no lumps.

: Dry+wet

In a second large mixing bowl, beat the egg replacer until they are foamy. Add the vinegar and continue to beat on medium speed until Mixture becomes soft. Add sugar and beat again.