Christmas Fruit Cake

Christmas Fruit Cake 

Chritmas fruit cake is delicious, moist, super soft, aromatic cake. I'm sure while baking this cake...the flavours will definitely invite your neighbour's to knock the door.

This is an eggfree, butter milk cake with dried fruits and nuts soaked in tea decoration.

Soaking dried fruits 

http://swadishtkitchen.blogspot.com/2021/12/soaked-dried-fruits-for-christmas-fruit.html

Ingredients:

Dried fruits - 120 gms (mix of berries, raisins, appricot, glaze cherries, dried gooseberry, black raisins, tutti frutti.

Nuts - 30 gms (cashew, almond, walnuts)

Whole wheat flour - 1+1/4 cup (140 gms)

Baking powder - 1/2 tsp

Buttermilk - 1/4 cup

Oil  - 1/3 cup

Brown sugar - 120 gms

Tea decoration - 1/2 cup

Orange zest - 1/4 tsp

Lemon zest - 1/4 tsp

Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp

Spices - cinnamon, cardamom, clove, mace ( yo can add while making tea decoration / as. Powder while mixing the batter.

Method

1 cup = 120 gms (flour)

# Sieve whole wheat flour and baking powder for 3-4 times.

# Soak dried fruits and nuts in tea decoration for over night / 2-3 hrs. 

Pl. check the method by clicking the link.

# Put the soaked dried fruits and nuts in siever for 1-2 hrs.

# Mix oil and brown sugar. Add butter milk, soaked dried fruits and nuts, lemon zest, orange zest, vannila essence.

# Preheat microwave convection oven at 150'c.

# Mix sieved flour in two batches.

#Grease baking tin with oil/ butter.

# Pour the cake batter.

#Bake at 150'c for 1 hr / until the skewer inserted comes out clean.

# Demold after 5-10 minutes.

Allow it to cool down completely on a wire rack.

Slice the Cake and enjoy with family and friends.

Do try and provide your comments.

Thank you!

Soaked dried fruits for Christmas Fruit Cake

Soaked Dried fruits for Christmas Fruit Cake

Dried fruits soaked in tea decoration for 24 hrs.

Delicious, rich, soft, moist, super aromatic Christmas Fruit Cake. For Christmas Cake dried fruits plays one of an important ingredient. I've already shared an eggfree Christmas cake with dried fruits soaked in orange juice. 

You can soak dried fruits in fresh orange juice/ store bought orange/ grapes juice. 

http://swadishtkitchen.blogspot.com/2017/12/eggless-christmas-cake-whole-wheat-flour.html

Today I'm sharing a tea infused / tea decoction in which dried fruits and nuts are soaked. This gives a wonderful flavour to the Christmas Fruit Cake.

Dried fruits and nuts:

You can choose any mix of dried fruits which you prefer / easily / affordable. Such as:

Raisins, black raisins, sultanas, blue berries, cranberries, prunes, glazed cherries, dates, dried apricots, candid fruits such as gooseberries/ amla, tutti-fruty.

I have added 1/4 cup of each dried fruits and nuts.

Chopped nuts:

Walnuts, cashew, almond, pistachio.

Spices:

Cinnamon, clove, mace, cardamom

Chopped nuts and dried fruits:

Chop dried fruits to small / 1cm in size.

To make tea decoration:

Boil 500 ml of water/ 2 cups, add 3-4 tsp of tea powder/ leaves, whole cinnamon 2 inch, 3-4 cloves, less than 1/4 tsp of grated mace, 3 cardamom. Boil until it becomes a thick decoction. It takes approximately 10-12 minutes. Strain the decoction and allow it to cool down completely.

Container to soak dried fruits:

Always use sterilised glass containers to soak dried fruits and nuts.

Soaking:

Add the chopped dried fruits and nuts to the tea decoration, give a good mix cover it with a lid and allow it to soak well. You can soak  minimum of 2-3 hrs. Or overnight is fine. 

If you wish to soak for couple of days / for a week then store it in refrigerator. 

The dried fruits will be pulpy, oozy, boozy.

You can add nuts while soaking / can add while preparing the batter as it gives a nice crunch. I always add half the quantity while soaking and add some while mixing the batter.

Do try this method of soaking dried fruits and nuts for Christmas Fruit Cake and provide your comments.

Notes:

Always strain the soaked dried fruits and nuts and add to the cake batter. If you feel the batter is very thick, can add a tablespoon of soaked liquid. If you add soaked dried fruits will liquid in cake batter it may become runny / cake can be soggy in texture.

Eggless Christmas Cake (Whole Wheat Flour)

Eggless Christmas Cake ( Whole Wheat Flour)
Today I'm sharing a simple Eggless Christmas Cake prepared using whole wheat flour, jaggery and brown sugar, without alcohol or rum.

I'M using fresh orange juice to soak my fruits and nuts. As I've already soaked my fruits and nuts in orange juice for 3-4 days which is stored in refrigerator.

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Flour - 125 grms
Butter (unsalted) - 60- 70 grms
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
Nutmeg powder - 1/2 tsp
Milk - 1 cup
Fresh Orange juice - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1/2 cup
Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup
Strawberry jam - 1 tablespoon
Fruits and nuts:
Black Raisins, Apricot, Cranberries, Normal Raises, Cherries, almonds and Cashews. All together 1 cup.

Method:

# Soak fruits and nuts in orange juice for 2-3 days or atleast mix well.

# Just melt butter, add brown sugar and jaggery syrup,  jam and mix well. 

# Add soaked fruits with melted butter, jam and jaggery syrup together.

# Mix, whole wheat flour, baking powder, nutmeg powder, cinnamon powder together.

# Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients together.

# Add warm milk to the mixture.

# Grease cake tin with butter, dust some flour.

Tin size 6×3.

# Pour the cake mixture in greased baking tin.

At the top add some more cranberries and chopped cashews.
# Preheat Microwave @ 150-160'c.
# Bake @ 150-160'c for 40-45 min.
I have used convection mode.
Check your cake, using a knife in the middle of the cake, If it comes clear your cake is done.
Allow it to cool and serve.
Pl. do try and provide your comments.
Thank you!

Cauliflower Casserole - Christmas Special Recipe! ( Airfryer Recipe )

Cauliflower Casserole - Christmas Special Recipe!!!

A delicious cheesy baked dish. Today I'm sharing an Airfried version of Cauliflower Casserole.

Ingredients:
Cauliflower - few florets
Onion - 1 small
White sauce - 1 cup
Cheese - 2 sheets / 1/2 cup grated
Butter - 1 tablespoon
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Kasuri methi / Mixed Herbs - 1/2 tsp
Powder biscuits / bread crumbs - 1 cup

Method:
# Grease the baking tin.
# Add chopped onions, add cauliflower florets, white sauce, butter.

# Sprinkle pepper powder, kasuri methi, cheese sheets, and at last bread crumbs or powdered biscuits.
#Preheat Airfrier @ 200'c for 5 min.
# Bake @ 200'c for 15 - 20 min or till nice crust at the top comes.

Please do try and provide your comments.
Thank you!😃

Eggless Orange Chocolate Cake - Christmas Special ( Airfryer Recipe)

Eggless Orange Chocolate Cake - A Christmas Special Cake  with a simple chocolate ganache.

Ingredients:
All purpose flour - 100 grms
Butter - 50 grms
Condensed milk - 1/2 cup
Orange juice - 1 cup
Orange zest - 1tsp
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
Cocoa powder - 1 tablespoon

Ingredients for Chocolate ganache:
Butter - 25 grms
Powdered sugar - 2 tablespoons
Milk powder - 2 tablespoons
Cocoa powder - 2 tablespoons

Milk - 2-3 tsp.

Method :
# Sieve all dry ingredients, all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder.(dry ingredients)

# Melt butter, add condensed milk and mix well.

# Add orange zest and orange juice to condensed milk and butter mixture. (wet ingredients)

# Now add dry ingredients with wet ingredients.... gently fold your cake batter.

# Preheat Airfrier @ 180'c for 5 min.

# Grease cake tin with butter and sprinkle some all purpose flour.

# Bake @ 180'c for 20 - 25 min.

# Let the cake rest for 1 hr.

# Cut the cake in two halves. Cut the top portion of the cake to level it.

# For ganache, melt butter add powdered sugar, milk powder, cocoa powder and mix well. If needed add some more milk.

You can prepare this cake in microwave convection mode:

Preheat @ 160'c. Bake @ 160'c for 35-40 min. 

If you are baking in pressure cooker:

Add salt and spread it well... preheat your cooker for 15 min on medium flame.

Bake you cake on medium flame for 40-45 min. Without gasket, without whistle.

Spread the chocolate ganache in the cake,  keep the bottom layer at the top and spread ganache. Sprinkle some cherries and serve.
Please do try and provide your comments.
Thank you!

Eggless Orange Muffins - (An Airfryer Recipe )

Eggless Orange Muffins -  a Christmas special Recipe. I baked my Orange Muffins in Airfrier, which came out really well.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour - 100 grms

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Fresh orange juice - 1 cup

Unsalted butter - 50 grms

Condensed milk - 3 tablespoons

Choco chips for garnish.

Method:
# Seive all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda together.

# Melt butter, mix condensed milk till it becomes a smooth mixture. ( hardly 5 min it will take).

# Add Orange juice to melted butter and condensed milk, mix well.

# Add wet ingredients with dry ingredients and just mix well.

# If required add little warm water to make smooth batter.

# Preheat Airfrier @ 170'c for 5 min.

# Pour the batter in silicon mould and bake @170'c for 10- 15 min.
( You can take any mould to bake your Muffins)

# Garnish with choco chips.

 Please try this recipe and provide your valuable comments.
Thank you☺