Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake 3 ~ How to make Eggless Fruit Cake

Merry Christmas to all my readers!

I am so glad that I have a perfect eggless Christmas cake to share.

I was supposed to post on the Christmas eve, however as things would always be, I was procrastinating baking this cake. I have been thinking I must bake a fruit cake again this time as I have been doing since couple of years. I was debating whether I should use condensed milk or simply make do with fruits and butter. Since this cake has to be dense, you really don't have to bother about how fluffy the cake raises. I started very late in the morning, along with my regular cooking. So I had completed majority of cooking done, before setting out to make this cake.

Thinking I could make use of my multitasking skill to hilt, I went ahead melting the sugar along with the nuts. As the Tomato Kurma or the Methi Dal was getting done, I had a quick glance at the pan that had sugar and dry fruits mix cooling. To my horror, the sugar simply got struck to the bottom along with the fruits. Well there are certain things you should really give full attention! I decided to melt it along with butter. This recipe is something that I did as I was making it. It's a mix of what I thought could put together. I was elated with Amma said this was the best cake she has tasted till date. What more can I ask!

Christmas Cakes from previous years

• Eggless Fruit Cake 1
• Eggless Butterless Rum Fruit Cake 2 
• Microwave Eggless Chocolate Cake
• Carrot Cake | Eggless Carrot Cake Recipe

 

Christmas Fruit Cake

Ingredients Needed:

Flour - 1 & 1/4 cup
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Cooking Soda - 1/2 tsp
Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup
Granulated Sugar - 1/2 cup
Orange Juice - 1/2 cup
Warm water - 2 tbsp
Butter - 1/2 cup
Mixed Fruit Jam - 1 tbsp full
Salt a small pinch

Dry Fruits and Nuts


Tutti Fruity - 2 tbsp
Raisins - 2 tbsp
Almonds - 10 nos
Cashew nut - 5 whole
Cranberry - 1 tbsp
Pistachio - 2 tsp

Spice Mix
Cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp
Nutmeg powder - 1/4 tsp
Fennel powder - 1/4 tsp

Melt the brown sugar and granulated sugar over slow flame, add the chopped nuts and dried fruits, cook for 10 mins in simmer. Then add butter and cook for 5 mins.

Shift the flour with baking powder and cooking soda, salt. Add the melted sugar and dry fruit mix. Blend everything together, add the jam and orange juice.

Check the consistency, if it's not of dropping consistency, add the warm water by spoon.

Pre heat the oven at 185 C, pour the batter in a grease cake pan and bake at 185 C for 35 Mins.

Note:

I first baked for 15 mins, increased by 10 mins interval. You can easily bake first for 25 mins, depending on the done ness you can increase. Since this has more moisture, you will end up baking for more mins.

This cake is not your typical dry fruit cake, rather it's rich and crumbly. Since the sugar got caramelized more than expected, it was little bit chewy but that again added to the whole fun.


Check out the bloggers doing the Bakeathon: Champa, Sumana Deepak, Priya Suresh, Preeti Deo and Jayasri Ravi

Eggless Dates Walnut Bundt Cake ~ Step by Step

When you are baking with two or three different recipes in mind, it is always better to bake them as the same time. So when I decide to bake cookies, I check and collect at least three varieties and same goes to the cakes as well. The only problem is, I get so tired and blogged down, that I ultimately give up on presenting the recipes in the best light. So you will see the same table cloth or napkin in posts that follow back to back. 

And any time of the day, the one spot that always works out best is the dining table. So I guess many of you are so familiar with my spot. So unless I happen to get another spot, this would continue for many more. As I was saying, I bake about three different cakes this sunday and everything turned out so well. Amma loved all the three, while Pineapple and the other one was my favorite. Amma liked this Dates cake the best of all three. Hubby dear was licking the pineapple clean.

Deciding on the baking tray was another thing. I finally decided on this bundt tray and I think this batter is best suited for this mold. It really turned out so good.

Eggless Dates Walnut Bundt Cake

Ingredients Needed:

All purpose flour - 1 & 1/4 cup
Dates, seedless puree - 20
Milk - 1/2 cup
Condensed Milk - 1/2 tin
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Cooking Soda - 1/4 tsp
Walnuts - 1 tbsp

How to make the cake

In a pan, boil the milk along with dates. Allow to cool and make a puree.

In a bowl, take the dates puree and beat with condensed milk. Add the flour and finally the baking powder and soda. Mix in the chopped walnuts and pour into a prepared bundt tray.

Bake in a pre heated oven at 185 C for 15 - 17 mins or till a knife comes out clean when inserted.

Dust with icing sugar.

This stays good at room temperature for couple of days.

Serve warm.

Check out the bloggers doing the Bakeathon: Champa, Sumana Deepak, Priya Suresh, Veena Krishnakumar, Preeti Deo and Jayasri Ravi

Eggless Carrot Cake Recipe 2 | How to bake Carrot Cake Eggless ~ Step by Step

Here's another version of Carrot Cake, eggless version. Completely different from what I have already baked. I was happy to note that I had baked it a year back n Christmas eve. So I must remember something unique has to be baked again this year round. I somehow like making new sentiments and following up with it.

The cake was having the right crumble, very mild yet sufficient sweetness not to require any frosting over it. In fact I think if I am to bake these as muffins, it would be a perfect breakfast. The original recipe used wheat flour, I simply baked with all purpose flour, wanting to experiment at a later stage. I saw my honey bottle still unused for a while, so I was glad that I ended up using it in these dishes.

After tasting this cake I realised why walnuts are always used in a brownie. The bitter aftertaste disappears after being baked and it gives a perfect nut taste. My only wee bit of concern was the final butter taste over the crust. Must see how to reduce that.

Exams are going to begin this week for the kids, so I have to prepare for the project work myself. I have given up asking why kids are given projects that makes the parent end up doing. I realized that this is part of educational system, wherein the parent is forced to remember and understand the hardship of studying and doing all this work. After so many years, we may have forgotten the perils of staying up late to complete a project. So why not go through it again, for our kids just to relive the horrors. I end up being so strung, thinking I forgot something in the process. Anyway hopefully they will completely taken the work soon. Meanwhile you can enjoy this cake.

I had selected this cake for being part of the Carrot Dishes that I was doing for Blogging Marathon this week. I decided I can afford to miss out a baked dish from Bake a thon!

Preparation Time : 15 mins
Baking Time : 15 mins at 185 C

Eggless Carrot Cake

Ingredients Needed:

All purpose flour - 1 cup
Carrots, grated - 1 cup
Powdered Sugar - 1/2 cup
Raisins - handful
Honey - 3 tsp
Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
Chopped walnuts - 1 tbsp
Water - 1/2 cup
Butter - 2 tbsp
Baking Soda - 1 tsp

How to bake Carrot Cake

Wash and grate the carrots.

In a bowl, take the butter and cream it along with sugar, then add the cinnamon powder.

Next goes the nuts and honey. Mix well. Finally add the carrots and the slowly add the flour.

After mixing everything, add the hot water to get the dropping consistency. Finally add the baking soda and gently fold everything in.

Pre heat the oven at 185 C and bake for 15 mins and let it stand for few mins.

As I said the cake had the prefect crumble and had just enough sweetness as not to overload you. I would surely be baking this again and would also want to try with wheat flour.
 
Check out the bloggers doing the Bakeathon: Champa, Sumana Deepak, Priya Suresh, Veena Krishnakumar, Preeti Deo and Jayasri Ravi

Eggless Butterless Rum Fruit Cake 2 | Christmas Fruit Cake

As I told you in my previous Christmas Fruit Cake, it was like eternal search for an eggless version. Whether it was on Facebook or Twitter or even Buzz, all I was interested in was to search for a version that I can bake this time.

Then I happened to see Monika talking about Christmas Cakes and I had to ask her if it was eggless. She then pointed me to Nandita who just blogged about two versions of Christmas cake, one which happens to be eggless. Reading that I realized it had Rum and had to get my share of rum. Everybody were very interested that I was soaking the fruits in Rum and whoever knew of this wanted a piece of cake to taste.

Since I made the other fruit cake first, I left the fruits soaking for 4 days. Finally got around making it on Monday. I baked a full pan, plus two small foil tins to take to office. Then a smaller tin in which I have been soaking it with more rum. Yet to get it tasting for the feel and taste of rum soaked fruit cake.

 Fruits used in the cake

Soaked in Rum for 4 days

Loaf tin used for baking, greased and dusted before pouring the batter.

Just out of the oven.

Resting for 10 minutes.

Cutting into bite size pieces.

Baked in small foil tins for carry away/ gifts.

Further soaking in rum for 3 days.


Eggless Butterless Rum Fruit Cake
Adapted from Nandita
Preparation Time - 15- 20 minutes
Baking Time - 30 - 35 minutes at 175 degree C and 25 - 30 at 155 degree C
Resting Time - 15 mins



Recipe for making Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake

To prepare this cake you first got to soak the fruits few days before the actual baking. Normally some have the habit of soaking for weeks together. But I had only 4 days of soaking and it was fine. Else you can follow the cooking in sugar process that I did for the other recipe.

Then you will have to make the caramel ahead of baking, so that it is also ready before starting the baking.

Prepare in advance
Though it is recommended to use 3 cups of mixed dried fruits, I did about a cup and a half. I didn't use the cinnamon powder in the fruit soak. But used it directly.

Fruits to be used
Cashew nuts, Walnuts, Black and Golden raisins, Currants, apricot, tutti fruitti, citrus peels soaked in 1 cup rum.
Chop all the nuts and fruits into small pieces before soaking.

One batch caramel required to make this recipe.

To replace the eggs, I have also used the potatoes as the previous one.

How to make caramel

Take a thick bottomed pan, add 1/2 cup sugar. On a low heat, let it melt. When it starts melting, keep stirring until it turns dark brown in colour. Heat 3/4 cup of water and keep on the side. When the sugar reaches that golden colour, remove from fire and add the hot water carefully. It will start cracking and bursting out. Mix well to get a smooth caramel syrup. Allow it to cool

Prepare the potatoes

Pressure cook 3 medium potatoes to get 1 cup of finely mashed potatoes. Keep it aside.

Ingredients Needed:

All purpose flour / Maida - 3 cups
Baking powder 2 tsp
Baking soda ½ tsp
Instant coffee powder 1-2 tsp

Mashed potatoes - 1 cup

Curds / Yogurt - 1 cup (plus keep 1/2 cup yogurt if batter too thick, though I didn't use)
Oil - 1/2 cup
Fine Sugar - 1 cup
Caramel made using 1/2 cup sugar and 3/4 cup water
Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
Cloves powder - 1/2 tsp
Nutmeg powder - 1/2 tsp
vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Method to prepare:

Grease one 8”x 4" long tin and dust with flour. I used three small foil tins for gifting away smaller cakes. Baking time will be less in case you are using smaller foil tins.

Preheat oven at 175 C.

In a large bowl, whisk well the oil, yogurt, mashed potato, sugar, caramel, spices and vanilla.

In another large bowl, sieve the flour, soda, baking powder and instant coffee powder.

To the wet ingredients, add the dry ingredients in batches, folding well to incorporate.

Once the batter is ready, add the soaked fruits and little liquor. Mix well and pour into the greased tin.

Refrigerate the rest of the batter until you use.

Bake for 30 minutes at 175 C and another 15-25 minutes at 150 C covered by foil.

Test the center of the cake if it is done. Cool for 15 minutes in pan. Remove along with paper onto a cooling rack.

I served without soaking with rum

To one tin, poke holes with a skewer or toothpick and pour two tablespoons of rum or any other liquor. Once cooled, cover well with parchment paper and keep in a tin. Repeat the rum-soak every other day for a week or so (optional)

Notes

Let the cake sit overnight before slicing.
The remaining batter refrigerated until use.

Please check the temperature setting in your oven, it can vary. The basic principle being since this is a dense fruit cake made using oil, cooking this for longer time in low temperature gets it done.

The cake was little dense, read it later that it may be because of using oil. Would appreciate how to get that crumbly effect in a caked made with oil

Sending this to Priyanka's Its time to Jingle again  and Champa's Bake off Event