Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe

Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake / Eggless plum cake

Last year I posted Plum cake with eggs. Last year itself I tried Eggless Christmas Fruit cake. But I had no time to post. It came out very well and the taste was very good. Chopping the dried fruits is only the difficult thing. But making fruit cake is very easy. I already uploaded soaking of driedfruits. I will soon upload green apple sauce and how to make caramel syrup.

Now let us see how to make Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake
Here is the quick video

Preparation time                             - 13 hours (12 hours for soaking dried fruits )

Baking time                                   - 45 minutes

Yield                                               - 1 kg approximately

Ingredients:
Nuts:

Cashew                                             -25 gms
Almond                                             - 25 gms
Walnut                                               - 25 gms


For Spice Powder:
Nutmeg                                               - 1
Cloves                                                 - 10
Cinnamon  1 inch piece                         - 5.

Dried Fruits:

Black dates (seedless)                        - 100 gms

Cherry                                                - 100 gms

Tutti frutti                                          - 100 gms

Black grapes                                    - 100 gms

Dry sweet ginger                             - 50 gms

Sultana                                            - 50 gms

Orange juice                                   - 200 ml

Orange marmalade                         - 3 tablsp

Zest of lemon                                    -1

Zest of orange                                   - 1

For Caramel Syrup:
Sugar                                               - 2 tsp

Water                                               - 3 tablsp

For Cake
Maida                                                   - 180 gms (1 ½ cup)

Butter                                                   - 110 gms

Brown sugar                                       - 110 gms

Chopped nuts                                      - 75 gms

Soaked fruits                                       - 500 gms

Green apple sauce                               - ½ cup

Caramel syrup                                     - ¼ cup

Spice powder                                      - 1 tsp

Baking powder                                    - ½ tsp

Baking soda                                          - ½ tsp

Milk                                                       - ¼ cup

Salt                                                        - ¼ tsp

Method:

Sift Maida, Baking powder, baking soda and salt twice. Add butter and brown sugar in a bowl.

 whisk till frothy. Add apple sauce and caramel syrup and stir. 

Add soaked dried fruits and chopped nuts. Add spice powder and mix it well with spatula. 

Add maida and mix without lumps. Add milk and mix.

Grease baking tray with butter and dust it with flour.  Add cake batter three fourth of the greased tray. 

Pre heat oven to 150 degree.  Bake 45 to 50 minutes or insert the toothpick in the centre of the cake, if it comes out clean then the cake is done.

Cool the cake completely and invert in the plate. Cut it into pieces.

Note:

Always use fresh baking powder for good result.

Don’t add baking powder more or else then the cake will break.

Baking time may vary oven to oven. So adjust and bake.
Instead of marmalade, you can use candied orange peels.

For caramel syrup you can use 2 tsp sugar and 3 tablsp water.

Instead of adding apple sauce you can cook one medium size potato, mash it well and add also.

Spice powder: Nutmeg 1, cloves 10, Cinnamon 1 inch piece 5. Dry roast slightly and powder it.

How to soak Dried fruits for Christmas Fruitcake

How to soak Dried fruits for Christmas Fruitcake

In western countries the dried fruits are usually soaked in rum or wine for 3 months to one year before making  Christmas cake. If you want to avoid rum or wine you can soak them in orange juice, grape juice or apple juice. When it is soaked in such juice for 12 hours it becomes tender and soft as if soaked in rum or wine.

As the Christmas is fast approaching this is the time to soak dried fruits and nuts. I hereby give below the recipe for soaking the fruits. You can try this easy recipe and share your comments with me.

 Here is the quick video

Preparation time                             - 30 minutes

Soaking time                                     - 12 hours

Yield                                                  - 2 cups

Ingredients:

Black dates (seedless)                        - 100 gms

Cherry                                                - 100 gms

Tutti frutti                                          - 100 gms

Black grapes                                    - 100 gms

Dry sweet ginger                             - 50 gms

Sultana                                            - 50 gms

Orange juice                                   - 200 ml

Orange marmalade                         - 3 tablsp

Zest of lemon                                    -1

Zest of orange                                   - 1

Method:

Chop all the dried fruits finely.  Add all the grated dry fruits in a bowl. 

Grate the zest of lemon using grater. Grate the zest of orange. 

Add orange juice and orange marmalade and mix well. 

Soak it for minimum 12 hours in refrigerator.

Note:

If you want you can soak dried nuts also. I added the nuts freshly for crunchy taste.

You can use  orange or apple or grape juice of your choice. 

Adding orange marmalade is optional. I had so I added it.   

If you want you can use candied peel also. 

Chocolate Chip Muffin

Chocolate Chip Muffin / Choco Chip Cup Cake
Chocolate chip muffin is an all time favourite cake for kids. It is easy to make and good to taste. I gave this muffin recipe to Aval kitchen December 2015 issue.

Let us see how to make Chocolate Chip Muffin
Preparation time - 20 minutes
Baking time - 20 minutes
Yield - 10 medium size muffin

Ingredients
Maida - 1 ¼ cup
Butter - ¾ cup
Sugar - 2/3 cup
Baking powder - ½ tsp
Choco Chip - ¼ cup
Egg         - 2
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Milk         - 1/8 cup
 Method:
Sift maida and baking powder twice.Powder the sugar and keep aside.

 Beat butter and powdered sugar until creamy.

Add egg one by one and beat until fluffy. Add milk and vanilla essence and fold gently.

Add maida to the butter egg mixture and fold gently without lumps. Add choco chip and mix gently. Preheat the oven at 180 degree for 10 minutes.

Line the muffin tray with liner. Fill the liner with prepared batter. Sprinkle choco chips over the muffin.

Bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees or insert the toothpick in the muffin, if it comes out clean then the cake is done.

Note:
Always use fresh baking powder for good result.
Don’t add baking powder more or else the muffin will break.
Baking time may vary oven to oven. So adjust and bake.
I forgot to click the picture of adding milk.

Christmas Plum Cake Recipe

Simple Christmas  Fruit Cake / Plum cake Recipe
Making tasty Christmas fruitcake/ plum cake is a long time dream. I made several times. I saw this recipe in vahrehvah.com, i did some slight changes and made it.  This time the taste was awesome. My dream also came true. I have given this recipe to Aval Kitchen megazine and it was published in December 2015 issue .

Now let us see how to make Christmas Fruit Cake
Preparation time - 30 minutes
Baking time - 30 to 35 minutes
Yield - ½ kg
Ingredients:
Maida - 100 gms + 2 tblsp
Sugar - 100 gms
Butter - 100 gms
Dry fruits          - 100
Nuts           - 100
Egg             - 2
Baking powder - ½ tsp
Spice powder - ¾ tsp (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg )
For Caramel Sauce:
Sugar - 1 ½ tblsp
Water - 2 tblsp
Method:
Chop dry fruits and nuts finely. Mix it with 2 tablespoon maida and keep aside.

Sift maida, spice powder and baking powder twice. Beat sugar and butter until smooth. Add egg and beat until fluffy.

Add  flour little by little to egg, sugar and butter mixture and fold gently without lumps. Add vanilla essence.

 Add dry fruits and nuts mixed with maida. Add 1 ½ table spoon sugar in a pan and stir. When the sugar  turns brown add water and mix it well.

This is the caramel sauce. Add caramel sauce to the flour mixture and fold gently.

Grease the baking tray with butter and dust with flour. Add cake mixture ¾ th of the baking tray.

 Preheat the baking oven 180 degree for 10 minutes. Bake the cake in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes or toothpick comes out clean. Keep aside for cooling. Cut the cake when it is completely cooled.

Note:
Mix fruits and nuts in the flour or else fruits will settle at the bottom of the cake batter.
You can dry roast cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg and powder it. Keep it in the air tight container and use. (cinnamon one inch piece five, cloves five and nutmeg half).
After adding the flour mixture you can fold gently.
If you want you can add finely chopped ginger and orange zest half teaspoon each.
I used fig,tutti fruit, yellow grapes and black grapes. Cashew, walnut and pista.

Italian Sprinkle Cookies

Italian Sprinkle Cookies Recipe / Cookie Recipe for Christmas
I saw Italian Sprinkle Cookies in Taste of home three days back. All the ingredients mentioned were easily available in my pantry. So I decided to make this recipe. I reduce the ingredient to one cup and made. My glaze is little watery. So the glassy look is not found in my cookies. Almond essence gives nice aroma to the cookies. Taste also awesome. It is a good and easy recipe. You can dip the cookies in the glaze when it is hot. So you can dip fast.

Let us see how to make Italian Sprinkle Cookies
Recipe Source - Taste of Home
Preparation time - 40 minutes
Baking time - 12 to 15 minutes
Yield - 22 cookies
Ingredient:
Maida - 1 cup
Sugar - ¼ cup
Egg         - 1
Baking powder - ½ tblsp
Butter - ¼ cup
Almond essence - ½ tsp
Lemon juice - ¼ tsp
For glazing:
Powdered sugar - ¾ cup to 1 cup
Warm milk - 1/8 cup
Almond essence - ¼ tsp
Vanilla essence - ¼ tsp
Colored Sugar balls - ¼ cup
Method:
Beat egg until light and foamy and set aside. Beat sugar and butter till sugar dissolves.

Add flour, baking powder, lime juice and almond essence in the sugar butter mixture and mix until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

Gradually add beaten eggs until the dough will be stiff. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Roll the dough into equal size balls and place 1 inch apart on greased baking tray. Bake at 180 degree for 12 to14 minutes or bottom should brown slightly.

Mean while you make the glaze also. Add powdered sugar, almond essence, vanilla essence and warm milk in a bowl and mix it well with a spoon (without lumps).

As soon as cookies are removed from the oven, quickly dip two or three at a time in to glaze. Remove with a tong and place on a wire rack to drain.

Immediately sprinkle sugar balls and allow it to dry. Dry completely before storing in an air tight container.

Note:
I used ½ tblsp for even size of cookies.
If you find difficult to sprinkle sugar balls in the cookies, you can dip the cookies in the sugar ball.
Dry for 24 hours before storing.
You can add beaten egg little by little and knead the dough. Half egg is enough for one cup flour.
You can make the glaze thick then only the glassy look will be found in the cookies.
Add milk little by little while mixing for glaze.

Banana Cake Recipe

Banana Cake Recipe / Easy Christmas Cake Recipe
Banana cake recipe is a quick recipe with easily available ingredients. Christmas is fast approaching. So we can make this cake and enjoy the Christmas. Even beginners can also make this cake easily.

 Now let us see how to make Banana Cake
Preparation time - 30 minutes
Baking time - 35 minutes
Serves - 5
Ingredients:
Maida - 1 ¾ cup
Sugar - 1 ½ cup
Butter - 150 gms
Banana green - 2
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Egg - 2
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Curd - 2 tsp
Water - 2 tblsp
Method:
 Beat sugar and butter till creamy. Add egg one by one and beat well.

Blend banana, curd and water in a blender. Add banana mixture to the butter mixture and blend well.

Sift maida and baking soda two times. Add the flour and essence and mix gently with spatula.

 Grease the baking tray with butter and dust it. Pre heat the oven at 180 degree for 10 minutes. Add cake batter in the greased baking tray.

 and bake for 35 minutes at 150 degrees or until the toothpick comes out clean.

Cool it and then invert the tray. Slice the cake with serrated knife when the cake is completely cooled.

Note:
Don’t cut the cake when the cake is hot.
Baking time may vary oven to oven. So insert the toothpick after 25 minutes and check.