Honey soaked Dates and Carrot Cake

One of the first cakes I successfully baked and then kept baking again and again due to popular request was a cake with Dates in it.It was and still continues to be my amma's favourite cake.I also remember having a cake with Dates and carrots in my friends place and to this date I remember how delicious it was.I made a very similar tasting cake some time back and that is a wonderful recipe too.

When I saw this recipe in YouTube,I immediately wrote down the recipe deciding to try it out soon.The catchy part was the soaking of Dates in honey.The combination of Dates,Carrot and Walnut is something irresistible if you ask me :) The cream cheese icing (optional,but highly recommended) takes the simple cake a notch higher and makes it fancy.Do try it out.

Honey soaked Dates and Carrot Cake

Recipe courtesy - Mahima's Cooking Class

Ingredients

Flour/Maida - 150gms

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Cooking oil(I used Rice Bran) - 1/2 cup

Brown sugar - 1/2 cup

Eggs - 2

Vanilla - 1/2 tsp

Dates - 1/4 cup

Honey - 1/4 cup

Carrot - 1 1/2 cups

Walnut - 1/4 cup

For the Frosting

Butter - 50 gms

Icing sugar - 3/4 cup

Cream cheese - 35 gms

Method

Soak the chopped dates in honey for at least an hour.

Grease and line an 8"round cake tin.Preheat oven to 180C.

Sift together flour,baking powder,baking soda,cinnamon powder and salt.

In a mixing bowl add the brown sugar and oil and beat for a minute.

Add the eggs and vanilla and beat for another two minutes.

Add the soaked dates with honey and grated carrots and beat again.

Now add the flour in batches and beat well till you get a smooth batter.Fold in the walnuts.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap a few times.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool the cake completely.

Make the Frosting

Beat the butter well for a minute.

Add the icing sugar and beat well.

Now add the cream cheese and beat till combined.

Apply the frosting evenly over the cooled cake and garnish with grated carrots and walnuts.

Step by Step Pictorial

Soak the chopped dates in honey for at least an hour.

Grease and line an 8"round cake tin.Preheat oven to 180C.

Sift together flour,baking powder,baking soda,cinnamon powder and salt.

In a mixing bowl add the brown sugar 

and oil and beat for a minute.

Add the eggs and vanilla and beat for another two minutes.

Add the soaked dates with honey and 

grated carrots and beat again.

Now add the flour in batches and beat well till you get a smooth batter.

Fold in the walnuts.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap a few times.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool the cake completely.

Make the Frosting

Beat the butter well for a minute.

Add the icing sugar and beat well.

Now add the cream cheese and 

vanilla,

beat till combined.

Apply the frosting evenly over the cooled cake and garnish with grated carrots and walnuts.

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Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake | Kerala Plum Cake Eggless

Every December I look forward to baking THE fruit cake of the year.I don't bake fruit cakes otherwise,only during Christmas time.That gives it a special charm no?I have been baking fruit cakes for the past few years and even though we do get good quality fruit cakes here and in Kerala,the joy of baking a home style fruit cake is something so special.Especially because we get to choose what to add in the cake and soak it according to our liking and then finally bake it and wait for it to mature a bit before consuming.Ah,the whole process is so fulfilling.

Personally we do not like the strong flavor of rum soaked fruits so I soak it for a shorter duration which gives me boozy fruits but not with the strong aftertaste.Last year I baked this cake and it was so good.Usually fruit cakes are slightly dense but the addition of beaten egg whites gives it the sponge texture.

I will be baking the same cake this year too,but wanted to post a new recipe here on the blog so zeroed in on this one as this recipe too is by Lekshmi Nair,whose recipe is what I followed last year.I liked the simplicity of this cake,minimal ingredients and tastes absolutely delicious.If you do not like soaking fruits in alcohol,you could do the same in orange juice or grape juice.Make sure to keep the soaked fruits refrigerated though.Plus soak it for maximum 24 hours not more than that.

Though you can consume the cake straight away once cooled,I would strongly recommend storing it overnight(or at least 6-8 hours) before cutting as it would help the flavors settle.

I really hope you try this recipe :)

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year :)

Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake | Kerala Plum Cake Eggless

Ingredients

Maida - 1 1/4 cups

Baking powder - 1/2 tsp

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Salt - a pinch

Caramel syrup - 1/4 cup*

Milkmaid - 1/4 cup

Curd - 1/4 cup

Brown sugar - 1/4 cup

Oil - 1/4 cup

Soaked fruit and nuts - 1 1/4 cup**

Vanilla extract - a few drops

Almond/Orange extract - a few drops

Lemon juice - 1 1/2 tsp

*Caramel syrup

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Hot water - 1/2 cup

Heat sugar in a pan till it caramelizes well.Add hot water and let it cook for 3-5 minutes on low flame till it thickens.Remove from the pan and let it cool down completely.

**Soaked fruits and nuts

You can use any combination of fruits and nuts.I have used

*Black Currants

*Sultanas

*Dates

*Tutty Frooti

*Cranberries

*Dried Pineapple

*Mixed dry fruits

*Cashewnuts and Almonds

Soak all this together(exclude nuts if you are soaking for a longer period) along with some honey,spice powders(a combination of cardamom,clove and cinnamon),Orange marmalade and Strawberry Jam(or any jam).Use as required.

Method

Preheat oven to 180C.Grease and line a 7" round pan.

In a mixing bowl add milkmaid,curd,brown sugar and oil.

Beat well till it comes together.

Sift in flour,baking powder,baking soda and salt.

Mix well and add the cooled caramel syrup.

Fold in the dried fruits and nuts and give a good mix.

Add the extracts and lemon juice and pour the batter into the lined tin.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Let the cake cool down completely.Cover it well using aluminium foil and let it rest for a few hours.

Slice and serve.

Step by Step Tutorial

Preheat oven to 180C.Grease and line a 7" round pan.

In a mixing bowl add milkmaid,curd,brown sugar and oil.

Beat well till it comes together.

Sift in flour,baking powder,baking soda and salt.

Mix well and 

add the cooled caramel syrup.

Fold in the dried fruits and nuts and give a good mix.

Add the extracts and 

lemon juice and 

pour the batter into the lined tin.

Top with some halved cashews or almonds or leave it plain.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Let the cake cool down completely.Cover it well using aluminium foil and let it rest for a few hours.

Slice and serve.

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Dates and Chocolate Chip Cake with Chocolate Frosting

I bookmark quite a few recipes on a daily basis.But then there are those recipes which capture my attention straightaway.This,my friends,is one such recipe.I saw this recipe in one of my favorite magazines (for recipes) Vanitha.Somehow I couldn't bake it the first time I saw the recipe and as always after a while I forgot it completely.

I have this yearly tradition of collecting all the recipe pages from Vanitha and getting it bound by hardcover.My collection is getting huge by the year and those books occupy a prime position,on my bedside table.So as I was browsing through it few nights back,I saw this recipe and believe me when I say this,I had the urge to bake it right away.Better sense and lack of ingredients prevailed and I slept on it.

Next day,I purchased all the required ingredients and waited for the li'l one to nap so that I could start baking it.By the time the cake was inside the oven and I was getting ingredients for the icing ready,he got up.It is a joy,however,to have him as company while I bake.He is fascinated by all the mixing and folding and waiting in anticipation for the goodie from the oven!

Coming back to the cake,it is a simple cake batter with the addition of Dates topped with a chocolate-chip streusel and a chocolate butter icing.It does seem like too much going on but that itself was what made me try it.Worry not,the cake serves a crowd so you do not have to feel guilty about all the calories in it.Perfect for a potluck or during family get-togethers.

Dates and Chocolate Chip Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients

Dates - 1 cup,finely chopped

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Boiling water - 1 1/4 cup

Maida/Flour - 1 3/4 cup

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Brown sugar - 1/2 cup

Baking soda - 1 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Sunflower oil - 1/3 cup

Eggs -2

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

For the Streusel topping

Chocolate chips - 1/2 cup

Brown sugar - 1/4 cup

Flour- 1/4 cup

Butter - 2 tbsp

For the Chocolate Frosting

Butter - 75 gms / 1/3 cup

Milk chocolate - 100 gms,melted

Icing sugar - 2 cups

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Milk - 2 tbsp

Method

Preheat oven to 175C.Butter and flour a 11/9 inch rectangular cake pan.

Mix together Dates,baking soda and boiling water in a pan and let it rest while you gather other ingredients(about 5 minutes).

In another bowl,mix together flour,sugars,baking soda,salt,oil,eggs and vanilla.Mix it well-it would be crumbly.

Add the softened dates mixture into the bowl and mix well till you get a smooth,lump-free batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin.

Mix ingredients for the streusel topping and sprinkle it evenly on top of the cake batter.

Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

While the cake is baking,prepare the frosting.

Mix together softened butter,melted chocolate and icing sugar mixing in the milk and vanilla.

Once the cake is just warm to the touch apply the frosting evenly on top of the cake.Let the frosting set for a while.You could refrigerate the cake for about 30 minutes and then cut to get neat,even slices.

Step by Step Pictorial

Preheat oven to 175C.

Butter and flour a 11/9 inch rectangular cake pan.

Mix together Dates,baking soda and boiling water in a pan and let it rest while you gather other ingredients(about 5 minutes).

In another bowl,mix together flour,sugars,baking soda,salt,

oil,eggs and vanilla.Mix it well-it would be crumbly.

Add the softened dates mixture into the bowl and mix well till you get a smooth,lump-free batter.Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin.

Mix ingredients for the streusel topping and sprinkle it evenly on top of the cake batter.

Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

While the cake is baking,prepare the frosting.

Mix together softened butter,melted chocolate and icing sugar mixing in the milk and vanilla.

Once the cake is just warm to the touch apply the frosting evenly on top of the cake.Let the frosting set for a while.You could refrigerate the cake for about 30 minutes and then cut to get neat,even slices.

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