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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Domino's Style Burger Pizza

Ever since the lockdown,one thing I have tried doing is to make our Friday dinners exciting by recreating a restaurant style dish so that we don't miss out on our weekly outings to our favourite restaurants.Though both are extremely different,homemade food has it's charm,isn't it?Some days it's pizza and on some it's Chole-Bhature.

Yesterday however I decided to try something new.New as in,something we haven't yet tasted in a restaurant.We have tasted Burger and we have tasted Pizza...this is a mix of both- Burger Pizza.Domino's has this on their menu and when I saw CookingShooking video on making this at home in a very simple method,I didn't think twice and started the preparations early evening as I was making the Burger buns from scratch too.You can try this with store bought burger buns too,to save time.

I tried the spiced Paneer filling for myself and Sausage filling for Ajay and Arjun.It can be entirely up to your choice.I also added some broccoli as we love it here.

Domino's Style Burger Pizza

Recipe courtesy - CookingShooking

Ingredients

Warm water - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1 1/2 tsp

Yeast - 1 1/2 tsp

Maida - 1 1/2 cups

Salt - 1 tsp

Milk powder - 2 tbsp

Melted butter - 1 tbsp

Warm water - if required,to knead the dough

Method

Mix together the warm water and the sugar well.Add the yeast and let it proof for 3-5 minutes.

Whisk together flour,salt and milk powder.

Using the proofed yeast,make a dough adding more water if required and knead into a smooth dough.

Add the melted butter and knead again for 3-5 minutes.

Let the dough proof for 45 minutes to an hour.

Once the dough is doubled,degas the dough and divide into 5 equal portions.

Make into small even balls,using your palms to smoothen the dough.Cover the dough balls with a wet towel for 3-5 minutes.

Flatten each ball by patting the center(6-7cm diameter),keep the edges intact like a pizza,this will ensure the buns will not puff up while baking.

Prepare all the dough balls the same way.Cover with a wet towel and let it proof for an hour.

Preheat oven to 200C.

Apply milk on top of the buns and sprinkle herbs and seasoning.

Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the buns are golden brown,cooked and sound hollow when tapped.

Brush some butter on top of each buns and immediately cover with a towel.This method helps in trapping the steam which would result in super soft buns.

Meanwhile,make the filling

For the Filling

Pizza sauce/Marinara sauce - as required

Mayonnaise - 1/3 cup(mix together mayonnaise and herbs to make a herbed mayo)

Oregano/Italian seasoning - as required

Spiced Paneer - Marinate about 50gms paneer in turmeric,chilli powder,salt and a pinch of kasoori methi.Saute the paneer on a hot tawa using a tsp of butter for a minute.Remove from the pan,reserve.

Vegetables - Capsicum,Tomato,Broccoli or any vegetables of your choice like corn,baby corn etc.

Shredded Cheese - as required

Assembling the Burger Pizza

Slice the burgers into two horizontally.

Apply marinara sauce on the base and herbed mayo on the top portion.

Layer the spiced paneer cubes and capsicum over the base and broccoli and tomato slices on the top portion.

Top both the portions with cheese.

Preheat oven to 250C on Broil mode and bake the burgers for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese starts bubbling and changes colour slightly.

Once done,place the top portion of the bun on the bottom part while hot so that it sticks together.

Serve warm.

Step By Step Pictorial

Mix together the warm water 

and the sugar well.

Add the yeast and let it proof for 3-5 minutes.

Whisk together flour,salt and milk powder.

Using the proofed yeast,make a dough adding more water if required and knead into a smooth dough.

Add the melted butter and knead again for 3-5 minutes.

Let the dough proof for 45 minutes to an hour.

Once the dough is doubled,degas the dough 

and divide into 5 equal portions.

Make into small even balls,using your palms to smoothen the dough.Cover the dough balls with a wet towel for 3-5 minutes.

Flatten each ball by patting the center(6-7cm diameter),keep the edges intact like a pizza,this will ensure the buns will not puff up while baking.

Prepare all the dough balls the same way.

Cover with a wet towel and let it proof for an hour.

Preheat oven to 200C

Apply milk on top of the buns and sprinkle herbs and seasoning.

Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the buns are golden brown,cooked and sound hollow when tapped.

Brush some butter on top of each buns and immediately cover with a towel.This method helps in trapping the steam which would result in super soft buns.

Meanwhile,make the filling

For the Filling

Pizza sauce/Marinara sauce - as required

Mayonnaise - 1/3 cup(mix together mayonnaise and herbs to make a herbed mayo)

Oregano/Italian seasoning - as required

Spiced Paneer - Marinate about 50gms paneer in turmeric,chilli powder,salt and a pinch of kasoori methi.Saute the paneer on a hot tawa using a tsp of butter for a minute.Remove from the pan,reserve.

Vegetables - Capsicum,Tomato,Broccoli or any vegetables of your choice like corn,baby corn etc.

Shredded Cheese - as required

Assembling the Burger Pizza

Slice the burgers into two horizontally.

Apply marinara sauce on the base and herbed mayo on the top portion.

Layer the spiced paneer cubes and capsicum over the base and broccoli and tomato slices on the top portion.

Top both the portions with cheese.

Preheat oven to 250C on Broil mode and bake the burgers for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese starts bubbling and changes colour slightly.

Once done,place the top portion of the bun on the bottom part while hot so that it sticks together.

Serve warm.

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Kadala Curry | Varutharacha Kadala Curry | Kerala Style Kadala Curry

Puttu and Kadala is a Sunday staple at home.I have posted a few kadala curry recipes here already but off late,this is the recipe I follow as it gives a great result and is quick as well.I personally feel kadala curry tastes best when it made with roasted coconut and spices.This gives it a great texture and no doubt,tastes great too.Pairs really well with Puttu,Appam and Idiyappam.

Somehow varutharacha curry sounds difficult and time consuming for many.Believe me,it isn't.Even though the original version requires roasting of coconut along with red chillies and coriander,here we take a small detour by roasting coconut and then adding spice powders which quickens the process without compromising on the taste one bit,that's win-win right?

Varutharacha Kadala Curry

Ingredients

Brown Channa/Kadala/Chickpeas - 1 cup,washed well and soaked for 8-10 hours and then drained

Salt to taste

For roasting

Grated coconut - 1/2 cup

Shallots - 4-5,sliced

Garlic - 1 clove

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Pepper - 1/4 tsp,crushed

Turmeric powder/Haldi - 1/4 tsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Red chilly powder - 3/4 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

For Tadka

Coconut oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Shallots - 3-4,sliced

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Red chillies - 2-3,broken

Method

Pressure cook the channa/kadala adding enough water for 10-15 minutes or until well cooked.Add salt to taste and keep aside.

In a thick bottom pan(I use cast iron) add the ingredients for roasting - coconut,shallots,garlic,curry leaves and crushed pepper.

Saute on medium flame till everything heats up.Lower the flame and roast the ingredients till the coconut starts changing colour to a golden brown.

Once the coconut is evenly browned add in the masala powders - haldi,garam masala,chilly and coriander powder.Saute on low flame for a minute or two until the raw smell of the masala leaves.

Switch off the flame and let it cool down a little.

Grind to a smooth paste in the mixie-first grind without adding water.Once everything is powdered add enough water and grind to a smooth paste.

Into a pan add coconut oil and give tadka with mustard seeds,curry leaves,red chillies and shallots.Once the shallots starts changing colour add the ground paste and give it a boil.

Mix in the cooked channa along with the water and let it come to a boil.Simmer for 5-10 minutes and serve hot with Puttu:)

Step by Step Pictorial

Pressure cook the channa/kadala adding enough water for 10-15 minutes or until well cooked.Add salt to taste and keep aside.

In a thick bottom pan(I use cast iron) add the ingredients for roasting - coconut,shallots,garlic,curry leaves and crushed pepper.

Saute on medium flame till everything heats up.Lower the flame and roast the ingredients till the coconut starts changing colour to a golden brown.

Once the coconut is evenly browned add in the masala powders - haldi,garam masala,chilly and coriander powder.Saute on low flame for a minute or two until the raw smell of the masala leaves.

Switch off the flame and let it cool down a little.

Grind to a smooth paste in the mixie-first grind without adding water.Once everything is powdered add enough water and grind to a smooth paste.

Into a pan add coconut oil and give tadka with mustard seeds,curry leaves,red chillies and shallots.Once the shallots starts changing colour add the ground paste and give it a boil.

Mix in the cooked channa along with the water and let it come to a boil.Simmer for 5-10 minutes and serve hot with Puttu:)

The consistency of the gravy depends on how much water we add.When serving with Puttu I make it slightly of thin consistency whereas while serving with appam,I make it slightly thickish.

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