This is a light fruit cake or we can it a christmas cake without using any rum or brandy!
It is full of flavour and can be made days in advance and is more tasty if eaten after a week!
Recipe from Joybaking.com
Ingredients:
Dark brown sugar-1 cup,
Water-1 cup,
Butter-1/4 cup or 55gms-room temperature-diced,
Raisins-1 cup-( mix of yellow and black variety-small black ones are less sweet with a tart taste and is good for cakes),
Candied orange peel or mixed peel plus some sliced cheeries-1 cup-chopped,
Egg-2-beaten,
Vanilla essence-1tsp,
Baking soda-1tsp,
All spice powder-2 tsp.
If all spice powder is not available then use-
Cinnamon pwd-1tsp,
Clove pwd-1/4 tsp,
Ginger pwd-1tsp.
Method:
Grease the bottom and sides of a loaf pan and put butter paper at the bottom and brush it with melted butter.
Remove the dry top sticks of the raisins if any.
Take a saucepan bring to boil 1 cup of water,1 cup of brown sugar,1 cup of raisins,2 tsp of all spice powder or a mix of above mentioned cinnamon and clove ginger powder,1/4 cup of diced butter.
On a medium heat let it come to boil.
Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon to mix the sugar.
As it comes to boil,let it boil for 5 minutes more on low heat.
You do not need to stir.
Close gas and leave it cool to luke warm.
It will take 10 minutes to get to luke.
It should not be hot as eegs will cook when mixed.
Pre heat oven to 160 or 170 c.(if using a dark pan use 160 C)
Take a bowl and mix the flour and baking soda with wire whisk.
As the mixture cools to luke warm,add the mixed candied peel,beaten eggs and vanilla essence.
Mix with a spatula.
Add the flour.
Fold in gently and pour it in the greased loaf pan.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes.
After 30 minutes turn sides for even baking.
You can lower the temperature after 40 minutes to 150 C if the sides are browning and the center is still not baked.
Or cover the top with a foil.
Tooth pick inserted in the center will come out clean.
Once baked leave it cool for 5 minutes in the pan.
Using a knife loosen the sides while the cake is still warm.
Turn the loaf pan to remove the cake from the pan.
Remove the butter paper and leave to cool completely.
Do not slice the cake the day it is baked.
Wrap it with butter paper or cling film or in a container
and leave it overnight.
Since it is a fruit cake the flavour is more after few days and it will become more darker in look too!
This cake is not kept in the fridge but in a container or wrapped up.
A very Happy Deepawali to my viewers!
This is one of the favourite Indian sweet of my daughter!
Gulab jamun is made using khoa or milk powder or a mix of cottage cheese and khoa!
Ingredients
Khoa-200 gms,
Maida or all purpose flour-1/3 cup,
Baking pwd-1/4 tsp.
Ingredients for sugar syrup or chasni-
Sugar-2 cups,
Water-1 and 1/2 cup,
Cardamom pwd-1/4 tsp
.
Note -khoa can be made at home or purchased from the market.
Home made is soft in texture because it is freshly made.
Market ones are slightly dry and hard,but can be grated to make a smooth dough.
Home made are a little time consuming as the slow boiling of the milk takes time.(40 minutes to an hour)
I have made khoa using 1 litre of full cream milk and left it on stove to reduce to a thick consistency using a ladle to stir the milk and to avoid spilling or sticking at the bottom.
Once the milk has thickened,keep stirring until the milk has no moisture.
Close gas and leave it to cool.
Once it is at room temperature,scrap the sides and bottom and form a ball.
Khoa is ready!
Method-
Grate store bought khoa to make it coarse in texture.
Take a bowl and mix all purpose flour or maida and baking pwd.
Add khoa and knead for 5 minutes to make a smooth dough.
You can sprinkle little water to smooth the dough if it is too dry.
Once the dough is made cover and let it rest for 5 minutes.
Chasni or sugar syrup-
Take a pan and mix 1 and 1/2 cup of water and 2 cups of sugar.
Put on high heat and stir until sugar dissolves.
Once the sugar dissolves do not stir and let it boil for 5 to 7 minutes or until you get 1 thread consistency.
You can check by pressing a drop of the syrup between the thumb and fore finger and it should be one thread.Or once the sugar starts to coat the back of the spoon then the consistency is right.
Close gas and leave it aside.
Sprinkle cardamom pwd in the syrup to flavour the gulab jamuns.
Divide the khoa dough into 16 equal parts.
Make small round balls or oblong ones keeping in mind that the outer surface should be smooth.
Heat a kadhai or a deep pan to fry the gulab jamuns.
You can fry one gulab jamun to test to check the heat of the oil. It should not break.
You can use ghee or refined oil.
The gulab jamuns have to fried in low heat and in 2 batches.
Once the oil is slightly warm ,drop the balls in oil and do not stir.
The balls will sit at the bottom but as it starts to cook it will gradually come up and float on top.
Once it comes up stir the oil using a spatulla or wooden at the edges in circular motion.
This motion will make the gulab jamun move and fry evenly.
Once they evenly fried from all sides,take out and drop them in the chasni or sugar syrup.
The chasni should be warm and not to hot or cold.
If the oil is to hot for the next batch,then close gas for few minutes then fry the next batch on low heat.
Let the gulab jamun soak in the warm sugar syrup.
After half hour the gulab jamun will be fully soaked and it will expand in size too.
It is now ready to enjoy!
Makes 16 gulab jamuns!
Tarte Tatin is a delicious french dessert!
It is an upside down pastry in which the apples are caramelized in butter and sugar before the tart is baked.
you can use puff pastry or shortcrust pastry.
Golden delicious or granny smith apples are best for this recipe as they are tart and firm.
Ingredients-
Golden delicious or granny smith-5 to 6 large ones -peeled,cored and quartered( you need to tightly place quartered apples in your baking dish. If put loosely the apples will fall apart once you turn it upside down)
Brown sugar-2 tbsp,
Juice of 1/2 lemon or 1 tbsp,
Cinnamon pwd-1 tsp,
Nutmeg pwd-1/4 tsp,
Butter-1/4 cup -room temperature.
Shortcrust pastry-
All purpose flour-1 and 1/4 cup,
Salted butter-100 gms or 1/2 stick-cold and cut into small squares,
Sugar-1 tsp,
Cold water 2 tbsp.
Note-
This dessert can be made in cast iron skillet which can be directly baked in the oven or 8 or 9 inch baking pan whose sides are high of 2 and 1/2 inches.
Method:Shortcrust pastry
(You can make this pastry crust a day in advance.Make a disc shape and then wrap it in a cling film and keep it in the fridge.
If it becomes hard just beat it with a rolling pin to make it soft to roll it)
Take a bowl and put 1 and 1/4 cup flour in it.
Add sugar and mix with wire whisk.
Add the cold butter and using your finger tips crush the cold butter to make a coarse crumb.
Gradually add cold water to make a firm dough.
The dough is soft and buttery.
Gather into a ball.
Place it on a cling film and then gently press and shape into a disc.
Cover and put in the fridge for the dough to firm up.
Caramel and apple filling.
Grease the baking pan with butter and place the softened butter leaving a few tsp in the cup.
Spread 1/2 cup of granulated sugar.
Wash and wipe dry the apples.
Peel and core the apples.
Cut into quarters and discard the innner hard core.
Place the cut apples in a bowl.
Squeeze lemon juice,cinnamon pwd,nutmeg pwd and 2 tsp of brown sugar.
Mix.
Place the apples tightly in the pan.
Pre heat oven to 200 C
Place the pan on medium high heat on the stovetop.
Let it boil for 10 minutes or till the sugar turns into amber colour.
As the caramelization is taking place roll out the pastry dough into a 10 inch circle.
It does not have to be a round circle as the extra dough will be tucked in.
Since the dough is buttery use a cling film on top and bottom to roll out the dough.
Place it on a plate and put it in the fridge back.
Once the sugar turns amber,close gas and place the hot pan on a baking tray.
Roll out the pastry dough on a rolling pin and gently cover the apples.
Tuck the extra dough inside.Make slits using a knife.
Bake for 40 minutes.When the top crust has slightly browned then take out the tray from the oven.
If the crust needs to brown, then after 40 minutes switch off the lower heat and turn on the top heat for the top crust to brown slightly.
It will take just 3 to 4 minutes for the crust to brown.
Remove the tray and place the pan on wire rack.
Always use a bigger plate for the upside down turning as it might cause a serious burn from the hot caramel.
After few minutes place a big plate on the pan and with a help of a towel turn it upside down.
Remove the pan and let the tart cool before slicing.
Makes for 8 serving.
Leftovers can be covered and kept in he fridge.
