Eggless Butterless Chai Cupcakes

My new bake book that I recently bought at the Bali Airport is quite an interesting read. This is the third recipe that I have tried and has amazed me once again. The best part about this book is that there are ample recipes which are eggless and butterless for regular baking as well as exotic recipes for those special days. I will keep posting my experiments here and you can try them as well in your kitchens!!

P.S.: Recipe inspired from Bake Happy by Judith Fertig

Ingredients 

1/2 cup boiling water 

1 tea bag or 1 tbsp good quality tea leaves

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour 

2 drops chai masala drops or 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp ground green cardamom, 1:4 tsp ground nutmeg 

1 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp baking soda 

1/2 tsp fine salt 

1/2 cup milk (can be replaced with almond milk/soy milk for vegan options)

1 tbsp cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar 

1/2 cup brown sugar 

1/3 cup extra light olive oil or similar 

2 tsp vanila extract 

Direction 

Preheat the oven to 180 degree celcius. Line a muffin tray with cupcake liners and keep aside. In a small saucepan, brew the tea bag/tea leaves in hot water and keep covered for 15 minutes. Do not leave the stove on while brewing. Else, the tea will get bitter.  Let it cool. 

In a medium bowl,sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, and the spices (if not using the spice drop). In a separate large mixing bowl, stir together the milk, brewed and cooled tea, and vinegar. Allow the mixture to sit for 1 minute and then mix in the oil and vinegar and the spice drop (if not using the ground spices). 

Now whisk the flour mixture into the milk mixture, one-third at a time. Keep whisking until the batter becomes smooth and starts to thicken. 

Pour the batter upto 1/3 of the liners and bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and set the pans on wire racks to cool completely. 

Devil's Food Cake with Secret Creamcheese Filling

I take my home baker status quite seriously and so when it was my birthday on the first of this month, I was quite sure that while I would not mind a nice dinner outside, I would definitely love to bake my own cake, however simple it may be. 

On my recent trip to Bali, I brought back a wonderful book called "Bake Happy" by Judith Fertig. The book is a lovely collection of easy and interesting recipes and what better way to start than a special family day. Everyone loved the cake and it was my fastest moving cake till date. Got over in just one day!! Baking the cake was a bit tricky as I thought that the cake was baked but it wasn't actually which I knew only once I flipped the cake upside down. I immediately put it back in the oven with the top gently covered with an aluminium foil and my cake was perfectly done!! 

Ingredients 

Secret Creamcheese Filling 

1 package (8 oz/226gms) creamcheese at room temperature 

1 large egg beaten

1/2 tsp fine salt

1/4 cup brown sugar (original recipe called for 1/3 cup sugar but 1/4 was just perfect for me)

Devil's Food Cake

3 cups all purpose flour (I used cake flour)

1 1/2 cup brown sugar (again reduced the sugar from 2 cups to 1 1/2 cup as given in the original recipe and it was perfect)

1 tsp fine salt 

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp baking soda

2 cups hot water

2 tsp apple cider vinegar (I used balsamic vinegar as I did not have at home)

2 tsp Vanila extract 

2/3 cup vegetable oil (I used rice bran oil)

Direction 

Preheat the oven to 180 degree celcius. Now you can either prepare a muffin tray or a 10" cake pan for baking the cake. If baked as cupcakes, it will take lesser time and is more hassle free. I did both ways and find the cupcakes were easier to bake. It will take you two batches to bake the cupcakes in a 12 hole muffin tray. 

For the secret cream filling, in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, salt, and sugar. Set the filling aside while you prepare the batter. 

For the Devil's Food Cake, in a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and cocoa powder. In a separate bowl, mix together the baking soda and hot water, then stir in the vinegar and oil. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients little at a time and whisk with a balloon whisk or a spatula until the batter is smooth and evenly colored. 

Fill each cupcake liner (if using muffin pans) half full with batter. Spoon a large tablespoon of the filling on top of the batter in each cupcake liner. Cover the filling again with more batter. Repeat the process for all the prepared liners. If using a cake pan, grease it well and line it with parchment paper and grease again. Now pour half the batter, top it with the cream filling and cover it up with more batter. 

Bake the cupcakes for 20-25 minutes or the cake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Please note, that the toothpick might have traces of the cream filling sticking to it. Look out for a clean chocolate crumb to ensure that the cake is cooked through. If the top seems to be getting too browned, cover it loosely with an aluminium foil. 

Remove the cake/cupcakes from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. 

P.S.: You can skip the cream filling part and enjoy the eggless chocolatey cake as is. It tastes absolutely delicious!! 

Wholewheat Eggless Butterless One Bowl Chocolate Cake

It has been the most terrible week for me so far as parenting is concerned. Baby down with a terrible toddler illness and while she was just recovering, I caught the flu and now can hardly eat and drink. Two days I spent pitying myself. Today morning I pulled myself up, put in all my will power at work and started telling myself "I feel better so much better now!" I decided to let go that sickly feeling and instead do something constructive. Asked my baby if she is craving for some chocolate cake and she jumped with joy. Doing the dishes is a pain now and so came up with this amazing one bowl Wholewheat Eggless Butterless Chocolate cake I saw on pinterest yesterday with some changes of my own. The cake is soft, moist and spongy and super delicious!! Best part is you can eat it guilt-free.... I hope I can enjoy eating it soon (have a very very very painful throat)!!!!

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 

3 tbsp cocoa powder (I used extra dark)

1 tsp baking soda 

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup brown sugar (can be substituted with white sugar)

5 tbsp oil (I used rice bran oil but you can use extra light olive oil or any other unflavoured oil)

1 tsp Vanila extract 

1 cup water (I used room temperature but you can use lukewarm too)

1 tsp white vinegar 

Direction 

Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree celcius and grease a 8" square tin. 

In a bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Mix well and then add the oil followed by the Vanila extract and water. Use a balloon whisk for easy and proper mixing. You can add a handful of chocolate chips if you like for a more chocolatey flavor.  Lastly, add the vinegar and simply fold it in without much mixing. Pour the batter into the greased pan and bake in the pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy this guilt free delight. For the frosting, I melted some ferrero rocher chocolates (about 8) and added some warm cream (about 2-3 tbsp) till desired consistency. Frost the cake when completely cooled. The cake will keep good at room temperature in air tight container for 2-3 days. 

Eggless Fruit Cake

I have always been comfortable baking with eggs as it is guaranteed to have the perfect results and also since there are no religious restrictions at home for baking with eggs. However, I have been often asked for Eggless Cake recipes and I was of no help to my friends. Today, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try my hands on a simple eggless cake to know the procedure and the results and was quite satisfied and happy with what I got. The cake is even more special to me because today, for the first time, I did a demonstration of making a cake to a friend, who stays nearby and who is having failed attempts at making a cake and who dearly wants to bake one for her baby's birthday this weekend!! So glad it turned out perfect!  :)

P.S.: The recipe has been adapted from here.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup castor sugar

1 cup yogurt

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanila extract

1/2 cup oil (I used olive oil; Though next time I will try using 1/3 cup)

1/3 cup tutti fruity

A pinch of salt

1 tbsp milk for milk wash (I got a beautiful crust even without it)

Direction

Take the yogurt in a bowl and add the sugar and whip till smooth and creamy. Add the baking powder and baking soda and mix well. Let it stand for 3-5 minutes. It will start foaming and frothing. 

Now add the oil and vanila extract and mix gently. Sieve the flour with the salt and add it to the yogurt mixture in two batches. Take care not to overmix and deflate the yogurt. Stir just enough so as to get a smooth lump free batter without any vigorous movement. Using an electric beater is not advisable for this recipe. Now dredge the fruit bits in a little flour (which you may reserve from before) and add it to the batter. Mix gently so as to bring everything together. The batter should be of drop consistency. 

Pre-heat the oven at 175 degree celsius and line/grease a loaf tin or square/circle 6" cake tin. Spread the batter into the prepared dish and smoothen out the top. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Once done and if your cake hasn't yet got a beautiful golden crust, brush the top with milk and bake again for 2-3 minutes. On the other hand, like in my case, if you have got a beautiful golden crust but your cake is still not fully cooked, take an aluminium foil and put it on top of the cake like a tent. This will prevent the crust from burning while your cake gets cooked completely. Remove from oven and let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes. 

Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before slicing. The cake is very soft and moist and so take care while slicing! 

My First Swiss Roll

15th of August was husband's birthday and he wished for a cake which was low in calorie as well as in guilt. Now, birthday cakes are meant to be indulged rather than count the calories. However, being the finicky guy that he is about cream and butter, I knew I had to pay heed to his demand or be ready to gulp down the entire cake myself. A bit of research showed me that it wasn't that diffucult a job either. You can have a beautiful birthdayish cake even without adding that cup of butter. The answer to my problem was a Swiss Roll. I was so pleased to know about the ingredients, I immediately set about on the task to get my tools ready. The basic success of the Swiss Roll depends on how well you have separated the eggs. A little drop of yolk in your egg whites will spoil your chances of getting the perfectly whipped stiff white peaks and creamy egg yolk batter. So you should either have an egg separator ready or be quite an expert of doing it without the tool. 

The next important step is the baking of the sponge. You should bake it just until the toothpick inserted comes out clean. A minute more than that and you will, although still have a beautiful soft and moist sponge, get cracks while rolling it with the filling. While I failed to understand this in my first attempt and hence got a few cracks here and there, it is definitely a lesson well learnt. I also tried to decorate the swiss roll with a baked pattern but I guess I have to read up a little more to get hold of the technique. My pattern got a bit burnt and so I had to invert the swiss roll and add the filling on the side of the pattern, hence those red starwberry spots in between the chocolate filling. So keeping the decorated Swiss Roll for another day!

Ingredients

4 large eggs separated (it is best to separate eggs when they are fresh and cold out of the refrigerator; once separated, bring them to room temperature before starting the procedure)

1/4 tsp salt

A pinch of cream of tartar (optional)

3/4 cup castor sugar

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanila extract

For the filling

4 cups icing sugar 

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tbsp butter (preferably unsalted) cut into squares

120 ml milk at room temperature

P.S.: This is a standard chocolate sauce recipe. The excess sauce you can store in the fridge for later use. You can also use any filling as you wish like fresh fruit jam, whipped cream, etc. 

Direction

Take a 32x23 cm flat baking dish and grease it. Line the dish with parchment paper in a way that there are no bubbles or raised edges. It should be as smooth as possible. This will help you get a smooth wrinkle-free base once baked. The greasing of the bottom of the pan before lining helps keep the parchment paper in place. 

Now, take the bowl of egg whites (which you had separated while the egg was still cold from the fridge and brought to room temperature) and ensure that there are no drops of yolk or dirt in it. Add the salt and cream of tartar (if using) and beat them to stiff peaks but not dry. Takes about 10 minutes in the electric beater with the paddle attachment. 

Now beat the egg yolks till creamy. Add the sugar little at a time and beat till a pale thick and creamy batter is formed. This will take another 5-10 minutes. I usually first beat the egg whites till stiff and then use the same attachment for the yolks. It is okay to have whites mixed in the yolk but strictly no for the reverse. Hence, if you intend to use the same attachment for both the whites and the yolks, you must always beat the whites first. 

Now sift the flour and baking powder. Add the vanilla extract to the batter and beat for a second until combined. Now, add the sifted flour to the batter in two batches and mix till smooth and no lumps remain. 

Meanwhile, start pre-heating the oven at 180 degree celsius for 10 minutes. 

Now add the egg whites and with the help of a spatula (never use an electric beater) fold into the mixture till smooth. Take care not to overmix the batter which will deflate the whites. Also, always move the spoon in one direction to fold in the whites. Pour this batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth out the top.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Check at 15 minutes and then again in 2-3 minutes. A minute over baked and you are sure to get cracks on top while rolling as well as hard edges. 

Immediately remove from the baking dish and onto another parchment paper of the same size. Roll the swiss roll along with this parchment paper and let it cool. This will help gain its shape. When just warm, unroll it gently and spread the filling without spoiling the bend and roll up again. This time without the parchment paper. Once rolled, cover it up with the paper loosely and let it cool completely on a wire rack. Slice when cooled. You can also chill it and bring it slightly back to room temperature before serving. 

  

Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Cookies - No Butter No Oil

I love to look good, look fit, look lean. Well, who doesn't? But I love to eat too, especially baked goodies. Now, that is quite a contrast given that bakery goodies quite often come loaded with butter. I and my family are not quite adapted to like the taste of healthily baked goodies and rather prefer eating the butter loaded cookies and cakes in smaller quantity. However, staying at home and stepping in and out of the kitchen all day, I like to keep munching something every now and then. With butter loaded cakes and cookies, it is never possible to keep a tab on the waistline and so I am constantly on the lookout for recipes which, although healthy, do not compromise on taste. Today's recipe is from my virtual friend Sonal's blog Simply Vegetarian. The cookies are a perfect tea time company and can also serve well as a mid morning snack with a glass of juice! These guiltfree no butter no oil cookies can be made even better by selecting chocolates which are lower on fat content. I went for 75% dark chocolate for half the quantity. Eat healthy, stay fit!

                                    

Ingredients

1 cup oatmeal flour (dry roast any variety oats and grind to a powder)

1 cup almond meal (grind almonds to a fine powder, with or without skin; I used store bought almond powder)

1/2 cup assorted chocolates (the original recipe called for chocolate chips. I wanted to clear my stock of chocolates and so skipped the chips)

1/4 cup milk plus extra (2-3 tbsp) while making the mixture

1/4 cup brown sugar (if using chocolate chips, increase the sugar by another 1/4 cup or as per taste)

A pinch of salt

1 tsp baking powder

Direction

Melt the chocolate with 1/4 cup milk in a microwave safe bowl, stirring in between. Choose a bowl which you can later use to mix the other ingredients as well.

Once melted, add all the other ingredients, except the extra milk, one at a time and start mixing. You can see the dough getting quite dry by now and so start adding the milk 1 tbsp at a time till everything just comes together. Do not add excess milk else your cookies will spread out on the baking sheet and won't hold shape. 

Pre heat the oven at 180 degree celsius and line a baking tray with parchment paper or silicon sheet or simply grease the tray.

Now, grease your hands very lightly and pinch out small balls and place it on the prepared baking tray. Gently flatten the top and form a uniform round shape from the sides. Repeat for the rest of the dough. Now bake in the pre heated oven for 15-20 minutes. For crispy cookies, bake till 20 minutes or until the cookies are just a bit firm to touch but still a little soft in the center. For chewier cookies, bake for about 15-18 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Store in air tight containers. Enjoy!

                                       

Wholewheat Pineapple and Plum Dimple Cake

I love my afternoon tea like many others over here and I love it even more when I have something interesting to go with it. So every week I bake something delicious and healthy which will last me for the whole week as well as take care of my husband's hunger pangs when he returns from office. Today, it was going to be a simple pineapple cake with wholewheat flour and just as I was about to take something out of the refrigerator, I chanced upon these beautiful red plums which were fresh and tout and waiting to be grabbed. I immediately pounced upon them and after a quick pitting session, upgraded my recipe to a dimple cake. I have noticed, in few of my recent bakings, I have grown up as a baker and now I confidently experiment with my cakes and cookies and breads too and every time it turns out perfect. As the old saying goes, "Practise makes perfect!"

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup wholewheat flour (I use Ashirwad aata)

3/4 cup fine grain or powdered brown sugar (you can use regular sugar too)

3 eggs (I shall include the eggless version in the notes below as this recipe was originally eggless)

1/2 cup olive oil or any other oil

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 slices of canned pineapple chopped or you can use canned pineapple chunks chopped into small pieces (reserve 5 tsp of the sugar syrup)

4 red sweet plums pitted and quartered (my plums were quite oversized and hence I cut them into quarters. You can make them into halves if you have smaller ones. Make sure they are sweet enough, else dip them in the pineapple sugar syrup for 1-2 hours before use)

Icing sugar for dusting (I skipped it)

Direction

Sieve the flour with the baking soda and baking powder and keep aside. In a bowl, beat the sugar and the eggs until smooth and creamy. Now add the oil and beat further. Add the vanilla essence. Now fold in the flour little at a time until the mixture is smooth and without any lumps. The consistency will be a little thick. Now apply a little flour on the pineapple chunks and mix. Add this to the batter and give a gentle stir. Now add the reserved 5 tsp sugar syrup one tsp at a time to make the batter a bit liquidy. However, it will not be as liquid as a regular cake batter. It should be in between the consistency of a thick custard and regular cake batter. 

Pre-heat the oven at 200 degree celsius and grease a round or square baking dish. I used a spring form pan with the base lined with baking sheet and sides lightly greased as it will be easier to take the cake out later without inverting. You can use a regular dish but have to be quick with the inverting and re-inverting the cake. Pour the batter into the prepared dish and carefully arrange the pitted plums on the batter. Gently press into the batter and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes at 200 degree celsius and then for another 20 minutes at 175 degree celsius or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack for cooling completely. The cake tastes best when allowed to cool completely. So hold on till it cools down!

                                        

                                        

                                        

Notes for Eggless Version:

To substitute eggs in this recipe, take 1 cup yogurt. Beat the yogurt and sugar together until creamy and then add the baking powder and baking soda. Let it stand for 3-5 minutes. The mixture will become frothy and then continue with the rest of the procedure. You do not need to sieve the flour with the baking powder or soda in this version.