Holiday baking with kids

With summer vacations and kids at home, the demand for all day snacks is going to be high. A lot of parents are concerned about giving store bought snacks high on salt, sugar, hydrogenated fats and preservatives. There are easy ways to make delicious kid friendly snacks at home. Baked goods are a good choice.

They are easy to stir up, pleasing to all and the ingredients can be controlled quite easily. Here are a few recipes to try at home. What's even better is to involve your child to make these. They will be pleased to contribute to the process. While baking healthy for the family, a few rules need to be followed. Whole grains and their flours are coarser in texture and therefore will need a slightly higher amount of liquid to keep it soft.

So keep this in mind while swapping whole wheat with maida in baking recipes. Add additional amount of liquid either with water or milk to ensure the right consistency of the batter. Keep 50% of the flour as maida and swap the other half with oat or wheat flour. For example, if the recipe calls for 2 cups of maida, one can add 1 cup each of maida and wheat flour without altering the taste or texture of the baked item. Wheat and whole grain cakes will need additional time to bake unlike maida cakes.

Oats and Ragi Multigrain Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients
Whole wheat flour 1 cup
Quick cooking oats 1/2 cup
(powdered)
Ragi flour 1/2 cup
Baking soda 1 tsp
Baking powder 1.5 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Grated nutmeg or 1 tsp
cinnamon powder
Yellow pumpkin pulp 1/2 cup
(peeled, boiled and pureed)
Milk 1/2 cup
Egg 2 or yogurt 1/2 cup
Oil or melted butter 1/4 cup
Grated jiggery 1/2 cup
Brown sugar 1/4 cup

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180 C and grease and line an 8 inch round pan.
• Sift together the wheat and ragi flours, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon/ nutmeg powder, mix in the oats and set aside.
• To a blender jar, add the sugar, jaggery, pumpkin puree, oil/ butter, milk, egg/ yogurt and blend till frothy and jaggery has dissolved. Add this mixture to the sifted flour and whisk till it has blended, and there are no lumps.
• Pour the batter into the baking pan.
• Bake in the middle rack for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
• Cool in the pan for atleast 15 minutes before gently unmoulding. Dust it with powdered sugar, slice and serve.
• Keeps at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerated upto 5 days.

Whole Wheat Carrot Cake

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour 1.5 cups
Baking soda 1/2 tsp
Baking powder 1 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Grated nutmeg or cinnamon powder 1 tsp
Grated carrot 1.5 cups
Milk 1/2 cup
Egg 1 or yogurt 1/4 cup
Oil or melted butter 1/4 cup
Sugar 1/2 cup
Vanilla essence 1 tsp
Nuts of choice such as 1/2 cup
walnut/ almonds etc

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180 C and grease and line an 8 inch round pan.
• Sift together the wheat flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon/ nutmeg powder, mix in the grated carrots and set aside.
• To a blender jar, add the sugar, oil/ butter, milk, egg/ yogurt and blend till frothy and sugar has dissolved. Add this mixture to the sifted flour and whisk till it has blended, and there are no lumps. Add the nuts if using.
• Pour the batter into the baking pan.
• Bake in the middle rack for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
• Cool in the pan for atleast 15 minutes before gently unmoulding. Dust it with powdered sugar, slice and serve.
• Keeps at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerated upto 5 days.

Banana Choco Chip Whole Wheat Cake

Ingredients
Whole wheat flour 1 cup
Maida 1 cup
Baking powder 2 tsp
Baking soda 1 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Sugar 1/2 cup
Banana puree 1 cup
(Slice 2 bananas, add to the mixer jar with 1/4 cup water and blend till no lumps remain. The consistency should be like dosa batter and not any thicker)
Milk 1/2 cup
Egg 1 or yogurt 1/4 cup
Oil or melted butter 1/4 cup
Cinnamon powder 1 tsp
Vanilla essence 1 tsp
Choco chips / walnuts 1/2 cup

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180 C and grease and line an 8 inch round pan or a 6 inch loaf pan.
• Sift together the flours, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon powder and set aside.
• To a blender jar, add the sugar, banana puree, oil/ butter, milk, egg/ yogurt, essence and blend till frothy and sugar has dissolved. Add this mixture to the sifted
• Flour and whisk till it has blended, and there are no lumps.
• Fold in the choco chips or walnuts if using and pour the batter into the baking pan.
• Bake in the middle rack for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
• Cool in the pan for atleast 15 minutes before gently unmoulding. Slice and serve.
• Keeps at room temperature for 3 days or refrigerated for a week.