Fruits & Bakes

What better way to enjoy the goodness of fresh seasonal fruits than when they're baked with sugar, spice and all things nice

Apple Cinnamon & Honey Cake

Whole wheat flour- 1.5 cups
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup honey
1cup apple puréed
1/3tsp cinnamon powder
1tsp baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda

Method:

• Pre heat oven at 180 degrees C.
• Sieve flour, baking powder, baking soda a couple of times and keep aside
• Mix milk ,honey, apple purée and cinnamon
• Add dry ingredients in to wet ingredients.
• Mix in two to three parts and mix until combined well . Don't over mix .
• Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for about 40-45 minutes.

Grape Cake

Ingredients :
Eggs 2
Sugar 2/3 cup
Butter 4 tbsp
Olive Oil 1/4 cup
Milk 1/3 cup
Vanilla Essence 1/2 tsp
Flour 1 1/2 cups
Baking powder 3/4 tsp
Salt 1 pinch (if you are using unsalted butter)
Lemon juice 1/2 tsp
Orange rind 1 tsp
Black Grapes 250 gms

Method

• In a large bowl beat eggs and sugar till fluffy and pale yellow for 3 minutes
• Add butter, oil, milk and vanilla.
• In another bowl mix the flour, baking powder and pinch of salt
• Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet.
• Add lemon juice to grapes in bowl stir.
• Add orange rind to batter.
• Add grapes and combine together. Use about 3/4 of grapes for batter, save the rest for the topping of cake.
• Grease and dust a 8" square pan.
• Pour batter and smoothen the top.
• Place in oven at 200 degrees C for 15 minutes then take cake out of oven and sprinkle the rest of grapes on top of cake.
• Bake for 40 more minutes when done place cake on cooling rack for 10
• minutes then use a knife along sides of the pan to remove.
• Sprinkle powdered sugar on the cake.

Banana Oat Bread

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup oats
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp clove powder
2 medium ripe bananas
3/4 cup jaggery grated
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup crushed walnuts
2 tbsp chocolate chips

Method:

• Melt jaggery and add milk to it and keep aside.
• Grease and dust the loaf pan and keep aside. Preheat the oven at 170 deg C for 10 minutes.
• Take all the dry ingredients and whisk together.
• Whisk butter till creamy and add the mashed bananas .Then add the melted jaggery. Mix well. Alternately add the rest of the milk and dry mix and fold it in the wet mix. Add a tsp of flour to walnuts and chocolate chips and add to the batter. It will be a thickish consistency.
• Pour in the pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or till a toothpick comes out clean.

Easy Plum Torté

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar plus 1 to 2 tablespoon (depending on sweetness of plums)
100g butter
2 large eggs
12 purple plums, halved and pitted
2 teaspoons (10 ml) fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon or tablespoon ground cinnamon
a pinch of salt

Method:

• Heat oven to 160 deg C.
• Sift or whisk together flour, baking powder and salt (if added) in a medium bowl. In a larger bowl, cream butter and 1 cup sugar together with an electric mixer until fluffy and light in color.
• Add the eggs, one at a time and scraping down the bowl, then the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
• Spoon batter into an ungreased 9-inch springform and smooth the top. Arrange the plums, skin side up, all over the batter, covering it. Sprinkle the top with lemon juice, then cinnamon, then remaining sugar.
• Bake until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into a center part of the cake comes out free of batter, about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on rack.
  

By: Sunory Dutt