COOK YOUR WAY THIS FESTIVE

SEASON
1.CUPCAKE DELIGHT

Serves: 24

Prep time: 15 mins

Total Cooking time: 40 mins

Ingredients

250g unsalted butter, softened

250g caster sugar

250g Maida (refined flour)

Pinch of salt

4 medium eggs

4 tablespoons milk

Ice-cream scoop (optional)

2 x 12-hole muffin tins, lined with paper cases

Method
1.
2.

Set the oven to 190C

Tip the butter into a bowl and beat it until softened. Add the
sugar, flour, salt, eggs and milk and whisk until the mixture is
smooth.
3.
Use a traditional-style ice-cream scoop, or spoon, to divide the
mixture between all the paper cases.
4.
Place both muffin tins in the oven and bake for 15 minutes,
then swap over the position of the tins over and bake for a

further 3-7 minutes, until both trays of cupcakes are a light

golden colour.
5.
Remove the tins from the oven. Leave the cupcakes to cool in
the tins for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to
cool.
Flavour variations: If you don't want plain cupcakes, then try one of these
flavours:

Lemon: Add finely zested rind of 2 lemons to the mixture,

and use 4 tablespoons of lemon juice in place of the milk

Chocolate: Use 2 level tablespoons less flour, and add 2 level

tablespoons cocoa

Rose: Use 1-2 tablespoon less milk and replace with 1-2
tablespoons rose water

Coffee: Omit the milk and, in its place, use 2 tablespoons

instant coffee, dissolved in 4 tablespoons hot water

2. THE EGGLESS CHRISTMAS CAKE

PREP TIME 24 hours

COOK TIME 1 hour 45 mins
TOTAL TIME 25 hours 45 mins

SERVES: 6-7

INGREDIENTS (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250

ml)
for soaking in the rum:

cup raisins

cup chopped cashews

cup chopped citrus peels

8-9 apricots (dry or fresh)

cup chopped dates

cup tutti fruity
9-10 glazed cherries, sliced
1 cup rum or 1 cup orange juice or apple juice
for the main cake batter

1 and cup all purpose flour/maida

cup whole wheat flour/atta

1 and cup demerara sugar or brown sugar or powdered

sugar

1 cup oil or melted butter

1 cup soy milk or any nut milk or dairy milk

2 tbsp apple cider or regular vinegar

1 tsp baking soda

tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

the spice mix:

1 inch or 1.5 inches cinnamon

2 cloves

2 cardamom

2 all spice

a generous pinch or two of grated nutmeg

INSTRUCTIONS
soaking the dryfruits:
1. firstly chop all the dry fruits and take them in a bowl or a jar.
pour rum in the bowl or jar.
2. cover and let the dry fruits soak for 12 or 24 hours.
3. in between stir or shake so that all the dry fruits get soaked
properly.
preparing the cake:
1. in a dry grinder, grind the whole spices. keep aside.
2. prepare a loaf pan or a round cake pan. i used a 6.5 inches
round pan.
3. grease the cake pan lightly with oil. you can also line the
pan with butter paper.
4. preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

5. sieve the flours, baking powder and the powdered spice mix.
6. add oil and demerara sugar and mix well.
7. keep some sliced cherries for adding on top of the cake.
8. mix some flour with the cherries and keep aside.
9. add the soaked dry fruits and rum. stir and mix uniformly.
10.
in a bowl or mug add soy milk. now add apple cider and
stir gently.
11.
add baking soda and stir. add this frothing mixture to
the cake batter.
12.
add vanilla extract. stir and mix quickly but uniformly.
pour in the cake pan.
13.
shake the pan lightly so that the cake is spread evenly
throughout the whole pan.
14.
place the sliced cherries on the top.
15.
bake in the preheated oven for 180 degrees C for 1:45
minutes or more or less depending on your oven.
16.
either wrap the christmas fruit cake in a cling film or
store in a container.
NOTES
few tips for christmas fruit cake recipe:
1. if the top of the cake browns quickly, then cover the top with
butter paper or aluminium foil.
2. instead of soy milk you can use dairy milk or nut milk.
3. instead of oil you can use butter.
4. do add the candied peels as they really add some bitter notes
to the cake which is otherwise sweet and this is what makes the
christmas fruit cake different from a regular fruit cake.
5. the dry fruits mixture can be soaked in orange juice instead of
rum. you can also use a half half mixture of rum and wine if you
want.
6. if using orange juice than just soak for 1 day only and keep the
the bowl in the fridge. if kept outside even for 1 day in a warm
climate like that of india, the orange juice will get spoilt.
7. the fruit cake can also be completely made with whole wheat
flour or all purpose flour.

Reference links
http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/eggless-christmas-fruit-cake/
http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/340648/Basic-cupcakerecipe