And Since its Christmas - Easy Light Fruit Cake

Its Christmas

Hii..
One of the major advantages of being born and brought up in Delhi (and also in a Colony for Government officials) is that we get to interact with such a variety of people from all over India.. There is never a dull or repetitive moment throughout the year because one of your neighbours is always celebrating some festival and you too get to participate.. I still remember gorging on Mithai's at my Punjabi friend's house on Diwali, celebrating Dashami with a grand dinner at a fellow Bengali neighbour, savouring delicious Mutton on Eid at a Muslim friend's place and so on..
Every festival became an integral part of our lives..And on Christmas, Baba and Maa used to make sure we get to eat the yummiest cakes at home or from the market!!

And thankfully me n N also make sure we continue with the tradition of enjoying as many festivities as possible..So this year I decided we are not going to buy a plum cake for Christmas instead I ll bake a Fruit Cake at Home. Yes and I did just that and believe me the reaction on N's face when he took the first bite was totally worth it!

Christmas Cakes usually requires weeks of effort but as you know the lazy bones that I am I couldn't imagine putting in that much effort. And the internet has something for everyone's needs, so I found this recipe in 'Joy of Baking' for a light fruit cake which can be baked and savoured on the same day.

So this Christmas is definitely extra special for us cause I baked my 1st Christmas Cake..here goes the recipe



LIGHT and EASY FRUIT CAKE

Makes: 1 Loaf ( 9 x 5 x 3 inches Cake)

Ingredients

1 cup (200 grams) candied red or green cherries/tooti frooti (cut into quarters)

1/2 cup (50 grams) raisins

2-3 tablespoons  rum, brandy, or sherry (optional)

1/2 cup (120 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup (120 grams) granulated white sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (50 grams) ground almonds (almond meal/flour)
20 sliced almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoons salt

Zest of one small lemon (outer skin)

1/4 cup (60 ml) milk (whole or reduced fat)

NOTE: If desired, in a bowl combine the candied cherries, and raisins. Stir in the alcohol, cover, and let sit at room temperature at least a day (up to two days). Stir occasionally.

Procedure

1. I prepared the Almond Meal/flour at Home. I blanched 50 gms of Almond (boil the almonds uncovered for 2 minutes) then removed the skin and let it dry COMPLETELY for around an hour. Once the almonds are dry then I coarsely ground then into Almond meal. But make sure you donot turn it into almond butter by grinding further.

Almond Meal Preparation

2. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter (1-2mins)  Add the sugar and beat further until light and fluffy (around 4-5 minutes)


3.Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. (The batter might looks curdled, need not worry)

Cake Batter Preparations

4. Add the Vanilla Extract into the batter and mix well.

5. Add the candied and dried fruits, along with any juices, and beat until incorporated. Beat in half the flour mixture just until incorporated. Then beat in the milk and then the remaining flour mixture. Donot overmix.

6. When cake batter is ready , preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C), with the oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter, or spray with a nonstick vegetable spray, a 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pan. Place a piece of parchment paper on the inside flat surface and flour the pan.

7. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smoothen the top with a knife or spatula and, if desired, decorate the top of the cake with sliced or flaked almonds.

Placing the batter

8. Bake at 180 degrees C for about 60 - 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (If you find the cake is browning too much, cover with a piece of aluminum foil.)

9. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Cooling Off

10. The cake does benefit from being stored a day or two before serving, as this softens the outer crust and allows the flavours to mingle.

Slice it off

Wishing You All a Merry Christmas and a great festive season ahead..Thanks for taking out time to read
P.S: You are welcome to comment and send me tips to improve.

The Perfect Simple Vanilla Tea Time Cake

Plain Vanilla Cake

For all those who know me also know my obsession with Baking.Its something which gives me immense pleasure.Its like watching a thriller movie where you can't wait for the climax.Well N (hubby) read somewhere that Baking a cake is quite similar to giving birth.Its because you are creating something yourself.I don't know how it is to give birth to a child but yes if Baking is equivalent then I will definitely choose the latter.That's because I get to have some cake too.
I have tried my hands at quite a variety of cakes,muffins and cheesecakes. From a decadent Chocolate cake, to a Banana Cake, some Carrot Muffins and also a Dulce-De-Leche Cheesecake but somehow whenever I tried to bake a Plain and Simple Vanilla Cake it never turned out perfect. Yes and everytime I had been really disappointed.

Ingredients

I think someone who is passionate about Baking should first get the Basic Plain Cake right, and that is what was not happening for me. But as they say 'You should never stop trying' ,so I again searched for tips and recipes and  finally zeroed in on the Vanilla Cake by Stephanie from 'Joy of Baking' and guess what THIS TIME I NAILED IT!! And Boy Was I happy or Was I Happy!!
Well this one's a No Fancy Plain Vanilla Cake but this can be used as the perfect base for any decorated cake. You can cover it with any kind of icing you want and make it look gorgeous. Just remember at the end of the day however good looking your food is the basic rule is that it HAS TO TASTE GOOD. So very proudly I present to you THE PERFECT VANILLA CAKE.
Note: Though this is one of the simplest cakes ever but the basic thing is what you do and for how long you do is really very important. And probably that is what I wasn't getting right all my previous times. So please note the procedure carefully!! Thanks!

PLAIN VANILLA TEA TIME CAKE

Makes: Two 9 inch cakes

Beating the Butter and Sugar

Ingredients:

3 cups (345 grams) sifted all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 3/4 cups (350 grams) granulated white sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup (240 ml) room temperature milk

Please Note that the Ingredients should surely be at ROOM TEMPERATURE

Preparing the Cake Batter

Procedure:

1. In a bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

2. In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the paddle attachment, (or with a hand mixer) beat the butter until soft and creamy (about 1-2 minutes).

3. Gradually add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 4-5 minutes). DONOT OVERBEAT.

4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

5. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

6. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture (in three additions) and milk (in two additions), beginning and ending with the flour.

Preparing the Cake Pan

7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) with rack in center of oven. Butter or spray with a non-stick vegetable spray, two 9-inch x 2 inch (23 x 5 cm) cake pans. Then line the bottoms of the pans with parchment or wax paper, then spray the paper and flour the pans.

8. Evenly divide the batter between the two prepared pans, smoothing the tops with the back of a spoon or an offset spatula.

9. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in center. 

Just Baked

10. Place the cakes on a wire rack to cool, in their pans, for about 10 minutes. Then invert the cakes onto a greased rack.

11. Remove the parchment or wax paper and re-invert cakes so that tops are right side up.

12. If you are planning to frost the cake then make sure it has cooled completely, infact you can even chill it for a while in the refrigerator for best results.

When its cake Two is always better than One!! Plain Vanilla Cakes