Gluten free Christmas Fruit Cake

My last cake was Mawa (Koya) Cheese Cake for Diwali, after one and half month Fruit cake for Christmas. I couldn’t believe myself for such a change in my life style but, Christmas can’t be celebrated without a Cake! Hence, mentally prepared myself to cheat from HFLC !! Even during a cheat day I make sure that, I won’t cross 100 grams of carb’s per day and no more gluten :-)

This is my first gluten free cake. Yes, very little flour (no more wheat based) used just to bind the dry fruits. The cake tasted pretty similar to traditional (rum soaked) plum cake with loads of dry fruits in it. Though the ingredient’s list looks longer, the baking procedure is pretty easy and I’m sure you will love the taste and I bet, you can’t stop yourself with a single bite. 

 

 

Ingredients :  ¼ cup chopped  apricot     ;      ¼ cup chopped raisins   ;   ¼ cup chopped   dates ; ¼ cup chopped almonds     ;    ¼ cup chopped prunes   ;     ¼ cup chopped  walnut  ;    ¼ cup of fresh orange juice    ;    ¼ cup of light brown sugar     ;   ½ tsp vanilla essence    ;     ½ tsp of ginger powder    ;    ½ tsp of cinnamon powder     ;    1 ½ tbsp. of coco powder    ;    ½ cup of chocolate chip    ;    a pinch of cardamom powder    ;    1 egg   ;     60 gms of butter    ;   ½ cup of sorghums flour (remove 2 tbsp of flour and add 2 tbsp. tapioca flour or corn flour )    ;   1/4  tsp of baking powder    ;     ¼ tsp of baking soda      ;   ¼ cup of sugar    ;    1 tbsp. of orange zest    ;     melted chocolate for Christmas tree decoration  ;    1 tbsp. of icing sugar for snow effect 

In a bowl add the melted butter and all the dry fruits, orange juice, orange zest, sugar and allow it to boil and remove from the heat (stove) and mix well and allow to cool at room temperature.

In a separate bowl add all dry ingredients like, flour, coco powder, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom powder, cinnamon powder, ginger powder and mix thoroughly and keep aside.

In mixing bowl beat egg with brown sugar and vanilla essence until sugar dissolved. Add the dry fruit mixture, Nuts (almond & walnut) and the flour mixture and blend till all fully combined and cake batter consistency.

Pour the batter in the greased 5½’’ cake pan and bake it in the 180◦c pre heated oven for about 30 minutes. And allow to cool to room temperature.

For Christmas tree, chocolate decoration :  using melted chocolate draw the Christmas tree and transfer to the fridge to set and place them on the cake and sprinkle the icing sugar for snow effect. 

Wishing you all Merry Christmas and wishing you a very happy & prosperous New year. 

Fruity – Tofu Popsicle

Whenever I think of Popsicle, it brings a sort of nostalgic feeling. During the lunch break, we rush to the school gate, where Popsicle (Kuchi ice) were sold in a small ice box mounted on a wheel called Ice vandi. 

 

Everyone would gather around the Ice vandi and making their choice of colour (flavors). There is not much choice; Orange, grape and mango costing 15 paisa each. Milk ice (pal ice) and vermicelli Ice (semiya ice) popsicles were sold at 25 paisa each, if I am not wrong. In fact, there was a good relationship build between us and the ice vendor. 

During the secondary, the Popsicle era started demising and same colored/ flavored water  is filled in a long transparent plastic sheet, called pepsi ice.

Why I am writing all these here? Because, today the expensive brands offers huge choice and taste much better than those Popsicles but, the feel is missing. Big brands can’t match the feel of those artificially flavored and colored popsicles. After all, food is all about the feel. Not just a taste alone. 

Okay back to Fruity – Tofu popsicles, I go with all natural flavors and colors to fight this summer. 

Ingredients :   ½ cup of lemon juices with sugar    ;         ½ cup of orange juice with sugar      ;       ½  cup + 2 tbsp of pureed soft tofu           ;        1/2 cup of pureed raspberry with added sugar        ;    2tbsp of cream

In a mixer add 1/8 cup of tofu and lemon juice, blend it well keep separately. Similarly, blend the orange with Tofu and Raspberry with Tofu. At last, mix 2 tbsp of tofu with cream and 1 tsp of sugar keep it in the fridge for about 1 hour. 

In molds first pour lemon juice mixture and keep it the freezer for 45 min. then pour the orange juice mixture (on top of lemon juice mixture) again keep it in the freezer for 45 min and then pour the raspberry mixture keep it the freezer another 45 min. At last pour the tofu cream mixture and keep it the freezer for about 10 hrs.

I dedicate this colorful Popsicle to all my classmates of elementary, primary and the ice vendor.

Fruit Bread

I am back with another healthy and tasty Bread called Fruit bread. As the name suggest, the bread baked with Dry fruits. The original recipe source from here

For the first time, I used Malthouse Bread Flour. Its combination of wheat, Rye and Malt flours with flaked malted grains for a wholesome crunchy texture.

If you don’t find Malthouse Bread Flour, you may substitute with Whole Wheat or All Purpose Flour. 

Though the bread has got a very crispy crust but it’s very soft.  I pretty much liked is its texture and it’s Orange Flavor. 

Ingredients:   2 cups of malt flour   ;     1/4 cup of sugar      ;    25 gms of soft butter          ;       1 orange zest and  &  juice  ;     1 egg (beaten)   ;     1/2 tsp of instant yeast   ;     1/4 tsp cinnamon powder       ;        1 tbsp of honey      ;  1/2 cup of Lukewarm water      ;       100gms of mixed dried fruits.

Procedure :  Mix together the dried fruits, orange zest and set aside. 

Mix sugar,  yeast, cinnamon powder, honey and lukewarm water and kept aside for five minutes. 

Add Flour to the yeast mixture and mix well to form dough. Add egg, butter, dry fruit mixture and orange juice and combine well. 

Cover the dough with damp cloth and leave in a warm place for 2 hours. Deflate the dough and make loaf or braided and allow it for second rise, for about an hour.

Transfer the loaf into a pre - heated oven and bake it for 45 minutes at 180°c. Allow to cool and slice to desire thickness.

Fruit bread can be consumed with Cream cheese / Olive oil dip / Butter. Soft bread with dry fruits and orange flavor…..imm…….. it’s Divine. 

Gibassier (Orange Flavored French Loaf)

Gibassier - Orange Flavored French Loaf, baked for We Knead To Bake #19

Gibassier dough is fermented by new Ingredient called “Biga”.   Biga used (predominantly) for fermentation process. Though, it time consuming process it’s add flavor and texture. 

“Biga” is a type of pre-fermentation widely used in Italian baking. Apart from the flavor and texture, it also helps to preserve bread by making it less perishable.

 

“Biga” need to make the previous night of the baking of (any) this bread. 

Gibassier recipe is adopted from from CirilHitz’s Baking Artisan Pastries and Breads.

 Ingredients for the Biga:  1 1/2 cups of bread flour   ;  1/2 cup of milk   ;  1/16 tsp of instant yeast

Ingredients for the Dough:  2 eggs   ;   1/4 cup of  olive oil    ;  1/8 cup of  orange juice  ;   3 1/4 cups of bread flour   ;  All the pre-ferment / Biga made from above    ;  1/2 cup  of granulated sugar    ;   3/4 tsp of salt    ;    1 3/4 tsp  of  instant yeast  ;   75 gm butter   ;   1/2 cup  of dried apricots  ;  1tsp  of orange zest 

Ingredients for Glazing and Dusting the Gibassier :  1/3 cup to 1/2 cup clarified butter (ghee)    ;   Vanilla sugar or castor sugar

 The Process:  The pre-ferment has to be made the evening / night before the Gibassier are baked. So the previous night, mix together the ingredients for the pre-ferment into smooth dough. Add a little more milk if your dough is too stiff.

Scrape the dough into an oiled bowl and cover loosely and keep at room temperature, for about to 16 hours. By this time the dough should have risen and have a fermented look.

The next morning, make the dough for the Gibassier. Using a kitchen Aid /  food processor, mix the eggs, olive oil and  orange juice. 

Add the pre-ferment (in small portions), flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and knead until the dough is smooth. Now add the butter in chunks and knead until the butter is incorporated into the dough before adding the next chunk. Knead well until the dough is soft. 

Add the chopped apricots, and the zest and knead till incorporated. Shape the dough into a round and place in a well-oiled bowl turning it to coat well. Cover loosely and allow the dough to double in volume. (may take up to 90 – 120 minutes) 

Turn the dough out onto your working surface. Divide it into 12 equal portions, shape each into a round and let the dough rest for about 15 to 20 minutes. Then shape and flatten each round into a semi-circle or oval.  

Make three cuts in the semi-circle, one in the centre and two on either side of this cut from the straight edge to the arch of the semi-circle by pushing your implement straight into the dough. Make sure the cuts open up into neat slits. by using scissors, make 4 snips along the arched side at equal distance.

Lift the Gibassier dough and transfer it to a parchment lined baking sheet making sure to stretch it a little so the cuts open up well and the slits also spread a bit. Repeat with all the balls of dough, and let the shaped dough rise for about 30 to 45 minutes till a little puffy.

Then bake them in a pre heated oven at 180ºC (350ºF) for about 10 to 15 minutes till they turn a golden brown on top.

Take the Gibassier out of the oven and brush them (while hot) with clarified butter/ ghee.  Sprinkle with sugar vanilla sugar or castor sugar. Then let them cool on a rack.

Serve them slightly warm coffee or tea. 

My family enjoyed thoroughly the Gibassier, for the weekend breakfast. It has a great flavor and sponginess………… Simply superb.