Season delight.....fruit cake

Oh ! it's end of the year. Loads of memories has been assemble of year 2014. Adios 2014.... and ready to cherish upcoming memories of 2015. So, this blog is based on seasonal delight that is known as "fruit cake". Fruit cakes bring to mind the christmas festive followed by the new year celebration. I just simply wait to relish this cake in December and it is mine favourite month too.


Fruit cake is also been named as plum cake which contains lots of dry fruits, plums soaked with various spices and rum for months. This pre-preparation can be done well in advance before making it. Soaked fruits for long months or even years are much better in taste and aroma.
So, here I start with the recipe to enjoy and celebrate the end of the year.

Fruit cake

Yield - 1/2 kg

Ingredients:
Flour                       115gm
Margarine               85gm
Icing sugar              115gm
Eggs                       2 no (large)
Caramel                  30gm (2 tbsp)
Baking powder       1/2 tsp
Cocoa powder        20gm

 For soak fruits:
Sultanas                 20gm
Candied peel         40gm
Angelica                40gm
Cashewnuts           20gm
Lime                      1/2 no.
Lemon essence       1 tsp
Cinnamon powder  1 tbsp
Nutmeg powder      1/2 tsp
Clove powder         1/2 powder
Dark rum                to soak
 Port wine               50ml


Method:

1. Chop the dry fruits (plums and prunes are optional) and soak in rum, wine lemon juice and essence and with  spices and store the mixture for 15 days prior of preparation of cake.
2. On the day of sponge preparation, start creaming fat and icing sugar till its fluffy.












3. Aerate the eggs along with vanilla essence and add in the cream mixture slowly.

4. Add hot caramel in the mixture.

5. Dridge the soak fruits with dry ingredients and atlast mix with cut and fold method.

6. Grease and dust the cake or loaf tin.

7. Pour the batter in the tin and bake at 150 C for 45 minutes.

8. Cut into even portion and serve warm with vanilla ice cream as dessert.

9. Can be serve as high tea cake.

NOTE : 

The color of the cake should be dark brown.
Can serve with red wine.
Before baking tap the top surface of sponge mixture with water. It prevents the cake to form hard crust.

Enjoy this month while making the fruit cake .......

Devil's Food Cake recipe

 "Devil's food cake" is known as "Red velvet cake". This cake is very famous for red color sponge and velvet texture, vary in the amounts of shortening, butter and vegetable oil.
In recent years, red velvet cake and  red velvet cupcakes have become popular in US and many other european countries too.
For me, it is very dramatic cake with its bright and red color that is offset by a creamy white frosting. It is completely sinful.Being a chef, I was just aware of the product.Last month when i had this cake at first, it gave me awesome feeling by its appearance and its taste. It was completely sinful.
Immediately, next day I started with my recipe to develope the cake with presentation of my style.
Its going to be splendid for you all. So here with the recipe.

Ingredients:

For the sponge :
Flour                     250gm
Salt                      1/2 tsp
Cocoa powder     20 gm
Unsalted butter     113 gm
Powdered sugar   300 gm
Eggs                     2 nos.
Vanilla extract       2 tsp
Buttermilk             240 ml
Red liquid color     2 tbsp
Distilled vinegar     1 tsp
Baking soda          1 tsp

For cream frosting :

Amul cream cheese   250gm
Mascarpone cheese  250 gm
White chocolate       100 gm
Amul cooking cream  50 gm
Whipping cream        to fold

Method :
For the red sponge -
1. Pre heat the oven at 180 C. Grease the cake mould and dust the cake mould with flour. Keep it ready.
2. In a mixing bowl, take flour, salt, cocoa powder. Set aside.

3. With the electric beater cream butter and powdered sugar together till its fluffy.
4. Add the eggs one at the time, beating well.

5. Take buttermilk and add edible red color, also thick beetroot juice can do.

6. Alternately add this liquid and flour mix to the butter cream mixture.(at low speed)

7. In small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda mixture and quickly fold into the cake batter.
8. Working quickly pour the mixture in the greased cake tin and bake it at 180 C for 25 to 30 minutes.
9. After baking, refrigerate the sponge and then start layering.

For the cream frosting -
1. Make a white ganache by adding melted white chocolate to the boiled amul cooking cream. Set aside.

2. With electric beater, mix both the cream and add white ganache and fold in whipped cream as required.
3. Set this mixture in refrigerator for an hour. And ready for application

Enjoy making !!!!