Samo and Amaranth flour aromatic Christmas Cake. [Black and White Christmas Edition # 153.]

Last year I had submitted image of spices for Christmas cake. It was last black and white event for the year 2013, I don't wanted to miss my participation so I had quickly gathered few spices and sent my image to Cindy. At that point I just knew that I will bake one cake for Christmas using the spices I spread in the submitted image. I could not bake the cake on Christmas but baked it on the last day of the year. It was wonderful wholesome aromatic cake with lots of good ingredients. I have not yet published the cake recipe, I will soon complete the draft and publish it. I owe my inspirations to bake this cake to Black and White Wednesday event and would like to thank Susan, founder of the event and Cinzia, organizer of the event and all the participants  who keep this event going.

Today I am submitting this last years cake image for the Christmas Edition of Black and White event #153 which is hosted by Lynne. Next BWW event will resume back on 7th January 2015, check here for host lineup.

Aromatic Christmas Cake with Samo and Amaranth flour.

Black and White Wednesday Event #153

Spices for Christmas Cake...Black and White Wednesday #110

I  will be baking a cake for Christmas with four spices, Cinnamon, Star anise, Cardamom and Nagkeshar. I plan to  keep it gluten free by replacing all purpose flour with  few multi grain flours. Following whole spices image I am sending to Cinzia for Black and White Wednesday #110, Next BWW event  #111, January 8th 2014, will be hosted by Lynne at Cafe Lynnylu. For future event hosting schedule refer Cinzia's post. Susan from Well Seasoned Cook has  founded this event.

Star Anise, Cardamom, Nagkeshar and Cinnamon sticks.

Black and White Wednesday
 Event #110

Butter Cookies flavored with Cardamom & Nutmeg

Warm Christmas  cheers all around city brings very good feeling in heart..it is time that you see lot of love, sharing, giving spirits. Weather is very cold and predictions are made for white Christmas in the city. I decided to bake small batch of simple butter cookies with cardamom and nutmeg flavor. Cookies tasted delicious and aroma of cardamom and nutmeg was very intriguing. I have followed  almost same recipe of Desi Nankatai. In India I used to make Nankatai biscuits during Diwali days,dough will be prepared at night  and early morning I would  take it to local Irani bakery to get them baked, they used to charge just 2 Rs. per tray. Wood fire bakeries gave excellent Nankatai results. Only difference in recipe is Dalda is replaced with butter. Aroma and taste is just like Nankatai but texture gets a bit little harder...may be next time I will use Dalda (vegetable shortening) to get soft Desi Nankatai texture.

Self Note : Recipe published on 01-11-11.

Ingredients :-

• 1 stick butter ( 8 Tb.spoon) thaw it to room temperature.
• 1 Cup confectioners sugar - lightly packed
• 1.5 Cup unbleached all purpose flour
• 4-5 Cardamom - finely powdered
• Nutmeg - peanut size piece - finely powdered
• Cashew halves - 15-20 pieces to garnish cookies top

Preparation :-

1. In a medium size  deep bowl place softened butter stick. Beat with electric mixer for 2 minutes. Scrape all sides and collect all softened butter to the  center of the bowl. 
2. Slowly add confectioners sugar and continue beating until butter and sugar is well mixed and turns into smooth and fluffy paste.
3. Sprinkle powdered cardamom and nutmeg.
4. Now slowly add all purpose flour and continue to mix with mixer. At this stage it will break fluffy paste and turn a bit dry. Keep beating for about 2 minutes.Keep mixer aside.
5. Merge dry dough with hand into ball. If you are unable to form the dough ball then add 1 teaspoon milk and merge. Don't add more than 2 teaspoon milk. Thoroughly massage the dough ball and cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 15 minutes.
6. Make 15-16 round balls. You can use tablespoon to scoop dough to make equal size balls. Roll each ball between two palm and slightly press in center, press half cashew nut  and place cookies  on greased cookie sheet. Maintain over half an inch distance between each cookie.

Cookie baking process :-

1. These cookies need attention while baking. Total baking time is around 20-25 minutes.
2. Set one baking rack on second slot and another rack in the  middle - Pre-heat oven to 325 F.
3. Place cookie sheet on middle rack tray and bake for 12-15 minutes.
4. Now change oven setting to broil on low. This brings nice golden brown shade, few cracks  on top of the cookies. Maintain this setting for just 3-4 minutes and quickly shut off the oven. (At this stage you need to keep attention..the moment you see enough brown shade on top, move cookie sheet to lower rack.)
5. Move the cookie sheet to lower rack and continue baking for another 10 minutes.
6. Remove from oven..cool them and enjoy Butter cookies.

Eggless Apricot, Walnut, Raisin Cake with Wheat + Rice flour - flavored with Cardamom.

After making this first eggless cake, today I tried another eggless cake without using Maida (all purpose flour), combination of  wheat and rice flour is used. I generously  enriched cake with  Akrod (walnut), Apricots and golden raisins. Coconut milk was used along with regular milk to form the Cake batter. Baked cake looked rustic and  traditional, it  got nice dense, a bit crumby  texture and  fruity taste. Cardamom aroma  along with rice and wheat flour gave a very bold desi taste to the cake. I  made few mini cup cakes,  one  loaf and round shape cake. This is wonderful baked  Holiday Dessert.

Self Note : Recipe published on 01-11-11

Ingredients :-

• 1 Cup wheat flour - roasted until aromatic
• 1/2 cup rice flour - roasted until aromatic
• 2 Tb.spoon rava - roasted until aromatic
• 2 Tb.spoon soy flour
• 12 Apricots cut into tiny pieces (1 cup tightly packed yield)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1 stick butter + 1.5 tbsp extra to roast flour ( you can use ghee for roasting flour)
• 3/4 cup coconut milk ( used Renuka Brand)
• 1 cup milk (I used 2%)
• 1 heaped Tb.spoon golden flax seed meal (regular is fine too)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup regular sugar
• 8-10 cardamom - finely powdered
• 1/2 T.spoon baking soda
• 1/2 T.spoon baking powder

Cake making Process :-

1. Roast  wheat flour, rava  in a heavy gauge pot  on a  medium heat by adding  1.5  tbsp Ghee or butter. You need to stir frequently. After 6-7 minutes add rice flour and continue roasting  until mixture of flour changes to slight darker shade and releases nice toasty aroma. It takes total 10-12 minutes.Mix cardamom powder in roasted flour and  Keep it aside to cool.
2. In a small glass bowl add 1 heaped tbsp flax seed meal with 4 tbsp water. Heat in microwave for one minute.Set aside liquid to cool.
3. In  a deep bowl add softened stick of  butter - beat it for 1 minute. ( I used hand mixer)
4. Add boiled flaxseed meal liquid  - beat along with butter for 2  minutes.
5. Add coconut milk - beat for one minute.
6. Slowly add brown sugar - beat until incorporated. 1.5 minutes.
7. Pour in milk - beat for one minute.
8. Now add regular sugar + 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp baking soda - beat until all mixture turns light and fluffy - 1.5 minutes
9. Slowly start adding roasted flour + soy flour and continue beating for 1 minute..make sure all flour is properly combined.
10. Mix Apricot, walnut, raisins  - Fold in with spatula until evenly distributed. Scrape down all sides of the bowl with spatula and give one quick beat with mixer for 30 seconds. Cake batter is ready to bake.
11. Scoop the batter into greased  cake pan  and smooth the top.  Gently tap the pan 3-4 times on counter to set batter without any loops / bubbles. You may sprinkle few walnut pieces on top.
12. Bake in a pre heated ( 350 degree F) oven on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes.  To check for doneness, insert toothpick in the center of the cake;  if the toothpick comes out clean, take the cake out and allow it to cool.
13. I poured remaining cake mixture into small loaf pan.(4x8) It took 20 minutes to bake @ 300 degrees F. Once toothpick came out clean, I left cake pan in oven for another five minutes and then removed out of oven. Also I made 12 tiny cup cakes. It took less than 20 minutes to bake cup cakes. You may have to increase bake time based on the type of cake pan you use and quantity of batter  you fill in the pan.
14. After cake is cooled down cover it with plastic cling wrap to keep moist. Enjoy this cakes as a great holiday treat  or dessert.

Some more Pictures ....

Singoda & Rice flour Eggless Mini cakes with Dates & Pistachio

Today I enjoyed baking eggless cake without using All purpose flour (Maida). There was no exact recipe to follow...Singada flour was in mind...with mix and match of few Indian ingredients at end, I baked mini eggless cakes in heart shaped muffin pan. Lovely cardamom aroma, light delicate texture of singada flour, dates, pistachios all together gave very delicious Indian twist to the cake.

Ingredients :-

• 1 Cup Singoda/singada flour (water chestnut flour) - Roasted
• 1/2 Cup rice flour
• 1 Tb.spoon Soy flour
• 1 Tb.spoon golden flaxseed meal - soaked in 3 tb.spoon hot water for 10 minutes.
• 1/4 cup Pistachio - roughly chopped
• 10 Dates - cut into tiny pieces ( 1 cup yield)
• 10-12 Cardamom - finely powdered
• 1 Cup dark brown sugar
• 1 Tspoon - baking soda
• 1/4 Tspoon - baking powder
• 1/2 stick butter
  
• 2 Tb.spoon Ghee or butter for roasting chestnut flour.
  
• 2 Tb.spoon oil
• 1/4 Cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup milk

Method Of Baking Cake :-

1. Roast singada flour in heavy gauge pot for about 10-12 minutes on medium heat by adding 2 tbspoon Ghee or butter. You need to stir frequently till color changes to one shade and flour releases aroma. Keep it aside to cool.
2. In a deep bowl add half stick butter - beat it for 1 minute. ( I used hand mixer)
   
3. Add soaked flaxseed meal and cardamom powder - beat along with butter for 1 minute.
4. Add 1/4 cup whipping cream and 2 tbspoon oil - beat for another 2 minutes.
5. Add brown sugar and half cup milk - beat until incorporated.
   
6. Mix water chestnut flour,soy flour, rice flour and baking soda, baking powder - stir in with spatula. Beat with hand mixer for 30-40 seconds.
   
7. Mix chopped dates and pistachios - Fold in with spatula until evenly distributed. Scrape down all sides of the bowl with spatula. Your cake batter is ready.
   
8. If you are using similar muffin pan or mini cake pan scoop the batter in each greased mould and smooth the top. Sprinkle few chopped pistachios. Place rack in center of the oven and Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes . Reduce oven heat to 300 and let it bake for another 5-6 minutes. To check for doneness insert toothpick in the center of the cake; if the toothpick comes out clean, you can remove the cake from the oven after two minutes.
9. I poured remaining cake mixture in small loaf pan. It took 20 minutes to bake @ 300 degrees F . Once toothpick came out clean, I left cake pan in oven for another five minutes and then removed out of oven.
10. If you are using cake pan then don't fill cake batter more than 1 1/2 inch thickness. My loaf pan cake took more time to bake than muffin pan mini cakes. Adjust your baking time based on your pan and thickness of batter.
11. After cake is cooled down cover it with plastic cling wrap. Enjoy!! these light and rich mini cakes as snack or dessert.