Eggless Date, Honey, and Almonds Wheat Cake

Adapted from:

Umm Noora, CAL


Ingredients:

Cream Together:
Butter - 100 gm (at room temperature)
Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup
Honey - 1/4 cup
Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp

Dry Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Flour - 1-1/2 cups
Milk Powder - 3/4 cup
Baking Soda - 1 tsp
Baking Powder - 2 tsp
Salt - 1 pinch

Wet Ingredients:
Milk - 1/2 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Thick Yoghurt - 1/2 cup

Dates - 10 (finely chopped)
Dates - 10 (soaked in just enough milk for 10 minutes and ground to paste)

Almonds (chopped) - A handful (approx 20 gm) 

Yield:

Approx 900 gm cake

Method:

1.  Preheat oven at 180 degrees C for 10 minutes.

2.  Grease baking pan with butter liberally and line the base with a butter/parchment paper cut to size.

3.  In a medium bowl, add all the wet ingredients and whisk them well.  Make sure they all are at room temperature.

4.  Sift together all the dry ingredients for at least 3 times to incorporate air and make the cake soft and fluffy.

5.  Deseed dates.  Chop finely the 10 dates (to be chopped, approx 100 gm) and mix to 2 tbsp of sifted flour to avoid sticking to each other.  Soak the rest of the 10 dates in milk for 10 minutes and grind together to a smooth paste.

6.  In the mixing bowl, add butter and beat until fluffy and creamy.  Add brown sugar and whisk at high speed until the sugar dissolves.  Add the honey and vanilla extract and beat well until combined.

7.  Once creamy, add half of the wet ingredients and 1/3rd of the dry ingredients and beat on low speed just until incorporated.  Add the rest of the wet ingredients and the next 1/3rd of the dry ingredients and beat only until incorporated.  Now, add the balance 1/3rd dry ingredients and the pureed dates and fold gently with a spatula.  Make sure there are no lumps.

8.  Now, add the chopped dates and mix again with spatula only until mixed together.  The final batter will be a thick, sticky batter, not to panic.

9.  Pour the batter into the greased pan and top with the chopped almonds
and press slightly to the batter.

10.  Bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

11.  Remove from the oven and allow it to cool on a grill after 5 minutes.

12.  Allow to cool completely and slice and store.  The cake tastes better after 24 hours.

Notes:

To attain, a moister cake and a sweeter version of the cake, mix 2 tbsp honey, 1/4 lukewarm water, and 1 tbsp sugar and generously sprinkle all over the cake.  Use the syrup completely.  The cake will absorb this syrup.  I did this step and it surely enhanced the taste of the cake.

Do not over beat the batter after adding the flour.

I measured the ingredients just until the mark line of the cup (viz., 200 mL/100 mL etc.) and not to the brim.

Ragi Banana Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients:


Whole Wheat Flour - 25 gm

Ragi Flour - 25 gm

Dark Chocolate (grated) - 50 gm

Eggs - 1

Brown Sugar - 50 gm

Oil - 38 gm

Banana (mashed) - 50 gm

Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp

Baking Soda - a pinch

Salt - a pinch

Cinnamon Powder - 1 tsp

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp


Method:


1. Preheat oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.

2. Sieve together wheat flour, ragi flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon powder.

3. Beat well together mashed banana and sugar.

4. Add egg and beat.

5. Pour oil in a stream while beating the mixture.

6. Add vanilla essence and beat.

7. Add the sieved flour spoon by spoon and mix. Do not over beat.

8. Add the grated chocolate and mix using a spatula.

9. Scoop the batter in muffin cups till two-thirds filled and bake for 12-15 minutes at 180 degrees or until skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

10. Remove from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack. 

Here are the healthy ragi banana chocolate muffins to be relished. These are guilt-free, no white sugar, no maida, no butter cakes.

Notes:

This measurement yielded 6 muffins of approximately 40 gm each. They can be stored for 3 days at room temperature and more when refrigerated.

Organic Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:

Organic Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup

Organic Brown Sugar - 3/4 cup

Red Pumpkin (grated) - 1 cup

Melted Butter - 1/2 cup

Eggs - 2

Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp

Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp

Salt - A pinch

Cinnamon Powder - 1/2 tsp

Chopped Nuts (Cashew and Almonds) - 1 tbsp

Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp


Method:

1.  Preheat oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.

2.  Mix together organic whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon powder.  Keep aside.

3.  Line muffin molds with liners.  I used aluminium foil ready-to-bake molds, so did not use liners.

4.  In a mixing bowl, beat eggs until fluffy at high speed for 1 to 2 minutes.

5.  Add organic brown sugar and beat well until frothy at high speed for about 2 minutes.

6.  Pour melted butter into this mixture as a thin stream while continuing to beat with the handheld beater.

7.  Add vanilla extract and beat for a minute.

8.  Add the flour mixture little by little and beat on slow speed until combined together well.

9.  Mix in the grated pumpkin with a spatula into the batter and also add in the chopped nuts saving some for garnishing.  Mix well with the spatula.

10.  Scoop out the batter into the muffin molds.  I got 8 muffins of approximately 60 gm each.

11.  Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 to 18 minutes at 180 degrees or until the skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

12.  Remove from oven, allow to cool on wire rack, and use or store.

Yummy, healthy, organic, homemade whole wheat pumpkin muffins are ready.  These muffins stay good for 2 days and for a longer shelf life store in refrigerator.