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Friday, July 30, 2010

Eggless Dry Fruit cake - Dates and Apricots

I havent been blogging for a while now. This time around in India, I showed off my baking skills to family (nice to be acknowledged for what i know ..right!!)...lol. On the menu were carrot cake, ginger snap cookies and mango swirl bread. I am back to Atl and was not sure what to bake to start my regular kitchen schedules. (It is quite tough to get back into a cooking routine after a great vacation). sigh!

I had to use up the apricots and dates in my pantry and ended up baking this yummy Dates and apricot cake. Dates are known to be a great source of fiber, zero calorie snack. I recently came to know that California was the haven for luscious date varieties in the US. (courtesy: travel channel)...hmm..got to try some soon....This Middle-East-Asian wonder fruit is known for its richness and a very fruity flavor.

Did you know that a few dates and a cup of unflavoured milk give you an instant energy boost?..Being rich in iron and potassium,  they are used as a great "Fast breaking" food by people following Ramadan fast (Islamic holy month). Dates contain folate and traces of Vit A, B and are considered great to treat anemia, fatigue and constipation. No wonder they are used to break a whole day of Ramadan/ ramzaan fast by people across the world.

(left: dried apricots; right : dry dates)

just FYI, this is how fresh apricots look
Pic: source wiki

Apricots  are a great source of beta carotene and help in reducing infections and skin issues. They are also a great source of Iron and Potassium. However, the dried versions contain Sulphur di-oxide (preservative) which is known to trigger asthma attacks. (hmm..another reason why we could avoid preserved food..right!!).  It is better to soak preserved /dried apricots in water for fifteen minutes before consumption. Remember to drain the water it was soaked in).

The recipe:

you need: for a loaf

Whole wheat flour - 2 cups
Sugar - (I used white this time) - 1 or 3/4 cup (dates lend a bit of their sweetness to the cake )
Olive oil or butter - 1/2 cup or lesser
Baking soda- 1 tsp
baking powder- 1tsp
(Cardamom) Elaichi powder - 1 tsp
Nutmeg powder - a pinch
Cinnamon powder - a pinch
milk or water -  1 1/2 cup
dry fruits : apricots and dates - Chopped - 1/2 cup

Process:
  • mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl - flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon powder, cardamom powder
  • Add the dry fruits and butter / olive oil and knead them in. 
  • keep adding water/milk and mix in well. 
  • grease a bread loaf pan or a 9 x9 pan and pour in the batter
  • bake at 350 F / 180C for 35 minutes or until done (do the fork test)
  • Take it out of the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before popping it out onto to a plate
  • you could drizzle it with a tbsp of milkmaid /condensed milk or dust on a tbsp of powdered sugar and serve!

The cake turned out pretty moist and yummy...!!! Cant wait to finish the loaf

Note: We could use raisins instead of apricots as both lend the same sour and tangy sweet taste to the cake

14 comments:

  1. thanks preethi..it did taste really good... :)

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  2. yummyyyyy....mummyyyyyy i want this too!! :P

    Thanks Sudha for the details. Lets see if I can try this out sometime!

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  3. thanks satya... ill bake another loaf for just for you... :)

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  4. my god, it looks so delicious... can u courier one here???

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  5. hi pinky...thanks for the compliment....:)...anytime...

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  6. Hi Sudha,

    Cake looks perfect and delicious.. first time here.. gr8 and awesome blog with amazing clicks.. thanks for the recipes.. do visit my blog :)

    Cheers,
    Hari Chandana

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  7. Hi

    This was the first cake i tried in microwave on my own following your procedure. I was really happy to see the finished product which boosted confidence in me to use microwave for baking.
    i never thought it would be that easy.
    Thank you.

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  8. Hi,
    Need some tips from you.
    I tried baking cake in Microoven in convection mode, but it didnt come out that good. Can I use the regular microwave glassware in convection mode to bake cake. Do I need to use the stand or can I just place the glass bowl on the turn table?

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  9. hi Koyeli
    the stand definitely helps(the height means a hotter setting for the cake) this helps in even heating. you can use a normal glassware suitable for microwave/convection oven.

    if you can tell me the exact problem. I can look for other issues..sometimes a simple thing like sugar or the baking powder make a lot of difference.

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  10. The problem was that the outer crust was baked properly. However it was not baked from inside.
    It was kachha as we call it in Hindi and it was smelling of raw eggs :)

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  11. that means that the temp was a little higher than it needed to be..the outer got cooked and inner dint. :)...i mention that in every post...it takes sometime to know your oven..so each experiment takes you closer to understanding the setting better :)

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  12. Baked it yesterday Ms.Sudha,(with lil modification) Loved it!!!! I have posted in my blog and linked back to yours!!!! Thanx for sharing !!!!

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  13. hi Priya thank you for the link back and ur sweet comment..we should keep in touch on the blogland..take care

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