Whole Wheat Date & Nut Cake(Eggless)

Baking is definitely therapeutic, if you love to bake you know what I am talking about. I used to bake a lot few years back when gluten was still a part of our diet. It is definitely lot of fun and very easy to bake with flours containing gluten. So I seriously look forward for opportunities to bake with wheat and make it for people who include them. My Parents include wheat in their diet and I baked these cup cakes few months back and sent it to them. This recipe I saw in a magazine  few years back and the recipe was for making the cake in Microwave. This is such a simple recipe and a definite keeper. I have changed the recipe slightly replaced the all purpose flour with whole wheat,  added more dates, as I had ton of them and cut down slightly on the sugar.

Dates are healthy alternate for refined sugar, but still are sugar and in fact very high in sugar. All dried fruits have more sugar than when they are fresh. So this recipe is not recommended for people with diabetes. If you can include gluten and dates in your diet, do give it a try and let me know how you liked it.

Preparation Time – 20 Minutes

Cooking Time – 12-15 Minutes

Makes - 24 mini cup cakes + 4 regular cup cakes

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour - 1 1/4 Cups

Dates - around 25

Raw sugar - 1/2 cup

Brown butter/Clarified butter/Ghee - 1/4 cup

Warm Milk - 1 + 1/4 cup

Salt – pinch

Baking Soda - 1 tsp

Chopped walnuts - 1/2 cup

Vinegar -1 Tbsp

Vanilla extract – 1 Tsp (Cardamom + Nutmeg + Cinnamon also will work to give a fruit cake flavor)

Method

1) Soak the dates in warm milk and set this aside for an hour till the dates are soft and tender.

2) Puree the dates in a food processor to a fine a paste.

3) Add salt, baking soda, chopped walnuts  to the whole wheat flour, combine it and set it aside.

4) To the date and milk puree, add the melted clarified butter, raw sugar, vanilla extract and combine well.

5) Preheat a baking oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit and  line a 24 mini cup cake mould  cups and also another 4 cup cake mould with paper cups.

6) Slowly add the combined dry ingredients to the wet ones and gently stir and combine well with a spatula without over mixing. Now add the vinegar and give one last stir.

7). Fill the lined moulds till 3/4th of their height and bake for 12-15 minutes till a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

8) Cool in a wire rack and enjoy!!

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Eggless Spinach & Cheese Muffins with Whole Wheat and Almond Flour

If you love cheese then you will surely like these muffins.  This was lying in my drafts for a long time and was the time when we started eliminating Wheat from our diet and started to try out recipes with Almond flour. So I had used a combination of Wheat and Almond flour. These muffins make a perfect substitute for bread rolls or bread along with some soup. Much more nutritious than regular bread because of the cheese, milk and almond flour. If you do include Wheat as a part of your diet, do try this out and let me know how you liked it.

Preparation Time -

Cooking Time -

Serves – Makes around 18

Ingredients

Butter - 2 Tsp

Small red onion - 1/2 small   

Whole Wheat flour – 1 3/4 Cup (Original recipe uses 2 3/4 Cup AP Flour)

Almond Flour – 1

Baking powder -   2 1/2 Tsp

Cayenne pepper – 1 1/2 Tsp (Adjust this according to your taste)

Cheddar cheese -   2 cups grated

Milk – 1 Cup

Ener-g egg replacer – 1 1/2 Tsp + 3 Tbsp Water (Instead of 1 egg)

Baby spinach – 4 oz roughly chopped

Method

1) Heat a pan, add the butter once it melts add the chopped onion and saute till translucent.

2) In a wide bowl add the whole wheat flour, almond flour, baking powder, cayenne penner and combine thoroughly.

3) Preheat the baking oven to 325 Degrees Fahrenheit and like a baking tray with muffin liners.

4) In another bowl spoon the ener-g egg replacer and add the warm water and using a whisk mix thoroughly. Now add the milk and add the onions, spinach, cheese and combine.

5) To this slowly add the flour little by little and combine thoroughly. You will be getting a thick mix. Now spoon it in the muffin cups till 1/2 of the liner and bake it for around 20-25 minutes till a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Notes  - This recipe has been adapted in from  The hummingbird bakery cookbook. The original recipe uses 2 3/4 all purpose flour, but I substituted it with Whole Wheat and Almond flour. Because of the substitution the muffins didn’t rise much but they tasted yummy. Also I added 1/2 Tsp more pepper because the almond flour gives a slightly sweet taste to the batter. Also I felt instead of using milk if substituted with butter milk the muffins would rise better when using a egg replacer. The muffins taste best when fresh and hot out of the oven, so if you think 18 muffins will be little more to be used up on the same day, try halving the ingredients.

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Orange flavored Whole Wheat Fruit & Nut Cake(Egg free)

Happy New Year to all my Friends & Readers. Wishes for a Happy & Wonderful 2012. This is one of the cake which my Mom & Dad both love. Even though gluten is a rarity in my house, my parents do include wheat in their diet. So I make these and send this across to them whenever possible. So thought will share this recipe with you all and send this virtual treat this year to them. As long as you don’t have an issue with gluten and include wheat as part of your diet, do try this out and let me know how you liked it. This recipe is very versatile and simple to make. You can make it vegan by substituting butter with coconut oil and either way tastes great, presoak the dry fruits if you plan ahead or just toss them and simmer in the mixture and you are ready to bake the fruit cake.

Preparation Time – 10 Minutes
Baking Time – 40-50 Minutes
Makes one 9 inch round cake


Ingredients


Chopped Nuts - 1 Heaped Cup
Chopped Fruits - 1 Heaped Cup (Black & Golden Raisins, Dates, Apricots, Prunes)
Baking Soda - 1/2 Tsp
Whole Wheat Flour - 1 1/2 Cups
Clarified butter (Ghee) or Coconut Oil  - 1/4 Cup
Raw Sugar -  1/3 (Make it 1/2 cup for a sweeter cake)
Water - 1  Cups
Orange Juice - 1/2 Cup
Date Syrup - 1 Tbsp
Grated Orange Peel – 1 Tbsp

Method


1) Mix water, raw sugar, clarified butter, date syrup, chopped fruits, nuts and simmer on medium heat till the sugar dissolves and you get a nice brown color. Now switch off the stove and let this mixture cool to room temperature.

2) Mix the baking soda, whole wheat flour, salt and keep it aside.

3) Preheat a baking oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9 inch baking pan with oil and dust with flour.

4) To the fruit and nut mixture add the orange juice and orange peel and mix it nicely. To this slowly add the whole wheat flour little by little and mix it gently without lumps.

5) Pour the mixture in to the baking pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes in the middle rack till a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

6) Cool in the wire rack and leave it overnight and slice it next day.

Note – I added date syrup for the traditional fruit cake brown color. If you are planning ahead to make this cake, soak the chopped fruits in orange juice for a day or two. Reserve the liquid and add the soaked fruits to the sugar mixture. Measure this reserved liquid and add more orange juice if required and use it as mentioned in step 4.

Events

Sending this to Yummy Dessert 4 New Year by Prananti’s Kitchen.

Sending this to Baker’s fest New Year 2012 an event started by Vardhini.

Sending this to  Ramya’s ABC Series - Dessert

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Eggless Whole Wheat Tropical Banana Bread

I hope all of you had great week end and those of you in US had a great Thanksgiving and long weekend. Even though I avoid gluten because out of four people in house hold,  two are on a gluten free diet because of various health reasons. But I love to bake and I jump on opportunities when I have to bake it with gluten based flours and have to give it out to others. The moment I saw this tropical banana bread recipe in the good house keeping book – recipes for children which my elder one had got it for me, I was totally tempted to bake. I baked this quick bread for one of my friend few months back and got a great review. Do not be intimidated with the long list of ingredients, once you get a grasp of the ingredients this is very easy to make.  If you are not on a gluten free diet, do try this out and I am sure you must be surely happy with the out come.
Preparation Time – 15 Minutes
Cooking Time – 30 to 40 Minutes
Ingredients
Whole Wheat Flour - 1 3/4 Cup
Bananas - 3 (Small to medium)
Juice of 1 Orange
Coconut - 3/4 Cup
Pecans - 1/2 Cup
Yogurt - 1/4 Cup
Ener-g or Corn Starch - 1 1/2 Tsp + 1 Tbsp Warm Water
Baking Soda - 1 Tsp
Baking Powder - 1 Tsp
Oil or Melted butter or clarified butter anything will work - 1/4 Cup( I used clarified butter)
Salt - 1/4 Tsp
Apple Cider Vinegar - 1 Tbsp
Raw sugar - 1/2 Cup(Optional and I left it out as the sweetness of banana was just enough)
Water – 1/4 Cup(Check point 4)
Flaked Almonds – Handful to put as a topping
Method
1) Combine whole wheat flour, pecans, salt and keep it aside.
2) Squeeze out the orange from orange juice. Add 1 Tbsp warm water to the ener-g egg replacer and beat till frothy. Puree the ripe bananas.
3) To the yogurt add the baking soda and baking powder, combine and leave this for some time and you will see the yogurt mixture has started bubbling out. To this add the orange juice, banana puree, raw sugar(if using), ener-g egg replacer mixture, clarified butter and combine thoroughly till well mixed.
4) To the wet mixture add the grated coconut and wheat mixture and combine thoroughly without over beating the mixture. The consistency of the mixture depends on how ripe the banana is and also the size of the orange you are using. If the orange is big one and the banana is over ripe the batter should be just fine. But if you find the batter too thick, then add 1/4 cup more of water.
5) Now add the apple cider vinegar and mix till well incorporated. Pour the batter in a loaf pan and add handful of almond flakes on the top and spread it evenly. Baket for around 30-40 minutes in an oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit till a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Events

Sending this to Breakfast Club #17 - Breads hosted by Krithi's Kitchen an event started by Fuss free Flavors.

Sending this to Edible Entertainment’s Jingle all the way.

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Eggless Sugarless Grain less (but not tasteless) Strawberry Cheese Cake

I hope every body had a great week end, watching a fantastic Cricket match and enjoying India winning the world cup after 28 years. It was a fantastic feeling and no words can describe it. Now getting on to this post I had to bake a cake for my elder one's birthday two weeks before and we don't eat eggs at my home. We don't use refined flours and sugars and my husband is off gluten , grain, all fructose(including honey and maple syrup). So the criteria was to make a cake without eggs, no gluten, no grain, no sugar(replacing with Xylitol or Stevia) was a big challenge. I use almond flour for cookies, crackers extensively but still haven't nailed down a recipe using xylitol and almond flour for regular cakes. With limited ingredient options and after a lot of thought I decided to go with a cheese cake which every one in the family can enjoy. A normal cheese cake consists of three layers the crust, middle layer and topping. All I had to do is to make substitutes with ingredients I am allowed to work with and finally nailed down this recipe in my second attempt. The result - this fantastic cheese cake made from scratch which tasted super delicious. That too if you are on a dietary restriction like us, then this recipe is a keeper.

For the Crust - 

Almond Flour Scones made out of 2 Cups of Almond Flour or 2 Cups of any cookies crushed

Ghee or Melted Butter - 1/4 Cup(If using Almond flour scones otherwise increase this slightly)

For Filling - 

8 oz Organic Cream Cheese Bars - 2

Organic Sour Cream - 16 oz

Organic Chopped Strawberries - 1 1/2 Cups

Vanilla extract - 1 Tsp

Ener-g Egg Replace - 3 Tsp

Warm Water -2 Tbsp

Xylitol - 1/3 cup or to taste.

For Topping

Heavy Cream - 2 Cups

Xylitol - 1/4 Cup or to taste

Vanilla extract - 1 Tsp

Method

For the Crust

1) In a food processor place the almond flour scones and run through till they are powdered (few seconds).

2) Heat the ghee or butter and once they are melted and warm, add them slowly to the powdered crumbs and combine well. (When you take a handful and make a ball, they should be able to hold together).

3) Take a 9 Inch Spring Foam pan with a removable bottom, line the base with parchment paper and take the almond flour crumbs and using your hands press them evenly to form a nice base.

4) Refrigerate for an hour or two till the crust is well set.

For the filling

1) Preheat oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenhiet.

2) Beat the egg replacer and warm water till fronthy. Using stand mixer with paddles or a hand blender beat the cream cheese, sour cream, xylitol and vanilla extract till well combined. (Taste and add more Xylitol if required). To this add the egg replacer with liquid and combine well.

3)  Add the chopped strawberries and combine till well mixed.

4)  Remove the spring foam from the refrigerator and pour the filling and using a ladle smooth out the top and tap the pan gently to remove any air bubbles.

5) Now place the spring foam tray on top of a baking tray and bake for 30-40 minutes till well set, not sticking but will be still slightly wobbly. (Placing the spring foam pan on a baking tray is very important, do not place the spring foam pan directly in the oven and bake).

6) Remove this cool and refrigerate overnight.

For the topping

1) Take the cold heavy cream and whip till stiff peak forms.

2) Add the vanilla extract and xylitol and whip till well combined (Taste the whipped cream and add more xylitol if required).

3) Take out the baked cheese cake, loosen the spring foam pan and remove the cheese cake.

4) Now take out the whipped cream and spread on the top and pipe if any remaining to decorate.

5) Refrigerate for 2-3 hours and then serve chilled.

Note - The cup cakes are not gluten or grain free and was made for other kids who had issues with nuts and didn't like cream cheese.



Event



This goes to Torview's Food Palette Series Pink.



This goes to Hearth and Soup Hop 42.



This goes to Fresh Clean and Pure Friday.

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Eggless Whole Wheat Black Forest Cake

  Black Forest cake consists of several layers of chocolate cake, with whipped cream and cherries between each layer. Then the cake is decorated with additional whipped cream, maraschino cherries, and chocolate shavings.

 I made this Black Forest Cake exactly a year before and wanted to make it with Whole Wheat and with no refined sugar and with minimally processed ingredients without any additives.  I decided to make two layers of Whole Wheat Chocolate Cake then fill the layers, sides and top with Heavy Cream whipped with Xylitol. The toughest part was to find cherries, because it wasn't in season and the cherry pie filling or canned cherries all had high fructose corn syrup which I don't buy and was finally able to get hold of the Tillen Farms brand which had whole cherries in water and sugar. This is a very easy to make cake and is absolutely delicious, well worth the effort.



Preparation Time - 30 Minutes

Cooking Time - 30 Minutes

Serves - Makes 2 9 inch layer cake



The recipe will be for 3 steps making the cake, prepare the cherry filling and the whipped cream icing.



Ingredients for the Cake

White Whole Wheat Flour - 2 Cup

Whole Wheat Pastry Flour - 1 Cup

Baking Soda - 2 Tsp

Salt - 1/4 Tsp

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - 1/2 Cup

Vanilla Extract - 2 Tsp

Unflavoured Oil like Sunflower oil - 2/3 Cup

Raw sugar - 1 1/2 Cup

Warm water - 2 Cups

Apple Cide Vinegar - 2 Tbsp

For the cake please look into the Basic Chocolate Cake Recipe and bake two 9" inch cake and cool them in a wire rack and set them aside.

Ingredients for the Whipped Cream Frosting

Heavy Cream - 1 Pint(Increase this if you want a thick layer of frosting)

Xylitol - 1/4 Cup (Adjust this to your sweetness level)

Clear Vanilla extract - 1 Tsp

1) Beat the heavy cream till stiff peaks. (This will take at least 10 to 15 Minutes)

2) Add the vanilla extract and Xylitol to your sweetness and beat once to combine nicely.

3) Take the frosting and apply it one side of each cake and set them aside.

Ingredients for the Cherry Filling

All Natural Raspberry Fruit Preserves - 18 oz (Sweetened with fruit juices and no added sugar)

Merry Maraschino Cherries - 14 oz

Water - 1/4 Cup

1) Drain and rinse the cherries. Keep aside few cherries for decorating the top.

2) Add the fruit preserves, water  to a blender and blend till smooth, to this add the halved cherries and simmer for 5 minutes and let this cool.

3) Take this simmered fruit preserve with cherries and spread evenly to one of the cake layered with whipped cream frosting.

4) Now take the other cake spread with whipped cream frosting and place it gently on top of the cake layered with whipped cream and cherry preserves.

5) Now take the rest of the whipped cream and using a spatula spread on the top and the sides.

Finishing Touches

1/4 of 72% Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Bar  grated into chocolate shavings.

1) Take handful of these chocolate shavings and slowly put on the top and the side portions, decorate the top with cherries.

2) Refrigerate overnight and serve. The xylitol in the whipping cream, gives an ice cream effect to the whole black forest cake.

_

Event Participation

This goes straight to Crazy for Cakes an event by Priya of Now Serving.

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Eggless Banana Black Bean Brownie

Banana Black Bean Brownie - Does it sound weird? But the taste doesn't. If you like moist, dense and fudge brownies and love the flavor of banana, then you should definitely try this out. The main star ingredient is Black Beans in this nutritious brownie. But you can barely taste it, but the flavor of banana is predominant. So if you love bananas, then instead of making banana bread next time with those ripe ones try this nutritious, protein rich brownie. The additions of walnuts give a nice crunch and the small amount of oats give this little bit texture. I used Xylitol for sweetening. Do you know Xylitol doesn't cause cavities like sugar. They taste best after atleast a day of refrigeration. If you try this out, let me know how you liked it.

Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - 30 Minutes

Serves - Makes around 12 Brownies

Ingredients

Black Beans - 2 Cups(Soaked, Cooked, Rinsed and Drained)

Organic Ripe Bananas - 3(Medium sized)

Xylitol - 1/4 Cup

Unsweetened Cocoa powder - 1/4 Cup

Cinnamon - 1/2 Tsp

Vanilla extract - 1 Tsp

Instant Oats - 1/4 Cup

Oats Flour - 1/4 Cup

Walnuts chopped - 1/3 Cup



For Topping



100% Dark Chocolate(Unsweetened) - Few pieces

Milk - 2 Tbsp

Xylitol - 2 Tbsp or per taste.

Vanilla extract - few drops

Method



1) Preheat oven to 350F.



2) Combine all the ingredients except Oats, Oats Flour and Walnuts in a food processor blend until smooth. The beans should not be visible and the addition of bananas will give enough liquid to make a nice smooth batter.



3) Now add the Oats, Oats Flour and Walnuts and combine thoroughly.



4) Grease or line Parchment paper to 8x8" pan and pour the batter in the pan and bake for around 30 minutes till a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.



5) Cool in a wire rack and slice after completely cooled.



6) Add chocolate, milk, vanilla extract and xylitol in a bowl and slightly warm it so that the chocolate melts and  once the chocolate is in spreadable consistency using a spoon spread it on top of the baked and cooled brownies.



7) Refrigerate the brownies at least for one day and enjoy. The flavor, taste of black beans becomes very much unnoticeable after a day.



Check here for the Original Recipe.



Notes - The consistency of the batter depends on the size of the bananas and ripeness. If the bananas are big, make it two instead of three. The batter should be thick and in case you find the batter is two runny add another 1/4 cup of Oats or Oat Flour.



Events



1) Sending this to Delicious Dessert Event.



2) Sending this to Best Western Desserts - Valentine's Special hosted by Priya Mahadevan.



3) Sending this to Cooking with Fruits Hosted by Smita of Taste Buds.



4) Sending this to MLLA-32 Hosted by Sandhya and an event started by Susan.

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Eggless Whole Wheat Chocolate Cake

If you go and google Vegan Chocolate Cake or Eggless Chocolate Cake, this is one of the most popular recipe you will run across in several sites. Looks like this whacky vegan chocolate cake recipe is around for years and is a definite  keeper. I just made a few changes to suit my preferences by substituting All purpose flour with Whole Wheat flour and refined sugar with raw sugar. Absolutely moist and delicious, the apple cide vinegar used in the cake is not reflected in the taste at all.

I have made this cake several times with whole wheat flour alone and whole wheat pastry flour alone. The regular whole wheat gives a very dense texture and the whole wheat pastry flour gives a crumbly texture, the combination of these two give a soft, moist and real nice texture. Also in the photo above, I made it using 1/4 Cup butter instead of Oil but it gives a slightly lighter color. This recipe works well only with Oil and not so good with butter. You can see the difference in color in the photo below made using Oil.

Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - 15 to 30 Minutes(For Cupcakes around 15 or 9 Inch Cake 30 Minutes)

Serves - Makes around 12 Cupcakes or a 9 Inch Cake

Ingredients

White Whole Wheat Flour -1 Cup

Whole Wheat Pastry Flour - 1/2 Cup

Baking Soda - 1 Tsp

Salt - 1/4 Tsp

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - 1/4 Cup

Vanilla Extract - 1 Tsp

Unflavoured Oil like Sunflower oil - 1/3 Cup

Raw sugar - 3/4 Cup

Warm water - 1 Cup

Apple Cide Vinegar - 1 Tbsp

Method

1) To the Warm water add the raw sugar and let this sit while we get ready with the other things. The raw sugar has a coarse texture, so it gives a rough and uneven surface on the top when baked as it is. So by dissolving it little bit the coarse surface can be avoided.

2) Preheat oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenhiet.

3) Sieve the White Whole Wheat Flour and Pastry flour, to this add salt and baking soda and make a well in the center.

3) To the water and sugar mixture, add the cocoa powder and combine to form a nice brown paste, to this add the oil and combine.

5) Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine without over mixing. If you over mix, the gluten in the wheat hardens and you will get hard, dense cake. It is ok to have some lumps.

6) Line a baking pan with parchment paper or cup cake moulds with cup cake liner.

7) To the cake mix, add the apple cider vinegar and combine. You will see the batter is raising, pour the batter to the lined baking pan and bake till a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

8) Cool completely on a wire rack.

Notes - The cake is not that sweet and is perfect with Icing. For icing on the top, I whipped some butter with maple syrup and Chia powder(egg substitute) for the cup cakes. The one below, I used some raw whipping cream with Xylitol and served.

Events



1) Sending this to Delicious Dessert Event.



2) Sending this to Best Western Desserts - Valentine's Special hosted by Priya Mahadevan.



3) Sending this to Food Palette Series - Brown.

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Eggless Whole Grain Oat & Wheat Carrot & Walnut Cake

Cakes synonym of carb and sugar. I wouldn't say this cake is  guilt free nor I am promoting this as a health food, however i used whole grain, raw sugar, carrots and walnuts. This is a much better choice than sugary processed store bought cakes. Also used Xylitol for icing instead of icing sugar. I made this cake almost a year back, now i am more into baking with Almond Flour instead of grain flour will post them soon but I still have couple of Cakes and Cookies made using Grain. So after finishing the back log of recipes using whole grains will post the Almond Flour recipes.



Preparation Time - 5-10 mins

Cooking Time - 15-20 mins

Serves - Around 12 cakes





Ingredients



Oat Flour - 1 Cup

Whole wheat flour - 1 cup

Raw sugar - 1/2 cup (Increase this if you want a sweeter version)

Baking powder - 2 teaspoons

Baking Soda - 1/2 teaspoon

Ener-G Egg Replacer - 1 1/2 teaspoons

Salt - 1/4 teaspoon

Cinnamon powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Warm water - 3/4 Cup

Oil or Clarified Butter(Ghee) - 1/4 Cup

Apple cider vinegar - 1 tablespoon

Grated Carrot - 3/4 cup

Chopped Walnuts - 1/2 cup

Pureed Banana - 1/2 cup



Icing



100% Unsweetened Chocolate -  Around 6 pieces

Xylitol - 2 Tbsp or more if need a sweeter taste

Cream - 4 Tbsp

Butter - 1 Tsp

Vanilla extract - 1/2 Tsp



Method



1) Combine the Ener-G Egg Replacer with warm water and beat till fluffy,  now add the sugar, banana puree and oil and keep it aside.



2) Now add the grated carrots and chopped walnuts to the above mixture.



3) Combine Oats Flour, whole wheat flour, salt, cinnamon powder, baking powder, baking soda, sugar.



3) Add the flour mixture to the carrot mixture and stir thoroughly. Add Vinegar and combine it evenly.



5) Line a muffin mould with pape cups and fill till 3/4 .



6) Bake in a preheated oven set to 350 F for 15-20 mins until a knife inserted comes out clean.



7) Once baked, let it cool for couple of minutes.



8) Now brake the chocolate into few pieces add cream, butter and Xylitol to the mixture and heat till the chocolate melts, once the chocolate is in spreadable consistency using a spoon spread it on top of the baked and cooled cakes.



9) Sprinkle with powdered almonds and let the chocolate Gnache cool before you serve.

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Egg Free, Gluten Free, Low Fat Banana Nut Muffin

If you are used to baked products using white – all purpose flour, transition to whole grain baking is a big step. If you are used to gluten based products, transition to gluten free is another mile stone. Yes the baked goods taste little different than the ones with gluten. But they don’t taste bad, and you still can enjoy all the goodness in a healthier way. But do not attempt to lick all these batters after filling the baking pans, because the gluten free batters don’t taste that well at all. Of course baking removes all that bitterness, the overwhelming smell of the bean flours and makes it really palatable. Try this and let me know, how it turned out for you.



 Preparation Time – 15 Minutes

Cooking Time – 15 Minutes

Makes – Around 15 Muffins



Ingredients



Ripe Banana – 7

Organic whole grain ground corn meal – 1 3/4 cup

Amaranth Flour – 1/3 cup

White Bean Flour – 1/3 cup

Coconut Flour – 1/3 cup

Organic Corn Starch – 2 Tbsp as a egg replacer

Xanthum Gum – 1 Tsp

Raw Sugar – 1/2 cup or more if you want it sweeter

Yogurt – 1/4 cup

Chopped Walnuts – 1 cup

Cinnamon – 1 Tsp

Vanilla extract – 1 Tsp

Water – 1 Cup

Salt – 1/4 tsp

Baking Powder – 1 1/2 Tsp

 Baking Soda – 1 Tsp

Apple Cider Vinegar – 1 Tbsp



Method



1) Puree the ripe banana in a food processor,do not mash. I know you will be tempted to mash, but the puree definitely gives a nice texture then a mashed one.



2) Combine all the flours, corn meal, amaranth flour, white bean flour, coconut flour, corn starch, xanthum gum, chopped walnuts, baking soda, baking powder.



3) Preheat an oven to 350 Degree Fahrenheit.



 4) In another bowl add all the wet ingredients banana puree, yogurt, raw sugar, cinnamon powder, vanilla extract, salt, vinegar and water.



5) Line a muffin pan with baking cups or grease it with a non stick spray.



6) To the dry ingredients add all the wet ingredients and combine thoroughly to get a smooth batter.



 7) Now pour the batter up to 3/4th of the muffin cup and then bake for 15 minutes, until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.



8) Cool them in a wire rack and then enjoy.

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Eggless Fat Free Apple Upside Down-Banana Nut Cake

How many versions of Banana Nut cake do you make? I have been baking these banana nut bread, muffin cake for the past 10 Years and each and every time i make i try out something new. I love the flavor of banana in these baked goods so much, and never get tired of them. This is a lovely banana cake recipe. Bake it in a bundt pan and make little bit of icing and of course it is a cake. This recipe doesn’t use oil or butter and the only fat comes from the nuts used. So try out, enjoy and let me know how it came out.



Preparation Time – 15 Minutes

Cooking Time – 35-40 Minutes

Serves – 10



Ingredients



Bananas - 7

Whole wheat flour – 1 1/2 cup

Whole Oat flour – 1 1/2 cup

Ener g- 3 Tsp

Baking soda – 1 Tsp

Baking powder - 2 tsp

Vinegar – 2 tbsp

Raw sugar – 1 cup

Chopped Walnuts – 1 Cup

Apple sauce – 4oz(This is the fat substitute)

Salt – 1/2 Tsp

Water – 2 Tbsp

Sliced Almonds – 2 Handful



Method



1) Puree the banana in your blender and to this add, raw sugar, apple sauce and keep it aside.

2) In a wide bowl add the ener-g egg replacer and to this add the warm water and beat till frothy.

3) Preheat the baking oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.

4) Grease a baking pan with baking spray.

5) To the wet ingredients add all the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly without any lumps.

6) To this mixture add the vinegar and combine.

7) Pour the cake batter into the greased pan and on top place the sliced almonds bake around 30 minutes till the cake passes the tooth pick test.

8) Cool in a wire rack and go ahead with icing if you want to add few more calories to this cake.

9) Enjoy.

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Eggless Whole Wheat Fruit & Nut Cake

Know what you Eat – This is not a health food and nothing much to brag about, instead of all

purpose flour i have used white whole wheat flour. So slice them and watch out on portion

control and have them in between meals, so the indulgence will be less.

I made this for Muskaan’s sister who was visiting her with a new born, since she was on a

dairy free diet i used clarified butter instead of butter for making this cake. Yes clarified

butter is the only dairy product which will not cause any allergies. One of my friend’s son has

sever allergies and any ingestion will cause hives and breathing difficulties, but this clarified

butter(ghee) doesn’t cause any problem. So if you have dairy allergies check out with your Doctor and

try out clarified butter instead of butter next time. I  got this recipe from somewhere on the web

when i searched for eggless tutty fruity cake and noted it down, don’t remember from where i got this

recipe.

Ingredients

White whole wheat flour - 1 cup

Mixed spices powder(Cardamom, Nutmeg, cinnamon) - 1 teaspoon

Clarified butter(ghee) - 1/2 cup

Candied fruit - 1/3 cup

Chopped nuts - 1/4 cup

Brown sugar - 1/4 cup

Water - 3/4 cup (**)

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Salt  - pinch

Flaked almonds handful



Method

Put the mixed spices, clarified butter, dried mixed fruit, sugar and water into a saucepan.

Place them over a medium heat and stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved.

Bring to the boil and then simmer for 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and cool until lukewarm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add the baking soda, baking powder, pinch of salt.

Put the flour into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre of it.

Pour the lukewarm mixture into this.

Mix well and pour into a greased cake tin.

Smooth the top of the mixture and sprinkle with a few flaked almonds.

Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes at till a knife inserted in

the center comes out clean.

Turn onto a wire rack to cool. Cool them overnight and slice the next day.

Notes – I used White Whole wheat flour which was coarsely ground, if you are using

all purpose flour or finely ground whole wheat flour increase the water from 3/4 to 1 cup.







Event Participation



1) Sending this to Cakes & Cookies event hosted by Mahimaa of Indian Vegetarian Kitchen.



2) Sending this to Cakes & Cookies event hosted by Sara's corner.

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Vegan Fruit & Nut Cake/Bar

Know what you Eat - Eating a handful of nuts daily may help prevent weight gain and possibly promote weight loss. The fat, protein and fiber in nuts help you feel full longer, so you may eat less during the day. By helping induce a feeling of satiety, nuts may help people feel less deprived and not like they're "dieting." Dates are a good source of dietary fiber, calcium, sulphur, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, copper and magnesium which are advantageous for health. Raisins are rich in phytonutrient phenol which is an antioxidant and also a trace mineral, boron, a mineral that is critical to bone health. Apricots contain nutrients such as Vitamin A that promote good vision.



Eggless Cooking has so many wonderful recipes to be tried out. This one fit my bill with very less flour and lot of nutrients coming from the nuts. Madhu's recipe uses buttermilk and i wanted to fortify it some more and used the omega 3 rich Chia seeds as the egg substitute.



Ingredients



Whole Wheat flour - 3/4 cup

Baking soda - 1/4 teaspoon

Baking powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Salt - 1/4 teaspoon

Raw Sugar - 1/2 cup

Dried fruits(Dates, Raisins and apricots chopped) - 2 cups (The original recipe uses 3 cups)

Nuts chopped - 3 cups(Any nuts i used Almonds, Cashew, Pecan and Walnut)

Chia Seeds - 3 Tbsp(Instead of 3/4th cup buttermilk)

Water - 1 Cup + 1 Tbsp

Vanilla extract 1 teaspoon



Method



1) Soak Chia in 9 Tbsps water.

2) Preheat the oven at 350F.

3) In a large bowl whisk together whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and raw sugar.

4) Now add the chopped dried fruits and nuts of your choice and mix thoroughly using your fingers to remove any lumps.

5) Take the chia gel and transfer it into a blender add the remaining water little by little and blend nicely to create a slurry. Now the slurry will be in white color. Now addvanilla extract and whisk it nicely.

6) Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix it well.

7) Spread the batter into a 13×9 inch pan lined with parchment paper.

8) Bake it for 30-40 minuter till a knife inserted in center of the cake comes out clean.

9) Once out of the oven, leave the pan on a wire rack and let it cool completely before cutting into pieces.

10) Slice them into smaller pieces for portion control and enjoy as a guilt free snack.



Event Participation



1) This dish goes to T & T hosted by Poornima originated by Zlamin.



2) This goes to Food for Seven Stages of Life - Pregnancy(Zero Hour) hosted by Radhika.



3) This dish a sure kid pleaser goes to Kids Delight hosted by Srivalli.

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Multigrain Banana Nut Bread/Muffin & Awards

Know what you Eat - Bananas are an exceptionally rich source of fructooligosaccharide, a compound called a prebiotic because it nourishes probiotic (friendly) bacteria in the colon. These beneficial bacteria produce vitamins and digestive enzymes that improve our ability to absorb nutrients, plus compounds that protect us against unfriendly microorganisms. When fructooligosaccharides are fermented by these friendly bacteria, not only do numbers of probiotic bacteria increase, but so does the body's ability to absorb calcium. Walnuts are an excellent source of omega-3 essential fatty acids. Walnuts are also a very good source of the manganese and a good source of copper. In addition, walnuts contain the antioxidant phytochemical, ellagic acid. Whole wheat is good source of dietary fiber, Protein, Iron, B vitamins, Thiamin, Niacin, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Zinc. Finger millet(Ragi) is a very nutritious food with a complex carbohydrate profile and low glycemic index. Oats, via their high fiber content, are known to help remove cholesterol from the digestive system that would otherwise end up in the bloodstream. Panela(Jaggery) is a pure, wholesome, traditional, unrefined, whole sugar. It contains the natural goodness of minerals and vitamins inherently present in sugarcane juice & this crowns it as one of the most wholesome and healthy sugars in the world. It is rich in iron.

AWARDS TIME ONCE AGAIN

We got this award once again from two of our blogger friends. Thanks Suparna and Ashwini for passing on this award. Really appreciate it. The rule of this award is to share it with 7 people, and this time we would like to pass this on to Iraw Vegan, Pavani, Priya Narasimhan, Preethi, Sangeeta, Shubha and Vidya and to share 7 things about us.

Listing down 7 things about us:

Sadhana

Something i would like to achieve as a foodie- Gluten free, low carb & sugar baking

Something i would like to learn - Sanskrit

Short term goal - Do Yoga for atleast 15 mins.

Long term goal - To go and settle down back home

One of my weak points - Brooding over

One of my strong point - Not giving up

Hope Quotes - Shradha(Faith) & Saburi(Patience)

Muskaan

Something i would like to achieve as a foodie- Baking & Cake Decorating

Something i would like to learn - Salsa Dancing

Short term goal - Do Aerobics Everyday/Working for long term goal.

Long term goal - To work for a govt firm/ hospital

One of my weak points - Jump on Conclusions

One of my strong point - Caring & Responsible

Hope Quotes - 1.."Chinta Nahi Chintan Karo"(Stop Worrying But Enchant Gods Name) 2.. "Pay Attention for No Tension"

Now let us come back to the recipe. I normally bake a vegan version of this banana nut muffin, but this time i tried adding Panela(Jaggery) instead of Sugar. So replaced Sunflower Oil with butter as Jaggery/Molasses give a little harder texture to the baked goods and water with milk. It just came out perfect.

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour - 1 Cup

Whole Oats Flour - 1/2 cup

Whole Ragi(Finger Millet) Flour - 1/2 cup

Banana(Very Ripe ones) - 3

Panela(Jaggery) powder - 3/4 cup

Walnuts chopped - 3/4 cup

Milk - 1/2 cup (If you are using all purpose instead of hard whole wheat flour you wouldn't need this much, so combine the batter and add if necessary)

Butter - 1/2 cup

Apple Cider Vinegar - 2 Tbsp

Baking Soda - 2 Tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon Powder - 1/2 tsp

Method

1) Preheat Oven to 350 deg Fahrenheit.

2) Beat the butter, add the jaggery and mix well.

3) Combine whole wheat flour, Oats flour, Millet flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon powder and sieve it well.

4) Mash the bananas and add it to the butter and jaggery mixture.

5) Now add the flour to the banana, butter, jaggery mixture and add the milk and combine thoroughly.

6) Add chopped walnuts and apple cider vinegar and stir to combine evenly.

7) Line a muffin pan with baking cups and pour 3/4th of cup with the batter .

8) Bake for around 15-20 mins till a knife inserted comes out clean, enjot this guilt free snack.

Event Participation

1) This dish goes to Divya's cooking for kids evening snacks.

2) This dish also goes to Madhu's Whole Grain - Whole Wheat Baking Event.

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Vegan Fatfree Pineapple Coffee Cake

Know what you Eat:

Pineapple is an excellent source of the trace mineral manganese, which is an essential cofactor in a number of enzymes important in energy production and antioxidant defenses.In addition to manganese, pineapple is an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin B1, copper, dietary fiber and vitamin B6. Among the many benefits of vitamin B1 is its ability to increase blood circulation and provide a greater supply of oxygen to the blood cells. In addition, vitamin B1 is known to help with the proper metabolism of carbohydrates, making it vital to good digestion.

I wanted to send something for tried and tasted: fatfree vegan kitchen event and found this recipe in fatfree vegan kitchen. I didn't deviate much from the original except for cutting down the sugar from 1/2 to 1/4 cup and using whole wheat pastry flour instead of whole wheat flour. The pastry flour gives a lighter texture than the regular whole wheat flour. I also baked it in muffin mould as it will bake quicker (also you know, how many you are eating) and my job was done in around 20 mins.

Preparation Time - 5-10 mins

Cooking Time - 15-20 mins

Serves - Around 10 cakes

Ingredients

Oat Flour - 1 Cup

Whole wheat flour - 1 cup

Raw sugar - 1/4 cup

Baking powder - 2 teaspoons

Baking Soda - 1/2 teaspoon

Ener-G Egg Replacer - 1 1/2 teaspoons

Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

Cinnamon powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Water - 3 tablespoons(if required add this, i didn't add as the pineapple juice was sufficient enough).

Apple cider vinegar - 1 tablespoon

Crushed pineapple in pineapple juice - 1 cup

Unsweetened Applesauce - 1/2 cup

Topping

Demerara sugar - 2 tablespoons

Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp

Method

1) Put the oats in the blender and grind until fine thoroughly.

2) Combine oats powder, whole wheat pastry flour, salt, cinnamon powder, baking powder, baking soda, ener-g egg replacer, sugar.

3) Now add the crushed pineapple in pineapple juice, apple sauce, vinegar and water if required.

4) Stir to mix thoroughly.

5) Spray a muffin mould with cooking spray and fill till 3/4 .

6) Combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle it on the top and bake in a preheated oven set to 350 F for 15-20 mins until a knife inserted comes out clean.

7) Once baked, let it cool for couple of minutes and enjoy these guilt free snack.

Event Participation

This goes to the tried and tasted : Vegan Kitchen hosted by Vaishali originally started by Zlamushka's Spicy Kitchen.

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Vegan 4 Grain Strawberry Muffin/Cake

Know what you Eat : Strawberries have higher levels of vitamin c, fiber, folate and potassium than most other fruits like bananas, apples and even oranges. A recent study has shown that eating one serving (about 8-10 strawberries) a day can significantly decrease blood pressure, which may reduce the risk of heart disease.

I love to bake and baked goodies but after baking and eating them i really feel guilty of the amount of sugar and the carb in them. Now a days, i am trying to substitute all purpose flour with whole grain flours. For sugar with apple sauce and fruit juice, in this recipe i added 1 table spoon of beet pulp but really got scared at the color but after baking the color was all gone.


Cooking Time: 30mins
Preparation Time: 15 mins
Serves – 12 muffins

Ingredients

Chopped strawberries - 1 and 1/2 cups
Oats - 1/2 Cup
Whole barley - 1/2 Cup
Whole wheat pastry flour – 1/2 Cup
Brown Rice flour – 1/2 cup.
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
Chia powder - 2 table spoons (chia is very good egg substitute, instead of chia add 1/2 tsp more of baking soda and 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar)
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Apple Sauce - 1/2 Cup
Beet Pulp - 1 tbsp
Raw Sugar - 1/4 cup
Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 table spoon
Water - 1 Cup

Method

1) Grind whole barley and oats into powder
2) In a bowl combine Oats, whole barley, brown rice flour, Whole wheat pastry flour, Baking soda, salt, Cinnamon powder, Chia powder and sugar.
3) Mix the dry ingredients well and add Oil ,apple sauce and beet pulp.
4) Now add the chopped strawberries and add water and mix the batter well.
5) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6) Pour this batter to 3/4 of muffin mould and bake for 20 to 30 mins till a knife inserted comes out clean.
7) The muffin was slightly sweet if you have a sweet tooth add more sugar or serve with fruit preserves sweetened with fruit juice and fresh strawberries.

Event Participation

This dish goes to Whole Grain Baking Event - Barley hosted by Madhuram.

This dish is our contribution to Srivalli's Mithai Mela hosted by Cooking 4 all Seasons.
This goes to Strawberry Feast @ My kitchen treasures.
This dish goes to Original Recipes - Monthly Round up event hosted by Lorie.

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Vegan Chocolate Multigrain Muffin

Know what you Eat: Buckwheat contains almost 86 milligrams of magnesium in a one-cup serving. Magnesium relaxes blood vessels, improving blood flow and nutrient delivery while lowering blood pressure-the perfect combination for a healthy cardiovascular system.

Cooking Time: 30mins

Preparation Time: 15 mins

Serves – 12 muffins

Ingredients

Oats - 1/2 Cup

Whole barley - 1/2 Cup

Buck wheat powder- 1/2 Cup

Whole wheat pastry flour – 1/2 Cup

Brown Rice flour – 1/2 cup.

Baking powder - 1/2 tsp

Chia powder - 2 table spoons (chia is very good egg substitute)

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Apple Sauce - 1/2 Cup

Raw Sugar - 1/2 cup

Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp

Unsweetened Cocoa powder - 2 tablespoons

Oil - 1 table spoon

Water - 1 1/2 Cup

Method

1) Grind whole barley and oats into powder

2) In a bowl combine Oats, whole barley, buck wheat flour, brown rice flour, Whole wheat pastry flour, Baking powder, salt, Cinnamon powder, Cocoa powder, Chia powder and sugar.

3) Mix the dry ingredients well and add Oil and apple sauce.

4) Add water and mix the batter well.

5) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

6) Pour this batter to 3/4 of muffin mould and bake for 20 to 30 mins till a knife inserted comes out clean.

7) Buck wheat has a strong nutty flavor so be prepared for it. Enjoy this as a quick breakfast or as a guilt free snack.

Event Participation –
This goes to Whole Grain Baking – Brown Rice an event hosted by Madhuram
of Eggless Cooking.

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Nutritious PineApple Multigrain Muffin

Good to Know - Barley is a very good source of fiber and selenium. It also serves as a good source of the minerals phosphorus, copper and manganese. When buying for barley look for hulled or whole barley as Pearl barley goes through various degrees of polishing, or "pearling". Pearl barley is much less chewy and quicker cooking than hulled barley, but it is also much lower in nutrients, and would not be considered whole grain.



 Ingredients

Oats - 1/2 Cup
Whole barley - 1/2 Cup
Quinoa - 1/2 Cup
Whole wheat flour – 1/2 Cup
Brown Rice flour – 1/2 cup.
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Chia powder - 2 table spoons (chia is very good egg substitute)
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Apple Sauce - 1/2 Cup
Pineapple juice - 1/2 Cup
Pineapple Slices - 5
Chopped Pecans - handful
Dates - 5
Honey - 2 table spoons (You can make it to 1/2 cup or to taste, I made a kind of sugar free version so if you want make it sweeter)
Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 table spoon
Water - 1 Cup

Method of Preparation
 1) Chop the pineapple into small pieces.
2) Dry roast oats, whole barley and quinoa separately till the raw smell is gone.
3) Combine all of the above and grind it to a fine powder.
4) In a bowl combine Oats, whole barley, quinoa powder, brown rice flour, White Whole wheat flour, Baking powder, salt, Cinnamon powder, chopped pecans, Chia powder, chopped dates.
5) Mix the dry ingredients well and add the Oil, chopped pineapple and pine apple juice, honey and apple sauce.
6) Add water and mix the batter well. This batter should be much thicker than pancake batter.
7) Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.
8) Pour this batter to muffin mould (you can pour 3/4 or full as it doesn't raise much) and bake for 20 mins till a knife inserted comes out clean.
9) The muffin was not hard nor very soft and fluffy but tasted good and is very nutritious because of all the whole grains.
10) This muffin wasn't very sweet, so if you want can increase the quantity of honey or serve this with fruit preserve if required and have as a healthy breakfast and as a guilt free snack.

Event Participation

1) Sending this to Whole Grain Baking Event - Brown Rice hosted by Madhuram of Eggless Cooking.Cooking Time: 20 mins
Preparation Time: 15 mins
Serves – 12 muffins

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