Kinnow Orange Cake

When talking about oranges, the one thing that is unanimous with all kinds of oranges is the zesty fresh flavor and the very obvious sweet tang. Every bite of this orange cake has that orangey kick, making it the perfect accompaniment to your evening tea.

For this cake, I adapted Leite's Culinaria's Satsuma Orange Cake. The cake is very different in that the peel remains on the orange slices, imparting an amazing sweet bitterness that we associate orange peels with. The original recipe recommends using thin skinned oranges, but since we only get no more than three varieties of the fruit in India, my best bet for thin skinned was the kinnow, which the market is full of these days.

I have tweaked the original recipe, especially the glaze part. When I made this cake for the first time, the glaze reduction turned into hard candy when poured on the cake, ruining the flavor and making it extremely difficult to enjoy the real flavor of the cake.

Kinnow Orange Cake

- makes one 8-inch cake

Glazed oranges:

3 kinnows
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Cake:

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar or regular white sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup semolina (sooji)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Grate the zest of one kinnow and juice the fruit to get 1/3 cup juice. You may need another kinnow to get the required amount.

Slice the remaining two kinnows into rounds, about 1/4 inch thick. Microwave these on HI for a minute. In the meantime, add 1/2 cup sugar, lemon juice, kinnow juice, and salt to a saucepan and allow it to simmer on low heat. Add the sliced kinnow slices and let them cook for about 15-20 minutes till the peels can be sliced easily with a fork. Cook for another five minutes if the peels are tough. Reserve the remaining syrup.

Preheat oven to 160C. While the kinnow slices are simmering, cream butter, sugar and eggs in a medium sized bowl. Add flour, semolina, baking powder, salt, and orange zest. Mix everything together with a spatula. Pour the batter in an 8 inch pan and layer the softened fruit slices on top of the cake, as indicated in the picture.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove cake from the pan and pierce the entire cake using a skewer. Pour the reserved glaze on top of the cake. Serve warm.

Eggless Raisin Scones

Baking scones had been on my mind ever since I discovered the endless possibilities involving flour, sugar, and butter (also, baking powder). Somehow, they never made it to my oven...possibly because I had no idea about the taste and texture of perfect scones. When I chanced upon this recipe (thank you Fatima...yet again!), I just HAD to make them. 

So, I spent quite a while researching about the texture and put my skills to test. If you haven't tasted scones yet (we don't get them in India...or so I think 'cos I have never seen them anywhere), prepare to be surprised. They taste nothing like cake or cookies. In fact, the texture is slightly crumbly, with a crisp crust and a soft inside...they're out of this world amazing!

For the egg version, Schee Culina's recipe is wonderful. I was out of eggs so I decided to improvise. 

Don't they look beautiful? 

Eggless Raisin Scones 

- makes 8 scones

2 cups all-purpose flour

8 tbsp powdered sugar

3 tbsp yogurt (dahi)

100 gms cold butter

1/4 cup milk (mixed with 1/2 tbsp vinegar and set aside for 5 minutes) + 2 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

handful of raisins or 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 180C.

Sift the dry ingredients together. Cut the cold butter into small cubes and mix with the flour till the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, like you would do to make pie crust. 

Now, add in the sour milk, vanilla, yogurt, and raisins. Knead till the mixture comes together and forms a dough. 

Shape the dough into a ball and cut into two. Place the halves on top of each other and cut into two again. Now, place these on top of each other and cut again. Pile all the halves and roll out the dough into a long rectangle (pictures of the procedure here). 

Line a baking tray with butter paper/parchment and place the scones on the tray. Lightly brush them with milk and bake for 17 minutes. 

Serve warm with butter, jam, or Nutella.

No Fat Banana Muffins

You know, muffins are a total opposite of their counterparts, the glamorous cupcakes. While a cupcake attracts you with it's beauty and charm, the humble muffin attracts you with it's warmth and wit, quite like the a super hot woman you see in the club (but can't get) and the woman you want to spend your life with. The analogy is cringe-worthy but hey! you know it's true.

BTW, I spent the weekend in Agra, marveling at the beautiful Taj Mahal and I have to say, at the first glimpse of the magnificent monument, you take a step back and go "Whoa!". Then you spend the weekend putting all kinds of crap in your body, without thinking of the muffin top. When you come back, you want to think of a way to honor the muffin top, so you end up making muffins but the ones with zero fat, that make you want to hug them and cry out with relief. Try them, they're real good. (I promise you won't miss butter in them!)

No Fat Banana Muffins 

- makes 5 large muffins


1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unprocessed brown sugar (shakkar)
1/2 cup skim milk (mixed with 1/2 tbsp vinegar and left to stand for 5 minutes)
2 large eggs
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
2 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp almond/coconut/olive oil
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3-4 tbsp chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 160C.

Whisk eggs and unprocessed sugar. Add oil, peanut butter, and milk. Whisk everything together for a minute.

Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold with a spatula till all the ingredients are well incorporated. Fold in the bananas and chocolate chips.

Pour batter into a muffin tray or muffin cups. Bake till a skewer inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.

Notes:


1. The milk+vinegar mixture is a technique I learnt from my friend and fellow blogger, Schee Culina, who makes some real good food. It is the secret to fluffy goodness.

2. This recipe is very versatile. Feel free to use oats, wheat bran, or even semolina as an additional ingredient. Make sure you change the quantity of other ingredients accordingly.