No matter if you feel this year either whooshed past swiftly like a gale or moved along rather slowly at a snail’s pace, you’re obviously glad its December, which heralds the festivities of Christmas. People of all faiths observe Christmas – the birth of Lord Jesus as a festival, cultural happening, by exchanging gifts with loved ones, singing cheerful carols and imbibing the essence of sharing and caring, by demonstrating thoughtful, charitable acts of kindness and generosity.
It is indeed a sheer delight to witness entire cities and towns, including crowded shops, busy streets, little homes, clad in the merry colours of red, green, gold, with ornately decorated pine trees, vividly glowing stars and bright sparkling lights. While this is certainly a treat to the eyes, you are now left wondering what mouth-watering desserts to prepare, which will serve as the perfect indulgences to satiate those huge, festival-time appetites of your friends, family and of course, yourself.
Also Read: Pastry Cake: Eggless & Moist Delicious Desserts That Will Earn You Laurels In A Trice
Well, look no further! We bring you two absolutely appetizing recipes of irresistible plum cake and yummy chocolate cupcake, packed with nutritious ingredients like dry fruits, nuts, fresh milk, to relish with near and dear ones, for a fun, jolly time this Christmas. So don’t let the still ravaging COVID-19 pandemic, stay at home precautions and numerous travel restrictions dampen your energetic and totally excited Xmas-time party mood. Just go ahead, wear your chef’s caps (or should we say Santa hats) and bake these decadent sweetened delicacies. Guaranteed, these lip-smacking dishes will not only impress your pals and relatives but will ensure they eat to their heart’s content and are still left asking for more.
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Scrumptious Recipes To Savour On The Joyous Occasion Of Christmas:
Nutty Non-Alcoholic Plum Cake:
Christmas celebrations are synonymous with plum cake and there are many variants to this yummy delicacy. Traditionally, various dry fruits, seeds and nuts are soaked in rum, brandy or other liqueurs for at least two months in advance before Christmas, allowing all the ingredients to absorb the natural flavours. Also known as fruit cake, the plum cake has emerged into various avatars in the last few decades and during December holiday season, we find a wide range of plum cakes like non-diabetic fruit cake and non-alcoholic versions of it. If you are planning to bake a plum cake this season, let us share this super easy non-alcoholic recipe that can be relished by all age groups.
Ingredients:
1.5 cups maida
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp nutmeg powder
¼ tsp cinnamon powder
¼ tsp dry ginger powder
1 tsp orange zest
½ cup refined oil – preferably sunflower oil
1 cup slightly sour curd
1 tsp pineapple essence
100 ml milk at room temperature
For Soaking:100 ml ready-to-use mixed fruit juice
1 cup tutti frutti
¼ cup dried apricots
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup prunes
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup almonds
¼ cup cashew
¼ cup walnuts
Method:
In a bowl, take mixed fruit juice. Add all the chopped dry fruits and let it soak for 2 hours.
Preheat oven at 180 degrees. Line an 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper.
In another bowl, add curd, oil, brown sugar and pineapple essence. Whisk till sugar melts completely.
Sieve in maida, baking soda and baking powder together. Add all the spice powders. Mix well.
Fold in soaked dry fruits and nuts and orange zest.
Add milk and give it a nice stir till you get the right consistency of cake batter.
Pour it in the cake tin and top it with few dry fruits.
Bake for 45 minutes. Run a skewer in the cake and if comes out clean, it is done completely.
Sprinkle some icing sugar after cooling down and serve.
Nutrition:
Plum cake is perhaps a good mix of all the nutrients. Dry fruits are an amazing source of good carbs, protein, fibre and can instantly up the energy levels. Mixed fruit juice carries the goodness of all fruits in one go, refreshing and flavourful. Soaking all ingredients in the juice helps in absorbing all vitamins and minerals. Spice powders including dry ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg boost metabolism, trigger digestion. Milk is a wholesome food and is a rich source of vitamin A and protein. Since we are using brown sugar in this recipe, it can be relished by the people with diabetes in moderate amounts.
Christmas-Themed Eggless Chocolate Cupcake:
Cupcakes are definitely a pure saccharine pleasure, albeit in a mini size, that come in an array of palates, from strawberry, lemon, blueberry, to red velvet and even coconut. Nevertheless, the rich chocolate flavour is still, undoubtedly, the fan favourite of kids, teens, adults and the elderly during Christmas season. And when topped with celebration-themed objects like intricate snowflakes, Santa Claus, evergreen pine trees, neat holly leaves, that are completely edible as well, these cocoa-filled baked goodies are bound to impress your kith and kin. Simply follow this tasty recipe to whip up some truly tempting choco cupcakes.
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup powdered sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk
½ cup flax seed extract
Christmas baking stencils of Santa Claus, pine tree, holly, snowflake, snowman
Food colouring in red, green, white
For The Cream Topping:½ cup salted butter
1 cup sugar granules
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup cocoa powder
3 tbsp fresh cream
Method:
In a big bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
Pour the milk, flax seed extract into this bowl, allow it to stay at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Stir well to obtain a batter, adding required amount of water to adjust for thickness and consistency.
Fill in the cupcake baking tray with equal amounts of this batter up to half the full level.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius, then bake for 15 minutes, until the batter rises and is soft.
Take it out of the oven and let the cupcakes cool down.
Meanwhile, shape the remaining batter with the Christmas-themed baking stencils into Santa callus, pine tree, holly, snowflake, snowman.
Grease a baking tray, then bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees Celcius, to procure a crisp, cookie-like texture.
Allow these cookies to cool, then fill in with colouring to form vibrant Santa Claus, pine tree, holly, snowflake, snowman decorative toppings.
In a separate vessel, beat the butter along with sugar granules, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and fresh cream.
Blend in a mixer on high speed until a frosty creaming is formed.
Pour this frosting into a piping bag, then swirl in on top of the chocolate cupcakes, finally placing the Christmas-themed crunchy cookies.
Dig into these alluring eggless chocolate cupcakes for an enjoyable Christmas sweet treat.
Nutrition:
Milk is a superfood, loaded with proteins for strong muscles, development of bodily organs, tissues, as well as calcium, for fortified bones and flexible joints. Fresh cream supplies healthy unsaturated fats, that promote healthy metabolism, besides augmenting heart functions. Flax seeds contain a treasure trove of antioxidants, that flush out toxins, harmful free radicals from the body, apart from possessing vast reserves of dietary fibers, to uplift digestion processes.
Netmeds.com Wishes All Its Customers A Very Happy, Safe And Merry Christmas 2020!
