Danish Apple Cake Recipe | Easy Tea Cakes

Danish apple cake recipe with step by step photos.Tea cakes or Brownies are the most preferred ones at home rather than the cream based cakes.I have made this Danish apple cake several times and served to guests and I have even baked them in beautiful disposable loaf pans and it was loved by everyone.I have followed the recipe from one of my old books-Nita mehta cakes and bakes and must say that this recipe is a keeper and is tried and tested by me many times.The addition of walnuts and cinnamon powder complements the soft and juicy bite apple and must say that this was totally delicious.Try this quick and easy apple cake this Christmas.

Check out other Tea time bakes in my blog:

• Banana Bread
• Carrot Cake | Moist Carrot Cake Recipe
• Christmas Fruit Cake | Kerala Plum Cake
• Mango Pound Cake
• Pineapple Upside Down Cake-Step wise recipe
• Eggless-Dates Cake
• Eggless Marble Cake
• Eggless Parle-G Biscuit Cake
• Eggless Vanilla Sponge Cake | Eggless Tutti Frutti Cake 
• Eggless Orange flavored Sponge Cake

Here is how to make danish apple recipe with step by step photos:
Danish Apple Cake Recipe:
yields:8" square cake | Source: Nita Mehta
Prep time: 10 mins | Baking time: 35-40 mins | Total time: 50 mins
Cuisine: International | Category: Baking-Cakes

Ingredients:
3/4 cup(75 gms) All purpose flour
3/4 cup(75 gms) powdered Sugar
1 cup Red Apple,cored and chopped along with peel(from one big apple)
1/4 cup Walnuts
75 ml Oil
2 large Eggs
3/4 tsp Cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp Baking powder
a pinch of Baking Soda
a pinch of Salt
1 tsp Vanilla essence

for topping:
1/2 Red Apple,cut into slices along with the peel
1 tbsp Brown sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder
1 tsp melted Butter

Method:

• Grease an 8"square tin with butter/oil and dust it with flour or you can line a parchment paper in the tin.
• Sift flour with baking powder,baking soda,salt and cinnamon powder.

• Separate egg whites and egg yolks.Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt and vanilla essence till stiff.Add sugar in batches and beat well after each addition.
• Put egg yolk one at a time.Beat well.

• Add oil and beat for half a minute.
• Add flour gradually and fold gently with a large wooden spoon.

• Fold 1 cup apples and chopped walnuts(dust the walnuts with flour before adding) into the batter.
• Pour the batter into the prepared tin and evenly arrange the remaining apple slices on the batter.

• Mix a 1 tbsp of brown sugar with 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder and 1 tsp melted powder in a bowl and sprinkle this mixture on the arranged apples in the tin.
• Bake in pre-heated oven at 170 deg C/300 deg F for 35-40 mins.Insert a skewer in the center to check the doneness of the cake.If it comes out clean,remove from oven.

• Let it cool and invert on a rack and cut into pieces and serve.

You can serve a warm/cold custard sprinkled with the cinnamon powder along with the cake.

Notes:

1. You can bake this in two small loaf tins or 1 big loaf tin too.
2. Walnuts add a nice bite in the cake,so do not miss it.
3. The cup I used in the recipe is 1 cup = 200ml.

Technorati Tags: apple cake,tea cakes,egg based tea cakes,baking recipes,apple tea cake,christmas cake recipes,tea time snacks

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Oats Porridge Recipe | Indian Oats Recipes

I am not a big fan of sweetened oats porridge recipes and always struggle to finish a bowl of oats. Hence, I always settle on the savory versions of Oats like Dahi Oats, Oats pongal, Oats Bisibelebath, Oats Kharabath. I have a version of Oats-fruits shake in my blog which I really like.
When I try adding fruits to the hot oats, it curdles sometimes and also fruits does not taste good in hot milk and hence I stopped making it as I don't enjoy plain or sweetened oats. Of late, I found a version of oats with fruits which really suits my taste buds.I precook the oats with water and just before serving, I add lukewarm milk with lots of fruits and dry fruits to it.I do not add any sweetener to my porridge, as the natural sweetness and slight sourness of fruits and dry fruits makes the porridge taste just right. While it is one's personal preference to add sweeteners like sugar or honey for this recipe, If you are a not a fan of oats porridge like me, do give my version a try. I am sure you would also change your mind after trying this.You can play with the ingredients and make the porridge according to your taste. If you have interesting porridge recipes, please mention them in the comments, I would be happy to see your versions too.
Oats Porridge for Breakfast Recipe:
(Serves 2)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup quick cooking Oats
1 1/2 cups boiled and luke warm Milk
1 big ripened mango,peeled and chopped(or 1 apple)
2 bananas,peeled and chopped
1 tbsp roasted Flax seeds
2-3 tbsp cranberries(or raisins)
2 tbsp chopped nuts(almonds,walnuts,pistachios)
1/2 tsp Vanilla essence( or 1/4 tsp Cinnamon powder if using apple)
1-2 tbsp Honey(optional)

Method:

• Slightly roast oats for a minute on medium flame.This step is optional but makes the porridge less sticky.
• Boil 1 cup of water and add oats to it and boil for 2-3 mins until it is done.Let it come to the room temperature.This would form like a thick mass,do not bother .Once you add milk it would be alright.
  
• While serving add the lukewarm milk and vanilla essence(or cinnamon) to the cooled oats and mix well.
• Add cranberries(or raisins) to it and mix well.
• Transfer this to two bowls and top it with chopped banana,mango/apple,nuts and roasted flax seeds.

Serve it immediately.Mix well and eat it immediately.You can add honey on top if you want,I did not add honey as the sweetness from fruits and cranberries were enough to me.
Notes:

1. As the mangoes are seasonal you can add fruits like apple, pear, grapes, chikoo, pomegranate instead of mangoes.But make sure you add bananas to the porridge.
2. You can boil the oats and keep them aside.But make sure you mix in the milk and other ingredients just before serving.Oats should be served as soon as it is prepared.As I am adding the fruits it might curdle if I add when it is hot and hence I follow this process and it tastes really nice if done in this way.
3. You can skip adding vanilla essence to the porridge but gives a nice flavor.You can even add cardamom powder instead of vanilla essence in the recipe.
4. I used elakki baale(Elaichi banana) variety in the recipe for this as I like the sweetness of it.You can use what ever variety you get.

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Eggless Chunky Apple Streusel Muffins

I think that I have already mentioned in my earlier posts about TH's love for muffins,as apparently his breakfast for over four years in Hong Kong was a muffin and a cup of coffee...and he never got bored of it . In fact, in his trips to Hong Kong he tries visiting the same breakfast joint. He cherishes those moments even now and always asks me to make them on a regular basis.I do bake them, but not as frequently as I am a bit worried on the amount of butter and flour that goes into them.

I had a pack of apples which were lying in my fruit basket for a while so I thought its better to use them in a cake/muffin. After a quick search on the net, I zeroed on Divya's chunky apple muffins.I started off thinking of making her version but changed my mind while making it and replaced egg with a mashed banana and also decided to make a healthy streusel topping and hence I tweaked the original recipe.The soft bites of the apple and a crunchy nutty streusel topping makes this muffin very tasty.Those muffins turned out so moist and fluffy that TH demanded another batch soon . I tried with the egg version next time and was happy to see that even my eggless version turned out as tasty as the egg version. Glad that my changes to the recipe worked.
I also have a very healthy version of Eggless whole wheat banana muffins in my blog,in case you are interested check out the recipe here. These are good as morning breakfast or as a snack anytime.

Eggless Chunky Apple Streusel Muffins:
(makes 9 big or 12 medium sized muffins)
Adapted from : Easy Cooking

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups All purpose flour
3/4 cup Sugar
1/3 cup Oil
1 large ripened Banana* or 1 1/2 medium sized ripened bananas
1/3 cup Milk
2 Apples,peeled cored and chopped
2 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt

for Streusel topping***:
2 tbsp Muesli
2 tbsp Oats
1/4 cup All purpose flour
2 tbsp Walnuts,chopped
1/4 cup Brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
2 tbsp melted unsalted Butter**
a pinch of Salt
Method:

• Pulse sugar in a mixer to a powder for approx 10-20 seconds.
• Sieve flour,cinnamon,baking powder and salt together for 3-4 times until the mixture is mixed properly.
• Meanwhile preheat your oven at 200 deg C(400 deg F) for 10 mins.
• Line the muffin molds and grease them with oil lightly.
• In a bowl mash banana to a smooth paste using your hand.
• Add milk and oil to it and mix well using a hand whisker until everything is well mixed.
• Add sugar to it and mix nicely.
• Add the dry ingredients of flour mixture which we sieved and fold it in the wet ingredient mixture carefully.Just fold in lightly,do not mix it vigorously.
• Fold in the cored and chopped apples in it and scoop 2-3 tbsp of batter to each muffin mold.Fill upto 2/3rds full.
• For streusel - mix all the ingredients oats,muesli,flour,chopped walnuts, cinnamon, melted butter and salt in a bowl until you get a crumble mixture.
• Top the muffins with 1 tbsp streusel mixture and bake them in oven at 160 deg C for 20-25 mins. After 20 mins keep an eye on the muffins and check whether they are cooked or not by using toothpick test.If your pricked toothpick comes clean then they are done.
• Cool them in the mold for 3-4 mins and then invert them on to the wire rack.While inverting the muffin do it on a plate to avoid the mess of falling streusel(if any).You can pop it into your mouth or use as granola,it taste really yumm.

Serve them warm or at room temperature.It stays good outside for 2 days or 3-4 days when refrigerated.

*With Egg - You can replace banana with 1 large egg in the recipe as the original recipe said.I have baked both the versions with egg as well as with banana and both came out extremely moist and yummy.It is your wish to make either egg or eggless version.
**You can use salted butter and avoid the salt in the recipe.
***The original Streusel topping is made up of 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar,5 tbsp softened butter,1/2 cup chopped walnuts and 1/2 tsp salt.You can even follow this recipe for a firm streusel topping.As I used oats and muesli in my streusel,some portion of it was falling off but had a nice and guilt free crunch of oats on top.
Notes:

• I halved the recipe with the ingredients exactly half of the measurements in the recipe and it worked out nice.Even though you halved the recipe use 1 medium ripened banana or 1 small egg in the recipe,and the other ingredients with exactly half the measurements.It yielded me 6 medium muffins for the recipe.
  

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Fruit Sticks/Fruit Cocktail Sticks | Party Recipes

I had no intention to post this as this sounds silly for anyone and also is quite common but thought of posting this as it might give an idea for people who are not aware of this.I had prepared this recently for a small get together at my house and was able to capture few clicks.This is one of the most easiest ones to prepare and also a very good healthy snack for kids and is easy to serve in parties.Kids will love to eat it when served with chocolate fondue or chocolate sauce.

Fruit Sticks | Cocktail Fruit Sticks Recipe:
(Serves 5-6 people as finger food)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Watermelon scoops,seeded
1/2 cup Muskmelon scoops,seeded
1/4 cup Strawberry slices or 8-10 Strawberries,cut into halves
4 Pineapple slices(tinned),cut into flour
16-18 fresh Italian sweet Basil leaves
1/2 tsp Chaat masala
a pinch of Salt

to serve:
Chocolate sauce

Method:

• Scoop out the watermelon into tiny balls and remove the seeds and keep the scoops aside.
• Remove the seeds of muskmelon and scoop into tiny balls using the scooper and keep them aside.
• Take a toothpick or any fancy cocktail stick and start pricking in the centre of each fruit and take care you do the colors in alternative way.While doing this also insert a basil leaf folded into half in between to give a nice color contrast to fruits.
• Arrange them on a platter and sprinkle chaat masala and a pinch of salt all over it.

Serve them with Chocolate sauce or just as a finger food.

Notes:

• Always serve this fresh or if you are planning to make it ahead keep them in a closed container and keep it refrigerated until its use.Remove it form refrigerator 15 mins before and arrange on a serving platter and sprinkle chaat masala and salt just before serving.

Variations:

1. This recipe is so versatile and any kind of fruit like kiwi,papaya, mango,black grapes,green grapes,any kind of berries,cherries(stoned) or any fruit of your choice.
   
2. Avoid the fruits like apple,pear,banana as they change their color very soon.If you are serving immediately you can use them otherwise it will spoil the look of the cocktail sticks.
3. You can also insert marshmallows or candied cherries or a cube of cheese in between as the kids love them.
4. You can sprinkle pepper powder for a bit spicy version.You can also drizzle honey but when serving as a finger food it will mess up our hands,hence better avoid it.

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Fruit Trifle | Trifle Pudding....and my 250th post!!!

YIPPEE...this is my 250th post and I am really proud of reaching this milestone.
Milestone posts always need to be celebrated with a special post. While I didn't make this specifically for my post, I saved this to post for the milestone one, as it is apt for the occasion.

I had made this Trifle pudding for a family get together about three weeks back for a group of 12 people while I was in Bangalore. Though I could not take nice pics as it was already late in the evening and I was running short of time , I still managed to click a few pics.This pudding is a bit time consuming to prepare but it's very light and makes you feel like eating more even after a heavy meal.
This is a great party recipe and this pudding never fails to impress any one.So what are you thinking?plan to make this pudding for your next party and wait to receive the compliments.This dessert is quite colorful,light on stomach and would be loved by kids as well.Coincidentally my friend Priti also has posted the same Fruit Trifle recipe,do check her blog for her version.

Fruit Trifle | Trifle Pudding Recipe:
(Serves 4-6)

Ingredients:
to assemble:
6-8 plain vanilla Sponge cake slices
1 cup diced Jelly
2 cups Custard,medium thickness
1 cup mixed Fruits
1/2 cup Whipped cream
1/3 cup Sugar syrup or 1/3 cup fresh Orange juice
3-4 tbsp Tutti fruti or 10 glazed candied Cherries

for jelly:
1/2 pack Jelly crystals(preferably strawberry/raspberry flavor)
200 ml Water

for custard:
2 tbsp Vanilla custard powder
4-5 tbsp Sugar
1/2 litre Milk

for sugar syrup:
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Water

fruits needed:
2 elaichi Bananas/1 big Banana(peeled,diced small)
1/2 Apple(cored,skinned,finely diced)
1/2 Orange(skinned,seeded,chopped fine without pith)
1/2 Mosambi/Sweet lime(skinned,seeded,chopped fine without pith)
1/4 cup Pomegranate kernels
you can also use (Mangoes,Peaches,Blueberries,Strawberries,seedless Grapes) - Subjected to availability
Method:
for making custard:

• Take 1/4 cup milk aside and mix in the custard powder and mix well.
• Boil milk until it comes to a boil and reduce the flame and add custard powder mixed with milk and mix it vigorously and continuously.Add sugar and mix well.
  
• Let it thicken until it coats the back side of the ladle.Switch off the flame and let it cool completely.Refrigerate it until its usage.
  

for making Jelly:

• Always follow the instructions given on the pack for making,in general reduce the quantity of water to get perfect jelly.In our case even if the jelly is bit soft it is fine as we are layering it in between other layers and it is preferred to be soft than the firm jelly.
• In order to make jelly boil the water and mix the jelly crystals and mix well until it melts completely and let it boil for a minute.
• Pour this mixture over a flat plate(with the wall) to get 1/4" thickness and let it set for an hour or two.dice into fine cubes and keep it refrigerated until its usage.
  

preparing the mixed fruits:

• While cutting the fruits always start with the citrus fruits like orange,mosambi so that it will help in avoiding the discoloration of the fruits like apples,banana which we add later.Otherwise you can add few drops of lemon juice which helps in discoloration of apples and bananas.
• Cut all the fruits into even sized pieces and mix with a spoonful of sugar and mix well.Keep it refrigerated until its usage.
  

for making sugar syrup:

• In a pan boil water and add sugar and let it melt completely and boil for a couple of minute.No need to boil this for more time.If you are using orange juice you avoid this step of making sugar syrup.

for assembling Trifle pudding:

• Remove the brown edges of sponge cake and dice it into small cubes and keep them aside.
• Arrange the glasses or the serving bowls in an order before we start the process.You can even use a big wide fancy bowl for this,but I prefer individual bowls as it is easy to serve and mess free as well.
• First add a thin layer of colorful jelly cubes and then top it with a layer of sponge cake cubes.
• Sprinkle sugar syrup or orange juice all over to moisten the cake pieces and gently press the cake down.
• Add 2-3 tbsp custard all over the cake slices covering the gaps in between.
• Add 1-2 tbsp of mixed fruits and again pour a layer of custard over it.
• Now repeat the process of jelly layer,cake layer,custard layer,fruits layer and then again custard layer.You can repeat the process according to the size of your serving bowl/glass, generally 2-3 layers would be more than enough.
• Top it with 1-2 whipped cream,you can even use a piping bag for this job to make it look more pretty.
• Sprinkle some jelly cubes and tutti fruti over it or keep a candied glazed cherry over it.
• Use a cling wrap and cover each and every individual mold.
• Let this set in refrigerator for 5-6 hrs which helps in enhancing and mixing up of flavors.Do not keep this in freezer,just keep it refrigerated.

Serve it cold.
Notes:

1. There are no hard rules while layering the pudding,you can use the quantities as you wish and also layer them in the order you wish.
2. You can use the fruits according to your taste.
3. I suggested strawberry/raspberry flavored jelly as it makes the trifle colorful.But there is no hard rule for it you can use the jelly flavor of your choice.
4. Always set the desserts in refrigerator for few hours in order the flavors to get mixed and make the dessert tasty.

I am sending this to Rak's 'Celebrate SWEETS' event which was originally started by Nivedita.I am also sending this to Pari's 'Only-Sweets and Desserts' event which is being hosted by Gayathri.

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Oats 'n' Fruits Power Shake/Smoothie | Indian Oats Recipes

Gals,do u remember my earlier post Savory Oats porridge??

After a great successful attempt to satisfy our stomach with those boring oats I wanted to try something new again with them.With some new ideas from Tv shows and bloggers I tried making this and was very happy with the results and we really loved the taste of fruits with oats.The taste of mango has completely dominated the other ones and gave its very special taste to this shake.I felt it was a completely satisfying breakfast with a couple of plain toasts and so thought of sharing it with you guys.I am sure even your kids will not complain anything about this,it is really a easy way to make them eat those healthy cereals and here comes the way I did.


Ingredients:

3/4 cup Oats
2 cups milk
1 medium ripen mango
1 medium ripen banana
1/2 cup ripen musk melon
5-6 blanched almonds
honey to taste(for sweetening)
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp chopped mixed nuts and raisins

Method:

• Boil oats in milk until soft and let it cool down completely.
• Chop all the fruits into medium size pieces and blend everything with the cooked oats and honey,cardamom powder into a fine puree.Add milk and honey according to the taste and consistency.
• Add blanched nuts to it and run it once again.No need to blend the nuts into a fine paste.It tastes good when u get some bits of nuts in between while you are savoring this shake.
• Keep in refrigerator for some time or serve as it is.
• Serve it with some finely chopped almonds,pistachios,raisins and some finely chopped fruits.

Note:

1. You can add fruits of your choice like papaya,orange,apple etc to this.
   
2. I added honey inorder to avoid the extra calories,you can even replace it with sugar for kids if they dont like the taste of honey in this.

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Chana Masala, Naan and Fruit salad

I wanted to make something different as I was tired of eating that boring stuff last week. I was in a mood of preparing a wholesome meal for us so came up with an idea of preparing Naan and Chana Masala.Since I had a lot of fruits lying in the fridge I thought of making fruit salad as well as it is very refreshing especially during summers. I ended up preparing a big bowl of fruit salad which lasted for unlimited servings continuously for two days.

Now coming to Chana Masala,my husband is a big fan of chana masala as he grew up in Delhi and developed a taste for such pulses hence it is prepared every other week.

Chana Masala:


Ingredients:
1 cup Kala Chana
2 medium alu diced
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp dhaniya powder
1/2 tsp toasted jeera powder(fresh tastes better)
1/2 tsp amchur powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala
1 tsp chana masala powder(optional)
1 tbsp chopped coriander
1/2 lemon squeezed
1 green chili
1 Bay leaf/Tej patta
1/2" cinnamon stick
a pinch of hing
salt

To grind:
1 Big onion sliced
2 Tomatoes chopped
1" ginger chopped
4-5 garlic pods

Lemoned Onions:
1 medium onion thinly sliced
1/2 lemon squeezed
1/2 tsp vinegar
Mix everything well and leave it aside for sometime(until it turns pink)

Method:
Soak Chana Overnight(or for 6-7 hrs) with some salt and a pinch of garam masala.Pressure cook chana for 2 whistles and simmer it for 20-25 mins until soft.
Microwave diced alu for 3-4 mins.
Grind onion,tomato,ginger and garlic to a fine paste
Heat oil in a kadai add cinnamon stick,slit green chilli,bayleaf,hing and a pinch of garam masala and fry for a minute.Add ground onion-tomato mixture to it and fry till the gravy separates from the oil.Now add dhaniya powder,toasted jeera powder,chili powder,chana masala,amchur powder,garam masala and fry until all the masala's are well incorporated.Now add boiled alu,chana(slightly smash some chana to get gravy consistency) and fry till all the water is completely absorbed.
Add salt and enough water and cover it and cook for 7-8 mins.Add lemon juice and coriander and give a quick mix and serve.
Serve it hot with lemoned onions,stuffed mirch ka achaar and roti/paratha/Naan.

Note:
For Quicker version,Heat oil in a cooker and add cinnamon stick,slit green chili,bay leaf,hing and a pinch of garam masala and fry for a minute then add ground onion-tomato mixture to it along with all the masala's(dhaniya powder,toasted jeera powder,chili powder,chana masala,amchur powder,garam masala)and fry for 2 mins.Now add diced Alu and soaked Chana and fry for 3-4 mins,add salt and enough water and pressure cook it for 2 whistles and simmer for 25 mins.
Add coriander and lemon juice just before serving.

I feel that the quicker version is better as the chana is cooked in the masala's and the spices are well infused in the chana which makes it's taste better than when prepared in the traditional way.

Naan:


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups plain flour(Maida)
1 ladleful of beaten curds
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 Cups milk(to make the dough)




Method:
Sieve well flour with salt and baking powder.
Make a well in between and pour curds,sugar,oil and some milk and using your three fingers mix the dough turning the vessel to form a nice elastic dough by adding enough milk.Give a nice massage to the dough approximately for 10 mins.
Rest the dough in a greased vessel for 3-4 hrs in a warm place.
Make oblong shape Naans,add the toppings like chopped coriander,while sesame,Nigella seeds and roll it once again.prick it with a fork and apply butter over it and bake it in a preheated oven for a couple of minute until brown spots appear on it.
Serve hot with any curry/Dal.

Fruit salad with custard:

I am sure everybody knows how to prepare this delicious fruit salad with custard,keeping in mind about the beginners i am just explaining the process of preparing the fruit salad.


Ingredients:
3 tbsp custard powder(i used vanilla flavour)
3 cups cubed fruits(Mango,orange/mosambi,grapes,banana,apple,strawberries etc)
4 tbsp condensed milk
2 tbsp sugar
3-4 tbsp whipped cream(optional,i did not use it here)
500 ml milk
3 tbsp chopped dry fruits(cashewnuts,badam)
1 tsp raisins
2-3 drops of lemon juice(to retain the colours of fruits)
cherries for garnishing

Method:
Mix custard powder with 50 ml of milk properly and add this to the boiling milk stirring continuously or prepare custard as per the instruction on the pack.cool the custard completely.
Cut the fruits and add sugar and lemon juice to it and mix.
Mix the cooled custard with condensed milk and whipped cream, add fruits and all the dry fruits to it and give a good stir.Refrigerate it for 4-5 hrs.
Serve it cold with a cherry garnished on it.
You can either serve with Ice cream.

Note:
Chop the citrus fruits like orange/mosambi,grapes first and then chop banana and apple so that it does not loose the colour.

I am sending the chana masala for WYF-Side dishes by EC of Simple Indian Food,and this is my third entry for the event.

And the Kalonji-topped Naan to Think spice-Think Kalonji event hosted by Ammalu's Kitchen.

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