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Traditional TREATS
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Spread Christmas cheer with these gorgeous goodies
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FOOD GLORIOUS food. Here are some cake recipes that would make you ask for more.
Ginger bread
Ingredients:
Refined flour - 320 gm
Baking soda - 2 tsp
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/3 tsp
Cloves - 1/3 tsp
Cinnamon powder - 1.5 tsp
Ginger powder - 2 tsp
Nutmeg powder - 1/2 tsp
Brown sugar - 180 gm
Jaggery melted - 180 gm
Eggs - 2
Boiling water - 240 ml
Raisins - 240 gm
Margarine - 180 gm
Method:
Sift together all the dry ingredients. Combine jaggery and sugar in a large bowl; add shortening mixing well. Add the eggs and beat well. Incorporate all the dry ingredients and raisins. Add boiling water and beat well. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately an hour till it is done.
Presentation:
To be served with whipped cream. Shelf life for gingerbread is one day.
Yule log
Ingredients:
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Eggs separated - 6
Cream of tartar - 3/4 tsp
Sugar, divided - 2/3 cup
Vanilla - 1/2 tsp
Almond extract - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Ground almonds - 1/2 cup
All-purpose flour - 1/4 cup
Confectioner's sugar - for sprinkling
Almond/Cherry-flavoured liqueur (optional) - 1tbsp
Chocolate frosting - 2 cups
Sliced blanched almonds (optional)
Cinnamon candies (optional)
Sliced cherries (optional)
Method:
Lightly grease a 15 1/2 x10 1/2 x1 inch jelly roll pan. Line the bottom with waxed paper. Grease again. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup sugar and water to boiling point. Reduce heat and simmer for a minute. Set aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until it becomes stiff. Add 1/3 cup of the sugar, two tablespoons at a time, beating constantly until sugar is dissolved (rub just a bit of meringue between thumb and forefinger to feel if sugar has dissolved) and whites are glossy and stand in soft peaks.
In small mixing bowl, beat egg yolks until it is thick and lemon-coloured for about three to five minutes. Gradually beat in remaining 1/3 cup of the sugar until blended. Beat in vanilla, almond extract and salt. In a small bowl, stir together ground almonds and flour. Sprinkle over whites. Add beaten yolk mixture. Gently, but thoroughly, fold yolk mixture and almond mixture into whites. Pour into prepared pan. Gently spread evenly. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until the top springs back when lightly touched (about 10 to 12 minutes). Dust clean tea towel with confectioner's sugar. With spatula, loosen cake from sides of pan and invert onto prepared towel. Carefully pull waxed paper off bottom of cake.
Trim all edges with serrated knife. Stir liqueur, if desired, into cooled reserved sugar syrup. Spoon evenly over inside surface of hot cake.
Starting from short edge, roll up cake, rolling towel with cake. Place wrapped roll seam-side down on wire rack until cool, about 30 minutes.
Carefully unroll cake. Spread with about 1 cup chocolate frosting. Re-roll and place seam-side down on serving platter. Spread with about 1 cup additional frosting, using small spatula to create tree-bark effect. Garnish with sliced almonds, candies and cherries, if desired. If prepared in advance, baked and cooled cake may be frozen without filling. Wrap well with aluminium foil or plastic wrap. To thaw, let wrapped cake stand at room temperature for about an hour.
Stollen
Ingredients:
Active dry yeast - 1 tbsp
Warm milk - 2/3 cup
Egg - 1
White sugar - 1/3 cup
Salt - 1 tbsp
Butter, softened - 1/3 cup
Bread flour - 2 1/2 cups
Currants - 1/3 cup
Sultanas - 1/3 cup
Red candied cherries, quartered - 1/3 cup
Diced candied citron - 2/3 cup
Marzipan - 6 ounces
Confectioners' sugar - 1 tbsp
Ground cinnamon - 1 tsp
Method:
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Wait till it turns creamy (about 10 minutes). In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the egg, white sugar, salt, butter and two cups bread flour and beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has begun to pull together, turn it out on to a lightly floured surface, and knead in the currants, raisins, dried cherries, and citrus peel. Continue kneading for about 8 minutes until the dough is smooth. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about one hour.
Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the marzipan into a rope and place it in the centre of the dough. Fold the dough over to cover it; pinch the seams together to seal. Place the loaf, seam side down on the prepared baking sheet. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rise until it doubles in volume (about 40 minutes).
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees Farhenheit. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 300 degrees Farhenheit (150 degrees C), and bake for a further 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow the loaf to cool on a wire rack. Then dust the loaf with confectioner's sugar. Sprinkle cinnamon.
Plum cake
Ingredients:
Flour - 500 gm
Demerara sugar - 500 gm
Amul Butter - 500 gm
Eggs - 12
Mixed spices - 25 gm (Nutmeg - 5 gm, Cloves - 1/4 tsp, Mace - 1/4 tsp)
Black currants - 500 gm
Raisins - 500 gm
Sultanas - 50 gm
Dry figs - 200 gm
Prunes - 250 gm
Glazed cherries - 550 gm
Orange and lemon peel - 250 gm
Orange juice - 100 ml
Lemon juice - 30 ml
Beer - 250 ml
Brandy - 250 ml
Red wine - 250 ml
Marzipan - Grounded almond (1 kg), Powdered sugar (2 kg), Lemon juice (1 tbsp), Egg white (10) .
Method:
This quantity makes five kg. Sieve almond powder and sugar together and add egg white and lemon juice. Make a firm dough out of it and keep it in an air-tight container.
Beat sugar and butter together for 10 minutes and slowly add eggs one at a time. Beat the beer for 20 minutes till it becomes fluffy. Add all the dry fruits and flour and mix it together with the liquor, beer and wine. Pour the batter in 1 kg moulds and bake it at 200 degrees centigrade till it gets a golden brown crust. Remove it from the oven and let it cool. Apply apricot jam on it and cover it with marzipan. Decorate with royal icing fondant.
Royal Icing Fondant:
Egg white (9), Powdered sugar (1.5 kg), Lemon juice (1 tsp).
Method:
Beat egg white, sugar and lemon juice and cook the mixture on a double boiler. Cover the cake with the icing.
O.P. KHANTWAL
Photo: S. Siva Saravanan
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