Today morning when I checked the time it was 9.30, I quickly throw my quilt and went outside to check water supply. Luckily, it was still coming, I stayed there to look around, the day didn’t looked so foggy, as it was in the past few days and it appeared that it would be a brighter day but before I could evaluate things more, a chill air swept over me and I realized that I came out without wearing any sweater. I picked a sweater and a stole from my bedside and went straight into the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee..
Seeing them all sleeping I settled down comfortably on the sofa to transfer photos from my camera to my laptop, I realized how much I have baked last week, but what can I do, inspiration were in plenty , sometimes it was work of other bloggers that pushes me to create other times it was the spirit of Christmas.
As I started typing, I recalled how last week we had plenty of everything I could have hoped for, steely fog, frigid air and a house that emanates with the smell of vanilla, chocolate and fruit baking. (I will share them all in my coming posts)
But before I could type any more paragraphs, my son woke and sat beside me to announce that he won’t study today. I wished, I too could have tell the same thing to him but baking and cooking were something I love. I told him that we will bake cut out cookies today, all excitedly and happily he took out all the cutters from my box.
Soon our whole kitchen was dusted with flour and our kitchen sink piled high with dishes.
After this tiring clean out, we finally got something very delicious to taste and our half of the batch was finished un iced. We tried to pipe some designs on them too, but the result was a disaster. We both failed to do nice job on them.
I might try them again next year but not before that, as they really required lots of patience
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One of the cake that I baked last Sunday was a Chocolate Christmas cake for my son’s school Christmas party.
When I put my hands in flour and dry fruits, my son immediately came, to provide all help and supervision because it was the cake made for not just any other occasion but for his school’s Christmas party. I completely understand his sentiments and took extra care in making this cake.
I have planned some other cake for his party but he was specifically asked to bring only plum cake. At first, I was apprehensive that that how would kids react to a plum cake but this recipe seems perfect to me where they have loaded the cake with chocolate.
Finally amidst my everyday rituals of cooking and serving dinner, cleaning and putting him to bed I manage to complete this cake by 12 and finally to give it more Christmas look I rolled down the fondant to make a cap and a tree. I had an idea that the kids will put both these things aside but he told me that his friends loved fondant’s taste, I was not surprised because I too loved fondant cakes (wish I had added more).
I felt like cheering when he told me that his classmates and his teacher declared his cake as the best.
Please note. To give this cake a smooth look I decided to turn the cake upside down and pour some homemade chocolate sauce and some chocolate decoration over.
Recipe adapted from Cadbury’s Kitchen
Ingredients
• Mixed dry fruits (dates, prunes, apricots, cranberry, raisins, figs, cashews, almonds and walnuts) – 1 kg
• Fresh Orange juice – 1 cup
• Soft butter – 250 gms
• Brown sugar – 1 ½ cup
• Vanilla essence – 2 tsp
• Eggs – 4
• Whole wheat flour – 2 cup
• Self raising flour – ½ cup
• Cocoa – ½ cup
• Mixed spice (cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger powder) – 2 tsp
• Chocolate chips – ½ cup
Method
Preheat the oven at 140 degree C. Line a 9” cake tin with baking paper. Combine dry fruits and orange juice in a bowl and let it stand for at least one hour or preferably for 1 day. In another bowl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, beating well between each addition. Add the sifted flours, cocoa and spice and stir until combined. Stir through the fruit mixture, nuts and chocolate. Spoon the mixture into a greased and lined tin and bake for 2 hours or until cooked when tested. Cool in pan on a wire rack before turning out.
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