Christmas is a glorious time to experience the joy of sharing food, gifts and making merry with friends and family, and what can be Santa’s best gift to everyone celebrating Christmas? Well, good health and fitness would certainly make it to the top of the list. Festive food always takes us down memory lane and to our younger days as kids, when our aunts and grannies would stuff our faces full with homemade desserts that always bring to mind indulgent cakes. Any celebration is amiss without a sweet tasting decadent cake.
‘Tis the season to have your cake and eat it too! And what’s better than gorging on a scrumptious plum cake in the holidays which is equally healthy too. All the goodness minus the guilt.
All plum cakes require soaking the nuts and berries for a rich flavour and aroma once the cake is done. Below is a great recipe to help make that cake easily and fuss-free.
Eggless Protein Plum Cake:
Ingredients
Soak 1.5 tbsps each of the ingredients mentioned below in a mixture of ⅓ cup orange juice, ⅓ cup water and 1 tbsp lemon juice:
- Chopped cashews
- Chopped almonds
- Chopped walnuts
- Black raisins
- Pitted Cherries
- Cranberries
- Tutti Frutti
Other ingredients
Soak 1.5 tbsps each of the ingredients mentioned below in a mixture of ⅓ cup orange juice, ⅓ cup water and 1 tbsp lemon juice:
- 1 heaped cup flour ( ~18.5 tbsps)
- 3 heaped scoops GNC Pro Performance 100% whey protein powder (1 scoop~ 1.5 tbsp)
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup fresh curd
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Method
- Soak the nuts and berries overnight or 3 to 4 hours in a pan. Reserve some berries to be added to the cake batter later.
- In a bowl add flour, protein powder, cinnamon powder, ginger powder, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa powder. Give this a good mix.
- In a separate bowl add oil and sugar and give it a good mix. Now add curd and vanilla extract and mix it well.
- Add the dry mix to the wet mix and combine using cut and fold technique, ensuring there are no lumps in the batter.
- Add in the soaked nuts and berries and combine well.
- Grease a cake tin and transfer the batter to it carefully. Garnish with reserved berries.
- Preheat an oven for 20 mins on 200 degree Celsius.
- Put the cake in the oven at 180 degree Celsius for 20 minutes.
- Prick the cake using a toothpick to ensure it ‘sits properly baked.
- Serve immediately.
Note: When using this recipe with eggs, use 1 cup flour, 3 scoops GNC Pro Performance 100% whey protein powder, ½ cup butter, ½ cup sugar and 2 eggs respectively. Make sure the batter is at a medium consistency.
Baking time when not using an oven usually takes 25-30 mins. Follow the below given steps in this case:
- Remove the rubber ring and lid off the top of a pressure cooker. Place sea-salt at the bottom of the cooker and put it on a low flame, uncovered.
- Place the bowl with the dry and wet mixture completely folded and mixed together at the bottom of the cooker and put the lid on.
- Keep the flame at a low temperature and bake for nearly 40 minutes.
- Remove the lid carefully and check the cake texture with the help of a toothpick. Demould the cake from the pan and serve immediately.
Don’t forget to add in a few extra minutes of exercise after feasting upon this delicious cake among other festive delicacies. Merry Christmas!
