Eggless Tutti frutti cake

Fact : Good photos can only be taken in natural bright light.

Tragic fact : With a full-time day job, there is very little time to click good photos.

There. I have said it. The fact that I haven’t posted in a long time can be majorly attributed to lack of good photography time. Several dinners have gone by, where things turned out quite good, but how o’ how, are you supposed to click photos at night? My dear blogger friends, what do you do to overcome this?

This weekend was exceptionally busy too. We went hiking on a fort called Purandar, the birthplace of Sambhaji raje, heir of the great Shivaji Maharaj. The weather was brilliant, cloudy and cool, and it was a very comfortable two-hour climb. Sunday followed with a big family get-together and some famous Girgaun misal. (I will soon post about the famous Maharashtrian misal-pav). Very spicy and crisp.

In the meanwhile, I have been taking some fondant courses online, and after a whole day of looking at sweet layers of sugar and learning complex cake decorating mechanics, I longed to make a simple sponge cake. The humble tutti fruitti cake. It was a favorite after-school snack when we were growing up. Two pieces of the cake dunked in milk and gobbled down. And then we went off to play with friends. Reminders of a much simpler time. 🙂

Ingredients :

• 1 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup curd, beaten
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• a pinch of salt
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup tutti frutti
• 1 tsp milk, to brush cake
• 2 tsp flour

Method :

1. Lightly grease and sprinkle 1 tsp flour in a baking pan. Alternately, line the greased baking pan with a parchment paper.
2. Pre-heat oven to 200°C / 400°F for 10-12 minutes.
3. Sieve the flour and mix salt in it and keep aside.
4. Beat curd until smooth and add powdered sugar. Whisk it again till it becomes fluffy.
5. Add baking powder and baking soda to the mixture and leave aside for 5-7 minutes. The curd will become frothy and increase in volume.
6. Now add vanilla essence and oil to the curd mixture and mix gently. The mixture should remain airy, so avoid over-mixing.
7. Finally fold in the flour mixture. Do so in two batches, completely incorporating the flour mixture in the curd before adding new flour.
8. In a separate plate, coat the tutti frutti in 1 tsp flour before adding it to the cake mixture. This ensures that the tutti frutti mixes well and does not sink to the bottom of the cake while baking. Add it to the cake batter and mix lightly to incorporate.
9. Bake at 180°C for 35-40 minutes. Insert a skewer after 30 mins and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few dry crumbs attached.
10. Brush the cake with a tsp of milk and again bake for 2 mins, to get a glazed coat on top.
11. Cool well on a wire rack before cutting.

Note :

• You can also cook this cake in a pressure cooker for 5 mins on high heat and then 10 minutes on low heat.
• The tutti fruitti can be substituted with maraschino cherries, chopped into small pieces.

Enjoy with a cup of hot brewed masala chai.

This cake stays well for up to 5 days at room temperature in an airtight container.