Flaxseed orange cake with hazelnuts

Happy new year 2011, everybody! My first post of the new year is an eggless cake, using flaxseed powder as a substitute for the egg in the original recipe - and goodness knows where I got that from. Anyway, it works! Flaxseed as a substitute for eggs really does work! There's no reason it SHOULDN'T, because this particular substitution has been recommended and tried by plenty of others. It's just that I needed to try it for myself before I could actually believe it. And I'm pretty sure I don't need to feel lonely in this respect, I'm sure I have plenty of company.

I'd dry roasted a lot of flaxseeds earlier, and it was a simple job to grind one tablespoon of the seeds to powder and mix it with water.

It's one thing to be told that 1 tbsp flaxseed powder + 3 tbsp water = one egg. It's quite another thing to realise that the flaxseed powder simply SUCKS up the water,

and when the mixture is added to cake batter, it makes the batter really really gooey. In fact, the batter felt so gooey that I wondered if the cake would turn out a disaster, but hooray for flaxseeds, it didn't!

If you look at the photos of the cake, you'll see that the hazelnuts are practically powdered. That was not the effect I was after. I wanted the nuts chopped, not ground to dust. Sadly, one moment's distraction while running the nuts in the grinder is all it takes to pulverise rather than chop - so take note.

In short, if you DO make this cake, be sure to chop the nuts (whichever nuts you may substitute) a bit chunky; they're best not pulverised.

Recipe for: Flaxseed orange cake with hazelnuts

Ingredients:

1/3 cup oil
pinch salt
1 tbsp grated orange rind
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp flaxseed powder + 3 tbsp water
1-1/3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup cream or yogurt
1/3 cup dried berries
3-4 tbsp milk (if required)
3 tbsp Grand Marnier or Cointreau liqueur (or orange juice)
1/4 cup finely chopped hazelnuts

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°C.

2. Mix oil, salt, orange rind, Grand Marnier and sugar in a large bowl.

3. Beat in the flaxseed mixture along with the cream or yogurt.

4. Sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add to wet mixture in three or four stages, stirring well in between,

then add the dried berries and mix them in well.

The batter will be quite sticky and gooey. Beat in some milk if the batter feels too thick.

5. Pour the batter into a 7" round or square pan which has been sprayed with Pam.

6. Spread the chopped nuts on the surface, pressing them in gently so that they are partly sunk in the batter.

7. Bake till the cake is done - about 45-50 minutes, although it's best to check from 30 minutes onwards, depending on your oven.

8. Cool the cooked cake for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Cut when cool.


RECIPE: FLAXSEED ORANGE CAKE WITH HAZELNUTS

Ingredients:

1/3 cup oil
pinch salt
1 tbsp grated orange rind
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp flaxseed powder + 3 tbsp water
1-1/3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup cream or yogurt
1/3 cup dried berries
3-4 tbsp milk (if required)
3 tbsp Grand Marnier or Cointreau liqueur (or orange juice)
1/4 cup finely chopped hazelnuts

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°C.
2. Mix oil, salt, orange rind, Grand Marnier and sugar in a large bowl.
3. Beat in the flaxseed mixture along with the cream or yogurt.
4. Sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add to wet mixture, then add the dried berries and mix them in well. The batter will be a bit sticky and gooey. Beat in some milk if the batter feels too thick.
5. Pour the batter into a 7" round or square pan which has been sprayed with Pam.
6. Spread the chopped nuts on the surface, pressing them in gently so that they are partly sunk in the batter.
7. Bake till the cake is done - about 45-50 minutes, although it's best to check from 30 minutes onwards, depending on your oven.
8. Cool the cooked cake for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Suji (semolina) halwa with dried berries

I was inspired to make suji halwa when I saw Atabela's recipe for it. It seemed like such a good idea and a nice change from the usual suji halwa. A small bag of unsweetened dried berries was begging to be used, so the decision was made.

I also added some traditional sultanas and cashewnuts to the halwa, although I guess most nuts (maybe not peanuts, though) would taste just as good. Oh, and the only calories in it come from the ghee, because I used Splenda instead of sugar. There's just no way to compromise on the ghee, unfortunately, because of the flavour and aroma it imparts.


Clockwise from bottom right: Mixed dried berries (cranberries, strawberries, sour cherries and sultanas), cashewnuts, cardamom, ghee, Splenda and suji.

Suji halwa is a quick, fuss-free sweet to make - it's also homey and sort of soothing. Or maybe that's because I associate it with memories of home.

This halwa is nicest eaten hot (the microwave comes in handy here, if you're not eating it fresh). I didnt make mine the usual formless mass of halwa - I spread it on a lightly greased plate straight from the cooking pan, and cut it into squares. The berries looked like little jewels studding the little squares of halwa. They looked pretty and were the perfect size to satisfy my undemanding sweet tooth, one square at a time. And did I say they looked pretty?

Recipe for: Suji halwa with dried berries


Ingredients:

1 cup suji
3/4 cup sugar or Splenda
1/4 cup ghee
3/4 tsp cardamom powder
1/3 cup mixed dried berries and sultanas
2 cups water

Method:

1. Heat 1 tsp of the ghee in a small pan and fry the berries and nuts until the nuts turn golden. Remove from the hot pan (to stop them browning further) and reserve.

2. Melt the remaining ghee in a wide pan.



3. Add the suji to the ghee and roast it on medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the suji starts to turn a darker colour (about 10 minutes) and gives off a nice roasting aroma.



4. The suji is done when it becomes wet-looking and the ghee begins to separate from the mixture.



5. Now is the time to add the berries and nuts, and the sugar. Stir it all into the roasted suji mix.



6. Add the cardamom powder and two cups water to the pan and stir well and frequently, making sure there are no lumps.



7. Keep stirring until the suji absorbs the water and the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan. At this point, stirring will be difficult as the halwa will have become a soft mass. Turn off the heat. The halwa can be served rightaway in cups.

8. If you want to make serving pieces like I did, spread the hot halwa on a lightly greased flat plate, patting it down quickly and carefully with a wetted palm. Cut into pieces when it has cooled a little.

The halwa stays good for 2 days, and can be re-heated in the microwave prior to serving.