Dive into the magic of Christmas with these irresistible homemade delights

Hershey’s Christmas plum cake, courtesy chef Ranveer Brar

Plum cake is a traditional Christmas dessert. (Source: PR Handout)

Dry ingredients
*150 gm cocoa, Hershey’s natural unsweetened
*175 gm refined flour (maida)
*150 gm powdered almond
*1½ tsp baking powder

Wet ingredients
*150 ml chocolate flavoured syrup
*250 gm softened butter
*150 gm castor sugar
*5 eggs
*25 gm mixed fruit jam plum jam
*100 gm tutti frutti mixed candied fruits
*2 tbsp icing sugar, for garnish

Other ingredients
*Butter paper

Method

*Pre-soak tutti frutti in chocolate-flavoured syrup for one week at least (optional).
*In a mixing bowl, mix refined flour, almond powder, cocoa, and baking powder. Use a fork to mix well and keep it aside on a platform.
*Take another mixing bowl, add butter and castor sugar, and whisk them together until it turns creamy in texture and pale yellow in colour.
*Add one egg at a time and whisk further until it’s creamy.
*Pour in chocolate-flavoured syrup, plum jam, and tutti frutti.
*Then, whisk gently, allowing enough air into the batter.
*Line a baking tin with butter paper and pour in the cake batter. Tap gently to ensure there are no air bubbles left.
*Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and bake the cake for 35-40 minutes at the same temperature or until evenly cooked.

Eggless KulKuls (traditional Goan recipe), courtesy Anagha Ramakant Desai, home chef and author of cookbook ‘From Aajis Kitchen’

KulKuls are the Goan version of Shakapara or Shankarpali. (Source: PR Handout)

Ingredients
*2 cups maida/ all-purpose flour
*½ cup very fine semolina/rava
*½ teaspoon salt
*2/3 cup icing sugar
*¼ cup warm ghee
*½ teaspoon cardamom powder
*150 ml coconut milk
*Oil for frying

Method
*In a large bowl, mix maida, semolina, and salt.
*Add warm ghee and rub into the flour. The mixture should resemble breadcrumbs. If not, add little more ghee.
*Now, add icing sugar, and cardamom powder and mix well.
*Add coconut milk gradually and prepare a soft pliable dough. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and rest for 30 minutes.
*After the resting time, pinch a portion and make marble size balls.
*Take a ball and flatten it on the back of a fork. Then roll it from one end to form a curl.
*Heat oil in a kadhai. Fry the curls on medium-low heat, turning continuously. Fry all the KulKuls in batches.
*Once they are cool, store them in an airtight container.

Date Almond and Chocolate Torte, courtesy specialty chef Gopalsamy Seenivasan, Club Mahindra

Would you try this recipe? (Source: PR Handout)

Ingredients
*100 gm dates
*100 gm dark chocolate
*100 gm almonds
*2 egg whites

Method
*Chop the dates, dark chocolate, and almonds.
*Whisk the egg white and combine it with all the dried ingredients to make the torte mixture.
*Put the mixture in the moulds and bake it for five minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.
*Once baked, demould the torte, let it cool, and serve.

Happy cooking!