Eggless Chocolate Cake - Vegan

This ( the search for the recipe ) started when we were to have some guests from US....one of T's cousin and her family...which included a granddaughter who was allergic to diary...

I had a couple of favourite cakes - one date, and the other chocolate - but both had milk, butter, or eggs or yogurt....so checked the net ...and found this one in all-recipes site...

It is such a simple recipe and yet it turns out into an amazingly delish cake - it is a little chewy sort of brownie type...really liked it...after which I have made it many times - even for regular ( i.e. non allergic ) folks...and everyone has loved it too...

There are some changes that I have made to the original recipe....one is to reduce the sugar...we like ours to be just sweet...not too sweet...sometimes I replace a quarter cup of sugar with brown sugar - that gives it a more caramelised taste...
I also like to reduce the oil - so my standard substitution for that is to skin and grate an apple ( small ) - and then micro it for about 4-5 minutes with a few drops of water till it becomes soft and pulpy...cool and use in the cake batter...this increases the taste, nutritional value besides making it more healthy by reducing the oil...and of course cannot do without some nuts, so chopped walnuts it is...( this is optional and can be omitted )

Apple & Strawberry Quick Bread

Apple Strawberry Bread

Omg ....I have to write about this, have baked banana bread so many times - love it...and muffins with apples & applesauce..amazing....but they are all totally different in taste and texture from this - once you start eating this, you cannot stop with just one piece. 

Have to confess that this actually was a recipe for applesauce bread - but I had this jam on hand a combi of strawberries and apples - decided to use that instead of the applesauce...and oh wow !!! ....

This has a mix of all purpose flour(maida) and whole wheat flour(atta), hint of cinnamon, sweetness of the fruits(strawberry & apple - though you could use just the apples), goodness of yogurt, nourishment from egg & nuts, reduced fat with oil instead of butter, brown sugar and that too just 1/2 cup...with all those healthy options...the taste is just awesome...definitely gotta try this one out. And it is one of the most easiest things to put together - just 2 bowls - one for dry, one for wet ingredients - mix the two...and voila...there you have it..one of the most fantastic, moist, flavorful, healthy snacks, breakfast, dessert, sweet...call it as you like it.

Strawberry / Strawberry Apple Jam

Strawberry Apple Jam

While we were in US - our friends there had a share in an organic farm - and during the season would get fresh fruits and vegetables from the farm. I had visited the farm along with them during the peak berry season and we would have fun picking strawberries, blueberries, blackberries...

I think more of it went into my stomach than the basket...:-) and boy was it delish...so yummy, fresh, ripe, sweet...it's so difficult to put into words the pleasure you get while standing under the hot sun in a field amidst the beautiful greenery...and ripe trees...the smell of it all in the air...and the carefree feeling you get when with good friends...and relishing the goodness of fresh fruit...sigh.....miss you guys, A&L ......we had fun...

Nyways enuff with the meandering down memory lane...getting back to the making of strawberry jam....how did the idea come to me...well winter is strawberry season and we got a small box of it from our local fruit vendor...unfortunately they were not too sweet - in fact - you could say they were tart...making it difficult for us to really enjoy it...
So I remembered my friend L ( of the above farm ) - when she would have a surplus of the fruit she would make jam - and get those some jars to can it and store it...she had even passed on some of it to us...

And thus came the idea of using this up by making a jam...if making in large quantities and planning to store for a long time - it requires a proper process and also the canning jars - and pectin which helps in preserving it.

Since I was just making with a small quantity and also for immediate use at home - decided to go the short and easy route...

Eggless Carrot & Apple Muffins

Eggless Carrot Apple Muffins

The rain gods have really been showing their might the past few days, this in the month of September ...is most unusual - but then this year - the monsoon has been very weird - in the months of June to August ( when it should have been at it's peak ) it hardly rained - a few short bursts of rainfall and then hot & dry the rest of the time....we were all worried for our yearly water supply, which if the lakes were not filled would be short ....well now I think that problem should be taken care of....

But all this unprecedented rains is causing a lot of gloom....we generally tend to avoid going out - due to the roads being bad ( potholes etc...) and traffic slowing down...and being at home more than a couple of weekends brings in a feeling of claustrophobia...so it was with a sigh of relief that I greeted the news that we were going to meet up with some friends this weekend....some gupshup...some chai / shai...a welcome change.

So now that was set...my mind got whirring...what do I take with me....ran through my list of cakes/ muffins....our friends would prefer something without eggs...thought of my favourite eggless chocolate cake...but having made that a couple of times recently, decided against it, thought of a carrot cake - had a great eggless recipe ( had made it once before - my sister's friends had given it a thumbs up...awarded it the no. 1 place )...so went ahead with that plan...even started with the carrots...but then while going thru the recipes I had noted with me ( on the search for the above carrot cake recipe ) ....found this carrot & apple muffins....it also had coconut ( which I was keen on )...and there the capricious mind was hooked...

Apple muffins

Apple muffin

The original recipe given to me by my friend has applesauce in it...and even when I was in the US with easy access to that product, I never used it...would generally make do with Gala apples - the red delicious apples which we would regularly stock at home...

Back here in India - I use whatever I tend to have at hand...am not sure of the names of any of the varieties - one they call Chinese, the large one sold with a mesh cover, then another small red variety and another large red types...just shows how ignorant I am....not that it matters which one but generally for these muffins if using the Chinese ones which are pretty large I use one and half - whereas if using the small red variety - I tend to use 2...

While in US, I used to make these many times, somehow here I have broadened my scope of baking and keep trying out different recipes and have not really baked these as much...but it is one of my all time favourites - the flavours, taste, smell of these are more subtle than the banana muffins which have a more intense, in your face types,  taste & smell of bananas...
The delicate taste of apples as it comes thru when you bite into it...along with the aroma of cinnamon and brown sugar is something to relish.

So when we were invited to dinner along with my visiting sis-in-law and her hubby to a cousin's place, I decided to bake these apple muffins...it was her favourite muffin and so I thought she would enjoy it...and so would our hostess and her two lovely daughters...

The dinner was amazing, we also had a delayed Raksha Bandhan since both my husband's sister and cousin had not met my husband since then...it was a fun party with lots of jokes and remembrances of past Raksha Bandhan. B ( our hostess ) is a very lively person and keeps us all in splits with her take on all matters....so thanks to all of them  for the lovely time we had...