Cakes are pretty popular this time of the year, especially dry fruit and nut cakes. Traditionally, the nuts and dry fruits are soaked in alcohol or some other liquid for close to 40 days – yes it’s a long process! Even baking such cakes takes an hour or more, owing to it’s denser texture.
If you love cakes like that but don’t want to go through the entire process of soaking and oven-baking, we have a quicker and healthier alternative – our Dates and Nuts Cooker Cake! Yes, this cake doesn’t need an oven and can be made in your everyday pressure cooker. It is a guilt-free indulgence, being made with whole wheat flour, free from butter, sugar and eggs, and using dates as a natural sweetener. The alcohol is replaced with apple juice, making this a kid-friendly recipe. Now you can have your cake and eat it too!
Dates and Nuts Cooker Cake
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup pitted dates
- 1 1/4 cup milk
- 1 cup chopped nuts and dry fruits (almonds, walnuts, figs, dried black currants, dried cranberries, tutti frutti, candied cherry)
- 1/2 cup apple juice, preferably fresh
- 1/2 cup oil ( you may use olive oil or other non-fragrant cooking oil)
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
Method:
1. In a bowl soak the pitted dates in warm milk for around 11/2 hours. After soaking time, pulse them in a grinder jar to get a smooth puree. Add oil to it and blend well with a wire whisk. Keep aside.
2. Reserve some dry fruits to top the cake. In another bowl, soak the remaining chopped nuts and dry fruits in apple juice for 2 hours.
3. Preheat the pressure cooker on a gas top. For that, take a 5-liter wide mouth old pressure cooker. Add 2 cups of salt to it. Place a stand over the salt. Remove the whistle and gasket of the cooker lid. Cover the cooker and heat on medium flame for 15 minutes.
4. Next in a mixing bowl, sift the whole wheat flour, cinnamon powder, ginger powder, baking powder and salt. Our dry ingredients are ready.
5. Mix the soaked nuts along with the left over juice, if any with the dry ingredients.
6. Now add the dates puree and oil mix to it and fold with a wooden spatula. Our cake batter is ready. It is a bit thick in consistency. If you feel the batter to be very dry, you may add little milk and adjust the consistency.
7. Pour the batter to an 8 inch greased or lined baking tin. Tap it twice on the kitchen counter to release the trapped air bubbles. Now garnish the top of the cake with reserved chopped nuts.
8. Carefully place the cake tin on the stand in the preheated cooker and bake on low medium flame for 40-45 minutes. Do a check test using a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is baked perfectly. If you find sticky batter on the toothpick, bake the cake again for 5-7 minutes.
9. Allow the cake to cool down a bit. Now run a knife through the edges of the cake pan. keep an inverted plate over it and turn the cake pan upside down.
10. Let the cake cool down completely. Slice into desired shapes and serve.
Those who intend to bake the cake using a microwave oven, place the cake tin in a preheated oven at 180 Degrees celsius for 35-40 minutes. Keep a watch after 35 minutes as the temperature varies from oven to oven. The the cake stays good for 2-3 days, when kept in an air tight container in refrigerator. The Dates aren’t just delicious; they are also rich in dietary fiber and minerals like iron, potassium, calcium. Nuts provide us with healthy fats, protein, vitamins and minerals. All in all, this dates and nuts cooker cake is the perfect Christmas treat!
Dates and Nuts Cooker Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup pitted dates
- 1 1/4 cup milk
- 1 cup chopped nuts and dry fruits We have used almonds, walnuts, figs, dried black currants, dried cranberries, tutti frutti, candied cherry
- 1/2 cup apple juice preferably fresh
- 1/2 cup oil you may use olive oil or other non-fragrant cooking oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a bowl soak the pitted dates in warm milk for around 11/2 hours. After soaking time, pulse them in a grinder jar to get a smooth puree. Add oil to it and blend well with a wire whisk. Keep aside.
- Reserve some dry fruits to top the cake. In another bowl, soak the remaining chopped nuts and dry fruits in apple juice for 2 hours.
- Preheat the pressure cooker on a gas top. For that, take a 5-liter wide mouth old pressure cooker. Add 2 cups of salt to it. Place a stand over the salt. Remove the whistle and gasket of the cooker lid. Cover the cooker and heat on medium flame for 15 minutes.
- Next in a mixing bowl, sift the whole wheat flour, cinnamon powder, ginger powder, baking powder and salt. Our dry ingredients are ready.
- Mix the soaked nuts along with the left over juice, if any with the dry ingredients.
- Now add the dates puree and oil mix to it and fold with a wooden spatula. Our cake batter is ready. It is a bit thick in consistency. If you feel the batter to be very dry, you may add little milk and adjust the consistency.
- Pour the batter to an 8 inch greased or lined baking tin. Tap it twice on the kitchen counter to release the trapped air bubbles. Now garnish the top of the cake with reserved chopped nuts.
- Carefully place the cake tin on the stand in the preheated cooker and bake on low medium flame for 40-45 minutes. Do a check test using a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is baked perfectly. If you find sticky batter on the toothpick, bake the cake again for 5-7 minutes.
- Allow the cake to cool down a bit. Now run a knife through the edges of the cake pan. keep an inverted plate over it and turn the cake pan upside down.
- Slice the cake in desired shapes, once it cools down completely. Serve!
- Those who intend to bake the cake using a microwave oven, place the cake tin in a preheated oven at 180 Degrees celsius for 35-40 minutes. Keep a watch after 35 minutes as the temperature varies from oven to oven.
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