No-Bake Kiwi Cheesecake with Oreo Crust

Yesterday was a National Cheesecake Day and this is my 50th post on the blog! So let’s combine this two very important occasions of my life and celebrate! With cheesecake!! Now you’re talking! 😉

I have a confession to make! I made this cheesecake more than a month ago and totally forgot to blog about them.. Yesterday when National Cheesecake Day tweet was doing rounds, this is the cheesecake which came to my mind instantly… and this too! Sincere apologies for forgetting such an important thing.

Now that this is off my chest let’s move on..

So let’s talk about cheesecake! Cheesecake!! You want it! Really really crave it and then you think of all the extra calories eating one slice or half slice of it entail and then you either eat it anyway and feel guilty or don’t eat it and deprive yourself from this decadence.

I say you can not be making such appalling sacrifices. It’s against the law, you see! So being a smart one here always presenting you guys with skinny treats, I have a solution. Simple… Make mini-cheesecake!!! I’m on a mini-dessert frenzy nowadays… I simply adore them. One thing they are too cute and another is the amazing portion-control you get without making yourself or others feeling culpable for the indulgence.

So here I present you today kiwi cheesecake with Oreo crust… I have tried and kept the sugar as less as possible. The cream used here is not full-fat whipping cream instead I have used medium fat cream. So I have done my best to bring you a slightly low-cal version.

Hubby & I got to eat cheesecake for 3 days in a row. So we were a happy bunch! I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.

No-Bake Kiwi Cheesecake with Oreo Crust

Yields: 6 mini cheesecakes

Ingredients:

For Oreo crust:

• 6-7 Chocolate Oreos
• 1 Tbsp melted unsalted butter

For the cheesecake:

• 1/3 cup fresh cream (medium fat 40%), chilled
• 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 kiwi, peeled and diced

For kiwi jelly:

• 1 Tbsp agar agar
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1 kiwi, peeled and smoothly pureed
• 1 Tbsp caster sugar

For garnishing: Sliced or diced fresh Kiwi fruit

Directions:

1. Blend Oreos and melted butter in a food processor till fine crumbs form. Place 1 Tbsp of crumb at the base of the each shot glasses and press down firmly. Place glasses in refrigerator till you prepare cheesecake filling.
2. Whip cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract till soft peaks form. Whip the cream in  a separate bowl till the soft peaks form. Fold in together gently.
3. Remove shot glasses from the refrigerator. Equally divide cheesecake filling in all the glasses throwing in 2-3 pieces of diced kiwi in between the layers. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.
4. In a microwave safe bowl, heat the water for 30 seconds and add agar agar to it. Mix thoroughly till agar agar dissolves completely. Add sugar and kiwi puree. Whisk till a thick paste forms. Top the shot glasses with approximately 1 Tbsp of jelly mixture and chill again for 2-3 hours or till jelly has set completely.
5. Serve chilled, each glass garnished with sliced or 2-3 diced cubes of fresh kiwi.

 

Skinny Potato & Leek Soup

I want to make a confession. This is a very simple and classic soup. There… I said it! I am not bringing you some fancy-schmancy recipe today. Just an old classic… Flavored as per my liking and made skinny of course! I didn’t even want to post this recipe for its sheer simplicity. But the flavors were so bang on that I had to bring it forward to you guys!

This soup is so hearty that it is a complete meal in itself. Make this on a cloudy, rainy, grey, cold evening, have it curled up under a blanket and it won’t disappoint you! The aroma of the soup will soothe your mind and soul. It will love you back! (Really!!!) I made this on one such rainy Saturday afternoon and it did hug me back! 🙂

This recipe is inspired by Jamie Oliver‘s book Ministry Of Food. He says that this soup is also surprisingly delicious eaten fridge-cold on a summer’s day with a squeeze of lemon juice and a dollop of natural yogurt. I would love to try it this way too! But I might have to wait for the next summer to arrive…

All the ingredients used in this soup are very earthy… just like rain. Leek is a dominant flavor in here.  While celery adds a nice boost of flavor, carrot adds a touch of sweetness and potatoes give it a creamy texture. I would recommend not skipping onion powder and thyme for a complete experience.

Make this soup and bask in the serenity of warmth the soup surrounds you with!

Skinny Potato & Leek Soup

Serves: 2-3 | Prep time: 5-7 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 leek
• 1 carrot, peeled & sliced
• 1 stick celery with leaves, sliced
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp dry thyme
• 600 ml vegetable stock
• 2 large potatoes, peeled & diced
• salt & pepper, as per taste

Directions:

*Preparing Leek : Cut the ends off leek and discard. Quarter the leek lengthwise, wash under running water to remove all the grit and cut them into slices. Save a 2-inch piece from the end of leek and julienne it for garnishing.

1. Heat a deep sauce pan on a high heat and add olive oil to it. Add garlic, leek, carrot and celery to the pan and sauté for around 5 minutes with the lid askew on a medium heat.
2. Add onion powder, thyme and vegetable stock to the pan. Let it simmer on high heat till the stock has come to a boil.
3. Add potatoes and give the soup a good stir with wooden spoon. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes with the lid on. At this point the potatoes would be just cooked and soft. Do not overcook them.
4. Remove the pan from the heat. Season with salt and freshly cracked pepper. Pulse until smooth using a hand blender. Adjust the seasoning and consistency as per your liking. Serve garnished with julienned leek.

Brownie Bombs

I personally adore cake pops. They are pretty, deceptive and delicious little things. They look easy to make… In fact they are easy to make. Just a wee-bit time-consuming but easy.

This is my first post writing about them so I would like to be more elaborate. If we talk structurally, cake pops are nothing but the crumbled cake mixed with frosting that can be rolled into balls or formed into any imaginable different shapes. They are then placed on a lollipop stick or wooden skewers, dipped in chocolate and topped with decoration of choice.

Cake pops rage is still catching up in my part of the world and quickly! I have gobbled up plenty of chocolate cake balls in my lifetime while growing up (I mean it!) and they are my favorite till now. Now cake pop is something very similar to cake ball concept sans the outer chocolate layer. I can totally relate to them.

I instantly fell in love with the idea of making a bite-sized cake, decorated for individuals which is mess-free and gives complete portion-control! They’re perfect for parties. I had one such potluck to attend last Sunday and I was asked to bring a dessert for obvious reasons! I immediately knew cake pops would be perfect for that as it’s something which can be made ahead and I wanted an excuse try them at home anyway!

I didn’t have to do much of a research as in what type of cake-pop to make as I had a professional help. I recently bought a book  from The Australian Women’s Weekly ~ Cute Cake Pops. What an amazing little book! It had plenty of inspiration and fantastic ideas for making cake pops for every occasion! I wanted a crowd-pleasing chocolate and something simple for my first attempt hence I chose to make these brownie bombs from scratch. Yes, no cake-mix involved here. So I made some brownies and turned them into gorgeous cake-pops! Simple, no?!

Just after dipping and decorating

I had some extra melted chocolate after all the cake-pops were done dipping. Wanna know how I used the left-overs? That’s going to be a post for another day.. Stay tuned! 😉 Meanwhile enjoy these!

Brownie Bombs

Recipe adapted from Cute Cake Pops

Yields: 25-30 cake pops

Ingredients:

• 75 gm butter, chopped coarsely
• 100 gm dark eating (semi-sweet) chocolate, chopped coarsely
• 1/3 cup (75 gm) caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup (100 gm) all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp dark rum (I omitted it)
• 200 gm dark chocolate melts
• 30 lollipop stick or toothpicks with sharp edges trimmed
• Chocolate sprinkles, to decorate

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.  Grease a deep 7-8 inch square cake pan; line base and sides with baking paper.
2. In a medium bowl, melt butter and chopped chocolate in a microwave for about 1 minute stirring after 30 seconds. Stir till smooth and let cool for 10 minutes.
3. Stir sugar, egg and flour into chocolate mixture. Spread into a cake pan; bake about 20 minutes. Cool in pan.
4. Once cool, cut cake into large pieces; using a food processor, process cake with rum (if using) until mixture just comes together. You can do this step with hand also. Shape rounded teaspoons of the mixture into balls. Place on a baking paper-lined tray. Freeze for 1 hour or refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight, until firm.
5. Stir chocolate melts in a medium heatproof bowl over a medium saucepan of simmering water until smooth (don’t let water touch base of bowl).
6. Dip the end of one stick into the chocolate, then push it about halfway into a ball of brownie. Return to tray. Repeat with remaining sticks and balls of brownie. Freeze for about 5 minutes to set.
7. Dip one cake pop into the melted chocolate or with the help of a spoon coat a cake pop, rocking back and forth to coat; do not swirl the pop, or it may break. Allow excess chocolate to drip back into bowl. Stand on a baking paper-lined oven tray; sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles before chocolate sets. Repeat with remaining cake pops and sprinkles. Stand at room temperature until set. Serve.

*Store cake pops in an airtight container at a cool room temperature until ready to serve. They will keep for up to a week.

Microwave Chocolate-Nutella Mug-Cake

It was a conscious decision to stay-away from this dangerous mug-cake only because of its sheer convenience. I did not need a confirmation that I can make this cake whenever chocolate-cravings hit me.

As all our resolutions come to an end sooner or later, on a particularly depressing morning, I caved in! And it definitely lifted my spirits up instantly! Yaay for broken resolutions! I’m totally hooked to this one and will be definitely trying different versions! 😛

I know there are infinite versions of mug-cakes floating on the web since 2-3 years and I did check out many of them. But I had a few things in mind about how I wanted this cake to be so I ended up making my own version of this sinful dessert. For one wanted this cake to be eggless and a wee-bit healthier so that I don’t feel too much guilty about gobbling it up.

Another criteria was a perfectly soft, moist and fluffy cake. I can’t tolerate dry crumbs. But microwave especially has a tendency to snatch away moisture and make everything dry. So timing here is a key. Do not over-cook it. Check it after 1 minute + 10 seconds. If not done then cook for another 10 to 20 seconds.

It will take you more time to assemble all the ingredients than for it to actually cook! Perfect for unusual cravings or unexpected company! It would be ready in a jiffy! For it to look more posh, make it in a fancy tea-cups/Ramekins and serve it with ice-cream or whipped cream with fresh fruits. Add anything else you want in the batter like chopped nuts, dark/white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, dried fruits, M & Ms, sprinkles… Tini-tiny pieces of delicious surprise in every bite! Pure happiness!

Mouth-watering? Read on to find out how it’s done. Be warned ~ it’s addictive!

Microwave Chocolate-Nutella Mug-Cake

Serves: 1 | Prep time: 2 minutes | Cook Time: 1 to 1 1/2 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp whole wheat flour
• 2 Tbsp powder sugar
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 Tbsp milk
• 1 Tbsp Nutella
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• M & Ms for topping or 1 Tbsp dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a medium-sized microwave-safe mug/ramekin add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk with fork until combined.
2. Add oil, milk, Nutella, vanilla extract and mix with a fork until no lumps remain in the batter.
3. Sprinkle top of batter with M & Ms or chocolate chips. Microwave on high for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Mine was done in 1 minute + 10 seconds so check at that mark and if it is not cooked through then let cook for another 10 to 20 seconds. Be careful as you don’t want a dry cake. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Mediterranean Couscous Salad

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci

This salad is just that. Simple yet flavorful. Hearty yet sophisticated. Perfect lunch/dinner for those lazy, laid back days. Even better when you have only 15-20 minutes to put up a dinner and have scarce produce in your pantry. You just need couscous and throw in as many or as less veggies you have and you’re all set!

You know I’m a sucker for those lazy, quick recipes and this one here ticks all the boxes for me. And ignore my reflection in a spoon in a pic below.. Thank you! 😛

Mediterranean Couscous Salad

Serves: 2 | Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 5 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup couscous (I used Barilla Cous Cous)
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 tomato, finely chopped or 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 small English cucumber, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp sliced black olives (If using canned, drain and wash)
• 2 Tbsp grated cottage cheese (can be substituted with Feta)
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

For dressing:

• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp oregano
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Make couscous according to the package instruction. Transfer the couscous to a large bowl and fluff with a fork. Add onion, tomato, cucumber, olives, cottage cheese and cilantro.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for dressing. Season it with salt and pepper.
3. Pour the dressing over the couscous salad and toss until well combined. Adjust the seasoning and serve.

*This salad can be made in advance and will keep fresh in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
*You can make this salad vegan by replacing cottage cheese with tofu or simply omit it.

Fresh Peach Fluffy Pancakes Cake

Another fruit cake you’ll say, eh? But I just can’t let the amazing plethora of summer fruit pass by just like that. Without a dessert tribute at least!

I was too lazy to bake muffins or flip the pancakes so I went an easier route. My favorite buttermilk cake route. I know I have given you this and this this month but this recipe is different from those. Of course it uses buttermilk but it tastes like a cross between muffins and pancakes without having to actually make them! How do you like that! 😉

Just like my previous recipes, this recipe does not require electric mixer and the batter comes together in like 5 minutes total. Seriously! The result is fluffy and tender cake like a perfect pancake should be!

So how this cake is different from my previous buttermilk cakes? The batter resembles the pancake batter unlike my previous recipes. So no heavy duty mixing for this cake. In fact, you leave the lumps in the batter. Only gentle folding does the job. Another difference is.. Unlike topping the cake with the fruits in our previous recipe, we fold in the fruit in the batter to get peach in every bite! Yum!!

It’s a gorgeous weather in Bangalore today, I’m having a slice of it while writing this and I just can’t tell you how good it tastes the next day too! I had one slice with the dusting of confectioner’s sugar and another with vanilla ice-cream.. Delicious both ways!

You can replace all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour to make it healthier. Rest, you just got to deal with the sugar! 😛

You have to make this!!! Just be sure to use ripe peaches. Peel them, remove the pit, chop in a bite-sized pieces and you’re ready.. Only 2-3 peaches required!

Fresh Peach Fluffy Pancakes Cake

Prep time: 5-10 mins | Baking time: 35-40 mins

Yields: 8 pieces

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• Salt, a pinch
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup white granulated sugar
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup full-fat yogurt
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2-3 medium peaches, peeled, thinly sliced (or a combo of stone-fruits)
• Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line 8×8 inches square baking dish with a foil and grease it.
2. In a large bowl, sift all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt.
3. In another bowl, whisk egg and sugar together. Add buttermilk, yogurt, oil, vanilla and whisk.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients slowly and fold in gently. If you get lumps in better t is all right.
5. Gently fold in peach cubes. Bake for 35-40 minutes or till the top and sides are golden and toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.
6. Let the cake cool in a baking dish for half hour. Slice it and dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve it plain or along with ice-cream.

Skinny Mac’n’Cheese

Oh I love me some mac’n’cheese! It is my no.1 comfort food… I love it on a rainy day, on a bad day, when I’m sad, when I’m happy! I crave for it. I resist few times and sometimes just cave in!

To be honest, I can’t allow myself good-old-over-the-top-cheesy mac’n’cheese everytime I want one! So I gave it a skinny make-over! Of course they are not totally guilt-free but everything in moderation doesn’t hurt right?!

 

If you are anything like me then you are going to love my version of mac’n’cheese. It has goodness of vegetables too. Yup, I have added some veggie tid-bits to make it little bit nutritious and kid-friendly. Best for those picky-eaters! You can sneak in any vegetable you want.

So wait no more & make it tonight!

Skinny Mac’n’Cheese

Serves: 3

Ingredients:

• 1 cup broccoli, cut into florets
• 2 cups macaroni pasta
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion
• 4-5 button mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
• 1 Tbsp whole wheat flour
• 2/3 cup skim milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable stock/pasta water
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp breadcrumbs
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1. Cook pasta and broccoli together in a large pot of salted water as per the package instructions for al dante (or slightly under-cook for 2 minutes). Keep 1 cup of pasta water aside if you do not have vegetable stock. Drain cooked macaroni-broccoli in a colander. Grease a baking dish with oil and preheat oven to 190°C/375°F.
2. In a large pan, melt the butter over low heat. Add onion and saute it for about 2 minutes. Then add and saute mushrooms, chili flakes for another 2 minutes.
3. Add flour and saute for another minute till flour is golden and well-combined. Add milk and vegetable stock/pasta water and whisk raising heat to medium-high. Let it boil for about 3-4 minutes or till the sauce becomes smooth and thick.
4. Once the sauce is thick, remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper. Add grated Cheddar and mix well until cheese is melted. Adjust seasoning. Add macaroni and broccoli and mix well.
5. In a prepared baking dish, pour the mix. Top with grated cheese. Combine breadcrumbs, garlic powder, pepper together and sprinkle over the cheese layer. Spray a little more cooking oil on top. Bake for 15 minutes and broil for 1-2 minutes for golden breadcrumbs.

Dig in!!

Breakfast just got better! ~ Banana Almond Butterscotch Chip Cookies

Oh yes! Your breakfast just got a whole lot better with these cookies in your life! Made with the goodness of almonds, oats and whole wheat. So gooey because of the melted butterscotch chips! Deee-vine!

Banana √ Almonds √ oats √

Cookies taste best with a glass of Milk so √ 😉

What more you need for breakfast!

They are so soft and tender because of bananas, you will hardly notice the cookies are egg-free! Hence  perfect for non-egg-eaters too! √ that!

So simple to make that it will be ready in 25 minutes flat! Yes, no need to chill the dough in refrigerator. We are going to use chilled mashed banana for cookie-dough. Just mash the banana nicely with the help of fork and refrigerate for half an hour before using… That’s it! No waiting before baking! It rhymes.. LOL… I know I’m such a crack-pot! 😛

So not that these require any coaxing but promise me you’ll make them!

Banana Almond Butterscotch Chip Cookies

Prep time : 15 mins | Baking time: 10 mins

Yields: 15-16 cookies

Ingredients:

• ½ cup almonds, ground
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp soft-rolled oats
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 2 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
• 4 Tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 banana, mashed and chilled (1/3 cup approx)
• ½ tsp almond extract
• ¼ cup butterscotch chips, plus more for topping (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together ground almond, wheat flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add banana puree and almond extract to it and whisk.
4. Slowly fold in dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix till flour pockets have disappeared. Fold in butterscotch chips.
5. Drop 1 Tbsp of cookie-dough onto a baking sheet at 1-2 inches apart. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Mine were ready in 10 minutes. Let it cool on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes and then transfer on a cooling rack to cool completely. At first, the cookies will be soft in center but will firm up once cool.

*Store them in an air-tight container for 3-4 days at room temperature.
*You can replace butterscotch chips with any other nuts or chocolate chips too!

 

Skinny Zucchini Boats

My favorite vegetable of all-time! Such a versatile little thing… So much to create and experiment with! It was about time to get more creative and make these beautiful zucchini boats… Stuffed… Stuffed with cottage cheese filling and freshly prepared Marinara sauce! Oh yeah… you’re in for a treat!

Like I always say.. very easy and quick to prepare and perfect as a side or main course!

There are two parts to this dish – 1> filling and 2>fresh marinara sauce

Shucking the zucchini is lots of fun! If using medium sized zucchini then you can part them in middle and then divide them in half, lengthwise. If using smaller zucchinis then just divide them lengthwise. After this zucchinis are hollowed-out and stuffed with the prepared filling and topped with Marinara sauce. All the elements here are raw so it all comes together in no time! Bake them and they are ready to be gobbled!

Eat as many as you want as they are pretty light and low-cal! 😉

Skinny Zucchini Boats

Yields: 8 zucchini boats | Serves: 2 for lunch/dinner and 4 as side-dish

Ingredients:

Marinara Sauce:

• 4-5 tomatoes, blanched, skin peeled and chopped
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Skinny Zucchini Boats:

• 2 medium zucchinis, halved and cut lengthwise
• 100 gm cottage cheese, grated
• 1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, diced
• 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

For Marinara sauce: 

• In a small pot, heat olive oil over medium heat and saute garlic. Be careful not to burn.
• Add tomatoes, bay leaf, chili flakes, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir and reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Remove the bay leaf and mash tomatoes nicely. Remove from heat and stir in parsley.

For Skinny Zucchini Boats:

• Preheat oven to 200 C/400 F. After cutting zucchini in half lengthwise, use a spoon or melon baller to scoop out flesh, leaving 1/4″ thick. Discard the flesh or use it in your next veggie recipe.
• In a small bowl, mix together cottage cheese, red bell pepper, parsley, chilli flakes, salt and pepper.
• Place scooped out side up on the baking sheet and season it with salt and pepper. With spoon, fill each hollowed-out zucchini with about 2 Tbsp of cottage cheese stuffing and press firmly. Top it generously with marinara sauce.
• Bake for 25 minutes or till zucchini is cooked through. Serve hot!

*Cheese-lovers don’t be disappointed! ~ Top zucchini boats with mix of grated Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese before baking. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or till cheese melts completely.
*Basil-lovers can replace parsley with basil leaves, both in filling and Marinara sauce.

 

Kiwi Buttermilk Cake ~ Eggless

After the last post of SugarPlum Cinnamon Buttermilk Cake, many people wanted an eggless version. And I immediately knew that I had to bake one immediately… hence this post.

This recipe is from my initial baking days… very simple and easy to make even for beginners… so naturally it never got posted on the blog. Not bragging but I thought it to be too simple to be posted here. But it is every bit delicious! This is my go-to recipe while baking for non-egg-eaters and it has always turned out perfect so it is tried, tested and tasted recipe in a true sense!

Use this as your basic cake recipe and add any other ingredients you like to it. Cinnamon, chocolate, lemon… anything! Sky is truly a limit. Use any other fruit you like or even better, make it tropical style! Getting ideas?! 😉

Previously I had always used strawberries for this cake. This time I had Kiwis on hand so I decided it was time for a change! I am not a fan of baked Kiwi fruit so I refrained from adding fruit pieces to the batter which I usually do with strawberries but if you have no such qualms then go ahead.

It is perfect for eating any time of the day!

Yup, even for breakfast!

It has yogurt and fruit! Totally acceptable, right?! 😉

Kiwi Buttermilk Cake ~ Eggless

Yields: 1 6 or 8-inch cake | Prep time: 10 minutes | Bake time: about 30 minutes | Total time: 40 minutes

Recipe adapted from here

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 2 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ cup white granulated sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup Greek yogurt with a little water added to it or buttermilk (I used yogurt)
• 1 Kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced (I used Zespri Kiwi)
• 1 – ½ Tbsp white granulated sugar (For topping)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Spray a 6 or 8-inch baking dish with vegetable oil.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, cream together butter, oil and sugar with electric or hand-mixer. Add vanilla extract and whisk thoroughly.
4. Slowly whisk dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 2-parts alternating with yogurt/buttermilk, ending with dry ingredients. Do not over-mix the batter.
5. Spoon the batter in a baking dish and smooth out the surface with the back of spoon. Top with Kiwi slices and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes or till the toothpick inserted in a center comes out clean.

*Refrigerate in airtight container for 3-4 days.
*Want to add fruit to the cake batter? Use about 1/2 generous cup of sliced or chopped fruit and fold into the batter.