The White Ramekins

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Persimmon Yogurt Granola Parfait

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Persimmon Yogurt Granola Parfait

Parfaits are fun to make. Super easy, make-ahead in time, healthy and endless possibilities. And they are more fun, if meant for breakfast. Breakfast on a weekday always have to be a quick, easy almost completely no-fuss affair, as compared to the one on a weekend. So I better must have all my pantry/fridge well stocked up, as there is hardly anytime to cook on a busy weekday morning.

Persimmon Yogurt Granola Parfait

But that doesn’t mean that I would like to compromise anywhere on the taste and more importantly on nutrition factor. Fruits and homemade granola mixed with either yogurt or milk are my go-to options. The ones, I heavily relied on. I made this homemade maple granola sometime back, and I never bought any from the store thereafter. This stuff is so good!

Persimmon Yogurt Granola Parfait Persimmon Yogurt Granola Parfait

Few days back I ordered Donna Hay’s Simple Essentials Fruit. When I got my copy, I got really excited to flip through each page. I just love dessert with fruits, of any kind probably. There was this simple yet delish recipe of nectarine granola, which caught my eyes, because it had another recipe of homemade granola to try for.

Persimmon Yogurt Granola Parfait

Nectarines and peaches have long left behind. But I wanted a similar bright colored fruit to replace with. Was mesmerized by Donna Hay’s style and food pictures, bright and full of sunshine. And the recipes are nonetheless vivacious, right there to brighten up your morning.

Persimmon Yogurt Granola Parfait Persimmon Yogurt Granola Parfait

Persimmons are the bright colored fruits of fall, and I went onto adding them in my parfaits. It worked like a magic. Crunchy granola, creamy and light yogurt with sweet and bright red colored fuyu persimmons…just simply made my day!

Persimmon Yogurt Granola Parfait

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup whole almonds, chopped
2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 cup honey
90 ml oil
2 persimmons, peeled and sliced
2 cups vanilla yogurt

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degree C. Place oats, pumpkin seeds, almonds and cinnamon in a large bowl and mix to combine.
  2. Stir the honey and oil in a small saucepan over low heat for 2 minutes or until melted and combined.
  3. Add the honey mixture to the oats mixture and mix to combine.
  4. Divide the granola between two baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper and spread evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until golden. Allow to cool.
  5. Divide the toasted granola among 4 serving glasses. Layer with slices of persimmons and yogurt and serve immediately.

Pumpkin Maple Mascarpone Roulade

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Pumpkin Maple Mascarpone Roulade

So here I am with another classic of Fall season, though a bit late, as winters have started to kick in. But then how could I let the season just pass by without even any mention of lovely saffron colored, vibrant giant pumpkin. Interestingly, we are not a nation of celebrating our fall season with pumpkins, like every other part of the world. We have our fall season marked by fruits and veggies like pomegranates, apples, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, gooseberries, persimmons etc. And markets are flooded by these beautiful bounties of nature. Feels so great to see the in-season produce!

Pumpkin Maple Mascarpone Roulade

And more interestingly, we have pumpkins all round the year. It has a very common Indian curry based recipe, as part of everyday Indian meal. Though I am not a great fan of pumpkin curry. In fact, that is the only vegetable, I could never appreciate. And that is when, I am not at all picky about my food. But I have a special memory from my childhood. My grandmother used to make pumpkin halwa {Indian fudge recipe}, which I remember the taste of till date.That was the only way, I used to like pumpkin as a kid. So that’s the way my sweet tooth made me liked it in just one form.

Pumpkin Maple Mascarpone Roulade

Last year, a dear friend of mine brought me some baby sugar pumpkins from her parents’ place and I made a wonderful spicy pumpkin bundt cake out of it. Truly, the flavor of that sugar pumpkin was quite different from the one I get at my local vegetable merchant. It was way sweeter and was more vibrant in color. And the the vegetable I didn’t like that much, had me smitten.

Pumpkin Maple Mascarpone Roulade

I didn’t forget to bring it back to life here. So I made this pumpkin roll cake filled with homemade mascarpone, lightly sweetened with maple syrup. It came out a bit crumbly, but was super moist. Mascarpone lent the richness and velvety texture, while maple syrup made it all the more relevant to holiday season. Kids enjoyed it to fullest and so did my friends. Happy me!

Pumpkin Maple Mascarpone Roulade

Recipe adapted from Joy Of Baking

Ingredients

For the cake

3/4 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup pumpkin puree

For the filling

340 gm mascarpone {homemade recipe here}
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp low fat cream
icing sugar to dust

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 190 degree C and butter, a 15 inch x 10 inch baking pan, line it with parchment paper, and then butter and flour the parchment paper.
  2. Sift, into a large bowl, the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
  3. Beat the eggs and sugar in a large bowl on high speed for five minutes, or until thick, pale yellow, and fluffy.
  4. Beat in the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree. Gently fold in the sifted flour mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, evenly spreading the cake batter with an offset spatula or knife.
  5. Bake for about 13 – 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake, when lightly pressed, springs back.
  6. Immediately upon removing the cake from the oven invert the pumpkin roll onto a clean dish towel that has been sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar.
  7. Carefully remove the parchment paper, sprinkle lightly with confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, and roll up the pumpkin roll, with the towel, while it is still hot and pliable. Place on a wire rack to cool.

  8. Meanwhile, make the filling. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the mascarpone, maple syrup, and cream together for about a minute, until light and fluffy.

  9. To assemble, carefully unroll the cake onto a board with the towel underneath. Spread the cake evenly with the filling. Reroll the cake in a spiral using the towel as a guide. Remove the towel and trim the ends to make a neat edge. Dust with icing sugar and serve sliced.

Whole Wheat Fall Apple Cake

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Whole Wheat Fall Apple Cake

Fall can not be celebrated without apples, pomegranates, pears and pumpkins. Delicate, tart and juicy cherries, plums, apricots and nectarines of summers have long been left behind with a promise to come back next year. More sturdy and substantial fruits of fall rule the roost now.

Whole Wheat Fall Apple Cake

I have baked with pears and pomegranates this season and have been wanting to bake with apples soon. How could I let autumn just pass by, without even baking an apple cake. Last year, I baked an egg less apple yogurt cake. But this year, I had this beautiful recipe of Jewish apple cake from Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, playing on my mind.

Whole Wheat Fall Apple Cake

Probably, this would have been my first recipe of fall season, but because of Hindu fasting days, I just had to stay away from eggs {and I baked this gorgeous egg free pomegranate jewel cake}. Deb’s recipes have not just always been successful, but a complete crowd pleasing too. Never ever had any disaster from her book.

Whole Wheat Fall Apple Cake

It’s a cake which is awesomely loaded with chunks of cinnamon coated apples, which make it unbelievably moist. But, it takes some patience in return too, in terms of prepping and baking time. Bake this cake, only when you have ample leisure time, possibly on a Sunday afternoon.

Whole Wheat Fall Apple Cake

Give it all your love and it will pay back in amazingly good taste and texture. And, It tastes better the next day…only if you could resist to let it stay for that long.

Whole Wheat Fall Apple Cake

In my case, I just sneaked a big piece into my fridge, before taking it to my family and friends, and enjoyed it later all alone, when I returned back home {yeah…I could go down to that level for such heavenly piece of cake}. Try it to believe it!

Whole Wheat Fall Apple Cake

Ingredients

6 red apples
1 tbsp cinnamon
400 gm plus 5 tbsp sugar
200 gm whole wheat flour
145 gm plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup orange juice
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Grease a tube pan or a nine inch spring form pan. Peel, core and chop apples into chunks. Toss with cinnamon and sugar and set aside.
  2. Stir together both the flours, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, sugar and vanilla.
  4. Mix wet ingredients into the dry ones, then add eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.
  5. Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Spread half of apples over it. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top.
  6. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool completely before running knife between cake and pan, and flipping onto a serving platter.