Here are three eggless bakes to make this festive season

Christmas Day may be over but the festive season extends way beyond till New Years Eve and even through midJanuary amid the wedding seasonSo it is always a good time to bake Baking during the festive season is less about perfection and more about the stories it carries those of kitchens heavy with the scent of cinnamon cakes baking slowly as carols hum in the background and recipes passed down through voices rather than written pagesThese three traditional yet indulgent Christmas treats draw inspiration from The Tastes of India podcast on Audible where homestyle cooking unfolds through conversation memory and lived experienceThoughtfully festive and entirely eggless these bakes are meant to be made without hurry perfect for a Christmas or New Years Eve where food isnrsquot just prepared but truly celebrated You can not only make Oatmeal Raisin and Cranberry Cookies but also Chocolate Truffle Cake and Dry Fruit CakeOatmeal Raisin and Cranberry CookiesIngredientsAll purpose flour maida 34 cupGround cinnamon 12 tspBaking soda 14 tspUnsalted butter softened at room temperature 12 cupWhite sugar 1 tbspRaw sugar 23 cupWater 45 tspRolled oats 1 13 cupsMix of golden raisins black raisins and cranberry 34 cupMethod1 Preheat the cover to 350 degrees Fahrenheit 180 degrees Celsius for at least 10 minutes2 Smear butter on a baking sheet and keep it aside3 In a large bowl take the dry ingredients all purpose flour baking soda and ground cinnamon and whisk the ingredients until they are mixed properly4 In another large bowl add softened butter white sugar and raw sugar Beat this using a hand mixer or with a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until it smoothens5 Add water to this mixture and beat it until it is thoroughly combined Use a spatula scrap to scrap the sides of the bowl6 Add the flour mixture and rolled oats to the bowl Mix everything using your hand until everything comes together to form a soft dough7 Now add soaked raisins and cranberries into the mixture and fold it to form the cookie dough8 Now take a portion of the cookie dough into your palm and shape it into a fairly smooth ball Flatten it slightly to make a disk shape9 Arrange the disks on a baking sheet and place them a few inches apart so that the cookies have room to expand10 Bake the cookie dough in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes You can check on the cookies after 20 minutes itself using a toothpick to see how much baking is further needed The baking time may vary depending on the oven11 Let the cookies cool down for 5 minutes so that they can firm up Then transfer them into a cooling rack so they can cool down12 Serve the cookies warm or at room temperatureChocolate Truffle CakeIngredientsFor cake batterAllPurpose flour 1 cup Powdered sugar 23 cupBaking powder 1 tspBaking soda 12 tspCoffee powder 1 tspCocoa powder 14 cupCurd 12 cupRefine oil 12 cupMilk 12 cupFor chocolate ganacheDark chocolate chopped 1 cupFresh cream 12 cupButter 1 tspGarnishDark chocolate 14 cupExtrasSugar syrup 2 tbspMethod1 Take a 5litre pressure cooker put salt in it and spread it well in the base of the cooker2 Close the cooker lid switch on the stove and preheat the cooker for about 67 minutes3 As you preheat the cooker take a bowl and add curd and oil Whisk this for 23 minutes continuously4 Sieve all the dry ingredients and mix it into the cake batter by the cut and fold method5 Add milk and beat for 34 minutes Ensure that you do not overmix The cake batter is now ready6 Grease the cake tin with oil on all sides Dust it with plain flour and sift it to ensure uniform distribution of the flour7 Shake and tap the tin onto a plate to remove excess flour8 Pour the prepared cake batter into the greased and dusted tin and spread it evenly9 The pressure cooker must have heated up by now Open the lid of the pressure cooker place the baking tray on the cooker plate and cover it with a lid without the ring and whistle10 Now bake the batter in the preheated pressure cooker on a low flame for about 40 to 45 minutes11 Open the lid after the duration of baking Take a toothpaste and check if the cake has been baked by poking the toothpick in the center of the cake If it comes out clean then your cake is ready12 If the cake is not ready bake it for another 56 more minutes13 Separate the cake from the tin using a knife14 Now take a plate and cover the top Flip it over and gently tap on the top so that the cake is released15 Turn it upside down again and let the cake cool down completely16 By that time warm up the fresh cream a little and add chopped dark chocolate and butter Mix this continuously for 23 minutes and set it aside17 Now divide the cake into two layers by using a thread18 Sprinkle 1 tbsp sugar syrup on each layer19 Spread little chocolate ganache on the lower half of the cake and ensure it is spread evenly Can do so using a palette knife20 Sandwich the other half of the cake on top and press it gently21 Now spread the remaining ganache evenly on top and on the sides of the cake22 Decorate with sliced chocolates23 Keep the cake in the fridge for 2 hours24 The chocolate truffle cake is now ready to be servedDry Fruit CakeIngredientsWhole Wheat Flour 1 cupSemolina sooji 34 cupCinnamon Powder 1 tspBaking powder 1 tspBaking soda 1 tspCurd 1 cupSugar 1 cupOil 100 gmVanilla Essence 1 tspCashew 75 gmRaisins 75 gmDates 75 gmAlmonds 75 gmMethod1 Soak all the dry fruits overnight2 Drain the excess water and coarsely grind the dry fruits and set it aside3 Take a large 5litre pressure cooker Use a cooker plate to keep distance between the cooker base and the baking tray This will ensure that the cake will not be exposed to direct heat and get burned from the base4 Keep the cooker plate on the cooker ensuring it does not touch any place else in the cooker5 Close the cooker lid switch on the stove and preheat the cooker for about 67 minutes6 As you preheat the cooker take a bowl add wheat flour sooji baking powder baking soda and cinnamon powder Fold this well and keep it aside7 Take another bowl and add curd sugar vanilla essence vegetable oil and coarsely grind the dry fruits and fold it gently8 Now add the dry ingredients into the wet ones and mix everything well However ensure that you do not overmix9 Now grease the cake tin with oil on all sides Dust it with wheat flour and sift it to ensure uniform distribution of flour10 Shake and tap the tin onto a plate to remove excess flour11 Pour the prepared cake batter into the greased and dusted tin and spread it evenly12 Top it up with some more chopped dry fruits13 The pressure cooker must have been heated up by now Open it and place the baking tin on the cooker plate Cover it with the lid without the ring and whistle14 Now bake in the preheated pressure cooker on low flame for 40 to 45 minutes15 After 4045 minutes of baking open the cooking lid16 Take a toothpick and check if the cake is baked by simply poking the center of the cake with the toothpick17 If the toothpick comes out clean then your cake is ready If it is not you need to bake for another 56 more minutes18 Separate the cake from the baking tin using a knife19 Now take a plate and cover the top of the baking tin and flip it over Gently tap the tin on the top so that the cake is released20 Turn it upside down again21 The dry fruit cake is now ready to be served