Apricot Walnut Tea Loaf – Low Calorie, Wholegrain and Egg less

A cloudy warm morning was followed by mild showers and hail. By evening the sky was clear and azure. Cold but mild breeze made the evening really pleasant. The Sun looked like a red orb as it prepared to sink into the horizon, turning to a huge gray ball as it finally did behind the clouds. A group of White Cheeked Bulbuls caught our attention. It was a large group flitting from tree to tree, branches to branches, playing, frolicking, chasing each other, swooping down to lunge at some insect and raising an alarm collectively as our cat emerged out of a bush and slinked indoors sheepishly. The Bulbuls were a sight to watch.

 They kept us amused by their antics till darkness pervaded and the show stopped.

Few days back we spotted two Red Vent Bulbuls in our food table.

Last week we spotted a group of Black Crested bulbuls in a tree eating wild berries.

Last week I made Apricot Walnut Tea Loaf. 

A simple cake that is delicious, substantial and low calorie.

 A cake that does not leave you feel guilty as you tuck in piece after piece.

Apricot Walnut Tea Loaf – Low Calorie, Wholegrain and Egg less

Ingredients

1 ½ cup whole wheat flour

1 cup sugar (powdered)

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

25 g butter (approx. ¼ slab)

170 ml orange juice

1 flax egg*

Finely grated zest of an orange

¾ cup finely chopped soft apricots (you may substitute apricot with figs or dried cherries)

½ cup toasted walnuts

*to make one flax egg take 3 tablespoons water in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of raw flax meal. Whisk with a fork.  Refrigerate. This step is important. Refrigerate for about an hour. This gives it the consistency of an egg white. Add it to the recipe. It acts as a binder and makes the cake soft.

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease and dust the sides, line the bottom of one 9x4 ½ inch bread pan.

Whisk together first five ingredients in a deep bowl. Add softened butter and mix with hands till it is thoroughly incorporated into the dry mixture.

Take orange juice in another bowl. Add flax egg. Stir. Add zest.

Pour the wet mixture into dry mixture. Stir well till the batter is smooth. Add more juice if the batter feels dry. Fold in apricots and walnuts. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for about 1 hour or till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Tent loosely with a foil if the top it turning too brown. Remove from the oven after 5 minutes. Remove from the pan after another 5 minutes. Cool in the rack.

Slice next day.