Tutti Frutti Cake

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Tutti frutti cake is a popular variety of Indian cake made with flour, tutti frutti (candied papaya), sugar and flavorings. This cake can be made both with eggs and without eggs. I share an eggless tutti frutti cake recipe that has a soft, light and moist crumb. This Eggless Cake Recipe is also easy and even newbies in baking can make this cake easily.

eggless tutti frutti cake served on a white plate.

About Tutti Frutti Cake

This is a delightful cake with tutti frutti being one of the star ingredient. Of course there is the cake but without tutti frutti it will be a simple vanilla cake. The tutti frutti brings in some chewy bites and sweet pops of flavor in the cake.

To make this tutti frutti cake, I have adapted my recipe of Vanilla Cake . I have been making this tutti frutti cake for many years now. In this recipe, I have used fresh homemade curd (yogurt) as an egg replacement.

I also add some acidity to the batter with apple cider vinegar (can swap with lemon juice or white vinegar) – which when combined with baking soda, helps the batter to aerate and makes for a soft fluffier cake.

Earlier when making the cake, I used to add ½ cup oil or melted butter in the recipe, but later I started reducing the amount of oil. I felt that with even with ¼ cup oil or melted butter the cake gets a lovely light crumb and is moist.

You can use both melted butter or oil in the recipe. I have made the cake with both oil and butter on various occasions. Both give good results in the cake. If using oil, then use a neutral flavored and neutral tasting oil like sunflower oil.

What is Tutti Frutti

Tutti frutti are basically candied fruits made with pineapple, cherries, currants, watermelon rind, apricots, various berries etc. In India what we call tutti frutti are candied colorful bits of papaya. They are made from green unripe papaya. Making homemade tutti frutti is an extensive and time consuming process.

While you can make them at home, but if you live in India you can also buy them easily from grocery stores and online. If you live in US, then you can find them in Indian grocery stores and online as well.

Tutti frutti is one ingredient that I use, which has artificial colors. I don’t have the time and energy to make these candied raw papaya pieces at home. So I buy from outside when I have to add them in recipes. A few recipes where you can add them are these:

Step-by-Step Guide

How to make Tutti Frutti Cake

Sift Dry Ingredients

1: Take a sieve. Keep a mixing bowl below the sieve. In the sieve add 1.5 cups all purpose flour – about 187 to 190 grams all purpose flour.

all purpose flour in a sieve

2. Then add 1 pinch salt, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder and 1 teaspoon baking powder.

If you do not have cinnamon powder, then you can skip it. Alternatively you can add ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder.

flavorings added to flour

3. Sift all the dry ingredients.

Sift all the dry ingredients

4. Now add ½ cup tutti frutti.

tutti frutti added to flour

5. With a spoon or spatula, just mix the tutti frutti with the sifted flour so that they get coated with the flour. Keep aside.

mixing  tutti frutti with flour

6. Grease a loaf pan measuring 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 inches with butter and oil and set aside. You can even line the pan with butter paper or parchment paper. Also preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius or 356 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

A round cake pan having 7 to 8 inches diameter also works well.

greasing loaf pan

Mix Sugar with Liquids

7. In a bowl take ¾ cup sugar (160 grams sugar).

sugar in a pan

8. Add ½ cup water.

adding water to sugar

9. Begin to mix the sugar with water with a whisk or spoon.

mixing sugar in water

10. The entire sugar should dissolve before starting with the next step.

sugar dissolved water

11. After all of the sugar has dissolved, add ¼ cup melted butter or oil. You can melt butter in a small pan or bowl and keep it ready.

Use unsalted butter. But if you have salted butter then skip adding the salt when sifting the flour.

add butter to sugar dissolved water

12. With a whisk stir briskly for 2 to 3 minutes so that the melted butter mixes with water evenly.

mixing butter with water

13. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or scrape half of a vanilla bean and add the tiny seeds in the solution. Here I have used vanilla bean. Mix again well. Keep this sugar solution aside.

vanilla extract added

Make Curd (Yogurt) Mixture

14. In another bowl take 3 tablespoons fresh curd or yogurt. Ensure that the curd is not sour.

curd in a bowl


15. Add 1 tablespoon water.

water added to curd

16. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar. You can use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar. I have used apple cider vinegar. You can also use 1 tablespoon lemon juice instead of vinegar.

vinegar added

17. Stir and mix very well with a spoon or small wired whisk.

whisking curd

18. Now add ½ teaspoon baking soda.

baking soda added to whisked curd

19. Stir and mix again very well.

mixing baking soda in curd

20. You will see the solution frothing and bubbling.

curd solution frothing and bubbling

Make Tutti Frutti Cake Batter

21. Quickly add the prepared sugar solution to the dry sifted flour mixture.

sugar solution added to flour

22. Immediately, add the bubbling curd solution also to the flour mixture in the bowl.

curd mixture added to flour

23. Be quick and begin to mix gently to a smooth batter with a wired whisk. Mix with light pressure from your hands on the whisk.

mixing the flour with curd and sugar solution

24. Do not overdo the mixing. You can even fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Tiny lumps are fine in the batter.

cake batter

25. Pour the batter in the greased or lined cake pan.

batter added to cake pan

26. Gently tap the cake pan on the kitchen table top once or twice.

batter in cake pan

Bake Tutti Frutti Cake

27. Place the cake pan in the oven.

cake pan with batter placed in oven

28. Bake the cake at 180 degrees Celsius or 356 degrees Fahrenheit in a preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or more or less if required.

Baking time will vary depending on the temperature conditions in the oven and the size of the oven. Remember not to open the oven door until the cake is 3/4 baked. Opening the door many times will cause your cake to sink in the center.

baked tutti frutti cake

29. Check with a bamboo skewer or fork and it should come out clean. If the cake is baked well then the bamboo skewer will have a few crumbs on it and no sticky cake batter.

If the cake is under baked then keep back in the oven and bake for some more minutes.

checking doneness of tutti frutti cake

30. Place the pan on a rack to cool down.

tutti frutti cake placed on a rack

31. When the cake has completely cooled at room temperature, then using a butter knife loosen the edges of the cake. Invert the pan on a chopping board. Gently tap the bottom of the cake pan and remove the tutti frutti cake.

tutti frutti cake on a wooden board


32. Slice the cake.

slicing tutti frutti cake

32. Serve tutti frutti cake slices as it is or with some milk or tea or coffee. Remaining cake slices or loaf can be refrigerated in an airtight container and lightly warmed before serving.

eggless tutti frutti cake placed on a white plate


If you are looking for more Eggless cakes then do check:

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tutti frutti cake slices on a white oval platter

Tutti Frutti Cake

Tutti frutti cake is a popular variety of Indian cake made with flour, tutti frutti (candied papaya), sugar and flavorings. This recipe is an eggless tutti frutti cake having a soft and light crumb.
4.72 from 52 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Cuisine Indian, World
Course Desserts
Diet Vegetarian
Difficulty Level Easy
Servings 14 tutti frutti cake slices from 1 loaf
Units

Ingredients

For dry mixture

  • 1.5 cups all purpose flour – about 187 to 190 grams
  • 1 pinch salt
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder (ground cinnamon) – optional
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ cup tutti frutti – approximate 80 grams

For sugar solution

  • ½ cup water
  • ¾ cup raw sugar or regular sugar – 160 grams, or add as required * check point 3 in notes
  • ¼ cup melted butter or neutral flavored oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla powder or half of a vanilla bean, scraped

For curd mixture

  • 3 tablespoons Curd (yogurt), dairy or vegan
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda

Instructions
 

Sifting dry ingredients

  • Take a sieve. Keep a mixing bowl below the sieve. In the sieve add the all-purpose flour, salt, cinnamon powder and baking powder. 
  • Sift all the dry ingredients.
  • Now add the tutti frutti.
  • Simply mix the tutti frutti with the flour so that they get coated with the flour.
  • Grease a loaf pan with butter and oil and keep aside. You can even line the pan with butter paper or parchment paper. Also preheat oven at 180 degrees Celsius/356 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.

Making sugar solution

  • In a bowl take sugar and water.
  • Mix the sugar with water till all the sugar granules are dissolved. 
  • After all of the sugar has dissolved, add melted butter or oil. You can melt butter in a small pan and keep it ready. With a whisk mix briskly for 2 to 3 minutes till the oil has mixed evenly with the water.
  • Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or scrape half of a vanilla bean and add the tiny seeds in the solution. Mix again well. Keep this sugar solution aside.

Making curd mixture

  • In another bowl take fresh curd or yogurt, water and vinegar. 
  • You can use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar. I have used apple cider vinegar. You can also use lemon juice instead of vinegar. Mix very well.
  • Now add baking soda. Stir to combine so that the baking soda is mixed evenly.
  • You will see the mixture frothing and bubbling.

Making tutti frutti cake batter

  • Quickly add the sugar solution to the sifted dry ingredients.
  • Then immediately add the bubbling curd solution. 
  • Mix gently to a smooth batter with light pressure from the hands on the whisk. Do not overdo the mixing. You can even fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Tiny lumps are fine in the batter. 
  • Pour the tutti frutti cake batter in the greased or lined cake pan.
  • Gently tap the cake pan on the kitchen table top once or twice.

Baking tutti frutti cake

  • Place the cake pan in the preheated oven.
  • Bake the cake at 180 degrees Celsius/356 degrees Fahrenheit in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or more or less as required. Baking time will vary depending on the temperature conditions in the oven and the size of the oven.
  • Check with a skewer or fork and it should come out clean.
  • Place the pan on a wired rack to cool.
  • When the tutti frutti cake has completely cooled at room temperature, then using a butter knife loosen the edges of the cake. Invert the pan on a chopping board. Gently tap the bottom of the cake pan and remove the cake.
  • Slice the cake.
  • Serve the eggless tutti frutti cake as is or with some milk or tea or coffee. Remaining cake can be refrigerated and lightly warmed before serving.

Notes

The approximate nutrition data is for one slice of the Tutti Frutti Cake.

Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)

Nutrition Facts
Tutti Frutti Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 148 Calories from Fat 27
% Daily Value*
Fat 3g5%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 9mg3%
Sodium 78mg3%
Potassium 49mg1%
Carbohydrates 27g9%
Sugar 15g17%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 110IU2%
Vitamin C 0.2mg0%
Calcium 32mg3%
Iron 0.8mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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This Tutti Frutti Cake post from the archives (December 2013) has been republished and updated on 23 September 2021.

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Welcome to Dassana's Veg Recipes. I share vegetarian recipes from India & around the World. Having been cooking for decades and with a professional background in cooking & baking, I help you to make your cooking journey easier with my tried and tested recipes showcased with step by step photos & plenty of tips & suggestions.

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274 Comments

  1. Hi..
    I do follow your recipes quite often. It comes out well. Thanks.
    I wanted to share something with u. In all your recipes, when I click the option of 2X OR 3X, the calculation of measurements do not change. Pls check. It’s an error.

    Thanks.

    1. Thanks Shilpa. On older mobile versions this issue is there. I also checked about this with the developer of the program but there is not much he can do about this. Even on my mobile I cannot see the measurements changing. I bring it up with him again.

  2. 𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙙. 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙜𝙜𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙫𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮. 𝙄 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙨. 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙫𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙣 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙞 𝙛𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙞 𝙘𝙖𝙠𝙚, 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙠𝙚?

    1. You can use a vegan curd like almond curd (almond yogurt) or cashew curd (cashew yogurt). Another suggestion would be to take 3 tbsp almond milk or any vegan milk and add 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar in it. Mix and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then add the 1 tbsp water and ½ teaspoon baking soda. Mix very well and proceed with the recipe. I tested vegan versions of carrot cake but was not successful in having them a nice texture.

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