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.
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:
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.
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.
3. Sift all the dry ingredients.
4. Now add ½ cup tutti frutti.
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.
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.
Mix Sugar with Liquids
7. In a bowl take ¾ cup sugar (160 grams sugar).
8. Add ½ cup water.
9. Begin to mix the sugar with water with a whisk or spoon.
10. The entire sugar should dissolve before starting with the next step.
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.
12. With a whisk stir briskly for 2 to 3 minutes so that the melted butter mixes with water evenly.
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.
Make Curd (Yogurt) Mixture
14. In another bowl take 3 tablespoons fresh curd or yogurt. Ensure that the curd is not sour.
15. Add 1 tablespoon water.
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.
17. Stir and mix very well with a spoon or small wired whisk.
18. Now add ½ teaspoon baking soda.
19. Stir and mix again very well.
20. You will see the solution frothing and bubbling.
Make Tutti Frutti Cake Batter
21. Quickly add the prepared sugar solution to the dry sifted flour mixture.
22. Immediately, add the bubbling curd solution also to the flour mixture in the bowl.
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.
24. Do not overdo the mixing. You can even fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Tiny lumps are fine in the batter.
25. Pour the batter in the greased or lined cake pan.
26. Gently tap the cake pan on the kitchen table top once or twice.
Bake Tutti Frutti Cake
27. Place the cake pan in the 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.
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.
30. Place the pan on a rack to cool down.
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.
32. Slice the 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.
If you are looking for more Eggless cakes then do check:
Cake Recipes
Cake Recipes
Cake Recipes
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Tutti Frutti Cake
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
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Tutti Frutti Cake post from the archives (December 2013) has been republished and updated on 23 September 2021.
hello…… can i use tandoor for baking tutti frutti cake…
bcoz i don’t have oven.
neha, you have to try. i am not sure.
Dear Dasana ma’am,
Thanks s not word enough for my experience today…it s my son’s 5th bday this friday…got a big party planned…sonny wanted a 5tier cake.. Tada …ur recipe .. Just created his dream cake… 6batches ..5 hours later…bliss .. Due to lack of a better word- thanks a lot ma’am
welcome sud n prad. thats a very sweet feedback from you. i am sure everyone will enjoy the cake you made with lot of care and love.
hie dassana,vry thnkful for such a tasty tutti friti cake….i need to know d alternative of oil used in it.i felt a light smell of oil …N also d batter’s thickness??ll b waiting for ur rpl..thnku once again
thanks dr vincy. you can use melted butter instead of oil. the batter is a medium thick batter.
Hi dassana, can v double the quantity to make a bigger cake. Can u give the quantities detaily, need to make it fr my daughters birthday on monday she loves it
hi swetha, i am afraid, this recipe cannot be doubled. it might not work well. but you can make two batches and bake, if you have the time. have a great day on monday.
Nice cakes
thanks ashu
Hi dassana wanted to try this cake… Is white vinegar same as chilli vinegar? I have Ching’s synthetic chilli vinegar… Will that do?
kruthika, both are different. chilli vinegar has taste and flavor of chilli and used for indo-chinese recipes. so don’t add chilli vinegar.
Hi Dassana,
Thank you soo much. You make baking look so simple and easier. What a detailed recipe, lovely cake. You made my evening . God bless you tons. I followed your recipe and what a wonderful result. Thanks again . Only change I made I added less of tutti fruti n more of sun dried strawberries .
welcome seethe. glad to know that you like the recipes presentation. thanks for sharing your positive feedback and for your blessings.
Dear Dassana,
today I tried eggless tutti frutti cake,it is very tasty but outside it became crusty but inside its moist,don’t know where I went wrong.
I have even tried eggless banana cake….it was amazing.
Thanks for the lovely recipes.
Cheers
Geetha
hi geetha, the oven must have been too hot or the cake was baked for a longer time, due to which the crust has got over done. if use an OTG, then i would suggest to keep the cake pan on the center rack. if you see the top getting browned too fast and the cake is not done from inside and bottom, then cover the top of the cake with an aluminium foil or butter paper. thanks for the feedback.
Dear can I use butter in place of oil
himani, yes you can use butter in place of oil.
Dear I am asking can I use butter,in recipe you mention to add half cup oil.
himani, i have already replied to your query.. error on my part 🙂 yes you can use butter. use melted butter.
Even from inside its crumbly 🙁
Out of the so many recipes of cakes which I’ve tried from your blog this is the only one that hasn’t turned out well.
no minakshi. the cake is not crumbly. i think the cake mixture was not mixed or folded well. thats why the crumbly texture. less or too much of mixing or folding can bring textural changes in the cake like denseness, crumbs etc. sometimes such issues happen while baking. it happens with me too. there is always a chance of things going wrong during baking. so don’t loose heart. just continue to bake and you will become good at it. sometimes even i have mixed the batter so much, that the end result was chewy, tough cake. i have had a lot of cake and cookie disasters. sometimes the cookies i bake would just crumble. but i continued to bake. still on occasions i do have disasters while baking. so don’t loose hope. continue your passion. you can also invest in some baking books and learn.
Hi, tried this cake today.
Its really moist but a little crumbly from the top too.
I baked it at 180° for 45 minutes in the convection mode of my microwave.
Is that how it’s supposed to be?
hi tried on stove top using aluminium cake pan…taste, texture is 2 gud.unable to unmould cake as the cake breaking in uneven shape nd size pieces pieces.i applied ghee to the pan then pour the batter.pls let me knw wht went wrong.
hi tried on stove top using aluminium cake pan…taste, texture is 2 gud.unable to unmould cake as the cake breaking in uneven shape nd size pieces pieces.i applied ghee to the pan then pour the batter.pls let me knw wht went wrong.
i thinks its the quality of pan. if greased well with oil or ghee, the cake should come out easily. also the cake has to be removed when it becomes warm or cools down. if you remove it while its still hot, there are chances of it breaking down.
Amazing…This is looks so much yummy and delicious, being a vegetarian sometimes it tough to taste a cake. This is very recipe to make a good quality egg-less cake. I just liked it very much.
Thanks!!
welcome manish.
Hello Dassana.
Is vinegar necessary in recipe? what is its role?
yes it is necessary. vinegar reacts with baking soda and air bubbles are formed, which help in aerating the batter. makes the cake soft, porous and fluffy.