Mango Mascarpone Cheesecake

Ripe seasonal mangoes coddled in creamy Mascarpone and whipped cream, topped with a light mango jelly and a crisp biscuit base. A delicious Summertime dessert!!

• Ingredients-
• For the Crust-
• 1 packet digestive biscuits
• 5 tbsp Melted butter
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• For the cheesecake-
• 200gms Mascarpone Cheese
• 200ml Cream
• 100gms Fresh hung curd
• 1/2 cup Mango Puree
• 1/2 cup Sugar(adjust acc. to the sweetness of Mangoes)
• 2 tbsp Gelatin
• for the topping-
• 1 cup Mango puree
• 1/4 cup Sugar(adjust sweetness)
• 1 tbsp Gelatin

 Ingredients-

1. Crush biscuits, add butter and sugar and press into a springform pan.Chill till you prepare the filling.
2. For filling- Heat up 2 tbsp of water in a small bowl in the microwave, sprinkle the gelatin and let bloom for a minute, stir and keep aside.Whip cream, add mascarpone and hung curd along with the mango puree and sugar, slowly fold in the ge
3. For topping- Heat mango puree, add in the sugar. In a separate bowl heat up 2 tbsp of water, add gelatin and let bloom, stir and add to the puree.Let cool, the carefully pour on top of the cheesecake. Chill for 4-5 hours. Demould and serve

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DENSE, CHOCOLATEY OLIVE OIL BROWNIES

Dense, fudgy moreish and chocolatey!!!.. rich with the Mediterranean goodness of heart healthy olive oil...great for kids and adults alike. Though they are enriched with olive oil you cannot make out or miss the taste of butter at all.Both the walnuts and olive oil are rich sources of Omega 3..so go on...indulge :-)

 To make these luscious goodies..u need-

INGREDIENTS-

• Dark Cooking chocolate- 100gms
• Powdered sugar- 200gms
• Plain flour(maida)- 140 gms
• Eggs-3
• Chocolate chips- 100gms
• Chopped walnuts- 50gms
• Vanilla essence- 1 tsp
• Olive oil-1/2 cup
• Pinch of baking powder
• Pinch of salt

METHOD-

1. Preheat oven at 180C.
2. Grease and line a brownie tray/ Swiss roll tray or any large rectangular pan. It is very important to line it either with greaseproof sheet or foil otherwise brownies will stick to the pan.
3. Break chocolate roughly into large chunks with a rolling pin and add olive oil, heat on low flame in a thick bottomed pan.
4. Let chocolate melt completely but on low heat and then let the mixture cool down till warm to touch.
5. Next break the eggs one by one into the melted chocolate mixture and combine well, now add the sugar and mix very well, it will turn into a jelly like mass.
6. Add the flour, vanilla essence, baking powder, chocolate chips and salt and combine thoroughly.
7. Pour into prepared pan and level, sprinkle walnuts on top.
8. Bake at 180 C for 20-30 minutes. DO not over bake.
   

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RED VELVET CAKE

 An utterly gorgeous cake, made extra tender with the use of buttermilk..seems like the old adage -"We eat with the eyes first".. comes true, whoever I have served it to seem first to fall in love with the attractive red colour and then the chocolaty tenderness of it. A great hit at parties and birthdays!

Ingredients-

Ground white sugar- 1 and ½ cups

Eggs-2

Cocoa- 4 tbsp

Butter- 1 cup, softened

Salt-1/2 tsp

Vanilla essence- 1 tsp

Buttermilk- 1 cup

Plain flour- 2 and ½ cups

Baking powder- 2 tsp

White vinegar- 1 tbsp

Red food colour- 4 tbsp

Baking soda- ½ tsp

For the icing-

300 ml heavy cream//Cream cheese( whatever is available, original recipe calls for cream cheese)

½ cup castor sugar

½ tsp vanilla essence

Method-

• Preheat oven to 200 degree C
• Grease and flour two 9- inch cake pans
• Cream butter and sugar together very well. Add eggs and beat well.
• Add the cocoa, food colour, salt, vanilla to the creamed mixture.
• Now alternately add flour and buttermilk, mix well, in the end add the vinegar.
• Pour batter into the prepared cake pans and bake for 30 minutes.
• Cool completely.

For the icing-

Take a  clean mixing bowl and combine cream/ cream cheese along with the rest of the ingredients, beat well till light and fluffy.

For assembling-

Sandwich the cake with a quarter of the prepared icing , spread the rest on top and sides.

Chill well before serving.

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SUMMERY COCKTAIL FRUIT CAKE

Light, summery, fresh, fruity!!!ALL that I had in mind while baking this gorgeous Cake for mum's birthday, and I am so hooked to Bavarian cream!!
The cake is a light as a feather sponge soaked in all the delicious fruit juices, filled with the cocktail fruit and the Bavarian cream and the top lavished with more of the same, indulge!

Ingredients-
for the fatless sponge-
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
¾ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 egg whites
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
2 tbsp powdered sugar
2/3 cup sifted cake flour
zest of 2 lemons
reserved juice from the Cocktail fruit can
Vanilla Bavarian Cream
5 egg yolks
Vanilla custard powder-1 tbsp
2/3 cup sugar
1 ½ cups milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
Vanilla extract-1 tsp
1 ¾ cups whipping cream
for filling and topping-
1 can Cocktail fruit
a handful of chopped toasted walnuts
some mint leaves

1.Preheat oven to 450F. Butter and flour the sides of large springform pan. Line bottom of pan with a sheet of parchment paper cut to fit bottom pan exactly.
2.Beat eggs, egg yolks, lemon zest and ¾ cup sugar together in a medium bowl until thick and light. Beat in the vanilla.
3.In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy, add cream of tartar and beat until whites begin to form peaks. Add the 2 tbsp sugar and beat until the whites hold stiff, glossy peaks(do not over beat).
4.Sift flour over the egg yolk mixture and fold in . Stir in one fourth of the whites. Then carefully fold in the remaining whites.
5.Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake until light brown and springy to touch. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Run a knife along edge to loosen.let cool. Cake may be frozen at this point.
6.To assemble cake:  Slice cooled cake carefully into half and Center one layer of the cake at the bottom of serving tray. Brush the cake with some of the reserved syrup to just moisten(not drench) the cake; set aside.
7.Prepare Vanilla Bavarian Cream. Immediately pour about half of the Bavarian Cream over the first layer of cake in the pan, layer with half of the Cocktail fruit bits Set the next layer of cake on top of the cream. Pour remaining Bavarian Cream over cake and smooth top of the cream with spatula, top up with the remaining cocktail fruit arranged decoratively.Sprinkle chopped walnuts and add mint leaves.
Prep Work
Vanilla  Bavarian Cream
1.Combine egg yolks, custard and sugar in a bowl’ beat until light. Bring milk to a boil in sauce pan. Pour hot milk into yolk mixture and stir with a wooden spoon(it doesn’t say so but I would temper the egg mixture first to be safe). Return this mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until your finger leaves a clear trail in sauce when drawn across the back of the spoon.(Do not boil or mixture will curdle.) Immediately remove from heat. Pour into a stainless steel bowl places over a bowl of ice water. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla extract. Cool over ice water, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens to the consistency of softly whipped cream.
2.While mixture is cooling, whip the whipping cream until it holds soft peaks. When cool, fold the whipped cream into the mixture.

Adapted from Cakes and Pastries At The Academy by the California Culinary Academy 1993

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THE STRAWBERRY MIRROR CAKE

There's Cake and there's Cake with a whole lotta focus!!...a project...albeit a challenge but nonetheless exciting and soooo inspiring!!

April is birthday month in the family which automatically gives way to cake baking, and since its peak Summer here what could be better than light, fruity sponge cakes esp. with beautiful fresh strawberries in season. I baked this cake for sister's birthday and everybody loved it.

Now let me warn you first that this Cake is not for a new baker as it is a bit complicated and requires some expertise, no wonder it was a Daring baker project but it's sooooo pretty and so worth it!!!..and I have had my eyes on this pretty piece of Cake poetry ever since!!!

recipe from Culinary Concotions by Peabody.

Strawberry Mirror Cake
for the fatless sponge-
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
¾ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 egg whites
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
2 tbsp powdered sugar
2/3 cup sifted cake flour
+
½ cup water
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp kirsch or strawberry liqueur
Strawberry Bavarian Cream
2 ½ tbsp unflavored gelatin
1 ½ cups strained strawberry puree(1 ½ baskets)
5 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1 ½ cups milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
several drops of red food coloring
1 ¾ cups whipping cream
Strawberry Mirror
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp kirsch
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp unflavored gelatin
Few drops of red food coloring
Strawberry Juice
1 ½ pints of strawberries(18 oz)
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup water
1.Preheat oven to 450F. Butter and flour the sides of an 11-by-17 inch jelly roll pan(rimmed baking sheet). Line bottom of pan with a sheet of parchment paper cut to fit bottom pan exactly.
2.Beat eggs, egg yolks and ¾ cup sugar together in a medium bowl until thick and light. Beat in the vanilla.
3.In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy, ad cream of tartar and beat until whites begin to form peaks. Add the 2 TBSP sugar and beat until the whites hold stiff, glossy peaks(do not over beat).
4.Sift flour over the egg yolk mixture and fold in . Stir in one fourth of the whites. Then carefully fold in the remaining whites.
5.Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake until light brown and springy to touch(7 to 10 minutes). Cool in pan 5 minutes. Run a knife along edge to loosen. Invert cake tin to cut out 8 ¼ inch circles of cake. Wrap the cake layers, separated with waxed paper, and set aside. Cake may be frozen at this point.
6.To make soaking syrup: Combine water and the 1/3 cup sugar in saucepan; bring to a boil to dissolve sugar. Cool to room temperature; flavor with liqueur. Set aside or refrigerate in glass jar until ready to use.
7.To assemble cake: Brush sides of 10-inch springform pan lightly with flavorless salad oil or almond oil. Cut out a cardboard circle that is exactly the same size as the bottom inside of the pan; cover cardboard with aluminum foil and fit into bottom of pan. Center one layer of the cake bottom of pan. Brush the cake with some of the soaking syrup to just moisten(not drench) the cake; set aside.
8.Prepare Strawberry Bavarian Cream. Immediately pour about half of the Bavarian Cream over the first layer of cake in the pan. Set the next layer of cake on top of the cream. Pour remaining Bavarian Cream over cake and smooth top of the cream with spatula. Refrigerate until the cream sets(1 to 2 hours).
9.Prepare the Strawberry Mirror.
10.To serve: Wrap a hot towel around the outside of springform pan for a few minutes. Run a small sharp knife tip around the edge of the Strawberry Mirror to separate it form the sides of pan. Mirror will tear when sides are unlatched if it is stuck at ANY point. Slowly unlatch the pan and slide it off the cake. Slice cake in wedges and serve in upright slices.
Prep Work
Strawberry Bavarian Cream
1.Sprinkle the gelatin over the strawberry puree in a small bowl and set aside until spongy.
2.Combine egg yolks and sugar in a bowl’ beat until light. Bring milk to a boil in sauce pan. Pour hot milk into yolk mixture ans stir with a wooden spoon(it doesn’t say so but I would temper the egg mixture first to be safe). Return this mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until your finger leaves a clear trail in sauce when drawn across the back of the spoon.(Do not boil or mixture will curdle.) Immediately remove from heat and stir in softened gelatin mixture. Pour into a stainless steel bowl places over a bowl of ice water. Stir in lemon juice and a few drops of red food coloring. Cool over ice water, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens to the consistency of softly whipped cream.
3.White gelatin mixture is cooling, whip the whipping cream until it holds soft peaks. When the gelatin mixture resembles softly whipped cream, fold the whipped cream into the gelatin mixture.
Strawberry Mirror
1.Prepare strawberry juice.
2.Place lemon juice, kirsch, and water in a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over this mixture; set aside until spongy and soft.
3.Measure 1 ½ cups Strawberry juice into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer; pour over gelatin mixture and stir to dissolve gelatin. Tint to desired color with red food coloring. Place bowl over bowl of ice water and stir occasionally until the mixture is syrupy and just beings to thicken(do not let jell);this is really the tricky part, remove from ice water.
4.When mixture is syrupy, pour a 1/16-inch layer over the top of cake. Refrigerate until set.
Strawberry Juice
Wash and hull strawberries; coarsely chop. Place strawberries in saucepan; crush to start juices flowing. Place over low heat; add sugar and water; simmer slowly 10 minutes. Pour juice and pulp through damp jelly bag or cheesecloth-lined colander and drain into a bowl for 15 minutes(Do not press down on fruit).

Adapted from Cakes and Pastries At The Academy by the California Culinary Academy 1993

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HEARTY POTATO KNISH~SMITTEN KITCHEN

 These have been playing in my mind ever since I came across them at Deb's and I mulled over all that carb overload the whole of Sunday evening and Monday morning before finally giving in to them!

These have to be the ultimate in comfort food and are really quite delicious warm or cold, the only change I made from the original recipe was to add a hint of garlic... since garlic makes everything taste better, doesn't it???.

Here's how u make 'em in Deb's own words and if you are really going to make them don't forget to read all about them here-
Yield: 6 3-inch hearty knish, though you can make them any size you please
Dough
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 to 1/2 cup water
Filling
3 medium potatoes, boiled
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, peeled and diced small
1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Freshly ground black pepper
To finish
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon water
Make dough: Stir together your dry ingredients in the bottom of a medium/large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, oil, vinegar and water. Pour it over the dry ingredients and stir them to combine. Once the mixture is a craggy, uneven mass, knead it until smooth, about a minute. Place the dough back in the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Set it aside for an hour (or in the fridge, up to 3 days) until needed.
Meanwhile, prepare filling: Pressure cook potatoes. Drain, then transfer to a large bowl to cool.
Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add butter and oil and once they’re fully melted and a bit sizzly, add onions and garlic and reduce to medium-low. Cook, stirring frequently, until deeply caramelized, which will take about 45 minutes. Can you do this in less time? Of course. But the flavor won’t be as intense. Transfer to bowl with potatoes and mash together until almost smooth. Stir in salt and many grinds of black pepper and set the filling aside.
Assemble knish: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
If your dough has sweated some beads of oil while it rested, fear not, you can just knead it back into an even mass. Divide the dough in half. On a well-floured surface, roll the first half of the dough into a very thin sheet, roughly in the shape of a 1-foot square, but really, no need to be rigid about it. For moderate size knish (smaller than the traditional “doorstops” but still hefty, about 3 inches across), create a 2-inch thick log from half your potato filling across the bottom of your dough. Roll the filling up in the dough like you were rolling a cigarette (which, of course, we would never), but not too tight. A tiny amount of slack will keep the dough from opening in the oven. Keep rolling until the log has been wrapped twice in dough. Trim any unrolled length and add it to the second half of the dough; it can be used again. Repeat the process with the second half of your dough and second half of filling; you might have a small amount of dough leftover.
Trim the ends of the dough so that they’re even with the potato filling. Then, make indentations on the log every 3 to 3 1/2 inches (you’ll have about 3, if your log was 1 foot long) and twist the dough at these points, as if you were making sausage links. Snip the dough at each twist, then pinch one of the ends of each segment together to form a sealed knish base. Use the palm of your hand to flatten the knish a bit into a squat shape and from here, you can take one of two approaches to the top: You can pinch together the tops as you did the bottom to seal them; indenting them with a small dimple will help keep them from opening in the oven.

Bake knish: Arrange knish on prepared baking sheet so that they don’t touch. Whisk egg yolk and water together to form a glaze and brush it over the knish dough. Bake knish for about 45 minutes, rotating your tray if needed for them to bake into an even golden brown color.

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DOING DONUTS- THE ALTON BROWN WAY!

The craving hits you every once in a while alright...for the real deal..proper yeasty donuts!!!, this recipe was all over the blogosphere earlier as a part of the Daring bakers challenge, I followed what Deeba made as she too blogs from India too and that makes it sooo much easier for me!!, anddd just in case you are looking for instant gratification you can head over to my recipe for Instant Donuts, ready in a jiffy!!!

ALTON BROWN'S YEASTY DONUTS
I halved the recipe as the original recipe makes about 30-35 medium sized ones which were way too much for me, so this recipe makes about 15
you need-

• Milk-3/4 cup
• Unsalted butter, melted- 35gms
• Fresh yeast- 15gms (1 and 1/2 tsp)
• Warm water-1/4 cup
• Egg-1
• Powdered sugar-2 tbsp
• Flour- 2 and 1/3 rd cup 
• Salt-3/4 tsp
• Grated nutmeg-1/2 tsp
• Refined vegetable oil- for deep frying

Method-

• Mix the warm milk and butter. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, pour the warm water over the fresh yeast and let dissolve for 5 minutes. 
• After 5 minutes, pour the yeast mixture into the large bowl of a stand mixer and add the milk and shortening mixture, first making sure the milk and shortening mixture has cooled to lukewarm.
• Add the eggs, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and half of the flour. Start kneading by hand, putting it all together
• Add the rest of the flour and knead well till smooth and non sticky
• Transfer to a well-oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size
• Cut out or shape the dough by hand like I did dusting liberally with flour. 

• Set on floured baking sheet, cover lightly with a tea towel, and let rise for 30 minutes.

• Heat the oil till ready for deep frying, gently lower donut into the oil, it should come up immediately and then let it cook for a minute till golden on either side, dust/sift liberally with some powdered sugar and cinnamon immediately. Delicious!!!

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LET'S PARTY CUPCAKES! Step-by-step recipe for kids

Can't believe its been 7 months since my last post... time just flies and life entangles you. My childhood buddy made me realise just what I had been missing and made me get back to it...thank you Sunshine..., hope I post loads of yummy stuff for you guys esp. the one's who write in to me all the time...keep those suggestions and comments coming!
Today we are going to do these colourful party cupcakes that are oh so loved by kiddos and are a breeze to put together!The flavours here are specially to please the kids, there's  pineapple/ lemon and Vanilla flavoured cake base with a tangy lemony frosting and sweet strawberry jelly to put it all together for a dream kiddo experience!!

You need-
for the cupcakes-

• Plain flour- 1 and 1/2 cups
• Cornflour- 1/2 cup
• Powdered sugar- 3/4 cup
• Baking powder- 3 level teaspoons
• Curd- 2 tbsp
• Milk-3/4 cup
• Pineapple/ lemon/ Vanilla food flavours
• Salt- 1/4 tsp
• Butter- 50 gms melted
• Egg-1

for the lemony custard frosting-

• Milk-3/4 cup
• Custard powder- 2 tbsp
• Egg yolk-1
• Lemon juice-1/2 tsp 
• Sugar- 2 tbsp

for finishing-

• 1 packet Instant Strawberry jelly
• Sugar sprinkles/ hundreds and thousands

Method-
Prepare to set the jelly at least 3-4 hours in advance, acc to instructions on the packet but use 1/2 cup less water than called for because we need a firmer jelly for this.Cube after setting and keep refrigerated.
 for cupcakes-
Preheat oven to 180 C and line 12 muffin trays.
Take a large mixing bowl and sieve in the flour, cornflour, baking powder and salt. Combine the wet ingredients together i.e Milk, curd, butter and egg and give them a good shake. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and add sugar, combine well. Pour out into smaller bowls and add pineapple/ lemon/ vanilla flavours, carefully spoon into the prepared muffin trays and bake for 20-25 mins till well risen and golden.let cool before frosting.
for frosting-
Stir in Custard powder into the Milk, add yolk, lemon juice and sugar and cook stirring constantly till thick, let cool and pour into piping bag.
for final assembly-
Pipe whirls of Lemony custard frosting on top of each cooled cupcake,arrange the jelly cubes and lastly sprinkle the hundreds and thousands...let the kids rock!!!

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CHEESE AND ONION QUICHE

What is a Quiche??...an open pastry case, filled with a mixture of eggs, cream and other savoury (= not sweet) foods, which is baked and eaten hot or cold

pronounced as -/kēSH/

This delicious flaky pastry shell filled creamy savoury treat is a perfect accompaniment to your evening Tea or Coffee.

Ingredients-

for the pastry  shell-

•  Plain flour-175 gms
• Salted butter-80 g
• Chilled water- a couple of tbsp.

For the filling-

• Milk-200 ml
• Butter-1 tbsp
• Onion-1 medium chopped
• Heavy Cream-2 tbsp
• Eggs-2
• Cheese-1/2 cup grated
• English mustard-1/2 tsp
• Salt and black pepper to taste

For the pastry shell-

• Sieve flour in a large bowl.
• Rub in the butter till the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Add chilled water, a tbsp at a time till the whole thing comes together as a stiff dough.

• Wrap in cling film and chill for 15 minutes.

• Gently unwrap and roll out pastry, grease and flour one large tart pan or 4 individual pans.

• Fit out the pastry and trim edges, return to chill for another 15 minutes.
• In the meantime preheat oven at 200 C, bake  the cases for 15 minutes and take out.

For the filling-

• 
  Heat butter gently, and  add onions, let sweat.Turn off heat when pink.
• Add the rest of the ingredients to the cooled onions, reserving only a little egg white.
• Brush pastry cases with the reserved egg white to seal in and prevent pastry from turning soggy.

• Gently spoon in the filling in to the shells and bake for 20-30 minutes till filling is set.
• Serve warm.

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CRUNCHY PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES- Easy Step-by-step recipe

These are the perfect accomapaniment to your cup of Coffee,... crispy, crunchy, melt-in-the-mouth buttery goodness and so easy too! They are bound to become yours and your kids favourite too!! After all who can say no to protein packed cookies that are delicious and easy to boot!!

Here's the recipe-

Ingredients-

(makes 24)

• Plain flour-140 gms
• Soda-bi-carb- 1/2 tsp
• Salt-1/2 tsp
• Butter-115 gms (at room temp.)
• Egg-1
• Vanilla essence-1 tsp
• Crunchy peanut butter- 250 gms
• Sugar-165 gms

Method-

1. Sift together the flour, soda and salt and keep aside.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. Stir in the Peanut butter and blend well, stir in the dry ingredients.
4. Chill till firm.
5. Preheat oven to 180 C, Grease 2 baking sheets.
6. Roll out teaspoons of dough into balls.
7. Place on prepared sheets and with a fork, make a criss cross pattern as shown in pic.
8. Bake till lightly coloured, 12-15 minutes.
9. Cool on a wire rack.

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GOOEY CHOCOLATE CAKE FOR MY BIRTHDAY (eggless and healthy too!)

This is the cake I chose to bake on my birthday today, since a lot of my family and friends don't eat eggs.The cake is deliciously moist and tender due to the addition of yogurt, and intense chocolaty too due to the generous amounts of cocoa powder, a keeper all the way for sure, this is my go to recipe for an eggless cake!
The recipe is from the very talented Deeba's kitty and can be found here, I however played around with outstanding results, omitting eggs altogether whilst increasing the amount of yogurt.

 

Ingredients:

Flour – 1 1/2 cups

Wholewheat flour -1/2 cup

Cocoa – 2/3 cup

Instant Coffee – 2 tbsp

Baking Soda – 1 tsp

Baking powder – 1 tsp

Salted Butter – 1/2 cup; at room temperature

Sugar (powdered/caster) – 1 cup

Thick and fresh Yogurt/curd – 2 cups

Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp

Coffee Extract – 1 tsp (optional)

for filling-

Unsalted butter-50 gms

Chocolate-75gms

Icing Sugar 2 tbsp

for the frosting-

Full cream milk-2 cup
Cocoa powder-2 tbsp
Sugar (icing)-2 tbsp
knob of butter(1 tsp)

Method:

• Grease well & flour pan you would be using approx 9' one, & preheat the oven to 180C.
• Sift both the flours + baking powder + baking soda + salt + cocoa. Keep aside.
• Beat the butter & sugar. Add the coffee & vanilla extract & beat.
• Now alternatively add the flour mix & yogurt till well incorporated. Don’t over mix. The batter will be quite thick, ie, not a flowing one.
• Turn into loaf tins/round/bundt cake pan level out & bake for 45 mins to an hour/until done. Slide a sheet of foil over the top loosely if you see it browning too soon.
• Once done, cool in pan for 5 minutes, turn out on rack. 
  For the filling-
  Microwave chocolate and butter till beginning to soften, mix well icing sugar(sieved) and beat well ,slice cake in half and sandwich.
  for the frosting-
  Take a small saucepan and add ingredients for the frosting, boil rapidly for 20-25 minutes till thick,add butter, let cool.Drizzle on top of the cake and add silver balls, chocolate savings etc. as desired.

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NIGELLA'S CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE TOPPED WITH FRUIT

"This is the sort of cake you'd want to eat the whole of when you'd been chucked. But even the sight of it, proud and tall and thickly iced on its stand, comforts." what do you do when the cake is described as such?Bake it and frost it and eat it and go to heaven :-)
Well worth all the rave reviews on the net..this one is a keeper!The cake itself is pretty easy to pull together and has a fine, tender crumb but the buttercream frosting is a bit over the top, it calls for 250gms of butter which is a bit too much by any standards, I made it anyways but used it just to sandwich the cake and chucked the rest!, instead I opted for a lighter Chocolate frosting from one of my previous posts and also topped the cake with some fresh fruit, basically black grapes and kiwis, the end result...absolutely delicious!!.
Here's the recipe from Nigella's own website-

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE:

• 400g plain flour
• 250g golden caster sugar
• 100g light brown sugar
• 50g best quality cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 142ml/small tub sour cream(I used yogurt with 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 175g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 125ml corn oil
• 300ml chilled water

FOR THE FUDGE ICING:

• 175g dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids
• 250g unsalted butter, softened
• 275g icing sugar, sifted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Butter and line the bottom of two 20cm sandwich tins.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb and salt. In another bowl whisk together the eggs, sour cream/yogurt and vanilla until blended. Using an electric mixer, beat together the melted butter and corn oil until just blended, then beat in the water, at this stage I was quite amused and excited to use chilled water, something I have never used before, it did cause the butter to harden up again but continue and things will be fine. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix together on a slow speed. Add the egg mixture, and mix again until everything is blended and then pour into the prepared tins.
4. Bake the cakes for 50-55 minutes, or until a cake-tester comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their tins on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and then turn the cakes out onto the rack to cool completely.
5. To make the icing, melt the chocolate in the microwave - 2-3 minutes on medium should do it - or in a bowl sitting over a pan of simmering water, and let cool slightly.
6. In another bowl beat the butter until it's soft and creamy and then add the sieved icing sugar and beat again until everything's light and fluffy.DO NOT SKIP THIS or the icing will be unsoothingly lumpy. Then gently add the vanilla and chocolate and mix together until everything is glossy and smooth.
7. Sandwich the middle of the cake with about a quarter of the icing, and then ice the top and sides too, spreading and smoothing with a rubber spatula.
8. I did use a quarter of the icing for sandwiching the cake but used a lighter, glossier frosting(recipe here) for the top.Top with fresh fruit.

Serves: 10. Or 1 with a broken heart!

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FRESH PLUM TEA LOAF (eggless)

Fresh Plum Tea Loaf

Farewell to the last of Summer stone fruits also...spotted some ripe, deeply rich in colour plums and thought that why not slice up the juicy, bursting with flavour fruit and bake into a loaf?A perfect high in  taste, low calorie accompaniment to the evening cuppa Tea!
To make this divine loaf you need-

•  Self raising flour-175 gms/1 and 1/2 cups
• Baking powder-1 tsp
• Butter-50 gms
• Skim milk-4 tbsp (60 ml)
• Plums-4 big, ripe and juicy, sliced
• Vanilla extract-1 tsp
• Sugar-50 gms

Method-

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F.Grease and line a 450 gm loaf tin.Sift the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl.
2. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Stir in the sugar, add the milk, vanilla and sliced plums and mix.
4. Spoon into prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes.Run a knife around the edges to loosen, then turn out on a wire rack to cool.

   Slice when cool and serve with Tea/Coffee.

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NUTTY BANANA MUFFINS

Today in the morning I got a phone call from some close friends, saying that they were coming to visit, SO... I made these banana muffins, which were gobbled down in no time, one friend even requested that I pack the left over one's so that she can enjoy them with her evening coffee!
The honeyed flavor of bananas laced with cinnamon and topped with crunchy, toasty almonds is really delicious.
These little gems are a lazy cook's best friend as only a little dreamy stirring is all that is required!
To make these you need-

• Flour-1 1/4 cup
• Baking powder-1/2 tsp
• Baking soda-1/2 tsp
• Bananas- 2, very ripe, mashed
• Eggs-2
• Powdered sugar-3/4 cup
• Vegetable oil/ melted butter-1/2 cup
• Vanilla extract-1 capful/ tsp
• Cinnamon- 1/2 tbsp
• Salt-1/4 tsp
• Almonds- a handful, pulse lightly in mixer

Method-

1. Preheat oven to 180 C.
2. Line muffin pan with paper cup liners.
3. Combine all the wet ingredients together- like Bananas, eggs, butter, vanilla and mix well either by electric mixer or by hand.
4. Combine all the dry ingredients together and gently fold into the wet mixture.
5. Place generous spoonfuls into the lined pan and sprinkle with almonds, bake for 15 minutes or till golden brown and well risen
6. Serve with hot/cold coffee.Lovely with a scoop of Caramel crunch/vanilla Ice cream!

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TRIPLE CHOCOLATE BIRTHDAY CAKE

 I baked this Cake recently for a colleague at work, isn't it surprising that you can just close your eyes and bake a chocolate cake and be rest assured that it will be a roaring success!That's the power of chocolate on mere mortals :)

Though the recipe may seem lengthy it is really an extremely simple cake to make and put together, give it a try!!

Ingredients-

 For the cake-

• All purpose Flour-1 & 1/2 cups
• Cornflour-1/4 cup
• Castor Sugar-3/4 cup
• Cocoa powder-4 tbsp
• Butter- 1/4 cup, melted
• Baking powder- 3 tsp
• Egg-1
• Vanilla extract-1 tsp
• Milk-3/4 cup
• Curd-2 tbsp
• Salt-1/4 tsp

For the chocolate syrup-

• Sugar-2 tbsp
• Cocoa powder- 2 tsp
• Vanilla essence-1/2 tsp

 For the chocolate topping-

• Semisweet chocolate- 30 gms
• Butter- 50 gms
• Plain Flour- 2 tsp
• Silver balls, Chocolate leaves &  a tbsp of melted chocolate for drizzling over.

For the Cake-

Preheat oven at 180 C, grease and flour medium cake tin.Combine sugar , flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder & Cornflour and sieve together.Combine egg, melted butter,curd, Vanilla and Milk and whisk.Gently mix the dry ingredients into wet and mix well with a rubber spatula.Pour the thick mixture into pan and bake for 30-40 minutes. Let cool

For the syrup-

Combine sugar, cocoa , vanilla and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan, and boil on medium heat for 5 minutes till thick and syrupy, poke holes in cake and pour over the syrup, let soak for 15-20 minutes.

For the topping/icing-

Melt butter in a heavy bottom saucepan, add flour and let cook on very gently heat till pale, about a minute, next add water and let it come to a boil, add chopped chocolate and stir continuously, it will begin to thicken like custard, tip in the sugar, let boil, remove from heat and let cool, use while still warm.

To assemble-

Carefully invert the soaked cake over serving dish, and pour warm icing on it, it will drizzle down into a glossy cascade.Let it sit in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, place chocolate leaves in the middle, sprinkle silver balls and drizzle some more melted chocolate on top, you can add cherries or jam too.Chill overnight.

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CHOCOLATE DATE CARAMEL CAKE (eggless)

 I love anything with caramel in it and this cake is a classic combination of great flavors, it is one of those rare occasions when I bake a cake without eggs, and really loved the end result.
 Ingredients-
for cake:

• Flour-300 gms
• Baking powder-1 tsp
• Chopped dates-150 gms
• Chopped walnuts- 50 gms
• Melted butter-4 tbsp
• Brown sugar-115 gms
• Skim milk-300 ml

for the caramel filling and icing:

• Sugar-2 large tbsp
• Double cream-1/2 cup
• Vanilla extract-1/2 tsp
• Cooking chocolate-30 gms
• Icing sugar-1/2 tsp

Method-

1. Sift flour and baking powder.Stir in dates.
2. Preheat oven to 180 C.Grease and line cake tin.
3. Mix the melted butter, sugar, dates and milk and stir into dry ingredients.
4. Spoon into prepared tin and bake till golden brown and firm approx 45 minutes.
5. for filling and icing-
6. Take a heavy bottom pan and add sugar along with 4 tbsp of water to it, put on flame and let caramelize, stirring frequently.
7. When sugar is golden take off heat and add a splash of water to cool down, next tip in the cream reserving 1 tbsp for the decorative piping, add vanilla and put back on heat, stirring well till thick.
8. Let the cake cool, then split into half with a sharp knife, spread out half of the caramel filling and sandwich cake.
9. Put the rest of caramel filling back on low heat and add the chopped chocolate, stir well till chocolate melts, let cool till warm and then pour on top of cooled cake.
10. Let the cake chill in the fridge, then combine the reserved cream with 1/2 tsp icing sugar and whip, pipe a trellis pattern on the cake with a plain small nozzle.Let the icing set

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SAGAR'S PERFECT APPLE CINNAMON CAKE

As is apparent from my earlier posts, we are a family always interested in food and all things related, my nani, though she did not know at that time has produced a progeny of cooks into this world, both her children are naturals, and so are some of her grandchildren, some explored it professionally like my brother- Sagar (a Hotel mgmt grad from IHM, Pusa, went for further studies to Palm Beach Resort, Florida and is currently working with Woodlands Restaurant, London), and some like me passionately blog to live!.
Living in London, Sagar has developed a particular penchant for British food and has invariably adopted their love for baked treats.
This Perfect Apple Cinnamon cake is from his secret repertoire and he does not stop raving about it, the recipe I am posting just as he sent to me, enjoy!

RECIPE FOR PERFECT APPLE CINNAMON CAKE
Dear Bindiya,
This is my recipe for the Perfect Apple and Cinnamon cake that I like to have with my friend Lily Chatterjee for our special afternoon tea!!!

Ingredients-

• 100 gms Flour
• 100 gms Sugar
• 50 gms Butter
• 3 nos Eggs
• few drops Vanilla essence
• pinch Baking powder
• 2 no apple (peeled, cored and halved or quartered)
• handful Sultanas
• 1/2 tspn Cinnamon

Method-Preheat the oven at 180 deg. F Melt the butter in the baking tin...remove the melted butter and line the tin.Peel and core and halve or quarter apples,mix with raisins and dust them with some cinnamon and flour. Double sieve the flour with baking powder. Beat eggs and sugar and vanilla essence till peak consistency .Divide the flour in 3 portions. Add the sieved flour in the beaten egg and sugar mix, in 3 parts, use a wooden spatula to mix well, use the cut and fold method(full circle and cut in the middle) .After adding all the flour, add the sultanas to the mix, then add the cinnamon.Mix gently. Add the melted butter in the end, just pour from the side and one final gentle mix. Pour half mix in to the lined baking tin, place halved apples gently and top with rest of mix. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes at 180 deg C. Dust with Icing sugar.
Best eaten slightly warm so just warm in the microwave for 30 seconds before serving. Tastes great with Chantilly cream or honey or ice cream or on its own.

Love,
Sagar Varun
Needless to say the Cake came out perfect!

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WHOLEWHEAT FLAXSEED AND SESAME BREAD

Flaxseeds are the best vegetarian source of Omega 3, a decade ago this ubiquitous little brown seed was used as fodder for cattle, now you can find it on the list of Top 10 Superfoods!
I bake my own bread and try to make it as healthy and nutritious as possible and believe me it REALLY does not take time neither is it too complicated, all that you get is pure, simple pleasure...
Ingredients-(makes 1 loaf)

• Wholewheat flour (atta)- 200 gms
• Plain flour-50 gms
• Flaxseeds-3 tbsp
• Milk-1/2 cup
• Fresh curd/yogurt- 2 tbsp
• Butter- 30 gms (diced) Salt-1/2 tsp
• Sugar-2 tsp
• Fresh yeast-2 heaped tsp
• Egg-1
• Sesame seeds- for sprinkling over

Method-

1. Roast flaxseeds lightly, cool and grind to a powder reserving some for sprinkling on top.
2. Combine milk, and curd, add sugar heat till milk is lukewarm, stir in the yeast and wait for 10 minutes till frothy.
3. Measure out flour in a large basin, rub in the butter so that it is like breadcrumbs, add salt and flaxseed powder.
4. Break egg in a bowl and reserve little for egg wash, add rest to the milk mixture, now knead a dough by making a well in the center and adding the milk mixture, knead into a smooth dough.
5. Oil a bowl and put the ball of dough, turning over so that the oil coats the ough, cover with cling film and let rise for 1 hour in a warm place till double in bulk.
6. After an hour remove cling film and punch down dough, now shape and leave for second proofing and then bake.
7. Brush with reserved egg wash and sprinkle flax and sesame seeds, bake shaped dough in a preheated oven (200 C ) for 35-40 minutes or till golden on top. Slice thickly and enjoy slathered with butter.This healthy bread is off to Yeastspotting- a weekly showcase of baked goods
   

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