Mom's Apple Cake from Smitten Kitchen

My love for apples is well documented on this site with my favorite Apple Pie, a Brown Sugar Apple Cheesecake, an Apple Crostata, Apple Pie Cupcakes, and lastly some Apple Shooters. This cake is another apple dessert that has joined the list of favorites and though I have made it many times I always forgot to photograph it for the blog. I finally made a smaller version and decided to post it here. Not only does it taste amazing, it is super easy to put together. The smell of cinnamon wafting through the air while its baking is an added bonus.

The original version from Smitten Kitchen makes a beautiful bundt style cake and is great for a crowd at a picnic or tea time. The quantities below are for a small loaf sized cake; perfect for two (or one apple crazy person like me).

Ingredients

For the Apples
3 medium apples
1/2 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
2 1/2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar

For the Cake 

1 1/4 Cups + 2 Tbsp (180 grams) All purpose flour
1/2 Tbsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Cup (117.5 ml) Sunflower Oil

1 Cup (200 grams) Granulated Sugar

2 Tbsp Orange Juice

1 1/4 tsp Vanilla Essence

2 Large Eggs

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 Degree F or 175 Degree C. Grease a small loaf pan with butter and keep aside.
2. Peel and chop the apples in small pieces. Toss with the cinnamon and the 2 1/2 Tbsp of sugar. 
3. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
4. In another bowl mix together the oil, sugar, orange juice, vanilla and eggs.
5. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry flour mixture and mix well.
6. Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan and top with half the apples. Scrape in the remaining batter and top with rest of the apples.
7. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes till a tester comes out with crumbs attached.
8. Cool completely before unmolding. 

Happy Eating!!

Pistachio and Saffron Tres Leches Cake

Tres Leches means three milk in Spanish and this cake is a wonderful combination of a soft fluffy sponge with three types of milks namely whole milk, sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk. Usually this cake is served without any added flavorings but with it exploding over Instagram during the past few months we can see a lot of different varieties like Tiramisu, Saffron, Rose etc. I decided to put my favorite flavours of Saffron and Pistachio to work here and was immensely pleased with the outcome.  The sponge recipe is from Brown Eyed Baker and its a good idea to make it in a springform pan instead of the usual 9X13 as it makes for great presentation. The cake needs ample time in the fridge to properly absorb the milks so it is best made the day before serving.

Recipe Source (Sponge recipe from Brown Eyed Baker)

Ingredients 

For the Sponge

1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour

2 1/4 Tsp Baking Powder

3/4 Tsp Salt

12 Tbsp (170 Grams) Unsalted Butter (At Room Temperature)

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Essence

5 Eggs (At Room Temperature)

For the Milk Mixture

2 Cups Whole Milk

1 Cup Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 Cup Evaporated Milk

1 Tsp Saffron

1/4 Cup Pistachio Powder

For the Topping

2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream

1 Cup Pistachio Powder

Make The Sponge

1. Preheat the oven to 325 Degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9 inch springform pan and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.

3. In another bowl, beat together the butter and sugar for 8 to 10 minutes till the mixture is fluffy.

4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition.

5. With the mixer on low, add the flour and mix only till combined. Stir with a rubber spatula to ensure all ingredients are combined. 

6. Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes (place in the middle rack of the oven).

7. Remove from oven when a skewer comes out with crumbs and cool completely on a wire rack in the pan itself.

Prepare the Milk Mixture

1. In a heavy saucepan pour the whole milk and evaporated milk. Place on heat till it starts boiling, turn the heat to low and add the saffron and pistachio. Let the milk simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Add the condensed milk and mix well. Keep in fridge till needed.

To Assemble

1. Once the cake is cool place it on a tray to catch any leaks (do not remove the cake from the pan) and poke holes with a skewer all over the cake.

2. Slowly pour the prepared milk mixture over the cake. The milk will take time to absorb but it will absorb the whole amount.

3. Place the cake in the fridge for 3 hours minimum or overnight.

To Serve

1. Remove the cake from the springform pan (keep the bottom) and place on a serving tray. Place stris of parchment paper below the cake.

2. Beat the whipping cream till you get soft peaks. 

3. Cover the cake with the cream and using your palm place the pistachio powder on the sides. Decorate as desired. Remove the strips of parchment.

4. Serve chilled the same day.

Happy Eating.

Coconut Basbousa

 

If you live in the Middle-East you must have surely tasted or heard about the delicious Basbousa. This delicate semolina and coconut cake is amazingly easy to make and requires very few ingredients.

Recipe - From Friday magazine
Ingredients - Makes one 8X8 inch cake

For The Syrup
250 ml Water
200 Grams Sugar
1 Tsp Lemon Juice

For The Cake
100 Grams Ghee (At room temperature)
1 Tin Condensed Milk (395 Grams)
1 Tsp Baking Powder
320 Grams Semolina
100 Grams Desiccated Coconut plus extra for garnish
1 Cup Water
Nuts like Cashew or Almonds for decoration

Make the Syrup
1. Combine the sugar and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer on low for 8 minutes.
2. Turn off the stove and add the lemon juice. Cool completely to room temperature.

Make the Cake

1. Preheat oven to 190 Degree Celsius/350 Degree Fahrenheit. Grease a 8x8 inch square baking tin.

2. In a bowl, mix the condensed milk and ghee. Add the semolina, baking powder, coconut and water. Mix well.

3. Pour into the prepared tin and top with desired nuts. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted is clean and the top is golden brown.

4. Remove from the oven and pour the cooled syrup on top. It may look like a lot but the cake will absorb everything.

5. Garnish with additional coconut, cut into squares and serve.

Happy Eating!

Sticky Toffee Pudding

 

Oh Sticky Toffee Pudding ! How I love thee... This is hands down one of my favourite desserts. Not only me but everyone whom I have ever served it to goes all crazy when they take their first bite. Sticky Toffee pudding is a British dessert made up of a date cake with a simple toffee sauce. This recipe is from David Lebovitz and is absolutely perfect for entertaining as it is very easy to make requiring minimal no fuss ingredients.

 

 

Though he recommends baking the pudding with the sauce at the bottom I always bake it without the sauce as on most occasions I have to travel with it and cannot serve it straight from the oven. My preferred method is to bake the cake, poke some holes all over it and  then pour the sauce. A quick reheat just before serving ensures a moist and decadent treat.

 

Recipe Source - David Lebovitz with very few changes.

 

Ingredients

For the Pudding

180 Grams Pitted Dates (Roughly Chopped)

1 Cup Water

1 Tsp Baking Soda

1 1/4 Cups (175 Grams) All Purpose Flour

1 Tsp Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp Salt

4 Tbsp (55 Grams) Unsalted Butter

3/4 Cup (150 Grams) Granulated Sugar

2 Large Eggs (Room temperature)

1 Tsp Vanilla Essence

1 Cup Chopped Walnuts

 

For The Sauce

1 1/2 Cups (375 ml) Heavy cream

6 Tbsp (67.5 Grams) Demerara Or Muscovado Sugar

28 ml Golden Syrup (Approx two tablespoons)

A Pinch of Salt

 

Make the Pudding

1. Grease a 8x8 Cake pan. Pre-heat the oven to 190 Degree C (350 Degree F).

2. Place the dates and water in a small saucepan and bring to boil. As soon as the water starts boiling turn off the flame and stir in the baking soda. Keep aside to cool.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

4. In the bowl of a mixer cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla.

5. Mix in half the flour, then the date mixture and then the remaining flour. Stir gently and do not overbeat.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

 

Make the Sauce

1. Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan on a medium flame. Stir till the sugar is melted.

2. Lower the heat to a simmer and stir every 5 minutes till the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon.

 

To Serve the Cake

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190 Degree C (350 Degree F).

2. Poke holes all over with a skewer and pour 1 Cup of the prepared sauce all over. Scatter the chopped walnuts all over. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.

3. Serve hot drizzled with extra sauce and Vanilla ice cream.

 

Happy Eating!!

Pistachio Apricot Layer Cake

 

Every year on Eid I try to make a new cake for our family to enjoy. It is a good time to experiment with indulgent recipes (or maybe not) as I have a lot of mouths to feed. Previously I have made a variety of sweets ranging from very simple desserts like the Oreo Trifle or Cherry Poke Cake to more complicated ones like the White chocolate Layer cake and a Ferrero Rocher Cake.

This year I made a Pistachio cake which is wonderful to eat on its own but even better when slathered with a white chocolate whipped cream. I used fresh apricots to fill the cake and this added another dimension of flavour. In the original recipe the cake uses only half cup pistachios but I have used the full 3/4 cup in the cake with additional 1/4 Cup for decorating.

Recipe Source - Cake Recipe given as is from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients
For The Cake
3/4 Cup Skinned Pistachio Nuts
1 2/3 Cups Sugar
2 Cups Cake Flour (I used 1 3/4 Cups All Purpose Flour with 4 Tbsp Cornflour)
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
226 Grms Unsalted Butter (At room temperature)
1/2 Cup Milk
2 Tsp Vanilla Essence
5 Eggs (lightly beaten)

For The White Chocolate Whipped Cream
170 Grams Premium White Chocolate (I used Lindt)
1 1/2 Cups Heavy Cream

For Assembly
2 Large Apricots (Cut in half, then cut each half in 8 slices)
1/4 Cup Crushed Pistachios

Bake the Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter three 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom of each pan with a round of parchment or waxed paper and butter the paper.

2. Spread out the pistachios in a baking pan and toast in the oven for 7 to 10 minutes, or until lightly colored. Transfer to a dish and let cool completely. 

3. Transfer to a food processor. Add the sugar and pulse just enough to grind them finely.

4. Pour into a large mixing bowl and add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Blend with the mixer on low for 30 seconds. Add the butter, milk, and vanilla and, with the mixer on low, beat until completely incorporated.

5. Raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the beaten eggs in 2 or 3 additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl well and mixing only long enough to blend after each addition. Divide the batter among the 3 prepared pans.

6. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the layers to cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks, carefully peel off the paper liners, and let cool completely.

 

Make The Whipped Cream

1. Place the chocolate in a small microwave safe bowl and melt in the microwave in 15 second bursts.

2. Heat 1/2 Cup of the cream to a boil and mix with the melted chocolate. Keep aside till it comes to room temperature.

3. Place the remaining 1 cup cream in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip till soft peaks are formed. Add the melted chocolate and cream mixture (it should not be least bit warm) and whip till you get firm peaks.

 

Assemble The Cake

1. If the cakes are domed slice off the dome and keep for snacking. Place one layer bottom side up on a cake board and add 1 Cup frosting. Spread evenly and arrange a layer of one full apricot slices.

2. Repeat with the second layer, one cup of frosting and second apricot.

3. Top with third layer and cover the cake with remaining cream. Decorate as desired with the crushed pistachios.

4. Serve at room temperature. Store fully covered in the fridge upto three days.

Happy Eating!!

Double Berry Buttermilk Bundt

This cake is super simple to make and looks amazing with sweet  juicy berries studded throughout. I was itching to bake something and had limited ingredients at hand when I spotted this beauty on Smitten Kitchen. Berries? Check. Buttermilk? Milk and lemon juice substitute to the rescue. Here we go!

While the original recipe has a glaze on top, I think the cake is sweet enough without it. You can also add any fruit to it (cherries, raspberries, peaches etc., avoid very watery fruits) and mix up the ratios as you like as long as it is up to 3 cups of fruit. This makes a large bundt so make sure you have enough mouths to share. Or maybe not.

Recipe Source - Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups (355 grams) plus 2 tablespoons (20 grams) All Purpose Flour
2 Tsp (10 grams) Baking Powder
1 Tsp Salt
1 Cup (225 grams) Unsalted Butter (at room temperature)
1 3/4 Cups (340 grams) Granulated Sugar
3 Large Eggs (at room temperature)
1/2 Tsp Vanilla Essence
3/4 Cup (175 ml) Buttermilk (I used milk and lemon juice substitute)
3 Cups (350 to 450 grams) Mixed Berries (I used 2 Cups frozen strawberries and 1 Cup frozen blueberries)

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 170° C (350°F). Grease a 10-cup Bundt pan, either with butter or a nonstick spray. Keep aside. If using frozen berries remove from freezer and place in a strainer to defrost.

2. In a medium bowl, add 2 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk well and keep aside.

3. In the bowl of your stand mixer or another large bowl, cream the butter and sugar for 3-5 minutes on high until light and fluffy.

4. Turn the speed to low and add the eggs one at a time, scraping the sides with a spatula between each addition.  

5. Add the vanilla and beat lightly.

6. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Add half the buttermilk, then repeat 1/3 flour and remaining buttermilk. Finish with remaining 1/3 flour and beat just to combine. 

7. Take the berries in a bowl and add the two tablespoon flour. Toss to coat. Gently fold in the berries in the cake batter. 

8. Spread the batter in the greased pan and place in the centre rack of the oven. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes. My oven runs a little hot so my cake was done in 45 minutes.

9. Remove from oven and set on wire rack for 30 minutes. Invert cake on cooling rack and cool completely. Serve and enjoy or keep in an air tight container.

Happy Eating!!

Frozen Brownie Sundae Cake

Summer is here in full force and we need lots of ice cream to cool down. I made this brownie sundae for dessert at our monthly potluck. The recipe for the brownie and sauce is amazing and I loved both the elements. Instead of making the recipe as given I made it as a cake in a spring form pan. I also made mini sundaes which are perfect to serve at a dinner party.

Recipe Source - Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients
One 9 inch round layer of Brownies (I used half of this recipe)
1/2 Litre Vanilla Ice Cream (Keep outside for 5 minutes before using)
1/2 Litre Strawberry Ice Cream (Keep outside for 5 minutes before using)
1/2 Cup Salted Peanuts (Chopped)
Chocolate Sauce for topping (Recipe below)
Maraschino Cherries for Decorating
One 9 inch spring form pan

For The Chocolate Sauce
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 Cup Evaporated Milk or Heavy Cream
1/3 Cup Semi sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter
1/2 Tsp Vanilla Essence

Method

1. Line the spring form pan with plastic wrap and place the brownie layer inside.

2. Put the vanilla ice cream in an even layer and place in freezer till ice cream is firm.

3. Remove from fridge and put the strawberry ice cream. Keep in freezer till ice cream is firm (covered, at least 2 hours)

4. Prepare the Sauce - Add all ingredients except vanilla to a small saucepan and bring to boil over medium high heat. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring constantly till mixture becomes thick. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

5. Cool the sauce for 30 minutes.

6. Remove the cake from the freezer and pour the sauce over the ice cream.

7. Top with chopped peanuts and decorate with the cherries. Cover with plastic wrap and return to freezer until ready to serve.

8. Let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Happy Eating!!

Mango Yogurt Mousse Layer Cake

 



This light and refreshing cake is a perfect end to any lunch or dinner party. Two layers of sponge cake are filled with a delicious Mango Yogurt Mousse and fresh mangoes.  I used a recipe from Epicurious for the mousse and loved the outcome. The recipe calls for fresh mango puree and I would definitely recommend using the best mangoes you can find as it does affect the taste. I used a tin of mango pulp and this gave a slight after taste to the mousse. Next time I will use fresh Alphonso mangoes to make the puree. I used low fat yogurt in this recipe which I hung in a cheesecloth overnight to remove all the excess water.

Recipe Source - Mousse recipe from Epicurious

Ingredients

For the Cake
Two layers Vanilla Sponge Cake
2 Mangoes (Chopped)
1/2 Cup Unsalted Roasted Pistachios (Roughly Chopped)
Simple Syrup

For the Mousse
1 Tbsp Unflavoured Gelatin
1/4 Cup Cold Water
2 Cups Mango Puree (Made with fresh mangoes)
1/3 Cup Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla Essence
1 Cup Thick Yogurt
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

Make The Mousse

1. Pour the cold water in a small saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Keep aside for two minutes and then place the saucepan over low heat to dissolve the gelatin.

2. Put the mango puree, sugar, vanilla and gelatin in a blender and blend well.

3. Place the yogurt in a big bowl and whisk to remove lumps. Add the blended mango mixture and whisk.

4. Beat the whipping cream to stiff peaks and fold in the mango yogurt mixture. Keep aside.
Do not wait too long to assemble the cake as the mousse will set and it will be difficult to layer it on the cake.

 

Assemble the Cake

 

1. Line the inside of a cake ring with a 6 inch wax paper collar. Place one layer of cake on a cake board and place the cake ring around the cake. Apply simple syrup all over the cake to make it moist.

2. Arrange the mango pieces all around the cake ring.

3. Fill the space between the mangoes with the mousse and cover them completely. Add a layer of chopped mangoes.

4. Add the next layer of cake, syrup and mousse. Using an offset spatula spread the mousse evenly to get a flat surface. This is important as the mousse will set in the fridge.

5. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and chill for 4-5 hours in the fridge or till the mousse is set.

6. Remove from fridge and gently loosen the cake ring. Remove the wax paper.

7. Sprinkle the crushed pistachios all over the top of the cake. Serve Chilled.

Happy Eating!!

Orange Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting

Hello folks! Today I bring to you a light and refreshing orange cake filled with orange whipped cream. I got the recipe and decoration idea from Sweetapolita who has the most romantic and whimsical looking cakes.
 

While the original recipe has a whipped butter frosting I opted to go with stabilized whipped cream as I don't like butter based frostings. I also added a bit of orange tang to the filling as I wanted it to have a pronounced orange flavour.

Overall I was very pleased with the final outcome and would definitely make this cake again.

Recipe Source - Orange Cake and filling recipe given as is from Sweetapolita.

Ingredients

For the Orange Cake:

4 Whole Eggs (Room Temperature)

2 Egg Yolks (Room Temperature)

1 Cup (240 ml) Whole Milk (Room Temperature)

1/4 Cup Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice (Strained)

3 Cups (345 g) Cake Flour (Sifted)

2 Cups (400 g) Sugar

1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp (19 g) Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon (4 g) Salt

3/4 Cup (170 g) Unsalted Butter (cold and cut into small even pieces)

Zest from 2 Medium Oranges

 

For the Orange Whipped Cream Filling:

2 Tbsp (30 ml) cold water

2 tsp (10 ml) Unflavoured Gelatin (such as Knox brand)

2 Cups (500 ml) Whipping Cream (35-37% fat), cold

1/4 Cup (30 g) Icing Sugar

1 tsp (5 ml) Vanilla Essence

Zest from 1 Medium Orange

4 Tbsp Orange Flavored Tang (you can use any tropical flavor)

Pinch of Salt

 

For The Stabilized Whipped Cream

2 Tbsp Unflavored Gelatin

4 Tbsp Cold Water

2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream

1/2 Cup Icing Sugar

 

Make The Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter the bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cake pans, line bottoms with parchment round and dust sides with flour.
2. In a medium measuring cup with a spout, lightly break up the eggs and yolks. In a separate measuring cup, combine the orange juice and milk.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. With the mixer set to low speed, add the cold butter one piece at a time, about 10 seconds apart. (You can keep half in the fridge while you add the first half of butter.) Continue mixing on low speed until all of the butter has been blended and there are no clumps. Mixture should have a fine crumbly, cornmeal-like texture.
4. Gradually add the milk/orange juice mixture to these dry ingredients, and mix on medium speed for 4 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all of the ingredients are well incorporated. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the egg mixture; once the mixture has been added, increase speed to medium and beat for 1 minute, but no more. Gently fold in the zest.
5. Divide batter evenly among the 3 prepared pans (use a kitchen scale to ensure 3 even layers--cakes should weight ~ 460 g each). Place two of the cake pans on a baking sheet and bake until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs but no batter, about 23 minutes. Repeat with the final layer. Let the layers cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then loosen sides with thin metal spatula or knife, and carefully turn out onto wire racks, peel of the paper liners, and let cool completely.

 

Make the Orange Whipped Cream Filling

1. In a small stainless steel bowl, place the cold water and sprinkle with the gelatin. Let sit for at least 10 minutes. In a small saucepan, bring 1/3 cup of the cream just to a simmer, then stir into the gelatin mixture until the gelatin has dissolved. Refrigerate, stirring frequently, until cool but not set, about 8 minutes.
2. In a chilled stainless steel mixer bowl with a chilled whisk attachment, beat the remaining whipping cream, icing/confectioners' sugar, vanilla and salt until it thickens just slightly and soft peaks begin to form, about 1 minute. Very gradually add the gelatin mixture and continue beating until medium-firm peaks form (should be thick enough to spread). Fold in zest and tang powder. Keep covered and chilled until ready to use.

Make the Stabilized Whipped Cream

 

1. Place the gelatin in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Heat on low heat till the gelatine is completely dissolved. Keep aside to cool but make sure that it does not set.
2. In the bowl of stand mixer place the whipping cream (chilled) and whip till soft peaks are formed. Add the cooled gelatin and whip till stiff.

Assemble the Cake

 

1. Trim the tops of all three cake layers. Place one cake layer on a cake board and add 1/2 of the filling. Repeat with two more layers.
2. Using the stabilized whipped cream crumb coat the cake and place in fridge to chill.
3. Tint the remaining whipped cream into colours of your choice and frost the cake completely. For the pastel swirl technique and video please check this post on Sweetapolita.

Happy Eating !!

 

The Best Chocolate Cake Ever

I think it’s high time that I dedicate a post to my favorite chocolate cake. Sure the cake has been featured a number of times on the blog but it has always been overlooked by some frosting or flavor. Today it’s all about the cake and what a cake it is.

 

This is my go to recipe for any occasion when I need a quick cake as all the ingredients are always there in my pantry. It doesn’t even require butter and uses regular canola or sunflower oil. It is chocolatey, moist, rich and everything I want in my chocolate cake. It stands well to frosting and tastes yum plain as well. I have given this recipe to so many of my family and friends and all of them have reported excellent results. Many people call this Hershey’s black magic cake but I found the recipe on the food network. The coffee in the batter enhances the chocolate flavor and you will not taste the coffee at all. I have made this recipe in all shapes and sizes (including cupcakes) and it always turns out well.

Recipe Source – Food Network

Ingredients – Yields two 8 inch round cakes/one 13x9 rectangle/two 8 inch squares/12 Cupcakes.

1 3/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour, Plus More for Pans

2 Cups Sugar

3/4 Cups Good Cocoa Powder

2 Tsp Baking Soda

1 Tsp Baking Powder

1 Tsp Salt
1 Cup Buttermilk, shaken (I use 1 Tbsp lemon juice + enough milk to make 1 cup)

1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil

3 Large Eggs (at room temperature)

1 Tsp Vanilla Essence

1 Cup Boiling Water

1 Tsp Instant Coffee or Espresso Granules

1. Preheat oven to 350⁰ F / 175⁰ C. Grease and line two 8 inch round cake tins (or one 13X9 inch rectangle) with parchment (baking) paper.

2. In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Use a whisk to stir everything well.

3. Place the buttermilk in a medium bowl and add the oil, eggs and vanilla essence. Whisk well till all the ingredients are incorporated.

4. Slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mix. Stir well to ensure there are no lumps.

5. Dissolve the coffee in the hot water and add to the batter and stir just to combine.

6. Pour the batter in the two pans and bake on the middle rack till a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes.

7. Cool the cakes in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes then invert to remove. Cool completely before frosting or eat as you like!

Happy Eating!!

Spongebob Cake

I made this cake for Latifs nephew who is a big fan of SpongeBob. I got the idea and how to from the internet and the one below is super easy where you bake a standard 13X9 rectangle cake and use the whole cake to draw your spongebob on. There is no carving and no difficult icing. Just a few simple steps and you have a cute little cake. All the kids went crazy over it and I was so happy to finally tackle a character cake.

You will need a lot of colors for icing so it is ideal to make a standard buttercream in white and then proceed to color it up. I decided to make a pineapple cream cheese frosting which I tinted yellow and used whipped cream for the remaining colors. I will go with plain frosting next time as it’s easier to apply and doesn’t melt when kept out!!

Supplies

1 13X9 inch rectangle cake (any flavor)

1 Batch White Buttercream - Divided (about 4 Cups - enough to crumb coat and frost an entire cake) Food colors – Yellow, Blue, Red, Pink, Black and Green.

1 Cup Chocolate Frosting (For the pants)

1 Cup Piping Gel (Divided)

2 Cadbury buttons for the eyes

1. Use the white buttercream to apply a thin crumb coat to the entire cake and refrigerate till set.

2. Take Two cups white buttercream in a bowl and tint it yellow. Remove cake from fridge and frost a little more than half the cake with yellow. Don’t worry about keeping the edges straight as it will be covered by the next layer.

3. Place 1 cup of the white buttercream in a piping bag and add a two inch wide strip directly below the yellow section.

4. Frost the remaining body with the chocolate frosting.

5. Take ½ Cup piping gel and tint it black. Alternately you can use buttercream if you don’t get the gel. 6. Place the piping gel in a piping bag fitted with a size 1 round tip. Start drawing the features of spongebob as shown in the picture. Start with two concentric circles for his eyes and eyelashes; then the nose and the mouth, teeth and tongue. Draw two inverted triangles for his collar and make his tie. I am a little challenged in the drawing department so I cut templates for his eyes and mouth and used them as a guide to draw the lines.

7. Tint 1 Cup buttercream red and use it to fill in the tie. (I didn’t have any white frosting left so I colored some sugar red and used that to fill the tie.)

8. Take the leftover red cream and add some chocolate frosting to it to make it maroon. Fill his mouth with this.

9. Tint the remaining piping gel blue (an aqua blue shade) and pipe it in his iris. Place the Cadbury buttons in the middle of the iris.

10. Take the piping bag with the white cream and change the tip to a size 3 round and fill his eyes and teeth.

11. You can also take some light green icing and make small circles around him as in the picture. I was not sure about it and so left it out.

12. You can give the whole cake a border to give it a finished look or leave it as is. I arranged a few MnM’s on the border.

13. Place the cake on a cake board and your SpongeBob is ready!

Happy Eating!

Daring Bakers August 2013 - Mawa Cake

This month our Daring Bakers host was Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and she challenged us to make some amazing regional Indian desserts. The Mawa Cake, the Bolinhas de Coco cookies and the Masala cookies – beautifully spiced and delicious!

Due to time and calorie constraints I decided to only tackle the Mawa cake. The rich and fragrant cake was a favorite among all the tasters, especially Latif who is very picky about dessert.

According to Aparna, “Mawa Cakes are a specialty cake that is the hallmark of Irani cafés in India. The Iranis are Zoroastrians who left Persia/ Iran in the 19th and early 20th centuries to escape persecution of non-Muslims, and settled down and thrived here mostly in the cities of Mumbai, Hyderabad and Pune. They’re most famous in India for their friendly informal cafés/ restaurants that serve the most awesome food. The brun pav or maska pav(kinds of bread) with Irani chai (thick, strong, sweet and milky cardamom flavored tea), their Shrewsbury biscuits and Mawa cakes are but a few of them.

Mawa (also known as Khoya/ Khoa) is made by slowly reducing milk (usually full-fat) until all that remain is a mass of slightly caramelized granular dough-like milk solids. Mawa is used in a wide variety of Indian sweets like Gulab Jamun and Peda, to mention just two. Mawa is pronounced as Maa-vaa; Khoya is pronounced as KhOhyaa. “

While the cake is a cinch to make, the Mawa is time consuming and requires a lot of patience.  It took about 4 hours for my milk to completely reduce down to milk solids. Next time I will make the cake with ready made mawa that we can get in Indian mithai (sweet) shops.

Recipe Source - Aparna from My Diverse Kitchen

Ingredients

For The Mawa

1 liter (4 cups) Full Fat Milk

For The Cake

1/2 Cup (1 stick) (120 ml) (113 Gms) Unsalted Butter (soft at room temperature)

3/4 Cup (180 ml) Packed Crumbled Mawa

1-1/4 Cups (280 Gms) Castor Sugar

3 Large Eggs

1 ½ Tsp Cardamom Powder

2 Cups (260 Gms) Cake Flour 

1 Tsp (5 Gms) baking powder

1/4 Tsp Salt

1/2 Cup (120 ml) Milk

Cashew Nuts (or blanched almonds) to decorate (about 18 to 20)

Make The Mawa

1. First make the “Mawa”. Pour the milk into a heavy bottomed saucepan, preferably a non-stick one. Bring the milk to a boil, stirring it on and off, making sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Turn down the heat to medium and keep cooking the milk until reduces to about a quarter of its original volume. This should take about an hour to an hour and a half.

2. The important thing during this process is to watch the milk and stir it frequently to make sure it doesn't stick to the sides or bottom of the pan and get burnt. The danger of this happening increases as the milk reduces and gets thicker.

3. Once the milk it has reduced to about one fourth, 1/4 quantity, lower the heat to low and let cook for a little while longer. Keep stirring regularly, until the milk solids (mawa) take on a lumpy appearance. There should be no visible liquid left in the pan, but the mawa should be moist and not stick to the sides of the pan.

4. Remove the pan from heat and transfer the mawa to a bowl and let it cool completely. Then cover and refrigerate it for a day or two (not more) till you’re ready to make the cake. It will harden in the fridge so let it come to room temperature before using it. You should get about 3/4 to 1 cup of mawa from 1 liter (4 cups) of full-fat milk.

Bake The Cake

1. Now start preparations for the cake by pre-heating your oven to moderate 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Beat the butter, the crumbled mawa and the sugar in a largish bowl, using a hand held electric beater, on high speed until soft and fluffy.

2.  Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat on medium speed till well incorporated. Add the vanilla and milk and beat till mixed well.

3. Sift the cake flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt onto the batter and beat at medium speed and well blended. If you cannot find cake flour, place 2 tablespoon of cornstarch in the bottom of your 1-cup measure and then fill it with all-purpose (plain) flour to make up to 1 cup.

4. Grease and line only the bottom of an 8 inch (20 cm) spring form pan. Pour the batter into this and lightly smooth the top. Place the cashew nuts (or blanched almonds) on top of the batter randomly. Do not press the nuts down into the batter. A Mawa Cake always has a rustic finished look rather than a decorated look.

5. Bake in a preheated moderate oven for about 1 hour until the cake is a golden brown and a skewer pushed into the center comes out clean. Do not over bake the cake or it will dry out. If the cake seems to be browning too quickly, cover it with aluminum foil hallway through the baking time.

6. Remove from oven and allow it to cool for 10 min in the tin. Release the cake, peel off the parchment from the base and let it cool completely. 

Happy Eating!!

Red Velvet Cake for a Birthday Boy

Yesterday we celebrated hubby's birthday and by celebrate I mean we went for dinner to his favorite restaurant and ate a lot of food. We also ate this fabulous cake that is a deep red and tastes so much of cocoa. It is moist and a dream to work with.

Since his birthday fell in the middle of the week I had somehow completely forgotten about it and remembered only on 17th night. That too when my brother reminded me (hangs head in shame).

I had no time to make complicated cakes like the Black And White chocolate Cake or the Boston Cream Pie I had made in previous years. I had to quickly think of an easy cake to make, one that did'nt require too much effort and looked fab on its own. Immediately I thought 'Red Velvet' and googled for a recipe. I came across Smitten Kitchen's awesome recipe and made half the quantity in two 8 inch pans. Red Velvety goodness!

Since it was last minute and I didn't have frosting ingredients I decided to go the easy way and use whipped cream. I had some frozen whipping cream which I thawed overnight in the fridge. When I put it in the mixer bowl to whip, it just refused to do anything. In a panic I raided my cupboards and came upon my saviour - Dream Whip! Eeks, I know, but it whipped up perfectly and saved the day.

Recipe Source - Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients - Makes Two 8 inch layers

1 3/4 Cups Cake Flour
1/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa (not Dutch process)
3/4 Tsp Salt
1 Cup Sunflower Oil
1 Cup + 2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
2 Medium Eggs
1/2 Tsp Red Gel Food Coloring dissolved in 3 Tbsp Water Or 3 tablespoons (1.5 ounces) liquid red food coloring
3/4 Tsp Vanilla Essence
2/3 Cup Buttermilk
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1 1/4 Tsp White Vinegar
Butter for greasing pans.

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C (350 degrees F). Grease the bottom and sides of pans and place a round of parchment on the bottom. 
2. Whisk the cake flour, cocoa and salt in a bowl.
3. Place oil and sugar in bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed until well-blended. Beat in eggs one at a time. With machine on low, very slowly add red food coloring. (Take care: it may splash.) Add vanilla. Add flour mixture alternating with buttermilk beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down bowl and beat just long enough to combine.
4. Place baking soda in a small dish, stir in vinegar and add to batter with machine running. Beat for 10 seconds.
5. Divide batter among pans, place in oven and bake until a cake tester comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pans 20 minutes. Then remove from pans, flip layers over and peel off parchment. Cool completely before frosting.

Happy Eating!

White Chocolate, Pudding and Pistachio Cake

Eid Mubarak everyone!  I know I am three days too late but better late than never right?

Well, I will make it up to you by telling you how to make this cake. Coz this cake is what you need to make right now. This was our dessert on eid day and I was really worried about how all the components would work together. Turns out, there was no need to worry as it was fabulous.

Now, I took some shortcuts and used a box mix for the cake and filling because I was fasting and did not have the patience to make everything from scratch. But if you do go that route I am sure it'll only taste even more fantastic. I wanted to do a tuxedo effect on the top because I had seen it before on Annie's Eats and loved it. A previous attempt had turned into a disaster so I was very careful this time and almost nailed it. Because the cake was cold the ganache would firm up on top itself and not actually pour down the sides. Next time I'll bring the cake to room temperature before pouring the ganache.

There are four parts to this cake: Cake, Filling, Frosting and Topping. The cake and filling can be made one or two days ahead and stored in the fridge but the frosting and topping are better made the same day of assembly.

Recipe

Ingredients

For The Cake

1 Box (500 gms) White Cake mix with egg whites, water and oil called for on the box

For The Filling

1 Packet (4 serve) Vanilla Jello Instant Pudding and Pie filling with milk called for on the box

For The White Chocolate Whipped Cream

113 Grams / 4 ounce White Chocolate (Use a good quality, I used Lindt)

1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream (Chilled)

For The Topping (Ganache) - From Annie's Eats

56 Grams/2 Ounce Semi Sweet Chocolate (I used Lindt)

1/4 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

2 Tbsp Light Corn Syrup

1 Tsp Vanilla Essence

100 Grams Toasted Pistachios (Hulled and Roughly chopped)

Make The Cake

Prepare and Bake the cake as directed on the back of the box in three 7 inch pans. Cool completely and cover with plastic wrap till required.

Make the Filling

While the cake is baking, Prepare the pudding according to the instructions on the jello pudding box. Cover and refrigerate until required.

Make the Frosting

1. Place the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl and melt on a double boiler or in the microwave.

2. Place 1/4 cup of the heavy cream in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.

3. Immediately add the cream to the melted chocolate and mix very well. Keep aside to cool completely.

4. Place the remaining 3/4 Cup cream in the bowl of your stand mixer and whip till soft peaks form.

5. Add the white chocolate cream mixture (it should be completely cooled) to the stand mixer and whip till it holds firm peaks. Be very careful not to over beat.

6. Cover the bowl (I used the bowl of my stand mixer itself, you can transfer to another bowl if you like washing dishes) with plastic wrap touching the surface of the cream. Refrigerate for two hours.

Make the Ganache

1. Break the chocolate to small pieces and place in a bowl.

2. Bring the cream to a boil and pour over the chocolate. Let it sit for a minute then stir completely.

3. Add the corn syrup and vanilla. Mix well.

4. Keep aside to thicken, meanwhile start assembling your cake. (If you take a long time to assemble a cake then make the ganache after the cake is assembled)

Assemble The Cake

1. Level the tops of all the cake layers. Dab a smear of the frosting on a cake board and place one layer bottom side up on the board.

2. Add half the pudding filling on the cake and spread evenly. Do not spread till the edges.

3. Add 1/4 C of the chopped pistachio pieces.

4. Repeat with a second layer of cake, pudding and pistachios.

5. Place the last layer and do a crumb coat with the frosting. Place in the fridge till it sets.

6. Remove from fridge and frost completely.

7. Pour the ganache slowly over the middle of the cake giving it time to gently drip of the sides. If it sets spread gently with an angled spatula.
8. Garnish the top with pistachios. Place in fridge till cake is set. Store leftovers (If any) in the fridge.

Happy Eating!!

Pumpkin Roll

This was the first time I ever attempted a roll and I got a lot of Aah's and Ooh's when my cousins saw it. The recipe could not be any easier with very few ingredients and simple steps. It's the after baking process that is nerve wracking. I was out of parchment paper and had to make do with wax paper. Luckily since all the paper was covered with the batter there was no smoking. I prepped everything before hand as you have to really work fast once the cake comes out. Luckily the cake didn't crack on me and I had a nice yummy roll to take to my cousins place.

The only thing I would change in the recipe would be the filling. I think the Whipped cream cheese frosting from my birthday Pumpkin cake would taste outstanding with this. As I still have half a can of puree left guess whats coming next?

Recipe Source - Given as is from My Baking Addiction with my changes in red.

Ingredients - Makes one 10 inch roll - serves 10

For the Cake

1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tbsp Pumpkin Pie Spice ( I used 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon Powder and 1/2 Tsp Nutmeg Powder instead)
1/4 Tsp Salt
3 Large Eggs
1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract (I used vanilla essence)
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
2/3 Cup Pure Pumpkin Puree
For The Filling
1 (8 ounce) Package Cream Cheese, Softened
1 Cup Powdered Sugar, sifted
6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, softened
1 Tsp Vanilla Essence
1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional)

Make The Cake

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle a clean tea towel with powdered sugar. Set pan and towel aside.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon and nutmeg) and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat eggs, vanilla and sugar until thick. Add in pumpkin and mix to combine. Stir in flour mixture. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.

3. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

Make The Frosting
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract until smooth.

Assemble The Roll

Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour.

Happy Baking!!

Daring Bakers April 2012 Armenian Nutmeg Cake

Armenian Nutmeg Cake.. sounds fancy right? This cake is a twist on the traditional coffee cake with the addition of fresh nutmeg which gives it an interesting flavor. It is simply wonderful and I have already made it twice this month.

Blog Checking Lines - The Daring Bakers' April 2012 challenge, hosted by Jason at Daily Candor, were two Armenian standards: nazook and nutmeg cake. Nazook is a layered yeasted dough pastry  with a sweet filling, and nutmeg cake is a nutty, fragrant coffee style cake.

While I didn't make the nazook this month I did make the cake twice and it was quickly gobbled up both the times. The pictured cake is a 6 inch one as I halved the recipe when I made it the second time. Latif polished off four slices coz he couldn't wait for dinner anymore!

Recipe Source - Adapted from The Commonsense Cookery Book

Ingredients - Makes one 9 inch cake

1 Cup (240 ml) Milk
1 Tsp Baking Soda
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
2 Tsps Baking Powder
2 Cups Brown Sugar (Firmly Packed)
1 1/2 Sticks (180 ml) (170 gm/6 oz) Unsalted Butter (cubed)
1/2 Cup Walnut pieces (I also used pistachios and almonds)
1/2 Tsp Freshly Grated Nutmeg
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon Powder
1 Egg

1. Pre heat the oven to 175 Degrees C (350 Degree F). Have ready a 9 inch round pan.

2. Place the flour, baking powder and brown sugar in a bowl and whisk to mix evenly. Toss in the butter cubes and crumble the mixture with your fingers. It should resemble coarse breadcrumbs.

3. Take two cups of the mixture and press it evenly in the bottom of the cake pan to form the crust.

4. Mix the baking soda to the milk and keep aside.

5. Add the egg to the remaining cake mixture and mix well.

6. Add the milk, nutmeg and cinnamon powder. Mix well. The batter should be a little lumpy.

7. Pout the batter over the prepared crust in the pan. Scatter the nuts on top and place in the oven,

8. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes till a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let it cool in the pan on a wire rack and then invert on a serving plate. Have a slice and enjoy!

Happy Eating!! 

Chocolate Marble Bread

This is the second bread I made as a part of the February Daring Bakers Challenge. The method for both the breads is exactly the same and it is a very easy recipe. However, my cake turned out a bit dry and that could be because I baked it a bit too long. I have given the link to the recipe below from Joy of Baking.

Recipe - Joy of Baking

Happy Eating!!

Daring Bakers February 2012 - Pineapple Loaf Cake

Up until the beginning of this month I had no idea what a quick bread was. So when I saw the title for the challenge I assumed we were going to make some type of bread. Then when I saw the recipe I thought, "hmm, this is a cake recipe..." I was really confused on the whole quick bread thing and hopped on to google to get some answers. So, what I have learnt so far is that a quick bread has a distinctive method of mixing ingredients and does not use any leaveners like yeast to raise the baked goods.

Blog-checking lines: The Daring Bakers’ February 2012 host was – Lis! Lis stepped in last minute and challenged us to create a quick bread we could call our own. She supplied us with a base recipe and shared some recipes she loves from various websites and encouraged us to build upon them and create new flavor profiles.

Though we were asked to make our own flavors I was hesitant to try anything of my own. I tried two recipes from the net and both were good. I thought the pineapple loaf would be a bit of a problem based on the reviews but that was the recipe that got rave reviews from my tasters.

Recipe Source - Slightly adapted from the Coconut - Pineapple Loaf Cake from Martha Stewart

Ingredients - I have reduced the recipe quantity from the original to fit my loaf pan.

2/3 Cup Sweetened Shredded Coconut

2/3 Stick (approx 80 Gms) Unsalted Butter (at room temperature)

1 Cup All Purpose Flour

1/4 Tsp + 1/8 Tsp Baking Soda

1/4 Tsp + 1/8 Tsp Salt

2/3 Cup Sugar

2 Large Eggs

2/3 Cup Thick Yogurt

6 Pineapple Rings (from a can - Drained and Chopped finely)

Note - Make sure the pineapple is really well drained. Place it on multiple sheets of kitchen towels to remove as much moisture as possible.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-by-5-inch (8-cup) loaf pan; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Reduce speed to low, and alternately add flour mixture in three parts and sour cream in two, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix just until combined (do not overmix).
6. Using a rubber spatula, fold pineapple and coconut into batter. Spoon into prepared pan, and smooth top.
7. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, approx 60 minutes. Let cake cool in pan 15 minutes. Remove from pan, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Happy Eating!!