Choco Lava cake

Introduction:
So tomorrow is valentine's day and everyone wants to make it the best day for sumone very special to them. I selected a very sweet and warm recipe for my heart and it's yummy molten choco lava cake. It contains all the softness and delicacy of a cake plus the mouth watering flavour of chocolate with a sweet warmth. a perfect dish expressing your feelings all the way on the plate in front of your valentine. Just dedicate this recipe for the love of your life, as I wish i could.

Ingredients:

¼ cup   Chocolate chips
¼ cup   Cherry filling
2 cups   Refined flour
1 tsp   Baking powder
¾ tbsp   Soda bi-carb(baking soda)
1 cup    curd
A few drops  Vanilla essence
1 cup   Milk
¾ cup   White butter
¾ cup   Caster sugar
6 tbsp   Cocoa powder

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Method:
Preheat oven to 170*C. Grease a cake tin and line it with butter paper. Mix the chocolate chips with cherry filling and keep aside. Sift flour, baking powder, soda bicarb and cocoa powder together. Heat the milk till it is lukewarm. Whisk the curd, caster sugar, butter and vanilla essence together till smooth and frothy. Fold in the flour mixture alternating with milk. Mix quickly but gently to a smooth batter. Pour into well-greased muffin moulds and spoon chocolate chips & cherry filling mixture in the centre and bake on the centre rack for 8 minutes. Check the cake, remove cake from the oven and after a few seconds, demould it .you can also bake it in pressure cooker as described in my earlier post.
Serve the cake hot and share with your valentine in moon light. It will melt in your mouth and enjoy the emotions along with the cake....hehhehehe.

Banana Bread

Introduction:

"Banana bread" is an another yumilicious dish in the baking category and that too, is eggless. It's a wonderful use of fully riped bananas and a joyful accompaniment to any tea party. You can easily make this bread and can use it upto 3 days.

Ingredients:

Refined flour: 2 cups

Powdered sugar: 1 and 3/4 cups

Riped Bananas: 3

Butter: 50 gm

Fresh Malai/cream: 1/2 cup

Baking powder: 1 tsp

Baking soda: 1/8 tsp

Elaichi powder: 1/2 tsp

Milk: 1/4 cup

Vanilla essence: 7-8 drops

Preparation time: 35-40 mins

Cooking time: 35 mins-40 mins

Method:

Take the butter and let it get soft at room temeperature. Sieve the flour, baking powder and baking soda together 3-4 times. Sieve the sugar. Peel the bananas and mesh them properly with help of spatulla. Mesh them to get a smooth paste. Beat butter, cream and sugar together to get a smooth paste for 10 mins. Now mix the meshed bananas into it.Beat the mixture again. Add elaichi powder into it. Now mix the flour mixture into it adding little by little at a time. Keep beating the mixture to avoid lumps. Add vanilla essence into it. Add the milk and beat again for 10 mins. You will get a thick paste. The mixture required for making bread is thicker then we have for cake. Preheat the oven at 180 degree C for 10 mins. Now place the bread mixture into a greesed bread/cake tin. Put it in the oven and bake it at 165 deg C for 40 mins.

You can also use the conventional pressure cooker method for baking the bread. Bake it for 35 mins, if using pressure cooker.

Remove the baked bread out of the tin after getting completely cooled by turning the tin upside down. Cut it into square slices and Enjoy the delicious homemade banana bread.

TIPS:

1. You can add dryfruits, nuts and chocolates to the bread.

2. This bread remains fresh upto 3 days.

3. If you don't have Malai, then use butter instead or vice-versa.

4. Do not keep the mixture out for too long. Bake immediately as soon as the mixture is ready otherwise it will reduce the sponginess of the bread.

NaanKhatai

Introduction:

"Naan khatai" is basically an indian cookie. It adds to another recipe in baking category. This indian cookies is ultimate snack. You make it and store it upto 2 months. It makes a good combination when served with tea. I just tried it today and it was so easy to make. I made this in pressure cooker but you can try it in your Oven too.

Ingredients:

Refined flour(Maida): 2.5 cup

Gram flour(Besan):1/2 cup

Semolina(suji): 1 tsp

Baking powder: 1 tsp

Sugar: 2 cups(powdered)
Ghee: 1 cup
Green cardamon powder: 2 tsp
Milk: 4 tsp

Preparation time: 15 min

Cooking time: 10-15 min

Method:

Take melted ghee and sugar in a bowl and whisk it till a smooth paste is formed. Sieve maida, besan, suji and baking powder together. Add green cardamon powder to it and mix well. Add this mixture to the ghee mixture and mix it properly. A doughy mix will be formed. Add milk to it and make a soft dough out of it. The dough won't be like the dugh of chapatis but it will like the dough we have for laddoos.Cover it and keep aside for 2-3 hours.

Take small balls out of the dough and make a smooth ball with your palms. Press it slightly to give it a flat shpae.Try not to brake them from the ends. It's usual to have some cracks in it. Heat the oven to 180 degree centrigrade. Take a lightly greesed plate. Place the naankhatai in it leaving sufficient space between two. Place then in oven and bake for 10 mins. Check after 10 mins. It will be slightly brown. Bake for another 5 mins and take out of the oven. Let them cool completely.

If you are using pressure cooker, then bake them for 10 mins over the low flame. It will be ready.

When the Naankhatai is cool, you can store them in an air tight container or serve them right away.You can decorate them with Almonds or chopped dryfruits.

TIPS:

1.When you will take out those cookies from oven or cooker, you will find that these are soft but when they will get cooled, It will automatically turn out to be crisp and hard as biscuits. So don't overcook them to make hard.

2. Greese the tin with ghee.

3. Leave sufficient space between the two naankhatai. It expands during cooking.

4.It's usual to have some cracks in the cookie after baking.

Pineapple cake(Cooker method)

Introduction:

Today i'm going to share with you another recipe in the series of cakes. This is 'pineapple cake', a yummy delicacy.If you know how to make a basic sponge cake then any kind of cake will be an easy task for you. In this also, rest of the ingredients will be same as my previous posts. Only I'll be using some pineapples and it's essence to give it the pineapple flavour.I'll tell you about the icing on cake in my subsequent posts.

 

Ingredients:

Refined flour(maida): 2 cups

Powdered sugar: 2 cups

Vanilla essence: 5-6 drops

Egg: 3

Unsalted butter: 150 gm

Baking powder: 2 tsp

Canned Pineapple slice: 3

Pineapple essence: 1 tsp

Pineapple juice: 2 tsp

Milk: 11/4 cup

Chopped tuity fruity: 4 tsp

Liquid yellow color: 2 drops

Preparation time: 40 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Method:

Sieve the flour with baking powder 5 times. Seperate egg yolk and white. Beat them seperately till it becomes fluffy. Mix butter and powdered sugar and beat them thoroughly.Now mix egg white first into the butter mixture and add vanilla essence and beat again. Then mix the egg yolk and beat again till the mixture becomes soft. Now add the flour in the mixture while beating continuously. Add crushed pineapple, pineapple essence, tuity fruity, pineapple juice, yellow color and milk into it.Keep beating in the same direction for 8-20 minutes.

Greas the cake tin with butter. Place the cooker on high flame and spread two cups of salt into it.

The idea of using salt is to avoid a direct contact of the cake tin with the flame. Take sufficient amount of salt so that it'll cover the cooker's bottom properly. cover the lid upside down and heat the cooker on high flame for 2 minutes.

Now sim the flame to the lowest. Place the cake mixture into the cake tin and place the tin into the cooker. Cover it with lid and remove the whistle. Cook for 30 minutes on lowest flame.

Open the cooker after 30 minutes. Do the knife test to check whether the cake has been cooked. Take out the cake tin and turn it upside down on a serving plate. The cake will come out. Let it get cooled in the fridge and decorate it with your favourite icing and serve.

TIPS:

1. Whenver you beat the batter, beat it in one direction only.

2. You can also use coarse sand instead of salt for baking the cake but using salt is a more easy option.

3. Do not keep the pineapple outside in open air for long time. Use it immediately otherwise it will turn slightly bitter in taste.

4. You can use fresh pineapple instead of canned pineapple. But caremalise the fresh pineapples before adding into the recipe.

5. You can mix some dryfruits also in the recipe as per your taste.

6. Pineapple juice can be avoided, if you don't have it.

Chocolate cake

Introduction:

Chocolate cake is supposed to be the most delicious dessert. It's most popular in children but now a days elder persons also enjoy it a lot. So let's make chocolate cake at home today and satiate the taste buds with the sweet aroma of chocolate.

Ingredients:                                                                              

Refined flour(maida): 2.5 cups

Powdered sugar: 2.5 cups

Baking powder: 2.5 tsp

Coco powder: 5 tsp

Butter: 180 gm

Fresh eggs: 4

Vanilla essence: 6-7 drops

Dark chocolate: 30 gm

Preparation time: 1 hr

Cooking time: 32 mins

Method:
First of all take the flour, baking powder and coco powder together and sieve it 5 times. Keep it aside. Sieve the powdered sugar. Let the butter to melt at room temperature. When it is soft, mix the butter in sugar and beat thoroughly to have a fine mix. Now break the eggs and separate the yolk and white. Beat the yolk and white separately till the mixture becomes frothy.
Now mix the egg white into butter and sugar mixture. Beat again in one direction. When you get a smooth paste, add egg yolk. Beat again.
Double boil the dark chocolate. It means place a bowl of water on flame. Allow it to boil. Now put the chocolate in another small bowl and place the bowl into the boiling water bowl and let the chocolate melt.
Now slowly slowly mix the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Continue beating to avoid lumps. Add small small quantity at single time. Continue beating the mix.Add the melted dark chocolate and vanilla essence and beat for 10  mins in one direction.
Grease the cake tin with butter.Preheat the cooker or oven. Place the mixture into the tin and then allow it to bake for 32 mins in cooker on low flame.
Put off the flame after the time. Check the cake with knife. If it is done, allow it to get cooled. turn the cake tin upside down for the cake to come out. Sprinkle powdered sugar with help of a filter evenly on the cake surface or decorate it with icing cream.
Delicious chocolate cake is ready.

TIPS:
1. The cake can be cooked in pressure cooker with the help of the method described in earlier post.
2. You can add different kind of nuts in the batter to make a tasty chocolate nuts cake.
3. If you don't get dark chocolate at the store, use bournville or similar kind of dark chocolate. Avoid using dairy milk or similar kind of sweet chocolate into the cake.
4.Measurements matter a lot while preparing the cake. So follow the recipe strictly.
5. If you are abking the cake in oven, preheat the oven at 180 degree C for 10 mins and then bake the cake for 30 mins at 160 degree C.
6. There are so many ideas for decorating the cake. Use differnt kind of icing and fruits to decorate it.

Vanilla sponge cake in pressure cooker

Introduction:

Hi all. after I came back from office today, I was having a great desire to eat cake. I was missing my home because i don't have an oven to bake the cake but then i thought to make it in the cooker  and TADA.....it worked and it ws the best cake i've ever made...I'm going to share this recipe wiith you all.

Ingredients:

Refined flour(maida): 2 cups

Powdered sugar: 2 cups

Vanilla essence: 5-6 drops
Egg: 3
Unsalted butter: 150 gm
Dryfruits(mixed chopped): 1/2 cup
Salt: 1/2 tsp
Baking powder: 2 tsp

Preparation time: 45 mins
Cooking time: 40 mins

Method:

Sieve the flour with baking powder and salt 5 times. Seperate egg yolk and white. Beat them seperately till it becomes fluffy. Mix butter and powdered sugar and beat them thoroughly.Now mix egg white first into the butter mixture and add vanilla essence and beat again. Then mix the egg yolk and beat again till the mixture becomes soft. Now add the flour in the mixture while beating continuously. Keep beating in the same direction for 8-20 minutes.

Greas the cake tin with butter. Place the cooker on high flame and spread two cups of salt into it.

The idea of using salt is to avoid a direct contact of the cake tin with the flame. Take sufficient amount of salt so that it'll cover the cooker's bottom properly. cover the lid upside down and heat he cooker on high flame for 2 minutes.

Now sim the flame to the lowest. Place the cake mixture into the cake tin and place the tin into the cooker. Cover it with lid and remove the whistle. Cook for 35 minutes on lowest flame.

Open the cooker after 35 minutes. Do the knife test to check whether the cake has been cooked. Take out the cake tin and turn it upside down on a serving plate. The cake will come out. Let it get cooled in the fridge and decorate it with your favourite icing and serve.

TIPS:

1. Whenver you beat the batter, beat it in one direction only.

2. You can also use coarse sand instead of salt for baking the cake but using salt is a more easy option.

3. you can make any kind of cake in the cooker by this method. just prepare the batter of different flavours and enjoy the homemade cake any time.