Coffee cake

This is the recipe for cake that I baked for my hubby's birthday. Continued from previous post. Got this lovely recipe from One Perfect Bite- Mary's blog and it turned out just perfect.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup instant coffee granules
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound (1 cup) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs

Method:

1) Adjust a rack to lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Generously coat a 14 x 4 x 3-inch loaf pan with butter. Dust with flour. A nonstick baking spray may also be used.
2) Combine milk and coffee crystals in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring to dissolve crystals. Set aside to cool.
3) Sift flour with baking powder and salt. Set aside.
4) Cream butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add vanilla and sugar and beat for 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat for 1 to 2 minutes at high speed after adding last egg. Mixture will look curdled. It's not a problem.
5) With mixer on low speed, add flour in three additions and milk mixture in two. Beat only until smooth. Turn into pan. Spread until level, then use a spatula to move batter slightly up the sides of pan, leaving center slightly lower than sides.
6) Bake for 55 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Invert on rack and remove pan. Ice cooled cake upside down.

She has wonderful recipe for the icing too. Try that too. Mine had buttercream frosting.

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Coconut cake from Patrick and Gina Neely's recipe

We frequently watch food network and other than Paula an Ina garten, the Neelys are on our list. We love to catch Sunny Anderson but seem to miss her show. This is a typical southern style coconut cake, been in the Neely's family for generations now. So we can safely say this is a pretty authentic recipe. We all loved the cake. Try it and see for yourself.

Ingredients:

• Nonstick baking spray, for pan
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
• cream cheese lemon Glaze, recipe follows
• 1/2 cup flaked coconut

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a Bundt pan with nonstick baking spray and dust with flour.

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

In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time. Once incorporated, add the extracts. Stir in the coconut milk and beat until combined. Slowly beat in the dry ingredients until the mixture is smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool cake 5 minutes before turning it out onto a rack. Let cool completely on the rack.

Once the cake has cooled, ladle the glaze over the cake, and top with flaked coconut. Let glaze set before serving. Transfer the cake to a platter or serving dish and slice.

Cream cheese and lemon glaze:

3 tablespoon Cream Cheese (room temperature)

1 ½ cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoon lemon juice

2tablespoon milk

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Let stand for 20 minutes to thicken.

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Poppy seed cake

We are in love with this cake. We couldnt stop eating it( not for it narcotic properties as you think) for it is very tasty , soft and has got great flavour. This recipe was bookmarked sometime ago from Mary's One Perfect Bite blog.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup poppy seeds
1 cup milk
2/3 cup unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 large egg whites, stiffly beaten

Method:

1) Add poppy seeds to milk and let stand for 1 hour.
2) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch pan. Set aside.
3) Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4) Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in another bowl.
5) Add flour and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour.
6) Fold in egg whites, half at a time. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let sit in pan for 10 to 15 minutes before removing to a rack to complete cooling.

Sour Cream Frosting

Ingredients:

1 cup + 3 tablespoons sour cream, divided use
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts( We used cashews)

Method:

1) Blend 1 cup sour cream and sugar in a 3-quart pan. When smooth, add water. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until soft ball stage is reached. Remove from heat. Cool slightly.
2) Add vanilla and reserved 3 tablespoons sour cream. Beat with a hand mixer until creamy. Spread quickly on top of cake. Top with nuts if desired. Yield: 12 servings.

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Strawberry Tartlettes

Ingredients

For Crust

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, cut into small cubes
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold water

For Filling

1 bar cream cheese (softened)
1/4 cup sugar
3-4 cup strawberries, hulled and halved
3 tbsp corn starch

Makes 8 servings

Method

* Blend flour, butter, sugar, and salt until moist crumbs form in a food processor for around a minute.
* Transfer the dough to small round tartlette pans.
* Roll out the pie crust with a rolling pin and place it in the tart pans and press with your fingers. Press the bottom with a dry measuring cup.
* Freeze crust until firm for about 10 to 15 minutes.
* Preheat oven to 350°
* Using a fork, prick crust all over. Bake until golden, 25 to 30 minutes, pressing down gently once or twice with a spoon during baking if crust puffs up. In fact, placing something heavy on the pie crust will be preferable. Cool completely in pan.
* For making the filling, in a medium bowl, mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth; spread mixture evenly in bottom of baked crust (still in tart pan).
* Chop the strawberries and place them into a saute pan
* Add one cup of sugar combined with three tablespoons of corn starch.
* Cook strawberries and sugar/cornstarch on medium heat.
* Using a whisk, crush strawberries as they soften and continue cooking on low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
* Pour the strawberry pie filling into your perfectly baked crust.
* Chill the pie for about 2 hours.

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"Mighty" Tiramisu

Well, Tiramisu has been our all-time favourite dessert. Mainly it has got the flavour of coffee. Need we say more? We got this recipe from Showmethecurry blog. They had two ways of doing. We prefered the later. It turned out well. We didnt exactly follow the assembling pattern and we used a round cake pan but that is entirely upto your taste. You can even make use of your own cake mix and not the store bought one as we did.



Ingredients:

Cream Cheese – 8oz box at room temp (Mascarpone cheese is the one used traditionally)
Sugar – 6 Tbsp (divided)
Whipped Cream – 3/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream plus 1 Tbsp Sugar whipped to 1 1/2 cups (1 1/2 cups of Cool Whip may be used as an instant alternative)
Egg Yolks – 3
Strong Coffee – 1 cup (or as needed) mixed with 2 Tbsp Rum (optional)
1/2 box white cake mix
Cocoa Powder & Powdered Sugar – for garnishing

Method:

1. Bake cake per package directions. Only 1/2 box is necessary for this recipe.
2. After cake has cooled, flip baking pan over on a flat dish or work surface.
3. Using a long bread knife, cut the cake in half horizontally, creating two thin layers of cake.
4. Carefully place the top layer back into the baking pan.
5. Using a pastry brush, dab coffee onto the cake. More coffee may be required to soak the cake.
6. Spread 1/2 of the cream cheese filling onto the cake and dust with cocoa powder.
7. Carefully place the second layer of cake on top of the filling.
8. Dab more coffee onto the cake.
9. Spread remaining filling evenly and dust with cocoa creating an even layer.
10. Cover and chill overnight.

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Rasberry Panna Cotta

Ingredients:

For the berry layer:

Rasberry - 2 cups
sugar - 1 tbsp

For the cream:

2 tsp of gelatin powder
2 tablespoons water
1 3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla essence
¼ cup sugar

Method:

1. To make the berries layer, puree strawberry, raspberry and sugar in a food processor. Put the puree berries through a strainer to remove all the seeds.
2. Divide the puree berries evenly among the serving glasses. Put the glasses in the freezer for it to set.
3. In a small bowl, mix the water and gelatin. Set it aside to bloom. In a medium saucepan, heat up the milk and sugar in medium heat. Bring it up to a slow boil and remove from heat.
4. Add in the gelatin, stir until the gelatin dissolved into the milk. Add in the heavy cream and vanilla. Stir well and set it aside to cool.
5. Once the milk mixture is cooled, slowly pour it over the frozen berries and let set in the fridge for at least a few hours or until it's set. Serve cold.
6. You can top them with rasberries or even a chocolate syrup.

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Spanish Flan

Ingredients:

For caramel topping
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp water

For the flan

heavy cream - 1 1/2 cups
whole milk - 1 1/4 cups
eggs - 3
egg yolks - 2
sugar - 1/2 cup
pure vanilla extract- 1 tsp
vanilla bean- 1/3 of flesh from the pod cut lengthwise


Method:

To make the caramel, mix sugar and water on medium heat and cook till it turns brown in color.
Tale 4 ramekins, and pour the caramel at the bottom.

To make the flan, bring the heavy cream and milk to a light boil. In another bowl, mix the eggs, vanilla and sugar. Add the cream to the egg mixture slowly without scrambling the eggs. Pour this over the caramel in each ramekin.

Refridgerate them for atleast an hour or until set.

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Blueberry muffins adapted from Paula Deen's recipe

Ingredients:

All purpose flour - 2 cups
baking powder - 2 tbsp
sugar - 1/2 cup
unsalted butter, melted - 1 stick
egg - 1 slightly beaten
whole milk - 3/4 cup
fresh blueberries - 1 1/2 cups
granulated white/brown sugar - 1/2 cup


Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and sugar. In another bowl, combine butter, egg, and milk and mix well. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and with a spatula, stir until just combined. Do not beat or over mix; it's okay if there are lumps in the batter. Gently fold the blueberries into the batter.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tray, filling each cup about 2/3 full. Bake for 10 minutes and remove from the oven. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the granulated brown or white sugar and return the muffins to the oven to bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool for about 10 minutes in the pan before turning the muffins out.

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Easy To Make Short Breads

This recipe was given to us by a friend. It is a simple recipe and can assure you that using this recipe you can make simply the best short breads, We have used this recipe to make short breads many a times and we were able to make super dooper short breads each time. so thought of sharing the recipe with you all.
This recipe makes two logs of dough. The logs can be refrigerated for up to four days or frozen for up to three months (thaw before slicing and baking). To make two flavors with one recipe, divide the dough in half in step 1 before adding mix-ins (and use half the amounts given).

Ingredients:

Basic:Maida - 2 cups
Powdered sugar - 1 cup
Butter - 1 cup
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Method:
1.Cream butter, sugar & vanilla essence together in a bowl.
2.Add maida, and mix well to form a dough, then roll the dough into a log & refrigerate.
3.After 3 hours, take out,slice & bake in a greased baking sheet at 180 deg for 10-12 mts till 4.done.Please go by the cooked flavour && colour.
5.Remove, cool & keep airtight.

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Happy Birthday Diya!

Well this post is about cutest daughter and beloved niece's Diya's birthday. She is a big girl now that she is 2. We are all thrilled to see her speak non-stop. I baked a cake that looked like a pair of flip flops. She loves to wear shoes and slippers especially ones that are too big for her. She was thrilled to see the cake. She went about singing " Happy byay you you" the whole day .


We are including videos in youtube..You can find links below..Hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it.

Preparing the frosting

Crumb coating the cake before refridgerating

Final frosting

Piping and decorating

You will hear the birthday girl's background score and kuddos to my hubby who did a great job videographing.

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Basic Meringue Recipe

Cream of tartar, white vinegar, or lemon juice can all be used to stabilize a meringue.

• Add 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar per egg white to the unbeaten eggs. (If you're using a copper bowl to make your meringue, don't add any acid: it can react with the copper and discolor the egg foam.)
• Whip to medium-soft peaks. Beat in 2 tablespoons white sugar per egg white. Continue to beat until egg whites are glossy and hold a firm peak.
• Adding sugar early in the beating process results in a firmer, finer-textured meringue.

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Corn flakes Pudding

We got this recipe from one of our neighbours ,who does this pudding during christmas time. Hope you all like it.

Ingredients:
Corn flakes 1 cup
Butter(amul) 1 tbsp
Sugar 11/4 cup
Grated coconut 1/4 cup
Orange juice 2 tbsp
Gelatin 1 tbsp
Condensed milk 1 tin
Milk 2 tins( use the milkmaid tin for measurements0
Vanilla essence few drops
Cashews 1/4 cup
Method:

• Crush the cornflakes using your hands


• Mix butter, sugar, orange juice and grated coconut together. Add this to the cornflakes and mix well


• Transfer the mixture to a oven proof dish and bake it in a preheated oven at 160 degree centigrade for 5 minutes.


• Remove from oven and allow it to cool and then refrigerate.


• Heat the gelatin with little milk to melt it. keep it aside.


• Cut the cashews into small pieces. mix the condensed milk with the milk , add the cashew and essence to it


• Take out the cornflakes dish from fridge and pour this condensed milk mixture above it, slowly using a spoon. Again refrigerate


• Decorate the pudding once it is set with cherries. Serve chilled

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Rabri

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups full cream milk
4 tbsp milk powder
2 1/2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp fresh malai-optional
a few pista
silver leaf

Method:

1. Boil milk in a heavy bottom kadai/pan
2. Mix milk powder in a little hot milk so that it is lumpy and not smooth.
3. Add the milk powder, sugar, malai to the milk in the pan.
4. Cook for 30 minutes on low heat till it turns thick. Cool.
5. Keep in a separate dish, decorated with shredded pista and silver leaf.
6. Serve chilled

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Honey Baked Bananas

Ingredients:
4 Bananas
4 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp Honey
8-10 Blanced almonds-Chopped
3 tbsp Fresh breadcrumbs
50 grams butter
2 tbsp powdered sugar
150 grams Cream
3 tbsp orange juice
Method:

1. Peel bananas. Arrange side by side in a greased ovenproof dish
2. Pour lemon juice and honey over them.
3. Cut butter into small pieces. Mix with breadcrumbs and powdered sugar.
4. Sprinkle bread crumbs over bananas. Scatter almonds over the bananas.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 200 deg celcius. Serve with cream mixed with orange juice.

This is aan entry for Dil Se's CFK- Evening Snacks.

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Kakra Pitha from Orissa

Ingredients

serves: 4 - 6

2 cups (200 g) 7 oz Semolina (suji)
1 cup (250 g) 8 fl oz Water
1/4 cup (35 g) 1 1/4 oz Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Bay leaf (tej patta)
Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Method

1. Heat the water in a pan; add sugar, salt, and bay leaf. Boil till the sugar dissolves.

2. Add semolina gradually and keep stirring. After a couple of minutes as the semolina dries up, remove from heat and keep aside to cool.

3. Now grease your palm with oil and knead the semolina until soft and lump free. Divide the mixture into small balls of 2 cm size. Roll each out into small discs with a rolling pin.

4. Heat the oil in a wok (kadhai); deep-fry the discs till golden. Remove and drain the excess oil on absorbent kitchen towels.

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Dedicated to Amma - Rava Laddoo

This is our favourite sweet that our mom used to make for us both with her busy schedule. She was a doc(OB/GYN). She is not with us anymore. We like to dedicate this recipe to her. In fact, she is the reason for Palates & Palettes(formerly Creationz Unwrapped). She has always been an inspirer.
Ingredients:

Fine semolina - 1 cup
Powdered sugar - 1/2 cup (I used less, you may adjust according to taste)
Cardamom - 1/2 tsp
Broken cashew nuts - 3 tbsp
Raisins - 2 tbsp (optional)
Warm milk - Enough to form a ball
Melted butter/Ghee - 1 tbsp

Method:

Dry roast semolina well. Turn off heat just before it starts to turn slightly brown.
Let cool.

In a dry blender, grind semolina till powdery. It may not turn completely into a powder form, but close enough is good.

Add the powdered sugar, cardamom and blend the dry ingredients well.

Take the mixture in a bowl, add ghee, cashews and raisins.

Adding warm milk one tablespoon at a time, mix everything together. Just when it starts to form a ball, stop adding more milk. Quickly form into balls using the palms of your hands.
Adding too much milk will result in hard laddus. The lesser the better.

Place laddus in a layer on a plate and let cool.

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Malpua from Bihar and Jharkand

Ingredients:

Maida - 2 cup
Milk - 500 ml
Dahi - 4 tbsp
Sugar - 2 cup
Refined oil for frying

Method:

1. Heat the sugar with one cup water in a kadahi to make Chasni (syrup) of "Ek Taar"
consistency. Keep it aside. Boil milk on low fire and continue stirring till milk is
transformed into rabri (condensed milk) of flowing consistency.
2. Mix maida, dahi and rabri together to make a mixture of thick pouring consistency. Leave it
for 2 hours.
3. Heat oil in a flat bottom kadahi.
4. Pour a little mixture at a time with a big round spoon to make puas and shallow fry till
golden brown.
5. Take out puas from the kadahi and place them on an absorbent paper to drain out excess
oil.
6. Dip puas in the syrup till they are fully soaked.
7. Take out puas from the syrup and arrange them in a plate. Put a little rabri on each pua
and decorate with Kaju and Badam cut into flakes.

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Kusli from Madhya Pradesh

Ingredients:

For the covering
1 cup white flour
2 tbsp. ghee

For the stuffing

1 cup sooji (semolina)
1 cup badam (almonds), ground
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup khismish (raisins)
3 tbsp. dried ecoconut, grated
1 tsp. cardamom powder
3-4 tbsp. ghee

Method:

Make a stiff-ish dough from the flour, ghee and water. Roll out small circles.
Separately fry the sooji in the ghee. Add the raisins, badam and cardamom powder. Allow it to cool.
Place a small quantity of the stuffing -- about 3 tsp. -- in the centre of each circle. Fold in half and edge with a fork.
Deep fry on medium heat till pink not red.

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Wheat (Godumai) Halwa

Ingredients

Wheat Flour (Atta) - 3/4 cup
Milk - 1/4 cup
Ghee - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1-1/2 cup
Cardamoms - 2
Food Coloring
Cashews - 6

Method

Add 1/4 cup water to the milk and mix the maida and the coloring agent in it.

Beat to mix evenly into a smooth batter. Set aside for 1/2 hour.

Heat up the sugar along with 1/4 cup water in a heavy bottomed vessel.

Let the sugar dissolve completely and just start to thicken.

Mix the prepared batter, cardamom and 1/2 of the ghee along with the sugar syrup and continue to heat up.

Stir continuously until it no longer sticks to the sides of the vessel.

Pour it over a greased plate and level it out.

Add small pieces of cashew on top and while it is still warm, cut the halwa into pieces.

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Carrot halwa (Gajar ka halwa)

Ingredients:

1 kg juicy orange carrots
1 1/2 litre milk
400-500 gm sugar
elaichi powder (cardomon)
saffron few flakes
few drops orange colour (optional)
1 tbsp ghee

Method:

Peel and grate carrots. Put milk and carrots in a heavy saucepan. Boil till thick, stirring occassionally. Once it starts thickening, stir continuously. Add sugar and cook further till thickens. Add ghee, elaichi, saffron and colour. Stir on low heat till the mixture collects in a soft ball or the ghee oozes out. Serve hot, decorated with a chopped almond or pista.

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