Carousing with white chocolate...

Ah..White chocolate....
Chocolate that isn't dark... I know I know...that's really lame...
But what isn't is this amazing white chocolate cupcake recipe. I was surprised at how easy it is and using just one ingredient that u have to buy-white chocolate. the rest...the same as any vanilla cupcake batter.

I added a swirl of a berry crush. It wasn't mentioned in the recipe. You can even hide a small blob of jam inside which helps to cut the sweetness of the cake.
I also did not cover them with frosting, because when I bit into one... All I will say is that frosting is not necessary.


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
4 oz white chocolate, chopped and melted
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup + 1tbsp milk
Frosting:
8oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
2 oz white chocolate, melted
2 tsp vanilla
6 tbsp milk
4-6 cups confectioners sugar

Method:

• Preheat oven to 325 degree F.
• Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
• In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt.
• Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time mixing well after each addition.
• Add the melted white chocolate and vanilla and mix.
• Add the flour mixture and milk into the butter egg mixture alternately, starting and ending with flour.
• Pour into cupcake tins. Bake for 15 to 25 mins.

Frosting:

• Cream the cheese and butter until smooth. Add the white chocolate, vanilla and milk. Add the confec (icing) sugar till you reach the desired consistency. Pipe onto the cupcakes.

Enjoy!!

Chocolate Banana Cake

Chocolate Banana Cake is a snap to put together. Fifteen minutes is about all you need. Just mix the wet ingredients into the dry, and pop it into the oven and bake. I'm not really a fan of banana cakes, but this is with chocolate so I thought, hey! what's the worst that could happen?? Also banana cakes are best eaten a day after they are baked.

 
Ingredients:

2 cups (400 grams) granulated white sugar

1 3/4 cups (245 grams) all-purposeflour

3/4 cup (75 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder(regular or Dutch-processed)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup mashed ripe bananas(about 2 medium sized bananas)

1 cup (240 ml) warm water

1/2 cup (120 ml) milk

1/2 cup (120 ml) corn, safflower or canola oil(or other flavorless oil)

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

 

Chocolate Ganache Frosting:

8 ounces (227 grams)semisweet or bittersweet chocolate , cut into small pieces

3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy whippingcream

1 tablespoon (14 grams) unsalted butter

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in the  center of the oven. Butter, or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, a 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) pan. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, mashed bananas, water, milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir, or whisk, until combined. You will notice that the batter is quite thin. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 35 to40 minutesor until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

4. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. When completely cooled, frost with the Ganache.

Ganache:Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel, or heatproof bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream and butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat (can also be heated in the microwave). Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. When Ganache has completely cooled, beat until soft and fluffy (I use a wire whisk). Then spread the frosting on top of the cake. Can garnish with dried banana chips.

Serves 16 people. Yeah, its a big cake...

Enjoy!

 

London Cheesecake

               Again, long time... I did bake a few treats, but was too lazy to put 'em up. But this one deserves to be put up. When it comes to cheesecakes, I'm not a very confident person. But after this....I think I have overcome my fear!!! yay!!

This is the simplest cheesecake there is, but its so dreamy... uh... I mean creamy and soft and light and... I could just go on...
This is again a Nigella Lawson recipe and I did not try to make any kind of changes. Did exactly as she said, and voila!!


You can leave out the sour cream topping, but tastes best with it.


Ingredients:
150 gm digestive biscuits
75 gm unsalted butter, melted or very soft
Filling:
600gm cream cheese
150gm caster sugar
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
20 cm cake tin
Al foil

Topping:
145 ml sour cream
1 tbsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla


Method:

1. Process the biscuits until they are like crumbs, then add the butter and pulse again. Line the bottom of the Springform tin, pressing the biscuits in with your hands or the back of a spoon. Put the tin in the fridge to set, and preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4.
2. Beat the cream cheese gently until it's smooth, then add the sugar. Beat in the eggs and egg yolks, then finally the vanilla and lemon juice. Put the kettle on.
3. Line the outside of the chilled tin with strong foil so that it covers the bottom and sides in one large piece, and then do the same again and put it into a roasting dish. This will protect the cheesecake from the water as it is cooked in its water bath.
4. Pour the cream-cheese filling into the chilled biscuit base, and then pour hot water from the recently boiled kettle into the roasting tin around the cheesecake. It should come about halfway up; don't overfill as it will be difficult to lift up the tin. Put it into the oven and cook for 50 minutes. It should feel set, but not rigidly so: you just need to feel confident that when you pour the sour cream over, it will sit on the surface and not sink in. Whisk together the sour cream, sugar and vanilla for the topping and pour over the cheesecake. Put it back in the oven for a further 10 minutes.
5. Take the roasting tin out of the oven, then gingerly remove the Springform, unwrap it and stand it on a rack to cool. When it's cooled down completely, put it in the fridge, removing it 20 minutes before eating to take the chill off. Unmould and when you cut into it, plunge a knife in hot water first.

So its really easy to make and you cant go wrong. Enjoy!!

Homemade Croissants

Yes...you read right. I made croissants!! I know!! Its totally unbelievable even to me. I think I'm floating about in a dream...I mean cakes are one thing but these buttery crumbly flaky crescent like pastries...are another...

But you'll be glad to know that after lots of hard work and sweat they turned out pretty good. Ah..what the heck!, they were absolutely heavenly. Not all of them, but most of them...
I dont think I can write down the recipe cos its really long and the process is time consuming... Its quite easy but u gotta do lots of folding and rolling the dough... And lots of butter, I mean...LOTS. These things are drenched in butter...

Yeah..I know they look like prawns..But they're NOT!!
A great breakfast or an afternoon tea snack. Heavy on the calories but light in your mouth!!

Cheesecake Heaven...

There is nothing more sinful than a well turned out cheese cake and certainly nothing better than a CHOCOLATE cheesecake...


I tried to present it the way its done at restaurants...Not so great I know.

It may look the colour of mud, but damn! that's some tasty mud!!

Base:
1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 stick butter
1 tbsp cocoa
Cheesecake Filling
6 oz bittersweet/semisweet chocolate, chopped small
2 1/2 cups cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1tbsp custard powder
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks                                                            
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp cocoa dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water
Sauce:
3 oz bittersweet/semisweet chocolate finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1tsp dark corn syrup (I used golden syrup)

Method:

1. Process the biscuits to make rough crumbs, then add butter and cocoa.Process again until damp and clumping. Tip into baking pan and press to the bottom and a little up the sides with your hands or the flat of a spoon. Chill in the freezer while making the filling.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
3. Melt chocolate on a double boiler and set aside.
4. Beat the cream cheese to soften it, then add sugar and custard powder. Beat in the whole eggs then egg yolks and the sou cream. Finally add cocoa dissolved in hot water and then the melted chocolate and mix into a smooth batter.
5. Layer the baking pan with foil twice. Place it in a roastin gtray andpour boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the baking pan.
6. Bake for 45 mins - 1 hour. The top should be set but the bottom should be wobbly.
7. Peel away the fiol and cool. Chill in the fridge with a plastic covering.

Chocolate Sauce:
Melt the chocolate cream and syrup either on a double boiler or in the microwave. Whisk into a smooth sauce. Cool and pour over the cake while serving.
Enjoy!!

Chocolate Loaf Cake

This is THE most amazing chocolate cake... Very rich in chocolate and tastes great too. Many of you must have seen Nigella Lawson make this on one of her TV series. I got the recipie from her site, and its quite simple and quite heavy. She asks that you strew the chopped chocolate on top of the cake after the cake has cooled off, but I put it straight fromt the oven. That way when you cut it you get gooey melted chocolate almost like frosting on top of the cake!! The batter also tastes great!!
 

Ingredients:

200gm plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder                                           

50gm cocoa

275gm caster sugar

175gm butter

2 eggs

1tbsp vanilla
80ml sour cream
125ml boiling water
175gm dark chocolate chips

Syrup:
1tsp cocoa
125ml water
100gm caster sugar

25gm dark chocolate

Method:-

1.  Preheat oven to 170 degree C. Line a loaf tin with greased foil and leave an overhang all around.
2. Process the flour, bak. powd, cocoa, sugar, eggs, vanilla & sour cream to get a satiny smooth batter.
3. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula and process again while adding boiling hot water.
4. Then add the chocolate chips and stir. Pour into the loaf pan and bake for an hour.
5. Make the syrup 5 or 10 mins before the cake is done. Place the sauce ingredients in a sauce pan and   boil for 5 to 10 mins. It should be slightly thick, so boil longer if needed.
6. Take the cake out and poke holes on the surface. Pour the syrup evenly as possible.
7. Sprinkle with chopped dark chocolate. Cover the cake with the overhang and let to cool.

 Enjoy!!

Flan

We Indians know it by Caramel Custard. I like custard, especially the one with lots of fruits in it, though I'm not a fan of the eggy custard. Ok, let's face it, if we go to any restaurant in India, this dessert is seen ordered left and right. Though I myself have ordered it only a handful of times, I wasn't really motivated to try making it, until now...
Another thing... Caramel... Not a very simple thing. I mean, its simple but the process...You have to be very careful that you dont end up with really bitter and burnt sugar instead of caramel!!

Ingredients:

250gm sugar

50ml water

3 egg yolks
3 eggs
120gm sugar
2tsp vanilla

380ml milk

                                                       380ml half and half (or cream & milk mixed)
Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree C.
2. In a small saucepan, combine water and sugar, then swirl the pan until sugar is dissolved. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat until thick and large bubbles form. Then uncover the pan and continue to cook until it becomes a rich brown colour.
3. Pour into the bottom of the mould. Rotate to cover the bottom of the pan and up the sides a little.
4. Whisk eggs, egg yolks, sugar until well blended. Heat vanilla, milk and half and half until hot to touch. Do not boil. Slowly add to the egg mixture.
5. Pour the custard into the prepared mould. Place mould in a baking pan. Boil water and pour in the pan so its halfway up the sides of the mold.
6. Bake for 20-30 mins. Insert a kinfe and if it comes out clean its done.
7. Cool completely, then chill in a refrigerator.
8. Invert over a platter with sides to catch the caramel sauce.

Enjoy!!