Pineapple Crunch Cake

 

 

This is a very simple yet very satisfying dessert you can make in minutes. You can bake this cake using any fruit of your choice, somehow pineapple tastes really good. You can use blueberries, raspberries, strawberries or any fruit that is soft and juicy. You will love this cake because of its unique combination of buttery cake layers filled with fresh fruit and a crunchy top full of nuts. I tried this recipe from an old cake book given to me by my neighbor, Here is the recipe.

 

Ingredients:- (All ingredients must be at room temperature)

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup flaked coconut (sweet or unsweetened)

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup crushed pineapple . Drain the juice and reserve in 1/2 cup.

1/3 cup butter- softened

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

3 tblsp butter melted

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg. Grease and flour an 8x8x2 inch pan
2. Put nuts in a blender until coarsely chopped. Empty into a bowl and combine with brown sugar and coconut. Set aside.
3. Take 1/2 cup of pineapple juice you get from crushing the pineapples. Add the juice, 1/3 cup butter, egg and vanilla in a blender and run on a high speed for 10 seconds.
4. Then add 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder and salt and then run again on a high speed for 10 seconds.
5. Meanwhile sift flour in a bowl and add mixture from the blender container, stir and mix properly. Pour half the batter in a prepared pan, spread crushed pineapple over the batter.
6. Pour the remaining batter over the pineapple. Top with coconut mixture and drizzle with 3 tblsp melted butter.
7. Bake 35 minutes or until done. You can serve it with whipped cream or eat it plain.

 



 



Marble Cake

 

 

 

My husband regularly shops at the Whole Foods Market. Sometimes when we don't have any cake at home he gets this extremely tasty marble iced cake loaf from there. This time I thought of trying it at home. Everything about this cake is right – the delicate texture, the flavor, the beautiful swirls of light and dark. I googled various recipes for a marble cake and I finally tried this marble cake recipe by Martha Stewart. http://www.marthastewart.com/339716/marble-cake The filling of marble cake is a blend of vanilla and chocolate. It is light and fluffy, moist and rich. The cake turned out delicious. This recipe is like the best marble cake recipe ever!! I totally fell in love with it. However I did not get the perfect swirls because my batter was runny and the chocolate and vanilla batter kept running into each other. I don't know where I went wrong since I followed the steps correctly. I don't really care about the swirls as long as the taste and the texture of the cake is right and it was. This is a sure winner and you must try it. I frosted the cake with chocolate frosting and glazed it with confectioner's sugar exactly the way its made at whole foods. Enjoy! 

 



 

 

 

Mother's Best Fudge Cake

 

This is not my mother's best fudge cake, the name of the recipe says so. I have a very old book of cake recipes given to me by my friend. The book has very unique and had age old cake recipes passed on from one generation to another. Plus, I love making chocolate cakes so I keep looking for different ways to make chocolate cakes. Here is a recipe of mother's best fudge cake from the book. The cake turned out super yummy, moist and very fudgy. You can use any frosting for this cake, butter cream, cream cheese or even cover the cake with chocolate ganache or glaze. Depends on what kind of combination you like. I frosted the whole cake with chocolate frosting, drizzled confectioners sugar glaze on top of the cake and added a few M&Ms in the center.

 

Ingredients:-

3(1 ounces squares unsweetened chocolate)

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 beaten egg

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups sifted cake flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup milk

 

1. Combine chocolate, 2/3 cup sugar, 1/2 cup milk and beaten egg in a saucepan.
2. Cook and stir over a low heat till the chocolate melts and the mixture thickens, then let it cool.
3. Stir in the butter to soften it and then add 1 cup sugar, creaming the mixture till light and fluffy.
4. Add vanilla extract, slowly add the 2 eggs, one egg at a time beating well after each.
5. Sift together flour, soda and salt. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with 2/3 cup milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
6. Beat after each addition. Blend the chocolate mixture completely. Bake in 2 paper-lined 9x11/2 inch round pans at 350 degrees approximately for about 30 mins. Cool the cakes completely before you apply frosting.

 Here is the chocolate frosting recipe.
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2/3 cup  Cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. Makes about 2 cups frosting.


Fruit and Nut Cake

 

It was our wedding anniversary and I wanted to bake a cake. However I was out of eggs, fruits, cream cheese and cocoa. So I knew I cannot make any fancy cake without these ingredients. I was wondering what to do and how to make a cake without any of these. The only fruit I had at home was a pineapple. I thought of making a pineapple cake but it would need eggs and cream cheese for frosting. My neighbour had given me an old cake recipe book and while flipping through the pages I came across this fruit and nut cake recipe. I had all the ingredients mentioned in that recipe and I decided to give it a try. The result was awesome. Its the best fruit and nut cake we've ever had. The cake was super delicious, super healthy, nutty, extremely moist and flavourful. With a few ingredients at hand you can easily bake this cake and it will be an instant hit amongst your guests. My lil girl and hubby both enjoyed this cake. Here is the recipe.

 

Ingredients:-

Water – 2 cups
Dried Apricots – 1/4 cup, chopped

Dried Plums - 1/4 cup

Dried Cranberries - 1/4 cup

Tutti frutti - 1/4 cup

Fresh pineapple - 1/4 cup, chopped (you can add any fresh fruit of your choice)

Grated coconut or coconut flakes - 1/4 cup (sweet or unsweetened)

Walnuts – 1/4 cup, chopped
Pecans – 1/4 cup, chopped
Cashews – 1/4 cup, chopped
Raisins – 1/4 cup
Butter – 1 stick (1/2 cup)
Almond Extract – 1 1/2 tsp
All-Purpose Flour – 1 3/4 cup
Sugar – 1 cup
Baking Soda – 1 tsp

Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt – 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon Powder – 1/2 tsp
All spice powder – 1/2 tsp

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. In a small sauce pan, add 2 cups water, cranberries, raisins, plums and apricots. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on medium heat for 7 minutes or you can microwave it for 3 mins.
3. Pour water with fruits into a large mixing bowl.
4. Add butter and mix until the butter melts. Allow the mixture to cool and then add the almond extract.
5.  In a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, baking Soda, baking powder, cinnamon Powder and all spice powder.
6.  Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.
7. Then add the coconut, pineapple, tutti frutti, nuts and pour mixture into a greased bundt pan.
8.  Bake for 35 – 40 minutes until toothpick comes out clean from the center.



Achari Chicken

Chicken in Pickle spices

 

 

 

I cook chicken almost every week. After a while it does get boring eating the same style of chicken. I am always looking for new and tasty recipes to cook chicken and I tried Achari chicken last week. Its chicken cooked in same spices you use to make punjabi mango achaar/pickle. Punjabi achaar is very simple yet very tasty and is made using very few spices. These spices give an achaari or tangy  taste and aroma to any meat or vegetable you cook using them. Here is the achaari chicken recipe. You can use this recipe to make achaari gosht, vegetables or simple achaari aloo or potatoes.   

 

Ingredients:-

Half a pound chicken washed and cut. (You can use boneless or with bones)

1/2 cup- yogurt

1 tbsp- ginger garlic paste

5 -red chillies (You can use less if you don't want too spicy)

1 tsp- cumin seeds

1 tbsp- fennel seeds

1 tsp-fenugreek seeds 

1 1/2 tsp-nigella seeds

1 tsp-mustard seeds

3 small sticks of cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp-kashmiri red chilli powder

1 large onion sliced

1 large tomato sliced

1 1/2 tsp-turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Juice of half a lemon

Mustard oil for cooking

Chopped cilantro for garnishing

1. Marinate the chicken with turmeric and yogurt and keep aside for an hour.
2. Heat about 4 tbsp mustard oil in a pan and add the sliced onions. Let it cook on a low heat until they are slightly brown in color.
3. Meanwhile dry roast all the seeds (cumin, mustard, fenugreek, fennel and nigella) along with the cinnamon and red chillies. Make sure you do this on a very low flame stirring it continuously. Then grind them coarsely using a dry grinder. You can also pound these spices if you like using a pestle.
4. Once the onions are nice and brown add ginger garlic paste and tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are tender. Add the marinated chicken and cook on a high flame stirring it continuously until the oil separates.
5. Now add the ground spices, salt and kashmiri red chilli powder. Add little water and cook until the chicken is done and oil floats on top.
6. Garnish with fresh cilantro, lime juice and serve hot with rice or rotis.
    

 

 



 

 

Sarson ka Saag with Makki ki Roti

Mustard greens with corn flat bread

 

 

A very traditional and most loved dish of every Punjabi. Sarson ka Saag with Makki ki roti. Its a must dish during winters in every house in Punjab. Saag is made with mustard leaves (its slightly bitter in taste) along with a bunch of other green leaves like, Bathua (lamb's-quarter) , Methi (Fenugreek leaves) and Palak (Spinach) simmered with spices. This dish is cooked with lots of patience. Starting from the first step of picking, washing and cutting the best leaves till the point of slowly simmering the saag on a flame with the right amount of spices, everything has to be done with utter care and patience. Ask any Punjabi and he or she would say "my mom makes the best saag" or "my naani/daadi makes the best saag". And of course I will say the same thing, my mom makes the best saag. I never liked saag anywhere else. After I got married and came to the US, I missed having my mom's saag the most. I never tried the recipe on my own knowing that it won't be even close to what she makes. However when my neighbour got a bunch of mustard leaves from his friend's farm I was tempted to make saag. I had a bunch of "Mooli" or radish at home and fresh maize (cornmeal) flour. I did not have bathua that gives a very distinct flavor to the saag, I put broccoli instead. (I know, its American version of the authentic saag). But if you can manage bathua leaves here in the US, it would be perfect.

 

Ingredients:-

4 bunches of fresh mustard leaves

1 bunch of fresh palak or spinach

1 bunch of bathua

1/4 cup Ginger and garlic sliced

5 green chillies - chopped

Salt to taste

Maize flour/cornmeal - 1/2 cup

 

Tadka/ Tempering:
5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1″ piece of ginger, finely chopped
1 cup chopped onion
3 tbsp Desi ghee
2 green chillies finely chopped
1 tomato finely chopped

1. Thoroughly wash and cut all the greens. Take a big pot of boiling water and add salt and put all the leaves along with 2 tbsp ginger garlic and green chillies. Let this simmer on a slow heat for almost an hour till the greens are tender. Turn off the heat and let it cool down a bit. Then mash the cooked greens.
2. Now, traditionally in Punjab saag is pressed or mashed using a "Madhani" ( wooden hand blender), but you can use an electric hand blender to mash up all the greens. Just make sure you do not overdo it and make a paste. It has to be coarse. Turn on the heat.
3. Add the maize flour slowly one spoon at a time to the greens and keep on stirring and mashing it continuously so that there are no lumps. Maize flour is used to thicken the saag. Cook this mixture for almost 10 minutes on a very slow flame.
4. Meanwhile in a small pan heat oil/ butter or ghee. Add chopped ginger, garlic and green chillies along with the onions and cook till it starts to brown. Add the chopped tomatoes until they are tender.  
5. Add the tadka to the cooked saag and adjust the salt as per your taste. Serve hot with a dollop of butter, Makki ki roti, radish and whole green chillies.

Makki ki roti

1 cup maize flour
1/2 cup hot water to knead.  
 
The traditional way of making makki ki roti is to flatten and shape the roti using little water on the center of your palms of both the hands, the roti becomes round and it keeps on expanding as it goes to and fro between both the palms and then its cooked on a hot tava. I could never make it this way. My mom makes it so fast and it seems so easy when she makes it. I use a plastic sheet to spread and make the rotis.
 
1. Boil the water and slowly add to the flour. Keep mixing it enough to form a firm dough. You will have to use your own judgement about the amount of water required.
2. Because maize flour has no gluten in it, its very hard to bind it. So its important to use hot boiling water to bind the flour together. This helps the flour to settle down and makes smoother rotis.
3.  Let it cool down for sometime. Then make small balls. Place it on a lightly greased plastic sheet and keep on pressing/flattening the dough using your palms to make a round roti. You can use water or little oil to grease your palms. Don't worry, it does not have to be a perfect round roti.
4. Transfer on a hot griddle/tava and cook till both the sides are brown and fully cooked.
5. Spread ghee or butter on the rotis and serve hot with the saag.
    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Aloo Ka Paratha

Indian bread stuffed with spicy potato filling

 

 

I am back after a lovely family vacation in England. I missed posting recipes on my blog. The weather has been quite chilly here in South Florida, but thank god, its a million times better than England. We had to endure 6 degree temperature and it was horrible. Imagine the condition of a Floridian in any cold weather. We love our warm and sunny Florida weather and its hard for us to survive in cold winters. But otherwise the trip was so much fun. Good food and good company made the trip totally worthwhile. After I came back I made delicious aloo paranthas with mint chutney. A regular breakfast dish in every Punjabi household, aloo waale paranthe with dahi/yogurt is a must at least once a week. These paranthas serve as a delicious and a satisfying hearty meal at the beginning of your day. Here is the recipe.

 

Ingredients:-

2 cups- whole wheat flour or atta plus more for rolling

4- medium sized potatoes boiled, peeled and mashed

3- green chillies ground in a paste

1 tsp- ajwain or bishop's weed

1 1/2 tsp- punjabi garam masala

1 tsp- amchur powder

1 tsp- anardana powder

Salt to taste

1- cup Cilantro finely chopped

Ghee/oil for cooking

 

1. Add water, salt and a tablespoon of chopped cilantro to the wheat flour. knead it to make a soft dough(similar to a roti dough but not too soft). (Add salt to the atta as per your taste, the dough should taste of a bit of salt but not too salty)
2. Mash the boiled potatoes and add ajwain, salt, green chilli paste, garam masala, amchur powder, anardana powder, rest of the chopped cilantro and mix properly.
3. Take small balls out of the dough. Roll it in a small circular shape like a puri.
4. Fill the center of the rolled puri with a generous amount of the potato filling and close it from all the sides tightly sealing it with your hands.
5. Add a little bit of dry flour on the rolling mat , press the dough slightly, dust the dough with the flour and roll it into a round or square roti. Make sure you do it with care so that the filling doesn't come out.
6. Place it on a hot tava or griddle, apply ghee/oil on both the sides and cook until the paranthas are nice and brown and fully cooked.
7. Serve with yogurt and mint chutney.

Mint chutney recipe.

Mint Chutney is very tasty and tangy. It can be served as a dip with appetizers for samosas, kebabs, pakodes,etc. or it can be used as a spread in sandwiches with cucumber, onions and tomatoes. Mint chutney along with date chutney makes an excellent combination for all kinds of chaats.

 

Ingredients:-

1 cup mint leaves firmly packed (washed)

1 medium onion finely chopped

2 green chillies chopped

Juice of half a lemon

1 tsp-sugar

1 tsp- cumin seeds

Salt to taste

1. Combine all the ingredients and puree it in a blender till the mixture is smooth and everything has blended well. You can add a bit of water while grinding.
2. Serve with the paranthas.

 

 

 

 





Hey friends..I won't be posting recipes for two weeks since I am leaving for London for a family vacation. Will be back by first week of march and post some delicious recipes.. Till then have a good time everyone.

Golden Pound Cake with Caramel Sauce

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a wonderful, rich, super soft and super delicious pound cake. It literally melts in your mouth. Something about simple pound cakes that makes you fall in love with them. I tried this recipe for the first time & it was awesome. I really enjoyed the flavor & texture of the cake. Enjoy this cake plain, with powdered sugar or frosting of your choice. You will love every bite you take. Try this recipe and I guarantee you won't be disappointed. This one is failproof and delicious. Not too dense, moist and beautiful. I had some leftover caramel sauce that I drizzled all  over the cake. You can use any frosting you like.

 

Ingredients:-

2 1/4 cups- cake flour

1 1/4 tsp-salt

1 tsp-baking powder

2/3 cup-butter - at room temperature

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp-grated lemon zest

1 tblsp-lemon juice

1/2 cup-milk

3 eggs - at room temperature.

Caramel sauce (optional)

1. Grease and dust with flour a 9 inch loaf pan or a bundt pan. Preheat the oven to 300 deg.
2. Sift together flour, salt and baking powder.
3. Beat sugar and butter together until light and creamy. Beat for about 3 minutes on a medium speed.
4. Add lemon peel, lemon juice, milk and beat for about a minute.
5. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix until smooth. About 2 minutes on a low speed mixer.
6. Scrape the sides of the bowl often to guide the batter in the middle.
7. Add one egg at a time beating for 1 minute after each addition.
8. Once everything is in-corporated in the bowl beat additional 1 minute at the end.
9. Pour the mixture into the pan and bake on a slow heat for 1 hour and 25 minutes or when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
10. When thoroughly cooled remove the cake from the pan and serve with the frosting of your choice.

If you want to serve the cake with caramel sauce here is the recipe.

For the caramel sauce:-

1 cup- sugar

6 Tbsp- unsalted butter

1/2 cup- heavy whipping cream

A pinch of salt

 Before you begin, make sure you have everything ready. Sugar, cream and the butter next to the pan, ready to put in. Making caramel is a fast process and if you don't pay attention, the sugar will burn in seconds.

1. Heat sugar on a low heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. As the sugar begins to melt, stir vigorously with a whisk or a spoon scrapping the sides occasionally.
2. As soon as all of the sugar crystals have melted, (The color of the sugar should be dark amber) add the butter to the pan. Whisk until the butter has melted completely.
3. Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat, then slowly add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk. Be careful while you add the cream as the mixture tends to foam up and could burn your hands if you don't take care. Keep your face away from the pan while you add the cream.
4. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let it cool in the pan for a couple minutes. Drizzle over the cake.

 

 



Butter Chicken with Naan

 

 

 

Butter chicken or Murg Makhani is one of the most popular Punjabi dishes all over the world. This rich creamy chicken dish needs no introduction, I am sure its one of the most ordered dishes at the restaurants all over the world. The recipe is said to have originated in Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi, India. There are different tales about how butter chicken originated. One of the tales says that Moti Mahal was famous for their tandoori chicken and after selling tandoori chicken the whole day the chefs would have a tough time getting rid of the extra tandoori chicken leftovers. One day they thought why not incorporate these chicken tandoori pieces in a gravy and sell it as a whole new dish. They made a buttery and creamy tomato gravy and threw the leftover chicken tandoori pieces in it and thus butter chicken was born. I don't know whether this tale is true, but who cares. Kudos to those chefs who invented the world's most loved dish. And why did I make butter chicken? Because my dear friend Raashi, requested this recipe and asked me to publish it on my blog. How could I say no to her and plus I had to learn to make this dish at home, so raashi.. here is my version of butter chicken for you. I don't know whether it is as good as you get in the restaurants. I tried my best and it did turn out pretty delicious. Try it out and I hope you like it.

 

Ingredients

For the butter chicken:-

A pound of  chicken - roasted and cut in pieces

Tandoori chicken masala either use homemade (recipe given below) or use Shaan's tandoori chicken masala

 20 ripe medium sized tomatoes chopped

1 tblsp - oil

6 tblsp- butter

1 mace - Its the outer covering of a nutmeg spice (red in color) if you don't have mace put 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder.

1 tblsp- chopped garlic 

4 green chilies ( chopped and deseeded)

8 green cardamoms

1 tsp- green cardamom powder

1 tblsp- ginger juliennes (very fine thin long strips)

1/2 tblsp- Kashmiri chilli powder

Salt to taste

1 tblsp- honey

2 tblsp - kasoori methi

 

Marinate the chicken overnight with the tandoori masala. If you using Shaan readymade powder follow the recipe on the box. Next morning roast the chicken at 350 deg for about 40 mins or until the skin is nice and brown and chicken is cooked. Before roasting sprinkle a little cornflour using a sieve all over the chicken. This makes the chicken nice and crispy.

 

 If you want to use a homemade masala here are the ingredients.

For the homemade tandoori chicken masala

2 tblsp- vinegar or lemon juice

1 tblsp - oil

2 tsp- turmeric

2 tsp- kashmiri chilli powder

1 tsp- salt

1 tsp - garam masala

1 tsp- green cardamom powder

1 tblsp- ginger garlic paste

3/4 cup yogurt (hung in a muslin cloth for an hour to drain all the water and make it really thick)

 

1. Heat 1 tblsp oil and 3 tblsp butter in a pan. Add cardamoms, mace/nutmeg and chopped garlic. Saute for a minute and then add the chopped tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes till they are tender.
2. Take it off the heat and let it cool down. Then puree the tomatoes in a blender.
3. Add 3 tblsp butter in a pan and add the ginger juliennes and green chillies.
4. Sieve the tomato puree and add it to the ginger and green chillies. Cook on a low flame until the tomato puree is completely cooked and oil floats on the top.
5. Add  1/2 tblsp kashmiri chilli powder and salt.
6. Add the chopped chicken pieces and cook for about 5 mins. Finally add 1 tsp green cardamom powder, 1 cup of fresh cream, 1 tblsp honey and kasoori methi.

Serve hot with Naan. (This butter chicken gravy can also be used to make paneer makhanwala and veg makhanwala)

 

Here is the recipe for Naan.

Ingredients:

2 cups- All Purpose Flour (plus more for rolling)
1 tsp- Salt
4 tsp - oil
1/2 cup - warm water
1- tsp Rapid Rise Yeast
1 tsp- Sugar
1- egg well beaten
2 tblsp- yogurt

1. Add Yeast and Sugar to warm Water and mix well. Cover and keep it aside for 5-7 minutes (until foamy).
2.   In a large bowl, mix Flour and Salt. Add Oil and mix.
3.  Once Yeast and Water mixture becomes foamy, add Yogurt and Egg to it and mix well.
4. Add the mixture to the Flour little at a time and knead for about 5 mins. If its sticky use a bit of oil on your palms to knead the dough.
5. Cover and keep in a warm place for 1 hour or until its risen and almost double in size.
6.  Preheat Oven to approx 550 degrees F. Once dough has risen, lightly oil hands and punch down the dough and knead for 2 mins.  
7.  Divide dough into small portions and roll it out either square or oblong, the way you want your naan's shape to be. 
8.  Place 3-4 rolled naans onto a baking sheet and bake for 3-5 minutes until the naans are light golden brown. Remove from oven and smear some butter and serve hot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 



Chocolate cake with Caramel and coconut filling and Chocolate Ganache frosting

Topped with hazelnuts.

 

 

 

This is a super moist, super delicious and super fudgy cake and literally melts in your mouth. Although the process of making this cake can be really long but its worth the effort. I made this cake on Valentine's day. I fell in love with this cake. Its a sure winner. Four layers of cake, chocolate ganache, toasted coconut, salted caramel topped with toasted hazelnuts and coconut. It's a decadent combination that will leave you drooling. Try making this cake for a very special occasion and impress that special someone :) There are three different stages for this cake, caramel sauce, chocolate ganache and chocolate cake . You can make the caramel sauce and the ganache well in advance whenever you have time and refrigerate it.

 

For the caramel sauce:-

1 cup- sugar

6 Tbsp- unsalted butter

1/2 cup- heavy whipping cream

A pinch of salt

 

 Before you begin, make sure you have everything ready. Sugar, cream and the butter next to the pan, ready to put in. Making caramel is a fast process and if you don't pay attention, the sugar will burn in seconds.

1.  Heat sugar on a low heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. As the sugar begins to melt, stir vigorously with a whisk or a spoon scrapping the sides occasionally.
2. As soon as all of the sugar crystals have melted, (The color of the sugar should be dark amber) add the butter to the pan. Whisk until the butter has melted completely.
3. Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat, then slowly add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk. Be careful while you add the cream as the mixture tends to foam up and could burn your hands if you don't take care. Keep your face away from the pan while you add the cream.
4. Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let it cool in the pan for a couple minutes. Use the amount of sauce required for the cake and refrigerate the rest in a clean jar.

For the Chocolate Ganache filling and frosting:-

8 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules

 

Cook the chocolate chips, heavy cream and coffee granules together in a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water (not boiling water). Whisk until the chocolate chips are melted and are smooth. Let it cool.

 

For the chocolate cake:-

2 cups-sugar

1 3/4 cups-all purpose flour
3/4 cup-unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons-baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons-baking soda
1teaspoon- salt
1cup-whole milk
2- large eggs
1/2 cup(1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1cup- hot water
11/2 tablespoon-instant coffee
1 1/4 cups- hazelnuts toasted, coarsely chopped
1 cup-chopped and roasted sweetened coconut flakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and dust with flour two 9-inch-diameter round cake pans.
2. Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into large bowl
3. Add milk, eggs, and melted butter. Using electric mixer, beat at low speed until blended for about 2 minutes. 
4.  Stir 1 cup hot water and espresso powder in small bowl to dissolve, add to the batter,  beat until blended (batter will be thin). Divide the batter between the pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes completely and take them off the pans onto a plate and let it cool for a while.
5. Using long serrated knife, cut each cake horizontally in half. Be careful as the cakes are super soft and delicate. Place 1 layer on platter, spread with 1/2 cup room-temperature caramel sauce, sprinkle some coconut flakes. Top with second cake layer, spread the chocolate ganache and sprinkle some coconut flakes. Place the third layer and spread the caramel sauce and coconut flakes.
6. Top with fourth cake layer, spread a generous amount of chocolate ganache and frost the sides of the cake with the ganache. Cover the cake completely. Press remaining coconut flakes onto the sides. Sprinkle the top layer with toasted hazelnuts. Enjoy! 

The cake might be too soft or delicate for you to cut them into half, in that case just keep the two cakes as it is and spread the sauces in between. It will be a two layer cake instead of 4 but at least you wont have the problem of breaking or messing the cake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Homemade Chicken and Cheese Pizza

 

This is my twist to Ina garten's homemade pizza recipe. She is my favourite cook on food network and I really love her recipes. There is something about her that makes you admire her. Her recipes are simple, easy yet very delicious. Have tried a lot of her recipes in the past and they always turn out good. In one of her Barefoot Contessa episodes she made white pizza with arugula. I didnt want to make a simple pizza so I made a few changes. The pizza turned out excellent. Plus I didnt have to wait for the dough to rise overnight like most of the good pizza recipes. This pizza can be made in 30 minutes and tastes really good. It's fast, easy, and inexpensive! I made the dough exactly the way she showed just modified the toppings.

 

Ingredients for the dough:-

1 1/4 cups warm water

2 packages dry yeast

1 tablespoon honey

Good olive oil

4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading

Salt

 

Ingredient for the topping:-

Store bought Pizza sauce

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

3 cups grated fresh mozzarella ad parmesan cheese

2 grilled skinless, boneless chicken breast, diced

1/2 red onion, sliced

 

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
2. Combine water, yeast, honey and 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl. When the yeast is dissolved, add 3 cups of flour, then 2 teaspoons salt, and mix on medium-low speed. While mixing, add up to 1 more cup of flour, or just enough to make a soft dough.
3. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with the flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to the bowl.
4. When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead it by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it to cover it lightly with oil.
5. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile grill the chicken and cut your vegetables.
6. After the dough has doubled in size, place the dough onto a board and divide it into 3 equal pieces. Place the doughs on sheet pans lined with parchment paper and cover them with a damp towel. Allow the doughs to rest for 10 minutes
7. Roll or pat dough out on a lightly floured surface until it is the diameter of the pizza pan; place on pizza pan. This dough makes about 3 large pizzas.
8. Spread the pizza sauce on the dough, sprinkle a layer of the shredded cheese, arrange chicken, green pepper, onions and cover with another layer of cheese.
9. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the crusts are crisp and the cheeses begin to brown.

Tips/notes:-

Make sure the bowl is warm before you put the water and yeast in; the water must be warm for the yeast to develop.

To make sure yeast is still "alive," or active, put it in water and allow it to sit for a few minutes. If it becomes creamy or foamy, it's active.

Salt inhibits the growth of yeast; add half the flour, then the salt, and then the rest of the flour.

 

 

 

 





Carrot Cake with Chocolate filling and Cheesecream frosting

 

 

 

 



My hubby loves carrot cake. I remember he would always buy a bar of carrot cake from publix and eat it all. I remember once I tried to bake a carrot cake but the cake turned out like a pudding. Very moist, had way too much cinnamon and oil and worst part is after eating it hubby dear fell sick. The recipe I followed off the internet claimed that it was the best carrot cake recipe ever and I realised it wasn't my favourite. After that I never tried to bake a carrot cake and continued making other kinds of cakes. Yesterday, somehow I had a bunch of carrots left in the refrigerator and decided to give one more try. The cake turned out super light, moist and very tasty. It was a great hit among my neighbours too. This is now my favourite carrot cake recipe and I know it will never fail. I made a few changes to the recipe I had followed earlier and the cake turned out perfect. Also, I used light brown sugar instead of white and that gave the cake a lot more depth and flavor. I used chocolate filling and cheesecream frosting. If you want you can just use cheesecream filling and frosting and omit the chocolate filling. Here is the recipe.

 

Ingredients:-

4 eggs- (at room temperature)

1 1/4 cups- vegetable oil (I used canola)

2 cups- brown sugar

2 tsps- vanilla extract

2 cups- allpurpose flour

2 tsps- baking soda

2 tsps- baking powder

1/2 tsps- salt

1 tsps- ground cinnamon

1/2 tsps-ground nutmeg

 3cups- grated carrots

1 cup- chopped walnuts

1 cup-coconut flakes (unsweetened)

1/2 cup -raisins

 

For the Cheesecream frosting:-

1/2 cup- butter, softened

8 ounces- cream cheese, softened

4 cups- confectioners' sugar

11/2 teaspoon- vanilla extract

 

For the chocolate filling:-

3 cups-water

21/2 cup-sugar

1 tblsp- maple syrup

1 1/2 cups-unsweetened natural cocoa powder

2/3 cup-cornstarch

6 tblsp-unsalted butter cut in small cubes

1/2 tsp-pure vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9x13 inch pans.
2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, brown sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat for about 3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
3. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
4. Stir in carrots. Fold in walnuts, raisins and coconut flakes. Pour into prepared pans.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
6. Let the cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

To Make Cheese cream frosting:-

1. In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. 

For the chocolate filling:-

1. In a big pan combine 2 1/2 cups of water with sugar, maple syrup and cocoa powder and bring it to boil on a medium heat. In another bowl combine cornstarch with 1/2 cup of water until smooth. Whisk this into the cocoa mixture stirring constantly until the mixture is very thick. 
2. Take off the heat and add the butter, vanilla extract and salt.
3. Transfer the mix in a bowl, cover it with a plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm for about 45 mins 

Set one cake on a cake plate and spread with 1 1/2 cups of the chocolate filling. Top with the second cake and cover with the cheesecream frosting. Spread the cheesecream frosting all over the cake top and sides.


Tips/notes:-If there is any leftover chocolate filling store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It can be used again as a filling and frosting for any chocolate cake.

 

 

 



Aloo Gajar Matar Subzi with Methi leaves

A spicy mix of potatoes, peas, carrots and fenugreek leaves

 

 

A very simple wholesome yet very tasty dish, aloo gajar and matar subzi is a must during cold winter days in Punjab. Main reason being fresh carrots and peas are easily available during winters. Whenever I cook aloo gajar and mutter I always add fresh fenugreek or methi leaves. This sabzi has a slight sweet taste because of juicy, sweet carrots and peas. The fenugreek leaves are subtly bitter but offers a very strong unique and distinctive flavor that cuts down on the sweetness of peas and carrots. Here is the recipe.

 

Ingredients:-

2 large carrots peeled and chopped in cubes

2 large potatoes peeled and chopped in cubes

1 cup- fresh peas

Half a bunch of fresh methi leaves (you can also use frozen ones)

One large onion finely chopped

1 tblsp- ginger garlic paste

3 green chillies finely chopped

1 tblsp-cumin seeds

1 large tomato finely chopped

1 1/2 tsp- turmeric powder

1 1/2 tsp- red chilli powder

1 tblsp-punjabi garam masala

Salt to taste

4 tblsp oil

1. Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds, let it splutter and then add the onions.
2. After the onions turn nice and brown add the chopped tomatoes and cook until they are tender.
3. Add the methi leaves, ginger garlic paste and green chillies and let it cook for about 10 mins.
4. Now add salt, turmeric, garam masala and chili powder and cook until the oil seperates.
5. In then end add carrots, potatoes and peas and cook on a high heat for about 7 mins without cvering the pan. Keep stirring often as you don't want it to get burnt at the bottom.
6. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on a low flame until the potatoes and carrots are tender. Do not add water at all. This keeps the vegetables firm and crispy.

 

 

 

 



 

Chocolate Blackout Cake

 

 

 

This is one of the best chocolate cakes you will ever eat. The cake is super moist and fudgy with dark chocolate cake layers sandwiched and frosted with a rich, creamy chocolate pudding. Chocolate Blackout Cake was developed in Brooklyn, New York during World War II, named after the blackout drills performed by the Civilian Defense Corps. A Blackout was performed so Ships when sailing off to battle could not be spotted by enemy planes. City lights were turned off and windows were covered with black material. I came across this recipe in the latest issue of "Food and Wine" magazine. Made a few changes and must say this cake recipe is a keeper! Everyone in the family and my friends loved it so much, Try this super delicious, gooey and decadent chocolate blackout cake.

 

Ingredients for the Cake:-

1stick plus 1/4 cup- unsalted butter, softened

2 1/4 cups- cake flour

2 cups- sugar

3 large- eggs

2 tsp-pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup-unsweetened natural cocoa powder

1 tsp-baking powder

1 tsp-baking soda

1/2 tsp-salt

1 cup-milk

 

Ingredients for the filling and frosting:-

3 cups-water

21/2 cup-sugar

1 tblsp- maple syrup

1 1/2 cups-unsweetened natural cocoa powder

2/3 cup-cornstarch

6 tblsp-unsalted butter cut in small cubes

1/2 tsp-pure vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 375 deg. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans and coat with flour.
2. Using an electric or hand mixer beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy for about 3 mins
3. Add eggs one at a time beating well  between the additions. At low speed beat in the vanilla extract, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
4. Add the cake flour and milk alternating in 3 batches.
5. Divide the cake batter equally between the pans and bake in the oven until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
6. Meanwhile in a big pan combine 2 1/2 cups of water with sugar, maple syrup and cocoa powder and bring it to boil on a medium heat.
7. In another bowl combine cornstarch with 1/2 cup of water until smooth. Whisk this into the cocoa mixture stirring constantly until the mixture is very thick,
8. Take off the heat and add the butter, vanilla extract and salt.
9. Transfer the mix in a bowl, cover it with a plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm for about 45 mins.
10. After the cakes are done, cool them on a rack and take them out of the pans. Using a sharp knife peel the uneven top cake layer horizontally and transfer to a food processor, Be careful as you don't want to break or cut the cake, just slightly scrape off the layers.  Now you have two cakes with smooth tops. Just beat the crumbs in a food processor until they are fine.
11. Set one cake on a cake plate and spread with 1 1/2 cups of the filling. Top with the second cake and cover with the remaining filling. If you think the filling is too much store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
12. Spread the filling all over the cake top and sides smoothly.
13. Pat the crumbs all over the cake.

Tips/notes:-
Use natural cocoa powder to make this cake, Its bitter and adds intense chocolate flavor to the cake. Don't use dutch process or any other alkalized cocoa as combined with baking soda it can make a cake taste soapy.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

 

 

 

 

Malaysian Egg Curry with Eggplant

 

 This is my neighbour's recipe. She is from malaysia and just like me she loves to try out new recipes. Once she made malaysian fish curry and she gave us to taste. I absolutely loved it. The curry had a very different taste than most of the Indian fish curries I have tasted. The difference was in the curry powder. Its a very famous brand from malaysia called "Baba's" curry powder and is available in select stores in Asia and Europe. Here in the US you have to order the curry powder online as its not available in stores here. Too bad this brand is not popular or easily available in the US. Their marketing team should step up their marketing efforts. The curry powder makes the curry very tasty and flavorful. Here is an egg curry recipe using Baba's curry powder.

 

Ingredients:-

1 eggplant diced into 1/2 inch discs (grill and set aside)

6 hardboiled eggs. Make small slits on 4 sides.

1 large ripe tomato, skin removed

4 scallions-finely chopped

1 tblsp-coconut flakes

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 large red onion-finely sliced

1/2 tsp-cumin seeds

1 whole garlic peeled and crushed

A small piece of ginger grated

1/2 green pepper sliced fine

Few curry leaves (if available)

1 tblsp-Baba's fish or chicken curry powder

1 tblsp- tamarind pulp

1/2 tsp-turmeric powder

1 tsp-sugar

1 tblsp-coriander powder

1 boiled potato cut in 4 pieces

4 tblsp-oil

Salt to taste

Cilantro leaves chopped

 

1. Heat oil in a pan and add curry leaves, cumin seeds and onions. Keep stirring and cook until the onions turn brown.
2. Add tomatoes, turmeric, ginger, garlic and cook till tomatoes are tender and mashed
3. Add the scallions and pepper, cook until pepper is soft.
4. Add coriander powder and baba's curry powder and cook until the oil seperates and its aromatic.
5. Add coconut flakes, tamarind pulp and salt.
6. Add 1 cup of water, stir and cook on a low flame.
7. Add lemon juice and sugar and stir. Now add the grilled eggplant, eggs and potato.
8. Stir gently and cook until you get the desired consistency.
9. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serve hot with rice.

 

 

 

 

Fresh Homemade Pancakes with Chocolate chips and Blueberries

 

 

I know its always easy to make pancakes using the store bought ready to use pancake mix. But try this homemade batter and you will never buy pancake mix from the store. Why spend money on something that is lying around on the shelf with so many added preservatives when you can  make the same thing fresh at home and it tastes equally good. Just mix up the ingredients below, keep them in an airtight container and then every time when you are in a mood to eat fresh hot pancakes just scoop a bit of the mixture and mix with some fresh ingredients and serve it to your family. I read this recipe in Alton Brown's book "Good Eats". I just made a few changes of my own. These pancakes are super easy, super tasty and super fluffy.

 

Ingredients:-

6 cups All purpose flour sifted

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

3 tsp- baking powder

1 tblsp-salt

2 tblsp-sugar

 

Combine all the above mixture and store in an airtight container. Use within 3 months.

 

Now for instant pancakes:-

1 cup instant pancake mix

1 egg-beaten

2 tblsp melted butter

1 cup buttermilk or milk

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

1/4 cup chocolate chips

Butter for greasing the pan

1. Heat a pan or griddle, grease it with butter.
2. Combine together buttermilk, egg, melted butter, chocolate chips and pancake mix  in a large mixing bowl. Using a whisk, mix the batter just enough to bring it together. If the batter is too thick you can use more milk or buttermilk. 
3.  Don't overbeat or try to  smoothen all the lumps. It's ok to have a few lumps.
4. Check to see if the pan is hot but not too hot. Gently pour the pancake batter and sprinkle with fresh blueberries.
5. When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake and is golden underneath, gently flip the pancake. Continue to cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the pancake is fluffy and done.
6. Serve hot with maple syrup and fresh strawberries.