Black Forest Cake

My son turned 9 in September and I made this gorgeous looking Black Forest cake for him. He loved it with chocolate gratings on the top and cherry with it.  It was easy to make n bake. It was my childhood favorite and lot of memories are attached to it. So I was happy to bake this for him to make new memories of his own. I Followed a youtube link and it helped me with simple steps. It turned out well and yummy.

Only thing I would do next time is not use machine hand blenders and use hand whip so I don't brake the gluten in the cake. It turned out a little dry but taste overpowered all that.

Rasberry chocolate mini Bunt cakes

Rasberry is my new favorite. The color the taste and looks is one of the Natures best. Rasberry goes very well with chocolate( I can say perfect duo after orange n chocolate). I have a book called "Cupcakes & Muffins" bought it at a book store for a bargain price and it has over 100 recipes with some pics too. It's very easy to follow and do. So you will see some recipes which I think turned out well and gets some thumbs up more often.

Ingredients:

4.5oz Semi-sweet chocolate

1/2 cup Milk

1/4 cup Unsweetened cocoa pwdr, sifted

1 stick Butter, softened

1/2 cup Superfine Sugar

2 Eggs

1 cup All Purpose Flour

1tsp Baking Powder

1 pint Raspberries for decoration

Whipped cream to serve(optional)

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 325*F.  Place chocolate, milk and powder cocoa in a small sauce pan and stir over a low heat without boiling, until chocolate is melted and mixed into a smooth paste. Keep aside and cool it.

Take a big bowl and beat sugar and butter until fluffy with an electic mixer. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until combined. Keep aside, now in a new bowl sift APF & baking powder.  Combine together flour and chocolate mixture to the butter mixture, stir well to mix( I added some chopped raspberries to the batter- if u want u need to add here and mix it once more ). Spoon the batter into the grease/ paper lined muffin trays( here I used small bunt cake tray). Bake it for about 25 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. Set the muffins to cook once baked and serve with chocolate glaze/ chocolate syrup/ powdered sugar and raspberries.

Note: 

I had to bake more than 25 mins as I like it a little hard and crisper.

I only did the half the portion of everything and I could make 12 mini sized muffins. The whole portion will yield 12 big muffins.

Indian Pav/ Dinner Rolls

Pav....at home??you all must be thinking why would u do it at home when u can get it in store for an affordable rate. I also thought the same when I saw this entry in DK's Blog. But looking at those amazing pictures and so good step-by-step explanation I was carried away to try this at home. I really wanted to see 'is it that easy?' I have never baked a bread at home so far. But believe me its that easy and taste's way better than the store bought. Mine was super soft and perfect. If u have a day which u wanna bake try this. You can refer the method and ingredients in DK's blog but for my future reference I shall have the method and recipe. I haven't changed anything in the recipe, since it was my first attempt in baking a dinner roll and I wouldn't do it either now.

Ingredients:

3 cups Bread flour ( or use all purpose flour) plus few more for dusting
1 packet/21/4tsp Dry active yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1-1/4 cups milk
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
Method:

First warm the milk and add the butter and let it melt. Meanwhile take the yeast in a cup and add sugar and warm water and set aside for 10 mins so it rises. Now take a bowl and add the bread flour and salt and mix well. Combine the Milk and butter mixture slowly and then add it to the flour and mix well. It will be pretty sticky don't add any more flour to it. Now the flour the counter and put this sticky dough and start knead the dough, till the stickiness is gone. For about10-15 mins. Now grease a bowl and place this dough and cover it with a plastic wrap and let it rise double in volume.

Once its raised well take it out on a floured counter and roll into a square shape. Cut it into 12 equal parts and make a ball shaped with each piece. Place them on a baking sheet about11/2 inches apart. Let it raise again till they stick to each other. Pre heat the oven to 350*F and bake for about 25mins or till its golden in color. Let it cool for 10 mins before serving. We had this with Bhajji and it was awesome.

Thanks DK for this wonderful recipe. I was very excited it turned out great.

Note: Use Bread flour and dont replace it with APF. It makes a lot of difference.

Pita Bread

Pita Bread is a Arabic word khubz (ordinary bread). Its mainly used in Mediterranean Cuisine but now a days its pretty common in almost every cuisine. Its simple bread and similar to our Naan bread. Its either deep fried or baked on a very high temperature. But when you want to do it at home the oven's max temp is 500*F. But it still puffs and you get a pocket when cooled. Only thing i didnt like is it becomes a little crispier and hard when cooled. Next time i would like to try on a hot griddle and see if it stays soft. Here I have tried wheat pita bread, but White flour will make is still more softer i guess.

Ingredients:

1tsp Sugar
1packet Yeast
2cups All purpose Flour(1cup APF + 1cup Wheat Flour)
11/2tsp Salt
1cup Warm Water
Method:

In a small cup put sugar, yeast and add warm water mix well and let it stand for 10 mins and rise. Meanwhile Put the APF in a bowl and add salt. Now add the yeast and mix with while adding warm water. Make a very soft dough. Its fine if its sticky. Grease another bowl with a spoon of oil and dump the dough and coat it well with oil and cover it with a damp cloth/plastic rap. Let it rise for an hour or 2.

Flour the counter well and start kneading the dough with a folding motion till the dough is no more sticky to hands. Divide them equally and let it sit covered for 10 more mins. Preheat the oven for 500*F and place the baking sheet too.Now roll each one at a time for 6-8' diameter. Put it on the hot baking sheet and let it bake for 4 mins and then turn and bake for 2 mins on the other side. Let it cool before u cut it. I like to cut it with a scissor. Store in a plastic bag or hot case for couple of days and enjoy it with a nice filling. I have one Mexican Pita Pockets recipe, will post it soon. U can put a burger/hummus/just vegetables and make a sandwich. Its easy for even kids to hold it and eat.

Sorry the picture quality is not so good. I was in a hurry and tired. Will to upload one next time.

Vegetable Pot Pie

Now a days I am trying some new dishes which I would have never thought of trying it at home. After getting calorie conscious I am digging for new dishes with less calories and more vegetables and filling. This is one such dish which has high amount of vegetables and flavors but if done individual pot pies it cuts a lot of calories in the pie base. This was a nice change on a cold/rainy day. The crust was crispy with soft and tender vegetables and the perfect sauce with it.

Ingredients:

12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)[I used Canola oil]
2 cups sliced yellow onions
1 fennel bulb,
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
Pinch saffron threads
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 1/2 cups large-diced potatoes (1/2 pound)
1 1/2 cups Green Beans
1 1/2 cups carrots
1 1/2 cups butternut squash
1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions
1/2 cup minced parsley

For the pastry:

1box of ready pastry mix.

Method:

Melt the butter/oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and fennel and saute until translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the flour, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Slowly add the stock, saffron, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the heavy cream and season to taste. The sauce should be highly seasoned.

Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Lift out with a sieve. Add the beans, carrots, and squash to the pot and cook in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain well. Add the potatoes, mixed vegetables, onions, and parsley to the sauce and mix well. Let it stay warm.

For the pastry, make the pie base as given in instruction on the box.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.Make 4 pie base for an ovenproof bowls filled with the filling.. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the butter wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the sides, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.Vegetable Pot pie is ready. Serve at Room Temperature.

Corn-Methi Baked Cutlets

Cutlets baked is somewhat not digestible right?...I felt the same way when i saw this recipe in Parita's blog. Thanks Parita for this recipe but I fell in love for 2 main reasons 1. Being the photography 2. Being "baked". Now a days I so freak out of deep fried....'baked' sound makes me feel good and light. Cutlets are my all time favorite snack, as its healthy because of lots of vegetables in it. This is a very simple and easy to make cutlets. It can be deep fried or shallow fried but I chose to stick with the baked part. Mine became a little bland as I reduced the quantity of spices in it but it will be yummy if its spicy. So follow the exact amount of spices in the recipe.

Ingredients:

1cup Boiled and mashed potato
1/2cup Fresh Methi leaves(chopped)
1/2cup Sweet corn
2tbsp Bread crumbs +2tbsp (for rolling it)
2 green chillies finely chopped
1tsp sugar(i skipped it)
1tsp chat masala
1tsp lime juice
salt to taste

Method:

Mix everything other than 2 tbsp bread crumbs for rolling. Make a nice dough,add extra bread crumbs if the dough is too soft. Divide into equal 8 parts and make small balls out f it and flatten it flat. Now roll each cutlet in the bread crumbs(i used regular bread crumbs as i didn't have coriander bread crumbs) and place it on a greased baking sheet and spray cooking spray on the top as well and bake at 400*F for 15 Min's on each side. Enjoy it hot with a green chutney or ketchup.

[Note: These cutlets can be used as Patty in the burgers.]

Wilton course III final cake

This is my final cake the Wilton Cake decoration course III,I enjoyed it so much and was happy that I took it by jumping course II(as they had to cancel because of less no. of students in the class).We had a option to make a stacked cake or a 2 tiered cake, I chose stacked cake.Now am planning to do the course II all by myself without a class, as some of them have done it a and says its not that hard if you follow the book.May be now i have an idea will give it a try and if it doesn't work out then will take up a course. In this final class there was nothing to learn but to put everything that we learn in the previous 3 classes together. It was fun and i was so happy that it turned out more than I expected. I still remember the day I put my hands of doing the fondant and rolling them...guff that was a hard day.
I had lot of fondant left out from my previous cake so had refrigerated and reused for this class. It was much easy. So I learnt something that always make fondant way ahead you make a cake so it saves lot of your time and energy. I colored the fondant yellow for a change, made lots of Petunia flowers in peach color and some white Butter cream icing for the decorations like the Rossete, dots and strings.

Carrot & Pineapple Cake with vegan Fondant Icing

For my Wilton course 3 class 2 , I had to take a cake and fondant icing.But Fondant icing that we get in store is not a vegetarian, so was in a big dilemma as to do what?Just buy the fondant icing and cover it on Styrofoam or bake a cake and try vegan fondant. I found a recipe for vegan fondant and bought all the ingredients too. Since i didn't know the consistency of the fondant I took that to the class. My instructor was happy with it and said a little more powder sugar should do the trick.Hurray!I was happy. But working with fondant is not as easy as it looks. My hands were sour the day i made fondant at home because it demands lot of kneading.

I felt my fondant was not that stretchy as it has to be, may be because I used Agar flakes instead of powder.Will try powder and see it next time. That's why it was breaking apart. But I could eat the cake with no guilt, I was happy for that. Fondant icing looks very neat and natural compared to other icings that's what I felt.

Carrot and Pineapple Cake was something I wanted to try for sometime now.So I made it for the class and I turned out very tasty with a little pineapple chunks in each bite.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Brown sugar
2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups finely-shredded carrots
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup applesauce (i used crushed Pineapple with juice)
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 egg substitute (Ener-G) (I skipped this as I was using lot of Pineapple and juice)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnut)

Method:
Stir together dry ingredients.Mix in the carrots, oil, crushed Pineapple with juice(if u think the juice is too much then pour a little bit at a time) and vanilla.Beat about 2-3 minutes , until well mixed.Stir in the nuts, if used.Bake at 325 F for about 40-50 minutes , or until a toothpick comes out clean.Cool on a wire rack.

It was very moist and yummy!

Vegan Fondant Icing(I found the recipe here)
For fondant icing, the ingredients are:

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (I used agar agar flakes)
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup Glucose (There is a glucose mixture that Wilton sells, but you can use light corn syrup, you'll just get a softer fondant)
2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
1 tablespoon Glycerin
8 cups sifted confectioner's sugar (about 2 lbs.) -- 8 cups is a lot, plan on using more like 6. The 8 really makes it stiff and dry/cracked.
Icing color and flavoring, as desired.


Method:

Combine agar flakes and cold water; let stand until thick. Place mixture on stove and boil 5 minutes, or until dissolved. Remove from stove add glucose and shortening, and mix until shortening dissolves. Add glycerin, flavoring and color. Cool until lukewarm (should happen pretty quickly). Next, place 4 cups confectioner's sugar in a bowl and make a well. Pour the lukewarm agar mixture into the well and stir with a wooden spoon, mixing in sugar and adding more, a little at a time, until stickiness disappears. Knead in remaining sugar. Knead until the fondant is smooth, pliable and does not stick to your hands. If fondant is too soft, add more sugar; if too stiff, add water (a drop at a time). Use fondant immediately or store in airtight container in a cool, dry place. Do not refrigerate or freeze. When ready to use, knead again until soft.

This recipe makes approx. 36 oz., enough to cover a 10 x 4 in. high cake.

Note:Try using Powder instead of flakes or soak it in hot water for couple of minutes and wait till the water cools down, flakes didn't dissolve really well and i could see some flakes on my fondant.
Once the fondant is done try to store them in a close container and use a little bit at a time as they dry up very soon. Roll them and cut in desired shape and decorate it.

Apple-Date Swirl Cookies

This is my 50th post and so wanted to do something sweet, so here is a very Delicious cookie I ever had.I found this recipe in a small book by Betty crocker called "Fall Baking". It has some wonderful recipes, which are simple but quite interesting recipes. I have altered some of the ingredients according to my family tastes but have the original recipe here. I felt it was a little sweeter, so u can reduce the sugar content for the cookie. The filling is the best part in this cookies, its very soft, chewy,delicious and perfect for Christmas. Kids love them as its sweet and chewy.

Ingredients:

Filling
1cup Chopped Dates
3/4cup finely chopped peeled apple
1/4cup granulated sugar
1tsp grated orange peel
1/4cup orange juice

Cookies
1/2cup granulated sugar
1/2cup packed brown sugar
1/2cup butter(softened)
1/2tsp vanilla
1 egg(i used applesauce)
12/3cup All purpose flour
1/2tsp Baking soda
1/4tsp salt
1/4tsp cinnamon powder

Method:
In a pan mix filling ingredients, cook over medium heat,keep stirring until it boils and thickens(for about 5 mins).Set aside and cool. In a bowl, beat sugars, butter, vanilla and egg(applesauce) with an electric mixer on medium speed till well blended.Stir in dry ingredients.
Put the dough in between plastic wrap and roll it with a rolling pin into a rectangular shape.[I rolled it a round shape and my cookies were oval shaped]. Remove the top cover and spread the filling over dough.Roll the dough with filling inside, separating the plastic cover.Wrap tightly and refrigerate for 2-3 hrs or until firm.
Preheat the oven to 375*F. Cut the roll into 1/4th inch slices. Bake them for about 8-12 mins.

Mango Football Cake

This was a cake I made for my Husband on his Birthday.When i was browsing the cake decoration online found some baseball, basketball shaped cakes, So I got an idea to bake a football shaped cake since my hubby is a big fan of Football(US). There is lot of football theme cake pans acvailable in the market but I didnt wanted to buy them for 1 time use. So thought of baking a cake and cutting it to the desired shape, which was much more cost effective.

I had some mango pulp sitting in my refrigerator for quite a while which needed some immediate attention. So I remembered a friend (Chhaya) who had baked this vegan cake at her son's birthday party and I liked it a lot. So I gave it a try and it turned out wonderful. Since I was taking this Wilton cake decoration classes, wanted to do some experiment with my new creation. I was very happy that it turned out great and didn't disappoint me.

I baked the cake in a loaf pan and cut it into football shape with a knife, then used brown color icing to make stars(using Tip 16) all over and with white color(since i made my icing with butter flavor shortening, it is cream in color) icing to make lines(using Tip 3). Since it was a small cake it did not take much time to make stars all over but if its a big cake u can use the 3 star tip available, which makes icing the cake faster.

To make the Mango Cake:(I used half the proportion, since it was a small cake)

Ingredients:

2 cups All purpose flour
2 tsp corn starch
2½ tsp baking powder
¾ cup margarine/canola oil
1 cup of sugar
¾ cup of mango puree
1 ½ cup milk

Method:

Preheat the oven for 350* F.Mix all the dry and wet ingredients together with a hand mixer and pour it into the greased tray/loaf pan. Bake for 30-40 mins . Cool it completely for about 30-40 mins and then cut it into desired shape.

Carrot-cinnamon-nut Bread "Happy Thanksgiving"

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! Its the holiday season and I am coming across so many new recipes to enjoy this season. So I was in hunt for new kind of bread for our afternoon snack. I found this recipe in Betty Crocker "Fall Baking" book.I liked it as it was simple and wanted to try out something new instead of the banana bread which i usually bake. The main recipe was with ginger instead of cinnamon, my family is not a big fan of ginger especially when its a bite size so I substituted it. It was good but since i made it vegan it felt a little dry and needed some more moisture in it. So I guess we can add a 1/4 cup of water/orange juice to it. I even used wheat flour instead of All purpose flour, so it made the bread a little bitter. I recently came to know that if orange juice is used when baking with wheat flour reduces the bitter flavour, so i shall try it next time. But over all it was good and new way to enjoy Thanks giving.

Ingredients:

2 eggs(i used 1/2 cup applesauce)
1.5 cup brown sugar
1/3cup Oil
1/2cup Milk
1tsp vanilla extract
2cups All-purpose flour(I used wheat flour)
2tsp Baking powder
1tsp ground ginger(i used cinnamon)
1/2tsp salt
1cup shredded carrots(about 2 medium sized)
1/2cup chopped nuts

Method:

Heat the oven to 350*F and grease a loaf pan and keep aside. In a food processor add applesauce, brown sugar until creamy. Now add oil,milk, vanilla essence. Now add Flour,baking powder, cinnamon, salt.Stir in carrots and nuts and pour it into greased loaf pan.Bake for 60 minutes. cool completely for 2 hours and then cut them into slices and enjoy them with butter.

Cup Cakes

In our 3rd class of Wilton Decoration we had a choice of either a 8inch cake or 6-8 cup cakes. I choose to take cup cakes to the class. 3rd class is a relaxing class as we don't learn much in this except few simple decorations like a bear, faces, apple, heart, grapes,swirl flowers. They r very simple but when did on cake looks very decorative and hard. Among all these i loved making clowns which was the simplest and fastest. I felt clown on a cup cake was too big, it looks better on a cake. Since it was just a practice class it was fine, but will try out sometime soon on a cake.

Rainbow Cake

Its been quite a long time that I posted something on my blog that's b'coz I was busy taking a cake Decoration Class. The class demands a little attention as you need to bake a cake and prepare the icing from home. With out regular cooking, house hold work this was an addition, so I couldn't make time for blogging but was trying to check all my friends blog regularly.

Its a great class to take up, if any one interested in cake decoration should definitely try one course. Its usually offered in Hobby lobby, Michael's and Joann stores. This course is of 4 classes and the Course I teaches basics like baking the cake, making the Butter cream icing and using the tips. I enjoyed the class as I got to learn some new things and got to explore with Icing. I have registered for Course II as well which starts in Dec, so till my next course I shall show my cakes in my blog. So expect the next few blogs just on cake decoration.

I shall not go in depth with the course but show u the cake i decorated. I made a store bought cake mix as I had lot of things to do so I didn't wanted to make a cake from scratch. As it was my first cake its not a perfect one but was happy that I could do it so well on my first cake.My confidence level was boosted for sure.

Dil Kush (Sweet Puff)

If you are from Bangalore or surrounding cities and used to go to the bakery's then u will be very familiar with this name. "Dil Kush" is a Hindi word and means "Happy Heart"or "Which makes the Heart Happy". Its one of the sweet snack available there and we used to eat at least once a week.Its a very dense and heavy snack for an evening.Its filled with lots of dry fruits and tutti-frutti's.

From a very long time i was craving for this recipe and searched the net but couldn't find it.So I tried to make my own and it was quite near to the one's available in the bakery. So I am happy it did not disappoint me. Its easy and can be made on any day for an evening snack.

I know the picture is not so good will upload a good view when I prepare it next time.

Ingredients:

Puff Pastry sheets
1 cup Dry coconut
1 cup Tutti-Fruity, dry fruits(Raisin,cashew nut)
pinch cardamom powder
1tsp melted butter

Method:

Preheat the oven at 400* F. Now thaw the puff pastry sheet for 30 Min's,mix tutti-fruity, dry fruits and cardamom powder. Roll the pastry sheet to a round shape about 6inch diameter. Make 2 such round pastry sheet. Now add the mixture and apply butter and close it with the other pastry sheet and fold it tight and apply butter allover on the top and bake for about 7 Min's or until it turns golden brown. Then cut it into 4 parts and serve. Don't keep it for too long as the mixture inside makes the bottom soggy.

Chocolate Hazelnut Pie

There are couple of recipes i have tried last couple of weeks and haven't been able to put them on this blog.This week I had some time so I am blogging each dish for the day.Pie is something I am not so fond of but this particular pie made be do it, as it is a no bake pie and ingredients in this is simple and fat free too.So who on Earth would not like to have a fat free pie?no one i guess.I saw this recipe on Food network, a show I like a lot..."Semi-home made cooking by Sandra lee".She made a peanut butter pie, but we're not that fan of Peanut butter when compared to Chocolae Hazelnut..Best part is the hazelnut with chocolate combination its Heaven.I love chocolate in any form but hazelnut and chocolate combination is wonderful. The chocolate-hazelnut spread available is very famous in Europe as its like peanut-butter spread for them.This time when i visited my brother in Europe I picked one "Nutrella" brand Chocolate Hazelnut spread.Now a days we're so much hooked up for this that we no more use jam/jelly's for bread toast.

This pie is like an ice-cream cake, need to be cut an eaten fast once its out of the freezer.In summer time its the best dessert you can serve.Kids love it as its filled with chocolate.It demanded more chocolate topping(according to the recipe) but i skipped it.It really tastes yummy and i recommend to everyone who is a chocolate fan.

Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup Chocolate Hazelnut spread
1 Chocolate Pie base
8oz Fat free cream cheese
8oz Fat free cool Whip
1tsp Vanilla extract
1tbsp Chocolate syrup(I skipped this)



Method:

Take Powdered sugar and chocolate-hazelnut spread in a bowl and mix it well , then add vanilla and cream cheese and mix it with a hand blender for few minutes.Add the whipping cream and mix it lightly with a spoon.Pour this mixture on the pie base and refrigerate for 30 minutes.Spray chocolate syrup(which i did not use) on top and cover it with an aluminium foil and freeze it for 2-3 hours or till it is set and serve.

[Note:I freezed it over night so it was completely set.]

Baked Nippattu

Nipattu is a popular snack in Karnataka(India) which goes well with a cup of coffee.It has 2 forms, one is baking and the other is deep fried.I have done the baking version which is so popular in Bakeries(Srinivasa Bakery) of Bangalore that they sell within few hours of baking. If you haven't eaten it before you really need to try it....I was very much inspired to do this when I visited my Sister-in-law this summer and she had baked this for us.I even found a recipe in Madhuram's blog and Redchillies blog too.

Ingredients:

1cup All purpose flour
1/2cup Onions finely chopped
1-2 Green chillies chopped
1 bunch Cilantro leaves finely chopped
1tsp Baking powder
1tsp Baking soda
1tbsp Melted butter
salt to taste
water for making the dough(warm)



Method:

Preheat the oven to 325* F.Mix all the ingredients and make a soft dough.Divide into 15 balls and pat a little and make it like cracker thickness and bake them for 10-12minutes. [Bake for 2-5 minutes more if you need it crispier]

[Note: Don't make the crackers too thin keep it a little thick.You can even add a little rice flour and rava(sooji) to make it crispier]

Benne Biscuit

Benne Biscuit means "Butter cookies".Its a mouth watering cookie and its so smooth that it melts like butter when u take a bite.

Ingredients:

1+1/3 cup All purpose flour/Maida
3/4 cup Sugar
1/2cup Shortening/Margarine
1/8tsp Baking Powder
1/2tsp Cardamom powder
a pinch of salt

Method:

First take the Flor/maida and add baking powder, salt and sieve it and keep aside.Take sugar and Shortening in a bowl and mix it with your hands till it forms a nice soft mixture .Now add the cardamom powder and flour mixture slowly and keep mixing it till you get a soft dough and make small balls and pat a little to form the shape and place in on a baking plate and bake at 325*F for 11-12 minutes.Cool it and store it in an airtight container.

[Tip: Don't use butter for this recipe as it makes the cookie hard and make the dough with your hands to give a proper consistency and don't use a food processor and hand mixer.]

"Vanilla Sponge Cake"

Vanilla sponge cake is a basic cake prepared in almost all the bakeries.It is then used to make pastries or can be eaten the way it is.It is so fluffy and sponge as the name suggest.Its very simple and easy to bake too.

Ingredients:

Makes one 8-inch-square cake

Unsalted butter, for pan
1/2 cup All-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1/2 cup Cornstarch
4 large Eggs, separated
1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup Sugar
Pinch of salt

Method:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.Butter a 9-inch-square baking pan. Line pan with parchment paper, and butter again.Flour the pan, and set aside. In a small bowl, sift together flour and cornstarch; set aside.In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg yolks, vanilla and 1/2 cup sugar on high speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. Transfer the egg-yolk mixture to a large bowl. Wash and dry the mixer bowl and the whisk attachment.Combine egg whites and salt in the mixer bowl, and beat on medium speed until whites hold soft peaks, about
1 1/2 minutes. With mixer running, slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Continue beating until stiff and glossy, about 1 minute.Fold the egg-white mixture into the egg-yolk mixture. In three additions, fold the reserved flour mixture into this new mixture. Transfer the batter to prepared pan, and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted into middle comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool; turn out cake
and wrap it in plastic wrap until ready to use.



Note: when mixing the flour mixture into the egg mixture do not fold too many times otherwise the cake will not turn out to be fluffy/sponge.Do not break the peaks of the egg whites.

Banana Bread with Walnut 'n' Raisins

Banana bread is a tasty snack with elegant, soft and tender inside.The recipe is very simple and easy to bake,I got this recipe from Food Network(a TV Channel).Everyone in my house love to eat this, its very yummy.I have used eggs in this recipe but u can skip the egg and use just ripe bananas, as it makes the bread fluffy by itself.You can add any nuts instead of walnut, like pecan,almond, pistachios.But walnut and banana together makes a good pair.

Ingredients:

1 cup Granulated Sugar
8tbsp(1stick) Butter
2 Eggs
3 Riped Bananas
2cups All purpose flour
1tsp Cinnamon powder
1tsp Baking Powder
1tsp Baking soda
1tsp Salt

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 325* F
  
• In a mixing bowl add granulated Sugar and room temperature butter and mix well.
• Then add Eggs to the sugar-butter mixture and beat it well.
• In a small bowl mash the bananas and add the above mixture and mix well.
• In a seperate bowl swift All purpose flour, cinnamon powder, Baking soda and Baking powder and salt.
• Add the sugar-butter mixture slowly into the flour and mix it well and pour it to a greased baking tray.
• Bake in preheated oven for 1hr 10 min.
• Cool it on a cooling rack and then cut to the desired shape and size.
  

Potato Bun

Potato Bun is one of the popular Bakery item sold in the Bangalore bakeries.It's an afternoon or in between meal snack.I tried a semi- home made version of this, its easy and quick and u can make it any time if the the potato stuffing is ready.



Ingredients:

1 pack Pillsbury Cresent/Dinner Rolls[ u can find this in the cookie section in any US grocery stores]
2-3 Potatoes
1 Small Onion
2-3 Green chillies
1 tsp Oil
1-2 Curry leaves(optional)
salt to taste
Chopped Coriander leaves for garnish

Method:

• First boil the potatoes for 5-6 mins / till they r soft and peel the skin and mash it and keep aside.

• Then take a pan and add 1 tsp oil and heat it, add mustard seeds and wait till it cracks then add onion, chopped green chillies and Potatoes boiled and mashed.
• Add salt to taste and mix .
• Garnish chopped coriander leaves.
• Cool it and divide into 6 balls.
• Preheat the oven to 350* F .
  
• (Once the stuffing is cooled) Take the pillsbury Dinner rolls from fridge open and seperate them.
• Roll a little with all purpose flour(about 2-3 inches in diameter)and put the stuffing inside and close it as u do it for paratas(ball shaped).U can apply a little water on the edges after to lock the edges,so it holds tight and dosent open up when baking.
• Place them on the baking tray and bake them on for 5-7 mins(till it turns goledn brown) or as the instructions on the pillsbury package say.
• Serve warm with tomato sauce.

[Note: You can add any stuffing other than potato and make a vegetable Bun.Capsicum stuffing tastes yummy too.]