Monthly Archives: December 2016

Chocolate Crepe Cake

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Chocolate Crepe Cake

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3-4 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
4-5 tbsp sugar
2 cups milk
2 tsp vanilla essence
3 eggs
2 tbsp oil or belted butter

Filling: any of the below
1 cup cream + 4 tbsp castor sugar whipped
¾ cup nutella (warmed little bit in microwave)
½ cup whipped cream + 4 tbsp cream cheese + 3 tbsp castor sugar whipped (I used this)
½ cup butter + 1 ½ cups icing sugar mixed

Method:
In a blender add milk, eggs and vanilla and blend to mix.
Add rest of ingredients and mix slightly with a spoon.
Now blend to mix and keep aside for 15 mins.
Number of crepes depends on the size of the pan. Medium size pan will yield approx. 20 crepes.
Heat a non-stick pan. Add approx. ¼ cup of batter and swirl around. The first crepe will give you an idea on how much batter is required for each crepe.
When the crepe is cooked and sides dry up, slide to a plate. No need to turn and cook the other side.
Repeat with rest of batter. Don’t stack the hot crepes.
When completely cool, place one crepe on the serving dish.
Use any of the filling and spread a thin layer.

chocolate-crepe-cake

Keep repeating till all layers are complete.
Place the last crepe upside down to get a smooth finish.
Either spread the filling or dust with icing sugar just before serving.
Can make ahead and refrigerate.
Bring to room temperature before serving.
Slice and serve!

Mini Christmas Plum Cake

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Mini Christmas Plum Cake
30 mini cupcakes

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
½ cup + 2tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp cinnamon pwd
½ tsp grated nutmeg
½ tsp dry ginger pwd
½ tsp cloves powder
1-1½ cups add ins (dates/apricots/tuti-fruiti/raisins/nuts etc)

To caramelise:
½ cup sugar
1 cup hot water

Icing:
5 tbsp icing sugar
Approx1 ½ tsp water
Chopped cranberries to garnish

Method:
Caramelise -Add sugar to a clean pan and keep on medium heat. Do not stir. The sugar will start to melt and turn brown in colour.
Stir slowly so all sugar gets mixed.
When the mixture starts to bubble all over, remove from fire and add hot water carefully.
Return to fire and stir till all sugar melts.
Pour over the bowl in which dates/apricots/raisins are kept. (see below)

(The amount of dates/raisins/nuts is as per your preference)
Chop dates/apricots/raisins and add to a big bowl. Add hot caramel to this bowl. Add 1 tsp soda, mix and keep aside to cool completely.

Meanwhile preheat oven to 160 degree Celsius.
Either line the cupcake pan with liners or butter the molds and dust flour. Tap excess flour off.
Mix tuti fruiti and nuts in another bowl and keep aside.
Whisk flour, baking powder, all the spice powders and keep aside.
Beat sugar and butter for few mins.
Add one egg at a time and mix well.
Add vanilla and mix.
Add 1 cup flour and beat to mix.
Drain caramel liquid from the dates bowl to this and mix well.
Add rest of flour and beat to combine. Batter will be thick and fluffy.
Now add soaked dates mixture, tuti fruiti and nuts and fold to combine.
Place approx. 1 tbsp batter in each cupcake mold and bake for 12-15 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
Cool completely on a wire rack.
Mix icing sugar and water to get a thick batter. (Add water 1 drop at a time).
Transfer to a Ziploc bag and nip off the edge. Drizzle on cool cupcakes and sprinkle cranberries on top.
Happy Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

mini-chritsmas-plum-cake-1

White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

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White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 ¾ cup oats (I used quick cooking oats)
½ cup light brown sugar
2 tbsp white sugar
½ tsp cinnamon powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 large egg
½ cup butter
2 tsp vanilla essence
¾ cup dried cranberries
¾ cup white chocolate chips

Method:
Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and keep aside.
Beat butter, brown sugar and white sugar for few mins.
Add egg and vanilla essence and beat again.
Add flour and mix well.
Add oats, chocolate chips and cranberries and mix well.
Cover and refrigerate for 30 mins.
Preheat oven to 160 degree Celsius. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or wax paper. No need to grease.
Scoop out 1 tbsp or 2 tbsp per cookie and place on the tray with some space between them.
Bake for 12-15 mins. Take out and cool completely on a wire rack.
Store in an airtight container or refrigerate.

Notes:
If you prefer soft cranberries in the cookie, place the cranberries in a bowl and cover with hot water for 20 mins. Drain and squeeze out excess water and use in cookies.
In case your cookies don’t spread, after 8 mins, press slightly with the back of a flat glass and finish baking.
Sometimes, when you scoop, no chocolate chips will appear on top. In that case place a few on top strategically 🙂

Vendakka Curry that taste like Meen Curry (Okra Curry that taste like Fish Curry)

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vendakka-curry

Vendakka Curry that taste like Meen Curry (Okra Curry that taste like Fish Curry)
Recipe source: Curryworld

Ingredients:
15-20 vendakka /Okra
4 pearl onions sliced
1 tsp ginger slices
Few curry leaves
1 piece of kokum (kodumpuli)
2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
¾ cup coconut milk
¾ cup water
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

To temper:
1 tsp oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
1 pearl onion sliced
Few curry leaves

Method:
Wash and wipe the okras dry. Trim both ends and cut into medium pieces.
Heat a pan and add 2 tbsp oil.
Saute the okras for a while till they start to become light brown and not slimy.
Add ginger, onion, curry leaves, chili powder, turmeric powder, kudampuli, salt and water and mix well.
Cook till water almost evaporates.
Add coconut milk and mix well.
When gravy starts to simmer take off fire.
Add tempering to the curry and close the lid.
Mix after 1 min. Serve with rice.

To Temper:
Heat oil and add mustard seeds.
When mustard starts to splutter, add onion and curry leaves. Saute till onions start to brown.
Take off fire and add to curry.

Bundt Panettone

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bundt-panetonne

This is a quick version of panettone.

Bundt Panettone
Recipe source: Bakingbites

Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp yeast
½ tsp salt
5 tbsp sugar
½ cup warm milk
¼ cup butter (soft at room temp)
3 large eggs (room temp)
¾ cup add ins (raisins, candied peel etc)

Method:
Add ¾ cup flour, sugar, yeast, salt in a food processor bowl (can mix in a bowl with hand too)
Add milk and butter and mix for 2 mins.
Add one egg at a time and mix well.
Add ½ cup flour and mix for 2 more mins.
Add remaining flour and mix well. Batter will be thick.
Cover the bowl and rest for 10 mins.
Add raisins, peels etc and mix to incorporate.
Transfer the batter to a greased large bundt pan and keep aside in a warm place for approx. 1 hr until the mixture is doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 160 degree Celsius. Bake panettone for 30-35 mins until top is golden brown.
Remove and cool on a wire rack OR if you wish brush rum syrup on all sides on hot panettone.
When completely cool, sprinkle icing sugar on top.
Slice and serve.

Rum syrup
½ cup sugar
5 tbsp rum
½ tsp vanilla essence
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat till sugar dissolves. Remove and use to brush or pour over the hot bread.

The Panettone below was made last year from King Arthur Flour website. This is also an easier version to make the bread, but not exactly the same texture as store brought.

panettonne

Dates and Peanut Butter Energy Balls

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Dates and Peanut Butter Energy Balls

Ingredients:
1 cup soft dates
3 tbsp peanut butter
½ cup oats powdered
1 tbsp chia seeds
2 handful chocolate chips or any chocolate roughly chopped

Method:
Pulse dates in a food processor bowl so it forms dough.
Add rest of the ingredients and pulse again until well mixed.
If its too sweet for your liking, add few spoons of oats powder and mix again.
Roll into small balls.
Store in an airtight container or keep refrigerated.

Fresh Pineapple Flowers

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pineapple-flower

Fresh Pineapple Flowers

Ingredients:
1 Pineapple

Method:
Cut off the top and rind of pineapple. Remove all big eyes.
Slice very thinly and spread on a paper towel. Pat the top with another layer of paper towel.
Heat oven to 100 -120 degree Celsius. Line a tray with parchment or wax paper.
Spread the pineapple slices on the try and bake for 30 mins.
Flip the slices and bake again for another 30 mins. Timings may vary depending on the thickness of slice. Keep repeating a few more times.
Once it’s almost dried and sides have become slightly brown, take them out and place individually in muffin tin so they retain the shape of a flower. Leave overnight in muffin tins.
Use to decorate cakes, cupcakes etc.

pineapple-flower-1

Mushroom Peralan

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Mushroom Peralan

Ingredients:
250 gms mushrooms
1 large onion slices
3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
1 tbsp ginger thinly sliced
1-2 green chili slit
Few curry leaves
½ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
¼ tsp fennel powder
½ tsp coriander powder
¼ cup coconut milk (2 tbsp coconut milk powder +water)
2 tbsp oil
½ tsp mustard seeds

Method:
Clean and cut mushroom to big pieces.
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.
When mustard splutters, add onion, ginger, garlic, green chilis and curry leaves.
Saute till onions become almost golden brown.
Add all spice powders and salt to taste and stir well. Add mushrooms and mix well.
Cook covered on medium flame and stir once in a while.
When mushrooms are cooked, add coconut milk and stir well.
Take off fire and serve with chapathi or preferably rice.

Spicy Njandu/Crab Roast

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Spicy Njandu/Crab Roast

Ingredients:
½ kilo crabs (I used 2 mud crabs)
3 medium onion sliced
1 medium tomato sliced
2 tbsp crushed ginger
1 tbsp crushed garlic
Few curry leaves
1-2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
1 tsp black pepper powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ cup water
3 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Method:
Clean and cut crab to 2 or 4 pieces depending on the size.
Heat oil and add onion, ginger, garlic and curry leaves.
Saute till onions start to become golden brown.
Add all spice powders, salt and mix well.
Add tomato and saute for few mins.
Add water and when it simmers add crab and stir well.
Cook covered on medium flame for 5 mins.
Stir again, check salt and cook covered for further 5 mins on high flame.
By now the shells would have become red/dark pink in colour. This shows crab is cooked.
Remove lid and sprinkle few more curry leaves and little pepper powder,
Stir on high flame for few mins and transfer to a serving plate.
Serve as appetizer or with rice.

Pineapple Filling for Cakes

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Pineapple Filling for Cakes

Ingredients:
1 cup crushed or pureed tinned pineapple
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup pineapple juice/drained juice
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp butter

Method:
Drain the pineapple pieces and pulse in a blender.
Add pineapple, cornstarch, drained juice, sugar in a pan and bring to boil.
Simmer for 10 mins till the mixture becomes thick.
Take off fire, add butter and stir.
Cool completely.
This is enough to spread as a thin layer on 3 9” layer cake.