This is my first icing/frosting cake, technically (I’ve made a french chocolate pecan torte before). Though I bake cake often, its usually plain cakes and the reason…of the two of us, hubby & me, I love cakes. Hence the major chunk is consumed by me. Though the beautiful pictures of Icing cake on other blogs tempts me a lot, I refrain from the idea thinking about the additional calories :((

This time I’ve got a reason to make icing cake & don’t feel guilty :) . It was my dear hubby’s b’day a few days back. The special dish for the occasion varies according to his mood, he generally doesn’t ask for cakes, but this time he said he wanted an icing cake. I was feeling so enthusiastic and started going through all my baking books and even bookmarked some, especially simpler ones, since I don’t have much icing experience and didn’t want the b’day cake to be a disaster :) . I became crazy with all the icing cake recipes flashing one after another in my mind (ya it happens at times, when I wanted to do something for a long time and finally when the time comes all the ideas will start dancing in my head ;) ). Around the same time one of our family friend’s gave me two kutti (small) baking books ( chocolate cakes & cafe cakes) for reference and she said all the recipes in those two books were tried by their daughter and it came out very well. This helped me in taking one decision, that I will make a cake from one of those two books. Since it was a b’day cake I decided to go for chocolate.

Finally I found out the cake, hurrayyyyyyy :) The picture of this cake in that book looks awesome, it looks very moist and the recipe was a simple one, basic stuff, but looks extraordinary. And am happy that I selected that one, b’day boy enjoyed the cake so much and also the guests, that I packed some pieces for them too :)

Now, this cake is not only for my hubby dear, a number of people who are very dear to me are celebrating b’day this month. The list starts here: my dearest amma, my dearest sis in law, some of my close friends (if i say their name, the list will go on so..) my blogging friends Emi , Mona & Divya. Also my dearest cousin sis is celebrating her first wedding anniversary this month. If it’s your b’day or any other special day in this month, this is for you too :). May god bless you all !!

Also, one of my readers, Sindhu asked for Icing cakes recipe sometime back. Sindhu, hope you find this interesting.

As the name suggests, its definitely a family cake, am sure that everyone in the family will love this cake.

Update: I am sending this cake for Sweet Celebrations event at Aparna’s My Diverse Kitchen. Her blog is celebrating its first b’day and am sending this b’day cake for the event. Aparna, I wish you many more happy years of blogging.

Am so happy to take part in an event like this, I usually dont particiapte because, generally my cooking is not at all planned, it mainly depends on my mood. I visited her blog today and saw her reminder about the event and since I already have the cake post here, I thought I should participate :)

So here is the recipe:

Cake preparation

Preheat oven to 180 degree 10 minutes before baking. Grease deep 26.5cm*33cm (14cup/3.5ltr) baking dish; line base with baking paper.

Combine the water,sugar,butter and combined sifted cocoa powder and soda bicarbonate in medium saucepan; stir over heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil then reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to large bowl; cool to room temperature.

Add flour and egg to bowl; beat with electric mixer until mixture is smooth and changed to a paler colour. Pour mixture into prepared dish. Bake cake in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes. Stand cake in baking dish 10 mins, before turning onto wire rack; turn cake top-side up to cool. Spread cold cake with fudge frosting.

Fudge frosting preparation

Combine butter, the water and caster sugar in small saucepan; stir over heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves. Sift icing sugar and cocoa powder into small bowl then gradually stir in hot butter mixture. Cover; refrigerate about 20 mins or until frosting thickens. Beat with wooden spoon until spreadable.

Tips given in the recipe book:

Choose a perfectly level-bottomed baking dish; one made from cast aluminum is the best choice, but almost any type will work. If the cake appears to be cooking too quickly in the corners of the pan, reduce oven temperature to 170 degree; this will increase cooking time by upto 15 mins. The above quantity serves 20.

Notes: I made half of the quantity mentioned above. I used an 8 inch square tin and 4 inch round tin. The baking time was around 40 mins for the square tin and around 30 mins for the round tin. I baked at 180 degree. I did icing only on the square cake. The plain cake can be stored at room temperature for 4-5 days and the icing cake can be refrigerated for 4-5 days. Before serving the refrigerated icing cake, microwave it for 15- 20 seconds. The cake was very moist just like the pic in the book :), though my picture doesn’t come anywhere close to that :(

Recipe source: The Australian Women’s Weekly, Chocolate Cakes

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You might have come across a variety of apple & cinnamon combinations before, but for me its a first time affair…yes, this is the first time am eating apple….I can see so many surprised faces out there :) . You may find it hard to believe…I think I should make it clear that I haven’t got anything against the good looking apples, but I generally do not eat fruits, so is it getting too complicated for you guys…let me explain.

I do not eat 99% of fruits in raw form. Some fruits like orange, pineapple, mango…I have it in juice & jam forms…but there are some others which are a big NO in any form and they are jack fruit, guava and before making this cake apple was in this list….but I do not have any plans to try other fruits from that list, I just cannot stand its smell (no offense).

So now you might be wondering what made me try apple now….hhmm I should say my husband’s tireless efforts to make me eat apple one way or other is one of the main reason…and then when I saw the picture of this cake in my favorite cookery book, I took up the challenge of eating an apple cake and here I am…

Do I like apple after trying it?….hhhmm I am not yet sure whether I will eat it in raw form, but the cake version …yes :)

Here is the recipe of the cake that convinced me apples are tasty :)

For the topping

1. Eating apples – 350gm/12oz peeled
2. Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
3. Self-raising flour – 125gm/4oz
4. Ground cinnamon – 1 tsp
5. Butter – 75gm/3 oz
6. Demerara sugar – 75gm/3oz
7. Milk – 1 tbsp

For the base

1. Butter – 125gm/4oz
2. Caster sugar – 125gm/4oz
3. Medium eggs – 2
4. Self- raising flour – 150 gm/5 oz

Preheat the oven to 180 degree/350F, 10 minutes before baking. Lightly oil and line the base of a 20.5cm/8inch deep round cake tin with baking paper.

Finely chop the apples and mix with the lemon juice. Reserve while making the cake. For the crumbling topping, sift the flour and cinnamon together into a large bowl. Rub the butter into the flour and cinnamon until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir the sugar into the butter and flour mixture and reserve.

For the base,cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Gradually beat the eggs in a little at a time until all the egg has been added. Sift the flour and gently fold in with a metal spoon or rubber spatula. Spoon into the base of the prepared cake tin. Arrange the apple pieces on the top, then lightly stir the milk into the crumble mixture. Scatter the crumble mixture over the apples and bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours. Serve cold with Vanila icecream or custrad.

Recipe source: Everyday cookery,baking series

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I hope you all had a wonderful Easter. Though we celebrated, I didn’t cook much this time…I outsourced everything for a change :)The only thing I made was mousse pudding with stewed pineapple and praline. Mousse pudding is nothing but china grass pudding, it’s very basic stuff and easy to make. I’ve posted the recipe of mousse pudding in the initial days of my blogging and I wasn’t able to put the picture that time. Moreover I used to have it without pineapple those days, so am just publishing the modified version.

You can see the mousse pudding recipe here.

For the base:

Pineapple – 2 medium chopped

Sugar – 1 cup

Cook the chopped pineapple with sugar, till the juice is completely dried and the pineapple is coated well with sugar. Let it cool. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

For the topping:

Cashew nuts – 10 – 15

Sugar – 2-3 tbsp

Melt sugar in a bottom heavy pan. Once the sugar is completely melted and becomes golden brown in colour add the cashewnuts. Switch off the gas and stir the cashew nuts so that it is coated well with the caramel. Transfer the nuts to aluminium foil or butter paper. Once it is cooled, crush it with rolling pin and later grind it coarsely.

Serving suggestion: Spread the stewed pineapple as the base layer, moose pudding as the middle and praline as the top layer.

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Happy valentines day to you all !!

I think chocolate has a special importance on valentines day menu, so here goes valentines special chocolate walnut bars.

Chocolates & nuts are one of my favorite combination and this one is no exception.

Here goes the recipe:

1. Walnuts – 55gm
2. Caster sugar – 60 gm
3. Plain flour, sifted – 110gm
4. Cold unsalted butter – 85gm,cut into pieces

For the topping

1. Unslated butter – 30 gm
   Water – 85ml
2. Unsweetened cocoa powder – 30gm
3. Caster sugar – 100gm
4. Vanila essence – 1 tsp
5. Eggs – 2
6. Icing sugar – for dusting

Preheat the oven at 350 F/180 C. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8 inch(20cm) square baking tin. Grind the walnuts with a few tablespoons of the sugar in a food processor or blender. In a bowl, combine the ground walnuts, remaining sugar and flour. With your fingertips, rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Alternatively, process all the ingredients in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Pat the walnut mixture into the bottom of the prepared tin in an even layer. Bake for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the topping, melt the butter with the water. Whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla and salt and let cool for 5 min. Whisk in the eggs until blended. Pour the topping over the crust when baked. Return to the oven and bake until set, about 20 min. Set the tin on a rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar (optional). Store in the refrigerator.

Recipe source: Simple Home Baking by Carole Clements

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I was introduced to carrot cake by my friend, Divya. When we were staying in hostel, she used to bring this delicious carrot cake made by her mom. Those days, since most of my concentration was on eating and not about the behind the scenes part of cake making, I didnt bother about the recipe and all :)

Now coming to the present scenario, after I started baking, I always wanted to try out carrot cake and I even bookmarked a recipe in one of my favorite cooking books, “Everyday Cookery, Baking series”. But again, Divya told me she got a wonderful recipe for carrot cake from one of her aunts and told me its a must try and here I am :)  and I am repeating her words to you guys, IT’S a MUST TRY!!

Recipe for the carrot cake:

1. Grated Carrots – 3 cups
2. Plain Flour – 2 cups
3. Sugar – 2 cups
4. Baking Powder – 1 tsp
   Baking Soda – 1 tsp
5. Oil – 1/2 cup
   Ghee – 1/2 cup
6. Eggs – 4
7. Nutmeg – 1 tsp
   Cinnamon – 1 tsp
8. Vanilla essence – 1/2 tsp
9. Caramel syrup – 2 tbsp

For preparing caramel, heat 5 tbsp sugar. Once it turns brown, add 1/4 cup water and let it simmer till it becomes a thick syrup. Remove from gas and let it cool. Please note that the caramel syrup is completely cooled well before adding to the cake mix.

Preheat the oven at 180 degree, 10 minutes before baking. Sift together plain flour, baking powder and baking soda and keep it aside. Beat the eggs well. Add sugar to the beaten eggs and beat again. Add the sifted powders little by little and keep on beating until the whole lot is added to the egg, sugar mixture. Add oil and ghee and mix thoroughly. Slowly add grated carrots and spice powders and fold into the cake mix. Make sure that there are no lumps. Finally add the caramel syrup (ensure that it is completely cooled) and vanilla essence and combine well. Pour the cake mix into the prepared cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes.

Check out the Carrot Cake made by Josphine, based on the above recipe. Thanks a lot dear :)

Other recipes of Divya:

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This pudding was made to celebrate a small milestone that I achieved in blogging. This is my 100th cooking post! ~WoW~ When I started blogging… I never thought I’d be able to maintain it for more than a few months. But MariasMenu.com is now more than a year old and am still blogging. I’d like to say a “BIG THANK YOU” to my husband (who inspired me to start this), my family & friends (and blogging friends) and ESPECIALLY my main motivator… YOU, my readers, for your unending support and encouragement.

Speeches apart… now let’s start cooking :)

This is a simple & easy to make pudding. The base is mostly bread pudding and the topping is meringue. You can stop with the base if you like it that way. So here is the recipe for the Queen of Puddings.

1. Fresh white bread crumbs – 75gm, 3 pieces approx
   Granulated sugar – 25gm
2. Full cream milk – 450 ml
   Butter – 25 gm
   Grated rind of 1 lemon
3. Eggs – 2 medium, separated
4. vanilla essence – 1/2 tsp
5. Seedless raspberry jam – 2 tbsp
6. Caster sugar – 50 gm

Preheat the oven to 170 degree/325 F. Oil a 900 ml/ 1 1/1 pint baking dish. and reserve. Mix the breadcrumbs and sugar together in a bowl. Pour the milk into a small saucepan and heat gently with the butter and lemon rind until the butter has melted. Add the vanilla essence & stir well. Allow the mixture to cool a little, then pour over the breadcrumbs. Stir well and leave to saok for 30 minutes.Whisk the egg yolks into the cooled breadcrumb mixture and pour into the prepared dish. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until firm and set. Remove from the oven. ( If you don’t want topping, you can stop at this stage. Once the pudding is cooled, keep in fridge and serve cold)

Allow to cool slightly, then spread the jam over the pudding. whisk the egg whites until stiff and standing in peaks. Gently fold in the caster sugar with a metal spoon. Pile the meringue over the top of the pudding. Return the dish to the oven for a further 20 -25 minutes, or until the meringue is crisp and just slightly colored. Serve hot or cold.

Happy Cooking!

Notes: Be careful to use baking dish of the correct size to get the right thickness for the base.
Recipe source: Everyday Cookery, Baking

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Hi All

Wish you all a happy & blessed new year!! I know its a bit late, but as the saying goes, its better to be late than never :). Hope you all had a wonderful Xmas & New Year.

This is my first post in the new year, so I thought of posting something sweet. This recipe is from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook, which my husband gifted me sometime back. This brownie is dense, fudgy and ful of deep chocolate flaovor. So this is for all the chocoholics out there :)

Here goes the recipe :

1. Unsalted butter – 1 stick (1/2 cup) plus more for pan
2. Bittersweet chocolate – 8 ounces (220gm approx), coarsely chopped
3. Sugar – 1 1/2 cups
4. Eggs – 4 large
5. Vanilla extract – 1 tsp
6. All purpose flour – 3/4 cup
7. Salt – 1/2 tsp

Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 degree). Butter an 8 inch square baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1 inch overhang on two sides. Set aside, Place butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water; stir frequently until chocolate and butter are melted, about 7 minutes. remove bowl from heat;let cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir sugar into cooled chocolate mixture until combined. whisk in eggs one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. whisk in vanilla. Gently fold in flour and salt. Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth top with an offset spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

It can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for upto 3 days.

Recipe source: Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook

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