Decorated Cakes

Cakes.... m obsessed to them~ well not just eating them but making them as well. If  I have to bake a decorated cake i start planning for it months before and trust me i NEVER make what i plan. The end result is absolutely altered.

The urge to reach perfection keeps on aggravating with every cake Ive made. Here is a sneak peak to my recent requisite. 


I have used a basic chocolate cake in all these 3 cakes. Here is the recipe for the sponge:


Eggless Chocolate Cake

1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar (add 1/4 cup more if not using frosting)
1/2 cup plain yogurt / curd
1/4 cup butter
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt if using unsalted butter
Milk (as required)


 Pre-heat oven to  max  for about 15 min. Grease a your cake pan,. Sift together flour, salt , cocoa powder and baking powder 
 Mix sugar and butter at room temperature whisk well until frothy. Once frothy, add yogurt and vanilla. Mix well.
 Fold in the flour mixture and whisk until combined. The batter should be free flowing paste.. if it look thick at this stage add milk gradually until u reach the desired consistency. 
 Transfer batter to the greased tray and bake for 45 mins or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. 
Cool completely and frost if required.

Here i have used whipped cream for the frosting, and just changed the essence in them for a different flavor.

The characters were made of Fondant.

Angry Birds Scene Cake.

Angry Birds (Yellow Bird Cake)

Princess Belle Cake

Bluberry Almond Crumble.

A crumble is a dish of British and Irish origin that can be made in a sweet or savoury version, depending on ingredients used, although the sweet version is much more common. (Wikipedia)

Fresh Blueberries were not quite easily available around where i live,.... recently Ive been finding them a lot around and got hooked on to the lil purple balls :)

These Sweet and tangy berries are a amazing snack, there are a lot of thing you could try with this lil fruit. I decided to do a Blueberry Almond crumble, and the result was a yummy subtle delicate dessert.

Almond Blueberry Crumble. (Optionally Vegan)

3 Cups fresh Blueberries*(check note)
1/2 cup Sugar
Few drops of Lemon juice
1 Tbs cornstarch
2 Tbs hot water
21/2 cups Oats
11/4th cup All Purpose Flour
1 cup Packed Brown Sugar
11/2 stick Butter/ 1/2 cup Vegetable oil *(check note)
1 cup silverd  roasted almonds
Pinch of salt.

Preheat oven to 180 deg C, and grease you ramekins or you dish that you are using.

In a saucepan set over medim heat, combine the blueberries, sugar and lemon juice, bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to simmer and cook untill the berries are tender. This might take up to 10-15 min.
Whisk in your constarch mixed with warm water until a smooth paste is formed. Cook for about a minute.
Cool this sauce covered, to avoid a skin forming on top.

In a bowl stir in oats, flour and sugar, and a pinch of salt.
Cut in the cold butter with the above ingredients. If making it Vegan and using oil pour in oil little by little to make a crumbly texture. You might need more or less of oil.

Press 2/3rd of the mix on your prepared pan. Spread the cold blueberry mix over the top and sprinkle some roasted almonds.
Sprinkle with remaining mixture of the flour and roasted almonds.
Bake until golden brown or about 45 minutes.
Decorate with fresh blueberries or blueberry sauce. I swished on some caramel sauce too which tasted yum!

You could serve this warm or cold. Choice is your.

*NOTE:  
*If you donot get fresh blueberries you could defrost frozen ones. And if you using a readymade bluebery sauce just cut down on you sugar and boil untill thick.
*Opt for oil instead of butter to make this recipe Vegan.

This Post is off to- Tamalapaku Fruit/Veggie of the Month (This months choice is Blueberries.),  brain child of Priya 

Vegan Almond Coconut Cookies.

You sometimes need motivation to get something kickstarted in your life, and cooking vegan for me was totally inspired by my adorable brother Abhinav. Being Vegan can be difficult... but cooking Vegan really isnt. Since really long Ive just been thinking of trying my hands on some Vegan recipes , and atlast i did it today just for you abhi.

This recipe is super easy and hardly takes any time, Almost all the ingredients will be in your shelf. While they were baking in my oven the house smelt buttery, coconutty, almondy.... In short Heavenly.

Vegan Almond Coconut Cookies.

2 cups Unbleached Flour
2 cups Roasted Almonds
1/2 cup Maple Syrup
1/4 cup Cane sugar
1 tsp Coconut essence
1/2 tsp Baking pwd
1/4 tsp Salt.


Pre-heat your oven at max temperature for about 10 min, Spread your almonds on a baking try and roast for about 5 min until crunchy. Cool down to room temperature.


Add your roasted almonds, Maple syrup, cane sugar, coconut essence in a chopper/grinder n blend to a coarse paste.
In another bowl sieve the dry ingredients and then add the wet paste to this. This should turn out to be a sticky dough like consistency.

Spread a sheet of parchment paper on your baking tray,  make balls out of the dough and press them down with the help of a fork to make them little flat. Spread them at a distance to give them space to expand.

Bake a 180 deg for about 10 min.

Enjoy them with a hot cuppa coffee or tea  :)

This post is off to Cookie Mela @Cooking 4 all seasons. & Cooks Joy - Kalyani’s ”Kitchen Chronicles – Only Vegan” Event.

Mukundwadi

Walking through the Memory Lane brings in a lot of Recipes shared by my elders ... honestly i could put down 'N' number of recipes but i choose one.. Passed on by my Mother in law to me.
Never heard before i was shocked and confused when i heard how Mukundwadi is made.
I had to see it to register how its done.
Before flying to Tokyo for the first time after my marriage Mummy made this for my Hubby... and that's when i learnt.
It does have a peculiar taste to it People who love cant get over it. It looks and tastes a bit like Non-veg.
We need a lot of dough for this, at times it gets difficult to knead a lot of dough, so what i do is as when there is any leftover dough with me, I store it in the Freezer. and when its enough to carry on with the dish i make it.

Mukundwadi.

For the wadi.

1kg Kneaded dough. (wheat flour)
Salt
Water to boil.
1 tbs chickpea (chana daal)
Oil to fry.

Take a fine mesh colander and put your dough in it. Keep it under a running tap and knead it with your hand until the dough reduces to 1/4th the quantity, and gets to a elastic texture. Yes! you need to wash the dough, the water that flows will be milky white and gradually to know its does the water should get clear.
Once your gluten is ready form a loaf like and put it in a pressure cooker with a pinch of salt and 1tbs of chick pea. Cook for about 3-4 whistles on medium low flame.
Once the steam vents out, let it cool and cut into small pieces. Deep fry until golden brown.

Note:- You can store the fried wadi's in the freezer for about a month.

  

For the Gravy....


4-5 Tomatoes pureed.
2 Medium Potatoes cut into chunks.
1tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander pwd
1 tbs cumin seeds
1 tsp red chili pwd
Pinch of garam masala
Pinch of asafotedia
Few green chilies slit 
Few curry leaves
1/4th cup whisked yogurt
Fresh coriander for garnish.

In a pressure cooker heat oil, add cumin, asafotedia  and curry leaves. Add the tomato puree and cook for about 5-10 min. Once semi cooked add all the dry masala's and cook till the oil starts to split.
Add your fried wadi's and chopped potatoes to the tomato mix and saute them for about 10 min or so. Add about 1 glass of water and pressure cook for 2 whistles on slow flame. Add the whisked yogurt and cover.
Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with hot Roti or Paratha.

This post is off to Gayatri's cook spot and The Pumpkin Farm for the wonderful event.. Walk Through Memory Lane.... :)

And

Learning to Cook

Whole Wheat Olive Thyme Walnut Loaf

Baking bread ... or say a good bread has always been a dream.  I am in love with the fragrance of a bread baking in my oven. I haven't really tried a lot of them yet mainly because of the use of yeast. It takes time to proof the bread and at times i do not have a lot of patience. So i looked up and found out that breads can be made without yeast too :)

This bread takes absolutely no time assemble. Just throw in your ingredients in a big bowl, knead it and put it in the oven ...

You can mix and match your choice of herbs and flavours... u really have a lot of scope to play with your flavours here, so do not hesitate to create your own combination.

Whole Wheat Olive Thyme Loaf.

21/2 cup whole wheat flour
21/2 tsp Baking pwd
3 tbs Ground Flax seeds
1/2 cup water
1 tsp Fresh Thyme leaves
1/4th cup olives chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/4th cup olive oil

Preheat the oven at high for about 15-20 min.
Blend the flax seeds with warm water in a blender to a frothy foam,
In a bowl mix in the dry ingredients along with olives, walnuts and herbs.
Add the flax seed mix and then gradually add milk to make a little sticky dough.
Spread it in a greased loaf pan and bake for about 45 min, or until a skewer comes out clean.
Let it get down to a room temperature and enjoy!!

This post is off to Daily Cuppa & Cook's Joy for Bake Fest event.

My First Award!! Thank you....

Pragnaya has been kind, and encouraging enough to give me my first award to get me on top of the world!!

I feel like a little kid..... Cant thank you enough!!

I have re-started blogging after really long, yet taking it slow, i have been inspired by a lot of fellow bloggers whom id like to thank by passing on this award!!

Vaishali @Ribbonstopastas (My Mums Blog)
Meghna @ Jolly Vindaloo
Grishma @ Zaikazabardast
Finla @ My Kitchen Treasures
Divya @ Divya's Culinary Journey
Anu @ Hotpot Cooking
Priya @ Priya's Versatile Recipes

The rules of this is:

1. Please accept the award and post it in your blog with the name of the person who has given you the award with his or her blog link.
2. Share 7 completely random pieces of information about you.
3. Include these set of rules.
4. Nominate 15 other bloggers for the award and let them know about the award by leaving a comment in their blog.   

Now somethings about me:

1. Inspite of  having a food blog, Compulsive cooking bores me!.
2. Learning to Bake Professionally is my Dream.
3. I am a Music Buff.
4. Dream to live in London.
5. Love Gadgets.
6. Love to Dance when noone's watching me.
7. Want to have a house with a Beach view Kitchen.!!

Yes i do dream a lott!! Hahaha.