Condensed Milk Chocolate Cake

I had half a tin of ordinary sweetened condensed milk leftover from a dessert and wanted to try a cake with it.. This recipe from Nestle desserts is indeed a keeper for those times when you want something light..fast..and easy. This recipe has no eggs..and no creaming.. just mix all the ingredients in a bowl..and you are ready to bake.

This is the crumb of this cake..firm but very soft. Not too sweet..there is no added sugar apart from the condensed milk.
Made half of the original recipe in a loaf tin.
http://www.nestle-family.com/recipes/english/light-chocolate-cake_43166.aspx

Ingredients

• 1 tin sweetened condensed milk or 405 g
• 100 g butter, melted
• 150 ml water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence or 5 g
• 200 g plain flour
• ½ cup cocoa powder or 50 g
• 2 teaspoons baking powder or 10 g
• 1 teaspoon baking soda or 5 g

Combine the Sweetened Condensed Milk, melted butter, water and vanilla essence in a large bowl. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda. Stir the dry ingredients into the condensed milk mixture until just combined.
Pour the mixture into a lined 23cm spring form cake tin. Bake in a preheated 150°C oven for 45 minutes or until a cake skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove from tin and cool completely.

Pinwheel cookies again

 Made these cookies again.. completely with all purpose flour. They do take a bit of time..rolling..freezing and slicing..:) but pretty enough to make it worthy of a festive bake. This time I have made a video of how I sliced and shaped it up..

Recipe is same as the earlier one..but with APF...

 

Slicing the log

                                                      
                                                            Arrange it on a baking sheet..

                                                                   Bake until done.

 

Almond Cardamom Cookies

 Remembering the flavour and texture of the soft biscuits which were immensely enjoyed during my childhood days, I tried to mix up ..substitute..and finally tailor the nankhatai recipe to this one..
I have almost managed, I believe, to recapture the essence of those lovely bakery cookies.. :)
Don't think they might have added the gram flour.. but I feel it gives a nice nutty warmth to the cookie.  

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tblsp cornflour
2 tblsp gram flour
a pinch of Salt
1/4 cup whole almonds
1/2 cup ghee
1/2 cup powdered sugar,
6 cardamom pods powdered


Powder the almonds with a tblsp of cornflour. Mix all the dry ingredients except sugar in a bowl.
Take ghee and powdered sugar in another bowl and beat well.

                                                              Add dry ingredients.

                                    Mix well and bring the dough together using your hand.
                                                                       Do not knead.
                                       Rest the dough in a cling film wrap for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven (both heating rods ) to 350 degree Fahrenheit (180 degree Centigrade) for at least 10 minutes. Divide dough into 15-18 equal portions and make round shaped balls from it. Line a baking paper over the baking tray. Take each ball and press a little between your palms to flatten and place it over baking tray. Keep enough space between each cookie because it will expand in size during baking.
Bake for about 20 mins.. or till light golden.. keep an eye on it after 15 mins.
Remove the tray from the oven and cool on a wire rack and enjoy...:)
(Cookies will be soft at this stage but they will harden as they cool down.)