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.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

A firm moist cake..tasted like a sponge cake... and a bit sweet with this recipe found all over the web under cream cheese pound cake.. :) I will lower the sugar by half cup next time*.
Edit
*By day 2 the sweetness has reduced and the cake has mellowed...perhaps owing to the cheese in it..
So I guess I will reduce only 1/4 cup of sugar next time.. :)

The following recipe is adapted from http://www.marthastewart.com/349993/cream-cheese-pound-cake

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour ( as some recipes called for cake flour, just to experiment, I have replaced 2 tablespoons per cup of flour with corn starch and sifted well)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon  salt
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 package (8 ounces) Philadelphia brand cream cheese
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract                                                                                                   

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease two 7 inch pans with cooking spray/ butter.
2. In a medium bowl sieve/ whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. Combine butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar, increase the speed to high, and beat until light and airy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture. Beat just until incorporated.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the cakes comes out clean, but with a few moist crumbs still attached, about 90 minutes in my oven...keep an eye on it after 50 minutes.
5. Place the pans on a cooling rack and cool for 20 minutes, then remove the cakes from the pans and let cool completely. Serve at room temperature.
   
   Notes:
    With the addition of corn starch, the cake is lighter than the one I had made with APF.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

The Christmas Fruit Cake

I confess that the packaged fruit cake had never been a favorite of mine when I was younger and though I used to relish its sweet smell on opening the box, I have hardly eaten over a small slice. On the other hand, a home made one is totally a different matter...:) ...simply loved my mother's or aunt's creations. Now, I have developed a taste for 'some' of those boxed cakes...but still swear by the one baked in your own home.                                  

Fruit cakes actually have a long history and I didn't know that the fruits that went into them were actually preserved to counter their scarcity in the winter season...:) and lot more.. So I dug up their little past...

It is said that the fruitcake has historical associations with the Holy Land, and its internal bounty is said to represent the gifts of the Wise Men. Like many other fruit breads and cakes, it has been venerated since Medieval times when fruit in the wintertime was an extraordinary treat.

The Middle East overflowed with the variety of dates, citrus fruit, and nuts that were virtually unknown in Northern Europe until the Crusades. Returning Crusaders brought fruit with them, but the trade that was initiated was frequently interrupted by war, and, of course, the fruit was highly perishable. These dilemmas were partially solved by drying or candying the fruit for travel, and, when the fruit reached Northern Europe, it was shared by mixing it in breads and cakes. Because the fruit came from the Holy Land, it was also revered and saved for feast days, particularly Christmas and Easter.

So that's how we got our Christmas Fruit Cake..:)

Now coming to the making of this rich cake...it is something we can or rather must bake in advance. We repeatedly feed the cake, over time, with alcohol (usually brandy, sometimes rum). This gives the fruit cake a subtle brandy flavour and a moist texture, plus it also allows the cake to be stored for a long period. The cake character is largely determined by the wealth of fruit and nuts it contains. These can include a whole range or be limited to selected fruits (can include lemon and orange peel, raisins, dates, currants, figs, apricots, cherries and pineapple all preserved, dried, candied, or glazed so that much of their natural moisture is removed, and will keep longer) or nuts ( walnuts, pecans, almonds,cashew, and pistachios broken into pieces) depending on the recipe, taste or availability. You can always experiment with the basic recipe, tweaking it a little to suit your taste. Another thing that sets this cake apart is that it is baked slowly...at a lower temperature than usual.

The recipe that follows is adapted from Stepanie Jaworski's Joyofbaking.com 

Happy baking and a very Merry Christmas..... :) 

• 1 cup (100 grams) cashew, pistachios, almonds, chopped (you can use any combination of nuts available)
• 350-400 grams of an assortment of dried fruits (dried apricots, banana,raisins, sultanas, currants  etc.), candied and chopped mixed peel (optional), and glace cherries (all chopped finely)                                               [You can experiment with the proportion and quantity of dried fruits and nuts as you like. Though fruitcake is just adding a little batter to hold all these together, some people like their cakes to be lighter and for that just reduce the quantity of these dried fruits and nuts.]

• 2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup (110 grams) granulated white sugar
• 1/2 cup (110 grams) dark brown sugar
• 3 large eggs 
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Juice of one orange
• 3/4 cup (75 grams) ground almonds
• 3 tblsp brandy/rum plus extra for brushing the cake

  About one month prior to your baking, soak the dried fruits in brandy and keep it in a cool and dry place away from sunlight. You can add one or two whole cloves and a stick of cinnamon if you like but remember to remove them when you bake.

Butter, an 8 inch spring form pan with a removable bottom. Line the bottom of the pan with buttered parchment paper. Also line the sides of the pan with a strip of buttered parchment paper that extends about 2 inches above the pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C).

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla extract, alcohol and orange juice. In a separate bowl, whisk together the ground almonds, flour, salt, spices and baking powder and fold this into the cake batter. Then fold in the chopped nuts and all the brandied fruits.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and, if desired, decorate the top of the cake with blanched almonds. Place the spring form pan on a larger baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and continue to bake the cake for another 1 hour and 30 mins or until a long skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs.(the time required depends on the amount of fruits used..richer cakes need more time). Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. With a skewer poke holes in the top surface of the cake and brush with a little brandy. Wrap the cake thoroughly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and place in a cake tin or plastic bag. Unwrap the cake and brush with brandy periodically (once or twice a week) to allow the cake to mellow. Don't brush during the last week.

Serves about 14 people.

Falafel recipe

Here is the recipe for those patties I posted last week...
I have added a teaspoon of chilli flakes to make it spicy. My friend had said.. spice and salt according to taste.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried chickpeas
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 green chilli chopped
• 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes 
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon coriander leaves/ cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon grated carrot (if you like)
• 2 tablespoons flour or more if needed
• a pinch of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt or more
• oil for frying

Rinse chickpeas in a bowl and allow to soak overnight.
Drain the chickpeas and set aside.
In a pan, over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons oil and saute onion and green chilli for 2 to 3 minutes then add garlic and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
In a food processor, pulse together chick peas, red chili flakes and ground cumin and coriander to form a coarse consistency. Add water only if necessary, as little as possible. Then add flour, salt, and cilantro. Pulse until mixture starts pulling from the sides of the food processor.
Remove mixture to a large bowl and mix in the onion mixture and grated carrot. Chill falafel mix until ready to cook.
Before forming the mix into balls, check and add more salt or pepper if needed. Now mix in the baking powder as evenly as possible.
Heat the oil needed for frying.
Roll the dough into balls, slightly flatten them and deep fry until browned, turning as needed.
Drain on paper towels and serve hot with yoghurt dip or use it as a filling in pita bread.
snack, starter ,easy

Weight of common ingredients in gram

Ingredient	Weight - (ounces)	Weight - (grams)
1 cup of whole wheat flour (sifted, then measured)	4.5 oz	125 g
1 cup of All Purpose flour (spooned into the cup)	4.25 oz	121 g
1 cup of AP flour (sifted, then measured)	4 oz	114 g
1 cup of cornstarch (lightly spooned or sifted)	4.2 oz	120 g
1 large egg (in the shell)	2 oz	56.7 g
1 large egg (without shell)	1.75 oz	50 g
1 large egg yolk	.65 oz	18.6 g
1 large egg white	1.05 oz	30 g
1 cup of butter	8 oz	227 g
1 cup of clarified butter or ghee	6.8 oz	195 g
1 cup of vegetable shortening	6.75 oz	191 g
1 cup of vegetable oil	7.7 oz	218 g
1 cup water	8.3 oz	236 g
1 cup of heavy cream	8.2 oz	232 g
1 cup of sour cream	8.5 oz	242 g
1 cup of full-fat yogurt	8.6 oz	243 g
1 cup of buttermilk	8.5 oz	242 g
1 cup of whole milk	8.5 oz	242 g
1 cup half and half	8.5 oz	242 g
1 cup mascarpone	8.8 oz	250 g
1 cup of granulated sugar	7 oz	200 g
1 cup of dark brown sugar (packed)	8.4 oz	239 g
1 cup of light brown sugar (packed)	7.7 oz	217 g
1 cup of powdered sugar (dip and sweep)	4 oz	125 g
1 cup of honey	11.75 oz	336 g
1 cup of molasses	11.25 oz	322 g
1 cup of corn syrup	11.5 oz	328 g
Cocoa – nonalkalized or natural (dip and sweep)	3.33 oz	95 g
Cocoa – nonalkalized or natural (spooned into the cup)	2.9 oz	82 g
1 cup almonds – whole	6.7 oz	191 g
1 cup almonds – slivered	4.2 oz	120 g
1 cup almonds – sliced/coarsely chopped	2.6 oz	75 g
1 cup almonds – finely ground	3.7 oz	107 g
1 cup almonds – powder fine	3 oz	89 g
1 cup pistachios – whole	5.32 oz	152 g

Leaveners and other ingredients
1 tsp baking powder		4.9 g
1 tsp baking soda		5 g
1 tsp yeast, instant		3.2 g
1 tsp yeast, active dry		3.1 g
1 tsp salt		6.7 g
1 tsp gelatin, powdered		3.1 g
1 tsp vanilla extract		4 g
1 tsp cream of tartar		3.1 g
1 cup raisins	5 oz	144 g

It might be helpful to refer How to measure in Baking 

volume conversions, weight to volume conversions,

Coffee Cake

That is my coffee flavoured cake made with custard powder..as I said I would be trying... a variation of the plain Custard powder Cake. I added an egg after creaming the butter and sugar and what I got is a super-moist cake...which was delicious. The only snag is that I used only the original quantity of sugar mentioned in the earlier recipe and so it was less sweet than usual but nevertheless delicious. I think it would be wonderful to layer it with vanilla buttercream after soaking it with some orange juice and finally topping with chocolate ganache... :) A perfect dessert...try it.

Coffee Cake

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup vanilla flavoured custard powder
• 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1-2 tsp cocoa powder 
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar ( you can add 1-2 tablespoons more if you want to)
• 1  tsp vanilla extract
• 150 gm butter, at room temperature
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup strong coffee

This recipe makes one 9” cake or 8 to 10 servings.

• Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Grease a 9" cake tin with butter and line the base with wax paper.

• Put the dry ingredients except sugar in a bowl. Use a wooden spoon and mix well.

• Beat the butter until light in a large bowl and then add the sugar and beat well until fluffy.Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat again. 

• Now combine the milk with coffee. 

• Add the dry ingredients to the butter mix (in 3 batches) alternating with the coffee-milk mixture(in two batches).

• Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake at 180C (350F) for about 45 minutes to an hour or till the cake is done and a skewer poked into the cake comes out clean. Sometimes, depending upon your cake tin and the oven, this cake might take about an hour to cook especially in the middle.
• Cool on a rack and serve.

snack

How to Measure in Baking

Measuring accurately is probably the most important cooking skill in the kitchen especially when you are baking. I have had some trouble with this earlier and so decided to make a post for future reference or for some poor souls who struggled like me.. :)
To begin, make sure that you have actual commercial measuring utensils.Measuring cups and measuring spoons are needed and try to get them in different measures i.e. cups in 1/4 cup, 1/3 cup, 1/2 cup, 1 cup, and 2 cup sizes and spoons usually range from 1/8 teaspoon, 1/4 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, 1 teaspoon, and 1 tablespoon.Approximating with your teacup or stainless coffee spoon is just not okay! For liquid ingredients, you need a graduated, clear, glass or plastic cup with a pouring spout.So here is a basic guide to measuring common ingredients.

• Flour
  Stir flour in the storage container or bag. Using a large spoon, lightly spoon flour from the container into the measuring cup. Do not shake the cup and do not pack the flour. Using the back of a knife or flat blade spatula, level off the flour even with the top edge of the measuring cup. Don't use the measuring cup to scoop the flour out of the container. 
• Baking powder and Baking Soda
  Stir in the container. Using the measuring spoon, lightly scoop out of the container. Use that knife to level off even with the top edge of the measuring spoon. 
• Granulated white Sugar
  Sugar is measured by scooping the cup or measuring spoon into the container or bag until it is overflowing, then leveling off with the back of a knife. Do not shake the cup and do not pack the sugar.  
• Brown Sugar
  This needs to be packed into the measuring cup. The sugar should retain the shape of the cup when it is dropped into the other ingredients.  
• Powdered Sugar
  Powdered sugar usually needs to be sifted to remove small lumps. It is measured by spooning the sugar into the measuring cup from the container, then leveling off with the back of a knife. 
• Liquid Ingredients
  Liquids need to be measured at eye level. Using the liquid measuring cup, pour the liquid into the cup. Then bend over so you are on the same level with the measuring marks. The liquid should be right at the mark, not above or below. 
• Semi-Liquid Ingredients
  Ingredients like sour cream, peanut butter, and yogurt are measured using dry measuring cups because they are too thick to be accurately measured in the liquid cups. Level off sour cream and peanut butter with the back of a knife.
• Shortening and Solid Fats
  Butter and margarine have measuring amounts marked on the sides of the paper wrapping. It is better to use the weight equivalent i.e.1 cup of butter equals 226 g.
• Liquid Ingredients in Spoons
  Make sure that you don't measure small amounts of liquid ingredients over the mixing bowl. It's just too easy to spill, and you don't want 2 teaspoons of almond extract when the recipe only calls for 1 teaspoon!  
• Dry Ingredients in Spoons
  Ingredients measured in these small amounts still have to be measured carefully. Overfill the measuring spoons and level off using the back of a knife for the most accurate amounts. Accurate amounts of ingredients like baking soda and powder are critical to the success of any baked product. 
• Chopped Ingredients
  Pay close attention to whether or not an ingredient is to be chopped or minced, and whether they are measured before chopping or after. Then they are placed in the measuring cup so the top is level with the ingredient.

Please read the entire recipe before you decide to cook and it is better to measure or weigh out all your ingredients, keeping them ready, before you begin.
When you bake cookies, cakes, breads, pie crusts, and candies, measuring accurately is really critical to the success of the recipe. When you are cooking casseroles, soups, stir fries, and meats, you can vary amounts more and the end result will still be good.

Custard Powder Cake

What would you do if a very dear friend gets transferred...... to some place miles and miles away... and you miss them so badly....
:) I usually have a habit of baking something to push away the gloom..(believing that the process of creating something takes my mind off the subject...:) Anyway...I decided to bake a cake (with some custard powder she had given me) and after searching the net for a recipe, I came across this one ..(and several others which were almost similar)... All recipes were eggless ones, very easy to make as you just mix all the ingredients together..no creaming, folding, etc...
The cake came out pretty well..not too sweet, rose well considering the fact that it contains no eggs..you can call it an eggless yellow cake. It can be layered with jam or some preserves and frosted with buttercream and made into a special dessert.
I think I'll try variations of this..maybe with an egg or some coffee flavour and let you know. Now I am posting this recipe which I picked from https://www.mydiversekitchen.com/recipe/egg-free-custard-powder-snack-cake-recipe  ...

 

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup vanilla flavoured custard powder
• 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1  tsp vanilla extract
• 150 gm butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup milk

This recipe makes one 8” cake or 8 to 10 servings.

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Grease an 8" cake tin with butter and line the base with wax paper.
   Put all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Use a wooden spoon and mix well.
2. Add the milk and the butter and beat with the spoon until you get a smooth batter.
3. Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake at 180C (350F) for about 45 minutes to an hour or till the cake is done and a skewer poked into the cake comes out clean. Sometimes, depending upon your cake tin and the oven, this cake might take about an hour to cook especially in the middle.
4. Cool on a rack and serve.snack

Leavening agents

A leaven is anything that produces bubbles in dough or batter, causing baked goods to rise.   Most breads rise because of yeast, which works by fermenting sugar, which in turn produces carbon dioxide.
Baking soda and baking powder are used to leaven quick breads, cookies, and muffins. Baking soda is alkaline and reacts with acid to create carbon dioxide bubbles that become trapped within the batter. It's sometimes used in batters that contain acidic ingredients, like buttermilk or molasses. If there's not enough acid in the batter, the recipe will instead call for baking powder, which combines baking soda with one or more acidic salts. When the baking powder becomes wet or sufficiently hot, the soda reacts with the salts and releases bubbles. Air bubbles can also be trapped in beaten egg whites, a technique used to leaven angel food or sponge cakes. 

* Recipes that call for both baking powder and baking soda are probably using the baking soda to offset extra acidity in the batter (from ingredients like buttermilk or molasses) and to weaken the proteins in the flour.  Omitting the baking soda from these recipes may alter the color or flavor of whatever you're baking, and make it less tender.