My Amazing Chocolate Beetroot Brownies

These came by apprehension, some very hardworking nerves and my love for chocolate.

Ingredients:

1. beetroot - 250 gm
2. unsalted butter - 50 gm. 
3. Dark chocolate bar - 100 gm, chopped roughly
4. caster sugar - 125 gm
5. 2 eggs
6. all purpose flour - 50 gm
7. dark, luscious cocoa - 12 gm

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 180 C

1. chop up the beetroot roughly, and in a big non-stick dish, place them with a little water, to cook them for about 15 min, till they are soft and tender 
2. tip in the cooked beetroot, the chopped chocolate and the butter into a blender and blend till it is a nice dark brown puree.
3. put the sugar and eggs in another bowl and whisk till the mixture is pale, thick and foamy.
4. add in the beet-chocolate mixture and fold in carefully. 
5. sift in the flour and cocoa
6. pour the mixture in to a lined brownie tin and bake for about 25-30 min. The cake tester may not come out exactly clean, but the top will be the crust that you see on a brownie.

Serve warm as it is, or with chocolate syrup, or with ice cream, or all three ways ! :)

Chocolate Splinter Muffin with Custard & Ganache

This was yesterday's dessert:
Ingredients:

1. Plain all purpose flour - 200 gm
2. Vegetable Oil - 75 gm
3. Buttermilk - 200 ml
4. Egg - 1 large
5. a pinch of salt
6. caster sugar - 75 gm
7. baking powder + Bicarb - 1 tspn
8. Pure vanilla essence - 1 tspn
9. Chocolate splinters - about a 100 gm or a little more
10. Home made custard - 100 ml (recipe follows later)
11. Chocolate Ganache - 50 ml (recipe follows later)

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 200C

1. mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. in another jug or dish, mix all the wet ingredients
3. mix wet into dry and pour into your muffin tins, bake for 20-30 min and let them cool a bit

you can prepare your custard in the morning, for the dessert at night.

Custard:

1. Milk - 500 ml
2. Custard powder - 2 tbspn
3. vanilla essence - 1/2tspn
4. caster sugar - 4 tbspn
5. zest of 1/2 lemon

Procedure:

Follow the procedure on the pack to make your custard, and chill it.

Chocolate Ganache

1. milk chocolate chips - 40 gm
2. fresh cream - 20 ml
3. skimmed milk - 20 ml
4. heat up the milk and cream till they start boiling, and then pour the mixture over the chocolate.
5. let the chocolate melt under the heat for about 2 min.
6. start stirring till everything becomes a good paste

serve as shown in the picture!

Triple Decker Sandwich

Ingredients:

1. Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread - 3 slices for 1 sandwich
2. low fat cheese - 2 slices
3. chilli tomato sauce - a squirt
4. mint leaves - a bunch - chopped finely
5. fresh thyme - a bunch ripped off the twig
6. cucumber - half - chopped into small pieces
7. onion - half - chopped into the same size as the cucumber
8. black kalamata olives - about 10
9. tomatoes - 1, seeds removed
10. carrots - chopped just like the cucumber and onions 

Procedure:

1. heat your grill or your toaster until hot enough.
2. meanwhile prepare your sandwich:

a. add all the chopped vegetables, including the mint and thyme leaves to a big mixing bowl and combine.

b. next take a slice of bread, place a slice of the cheese and place 2 tbspn of vegetables on it

c. top it with the second slice of bread 

d. place the next cheese slice and add the squirt of chilli tomato sauce

e. place more vegetables on top 

f. top it with the next slice

3. Now line your grill with a little butter/oil, and place this on the grill and toast till the sandwich stripes in gold

 on both sides.

Serve Hot !!  

Cold Sandwich

Ingredients

1. Sandwich bread 2 slices
2. Cucumber ½ - finely diced without seeds
3. Onion  -1 – finely diced
4. Mayonnaise  - 1 tsp
5. Salt and white  pepper to taste

Method

1. Cut the rim of the sandwich bread and cut it into half in triangle shape
2. In a bowl mix 2 – 5
3. Spread the mayonnaise mixture in the bread
4. Warp it up and chill the sandwich

Carrot cake

1. Vegetable oil – 140 ml

2. Light brown sugar – 200 gm

3. Grated carrot (weight when grated) – 300 gm

4. Raisins – 10 gm

5. Walnuts, chopped - 75 gm

6. Plain-all-purpose-flour – 180 gm

7. Soda bicarb + Baking soda – a little more than 1/2 tspn

8. Ground cinnamon – 1 tspn

9. Ground nutmeg – ½ tspn

10. 2 eggs

11. Vanilla essence – 1 tspn

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C.

2. Put all ingredients except the grated carrot and chopped walnuts in a processor and blitz till everything mixes.

3. Now switch off and fold in the grated carrots and walnuts.

4. Line a cake tin and pour the cake mixture in.

5. Bake at 150°C for about 1.25 hrs, till a knife comes out clean.

6. Let it cool on a plate.

Icing:
Ingredients:

1. Cream cheese – from the fridge – a little less than 250 gm

2. Zest of an orange

3. Butter – 50 gm

4. Vanilla essence – 1 tspn

5. Icing sugar - 275 gm

Note: After the cake cools completely, then put on the icing.

Procedure:

1. Put the ingredients in a processor and blitz on the whip mode, and get a smooth, thick paste.

2. With a butter knife, spread it on the cake.

3. Eat !!

Totally Chocolate – Chocolate Birthday Cake

I made this superb cake for my niece's birthday. It is the most gorgeous cake I have ever made! Sorry, I don't have the picture right now. Will post it later.

Ingredients

1. All purpose flour – 225 gm

2. Caster Sugar – 225 gm

3. Butter/Vegetable Shortening – 225 gm

4. Eggs – 4

5. Double Action Baking soda/powder – 1 tspn

6. Vanilla Essence – 2 tspns

7. Chocolate Liquor – 2 tspns

8. Dark Cocoa Powder – 2 tbspns (30 gm)

9. Dark Chocolate chips or Dark Chocolate chopped into small pieces – 75 gm

10. unsalted butter – 150 gm

11. Icing Sugar – 50 gm

12. Whipping Cream/Double Cream – 1 cup

13. Milk – 2 tbspns

Procedure:

Preheat your oven to 200C

1. In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients and keep aside.

2. In another mixing bowl, whisk the butter and sugar till a little pale and then add in the eggs one by one.

3. Add in the vanilla essence and liquor

4. Add the flour mixture little by little until everything is combined.

5. Add milk if you feel the batter is a little lumpy. For this cake, the batter has got to be between lumpy and loose. So, too lumpy a batter may give you a hard cake.

6. Now put all the batter in your cake tin and bake for 25-30 min, until a cake tester comes out clean

7. After the cake cools down completely, turn it out of the tin, and cut it horizontally into two sandwiches.

Icing:

1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl, on a bowl of boiling water.

2. Kepp aside to cool

3. Next put the soft butter in a bowl and add the icing sugar to it.

4. Whisk till the butter-sugar mixture is pale

5. Add in the melted chocolate and mix well. Whisk again, if you like.

6. Now start by icing the bottom sandwich part of the cake. Stay around the centre and slowly spread towards the edges.

7. Then place the top part of the sandwich and start icing on top.

8. Ice the sides too

9. Decorate with blobs of cream (and cherries)

Serve cold.. !!

Cinnamon Buns

And ladies, I am back!! :)

Ingredients:

1. All Purpose Flour - 300 gm
2. Sugar - Superfine caster - 50 gm
3. a pinch of salt
4. dry yeast - 12.5 gm
5. Veg Oil - 50 gm
6. Milk @ room temp - 200 gm
7. Egg - 1
8. Butter - unsalted - 75-100gm
9. Sugar - 100 gm C
10. Cinnamon powder - 2 tbspns

Procedure:

1. Put all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. In another bowl, whisk int he wet ingredients till they combine.
3. Now add wet ingredients to the dry
4. slowly combine and then use your hands to make a soft dough
5. Let it rest and rise for about 30-40 min.
6. Preheat oven @ 230C
7. Punch it down and roll out into rolls, but taking small portions of the dough. (2/3rd of the dough)
8. Now melt the butter, let it cool and add in the sugar and cinnamon. And brush it on these rolls inside, before rolling.
9. with the rest 1/3rd, roll it out onto your baking tray that is greased, and then place these rolls on the doughy surface.
10. Let them rise again for about 10 min.
11. Bake for about 20-25 min, till they appear golden on the outside .

Pluck them and eat!

Peanut Butter - Olive Oil Breakfast Muffins For Instant Gratification

Ingredients:

1. 125 g - All Purpose Flour
2. 125 g - Super fine caster sugar
3. 75 g - Olive oil
4. 50 g - Crunchy Peanut Butter
5. 1 tspn - baking powder
6. 2 tbspns - Golden Syrup
7. 2 - eggs
8. 2 tbpsns - Milk (Room Temp)
9. 1 tspn - Vanilla Essence

Procedure:

Preheat oven @ 200C

1. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl
2. In another bowl whisk all wet ingredients till they are combined
3. Combine Wet into Dry, till a lumpy batter in formed. Don't mix too much though
4. Now add the milk
5. Bake for 25-30 min

Serve Warm with a cup of milk ! These are excellent breakfast treats. But can be enjoyed anytime of the day

Victoria Sponge Cake with Kiwis and Cream

Victoria Sponge cake with Kiwis and Cream

Ingredients:

1. All-purpose Flour - 200 gm
2. Veg Oil - 225 gm
3. Caster Sugar - 225 gm
4. Corn Flour - 25 gm
5. Baking powder+Bicarb - 1 1/2 tspn
6. Eggs - 4
7. Butterscotch extract - 1 tspn
8. Milk - at room temp - 2-3 tbspn

Procedure:

1. Use a processor or traditionally, combine wet to dry ingredients and bake in 2 sandwich tins at 180 C for about 25-30 min.

2. Take out, cool for 10 min, turn over and peel off the parchment paper.

3. Now let them cool completely and fill it up with creme` fresh and cut kiwis

Chocolate Anniversary Cake

Cake:
Ingredients:
1. Flour – 200 gm
2. Caster Sugar – 200 gm
3. Vegetable Oil – 175 gm
4. Baking powder – 1 ½ tspn
5. Cocoa powder – 2 tbspns
6. Eggs – 2
7. 1 tspn – vanilla extract
8. Sour cream – 150 ml
Process:
1. Preheat the oven @ 180 C , and butter and line 2 tins with parchment paper.
2. Put all the ingredients in your processor and blitz.
3. Now divide your batter equally in the 2 tins
4. Bake for 35 min.
5. Allow the cakes to cool for about 10 min, and turn them over to peel off the parchment paper.
6. Turn one cake upside down, and leave the other as it is.
Icing
Ingredients:
1. Unsalted butter – 75 gm
2. Dark chocolate chips – 175 gm
3. Icing sugar – 300gm or a little less
4. Sour cream – 125 ml
5. Golden syrup - 1 tbspn
6. Vanilla essence – 1 tspn
Process:
1. Melt the chocolate (and butter) on a bowl of simmering water. Let it cool completely
2. In your food processor, blitz the icing sugar once to remove any possible lumps.
3. Into the cooled melted chocolate add in the golden syrup, sour cream and vanilla essence. Fold in and whisk
4. Add the mixture to the icing sugar, process till everything combines.
Your icing is ready!
When the cakes cool completely, sandwich them, spread some cream in between them and on top and decorate with more chocolate, or other toppings!

Mocha Cake

This is actually more of a muffin recipe than a cake recipe. But, what the heck! Anything that is tasty and eatable can be made at any time, any day. It comes as a closely made cake that is so tasty and even a tiny bit chewy. The biscuit crumbs as a topping gives a very crunchy bite that is really enjoyable!
Ingredients:
1. All-purpose-flour – 125 gm
2. Caster Sugar – 100 gm
3. Dark Brown Sugar (Demerera Sugar) – 25 gm
4. Unsalted Butter – 125 gm
5. 2 tbspns of Milk (Room Temperature)
6. 2 eggs
7. Baking Soda – 2 tspns
8. 2 tspns instant coffee powder
9. 2 tspns cocoa powder
10. Vanilla Essence – 2 tspns
11. Chocolate Biscuit crumbs – of 2 biscuits

Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C.
2. Put everything in the processor – except the milk, and blitz.
3. While blitzing pour in the milk and continue blitzing till everything mixes up thoroughly.
4. Fold in some of the biscuit crumbs and scatter some on top of the cake when you pour into a greased cake tin.
5. Bake at 200C, for about 20-30 min, till a cake-tester comes out clean.
Best delicious when eaten warm!

Buttercream Chocolate Birthday Cake

I made this for K's birthday - April 13th, 2010. It came out awesome!!

Cake:
Ingredients:

Plain Flour - 200 gm
Castor Sugar - 200 gm
Vegetable Oil - 225 gm
4 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Butterscotch Extract
3 tbsp - Custard powder
2- 3 tbspns milk at room temp.

Procedure:

Preheat your oven at 180C

1. Put all ingredients except the milk in your food processor. When
2. When the batter combines, add in milk through the funnel so that the cake batter becomes of dropping consistency.
3. Grease and Line two cake tins and divide the batter into two equal parts.
4. Bake for about 20-30 min.
5. Let them cool for about 10 min and then invert them and peel off the paper.

Let them cool further.

Butter Cream Icing:

Ingredients:

125 gm Icing sugar
4 tspn custard powder
75 gm butter
1 1/2 tspn boiling water

Procedure:

Combine the sugar and custard powder in your mixer, and then add in the butter. To make it spread-able add in the boiling water.

You need to spread this butter cream icing in between the two sandwiched cakes.

Chocolate Icing:

100 gm - Chocolate chunks or chips
60 ml water
125 gm castor sugar. I use a little less, as I prefer a slightly non-sugary icing.
2 tbspn golden syrup- I use more than 2 big squirts!
1 - 2 tbspn of edible glitter or chocolate wormies

Combine the water, Golden syrup and sugar - let it come to a boil. Take it off the heat.

Now add in the chocolate chunks and swirl but dont stir at this point.

Let it all melt and let it cool for about 20 min. By this time the chocolate icing is thick and ready to spread over your lovely cake.
Whisk you icing in the end, to combine all together. Spread it over.

Stick in candles, sing and EAT!!

Simple Sweet and Salt Cut-out Cookies

This is one saver in times when you doubt yourself about baking. This recipe assures you again and again that you are GOOD at baking! :)

These are simple sweet and salt cookies, and they taste good in whatever color they turn out - So, don't really worry if they turn out a little more than golden. Its perfectly fine. They are COOKIES, come on! They are supposed to be homely. Eat them when they

The best thing I like about cookies though, is the smell of baking that wafts through my home. I made these on Tuesday and even shared them wit my sweet neighbors, and in like 2 minutes I got a message from them that they were awesome! :D So, what can I say.. I love them so much -- I mean I love my cookies! :)

Ingredients:

1. 2 1/4 cups (295 gm) - All purpose flour
2. 1 cup (226 gm) - Unsalted butter
3. 2/3 cups (135 gm) - Castor sugar
4. 1 egg (Sorry Sushu.. Cant help but use 1 egg! The texture is not good otherwise:) )
5. Vanilla essence - 1 tspn
6. Lemon essence - 1 tspn
7. Lemon zest - of 1 lemon
8. 1/4 tspn - salt
9. 1/4 tspn - baking powder / bicarb

Procedure:

1. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl, till pale and soft.

This may sound a little more tedious than usual, or my other cake recipes, but trust me, it helps.

2. Add in the egg, vanilla essence, lemon essence and lemon zest in this mixture. Stir well till they combine.

3. In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients - flour, salt and baking powder.

4. Add dry ingredients to wet ones.

5. Make a good dough - add little more flour if you feel the dough is really falling apart.

6. Wrap the dough in cling and store it in the fridge for about an hour.

7. Take it out and roll in into a disc about 1/2 inch thick. Cut it out into different beautiful shapes with your cookie cutters

8. Grease a cookie tray with butter, preheat the oven at 200C and bake for 15-20 min.

9. Cool on a wire rack till cool and hard

10. EAT !

Pictures will follow - as I am making them again this week :)