Egg less Whole Wheat Cake

Poonam is a teacher and an artist who makes as delicious food as she makes beautiful paintings. Her passion lies in her uncanny knack of getting both her passion right to a T. Good food and awesome paintings are what you find at her place.

Ingredients
2 cups atta / whole wheat flour
1-2 cups shakar or gur (depending on your taste).
1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 Tbsp soda bicarbonate (meetha soda)
2 Tbsp cinnamon
3/4 cup refined oil
1 cup curd
Water (To be added according to the consistency of the batter.)Walnuts / raisins / figs - for garnishing (Optional)

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees C.
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Blend the curd and oil together in another bowl.
Then mix the dry ingredients into this bowl and blend well.
Bring it to dripping consistency, adding water if needed.
Oil the bottom of a baking dish and bake at 170 degrees C or 350 F for 45 min.. while checking at intervals.
Cut and serve when cool.

Gulab Jamun

Poonam is a teacher and an artist who makes as delicious food as she makes beautiful paintings. Her passion lies in her uncanny knack of getting both her passion right to a T. Good food and awesome paintings are what you find at her place.

Ingredients
1 cup Carnation Milk Powder
1/2 cup Bisquick - Pancake mix (Instead of Bisquick Pancake mix, use 1/2 cup all purpose flour and 1/2 tsp baking soda)
2 tablespoons butter -melted
Whole milk just enough to make the dough
2 cups Sugar
1 cup water
Oil for frying

Method

• Make the dough by combining the milk powder, Bisquick, butter. Add just enough whole milk to make a medium-hard dough. 
• Divide the dough into 18-20 portions.
• Make balls by gently rolling each portion between your palms into a smooth ball. Place the balls on a plate. Cover with a damp yet dry kitchen towel.
• Heat the oil on high and then lower the heat to medium.
• Slip in the balls into the hot oil from the side of the pan, one by one. They will sink to the bottom of the pan, but do not try to move them. Instead, gently shake the pan to keep the balls from browning on just one side.
• After about 5 mins, the balls will rise to the surface. The Gulab Jamuns should rise slowly to the top if the temperature is just right. Now they must be gently and constantly agitated to ensure even browning on all sides.
• If the temperature of the oil is too high then the gulab jamuns will tend to break. So, adjust the temperature to ensure that the gulab jamuns do not break or cook too quickly.
• The balls must be fried very slowly under medium temperatures. This will ensure complete cooking from inside and even browning.
• The syrup should be made earlier and kept warm. To make the hot sugar syrup add mix the 2 cups of sugar to 1 cup of water. Add 4-5 cardamom pods, slightly crushed and a few strands of "Kesar". Mix with a spoon and then heat at medium heat for 5-10 minutes until sugar is all dissolved in water. Do not overheat, that will caramelize the sugar.
• Transfer this hot syrup into a Corning serving dish. Keep warm on stove. Add the fried gulab jamuns directly into the warm syrup. 
• Leave gulab jamuns in syrup overnight for best results. They can be served warm or at room temperature.

 

 

Badam Phirni Recipe

Poonam is a teacher and an artist who makes as delicious food as she makes beautiful paintings. Her passion lies in her uncanny knack of getting both her passion right to a T. Good food and awesome paintings are what you find at her place.

Ingredients
12 nos. Almonds
4 tablespoons Rice flour
21/2 cups Milk
5 tablespoons Sugar
8 strands Saffron
1 teaspoon Cardamom powder
Method

• Blanch and grind the almonds to a fine paste with 1/2 cup milk. Mix together the ground almond paste and rice flour and keep aside. 
• Bring the milk to a boil. Add the sugar and stir till the sugar dissolves. Keep aside a tablespoon of hot milk and dissolve the saffron in it. Add the almond-rice mixture into the boiling milk along with the saffron.
• Stir continuously for a few mintues till the milk thickens and attains a custard-like consistency. Sprinkle in the cardamom powder. Take off fire and cool to room temperature. 
• Pour into individual bowls, garnish with almonds and pistachios and refrigerate.

Tiramisu Sponge Cake

This recipe was contributed by Dr Kripa who loves to cook. From Indian to Italian she can cook a storm in her kitchen. She tried this recipe from another website and this is how it came out!

Ingredients

For the sponge (Genoise) cake
3 whole eggs
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup plain flour, sifted
2 Tbsp butter, melted

For the coffee mixture
2/3 cup of strong Espresso coffee
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 cup Marsala wine or brandy

For the Mascarpone cream
1/2 pound Mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup superfine (icing) sugar
2 large egg yolks
3 Tbsp Marsala wine, Cognac or Brandy

For the whipped cream
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp powdered (icing) sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 ounce chilled dark chocolate, finely chopped (you can use a food processor)

Directions

To make the Genoise cake
Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9 inch diameter round cake pan or 8 inch by 8 inch rectangular cake pan with vegetable oil and lightly dust with cake flour. Beat the eggs and 1/3 cup of sugar at medium speed in a double boiler over very hot water, until the mixture is smooth and pale yellow in color. Add the remaining 3 Tbsp of sugar and beat at high speed until the mixture reaches a consistency that forms ribbons when poured. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla extract, and slowly fold in the cake flour. Fold in the melted butter. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake at 350° F for 30 to 40 minutes

Remove from the oven and immediately turn the cake out of the pan onto a wire rack to cool.

To make the coffee mixture
Mix the sugar into the coffee. Evaporate down (by boiling) the coffee-sugar mixture until only 1/3 cup remains. Add the Marsala wine or brandy and stir.

To make the Mascarpone cream
In a bowl, beat the sugar into the Mascarpone cheese until well blended. Add the 2 egg yolks and Marsala, Cognac or brandy and beat more, until the mixture is smooth.

To prepare the whipped cream
In a bowl add the whipping cream, sugar and vanilla essence and stir until ingredients are blended. Beat the mixture with an electric mixer until glossy and stiff.

Tiramisu Assembly
Slice the Genoise cake in half, to make two cakes of half the original height.

Place the first slice of the Genoise cake at the bottom of a serving bowl or pan and sprinkle half of the coffee mixture over it. Spread half of the Mascarpone creme on the cake, using a spatula. Spread half of the whipped cream over the Mascarpone cream and sprinkle half of the chocolate gratings over the whipped cream.

Put the second slice of the Genoise cake on top and repeat the above procedure with the coffee mixture, Mascarpone, whipped cream and chocolate gratings to finish the Tiramisu.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Pista Ice Cream

This recipe is contributed by Aparna Bhave Tawde, an avid cook and mom. 

Ingredients

1cup evaporated milk (beaten for 2 min), 

1cup condensed milk

6 cardamoms

Half cup whipping cream

10 pistachios crushed or sliced

Method

Mix everything together till smooth and freeze in individual containers.

Ready in 2 hours! 

Top with few sliced pistas before serving

Strawberry Delight

This recipe is contributed by Aparna Bhave Tawde, an avid cook and mom.

This recipe is quick and delicious and also looks colorful and has jello like consistency. 

Ingredients

Strawberry Jello -2 packets

1 can evaporated milk

Some strawberries for decorative purposes

Whipping cream for decorative purposes

Method

1. Mix strawberry jello (2 small packs)as per pack instructions but cool in fridge for only half hour to 45 min until its cool but not set. 
2. In a large bowl, whip 1 can of cold evaporated milk for 5 min 
3. Add the cool jello and whip again till it doubles in size this takes about 5-8 min . 
4. Put back in fridge till set. 
5. This takes probably 3 hrs. 
6. Before serving top it with sliced strawberries and whipping cream.

 

Bread Barfi

Poonam is a teacher and an artist who makes as delicious food as she makes beautiful paintings. Her passion lies in her uncanny knack of getting both her passion right to a T. Good food and awesome paintings are what you find at her place. 

Ingredients :

2 cups soft breadcrumbs
1 cup milk
1 grated coconut
1 cup sugar
4 table spoons oil
pink color as required
2 or 3 drops rose essence
8 to 10 chooped cashewnuts

Method :

Soak bread crumbs in milk for about 10 minutes.
Combine coconut and sugar, stir over a low fire till the sugar melts.
Add the soaked breadcrumbs and stir till well mixed (for about 5 to 7 minutes).
Add oil and continue stirring till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.
Add coloring, essence and cashewnuts and mix well till the color is evenly blended.
Turn the mixture onto a greased tray and spread it evenly.
Allow it to cool and then cut into desired shapes.
Makes 22 pieces (2"x1").

 

We liked and Shared: Pink Almond Spekulatius Barfi

We liked and Shared are posts from other blogs that we found very innovative and wanted to share with you all so for this week we pick: a unique recipe taken from the Blog: Whats For Lunch Honey by Mowie.

Pink Almond Spekulatius Barfi

Ingredients

200ml sweetened condensed milk (you can make this yourself by boiling down 400ml of milk with 150g sugar for 30 minutes, stirring constantly, or you could just buy the ready made version)
100g butter
450g finely chopped almonds (you can also use pistachios or a combination of the two)
1tsp ground ginger
1tsp ground cinnamon
1tsp ground cardamom
[optional] 2tsps natural pink food colouring (for this recipe I used organic beetroot juice)

Method

1. Heat condensed milk in a large, deep pot on a medium to high heat, stirring constantly to make sure it doesn't burn. 
   
   
2. Add the butter, colouring and spices, and keep stirring. 
   
   
3. Add the almonds and stir until the mixture forms a ball in the pan. If the mixture is still too liquid or sticky, add more almonds. 
   
   
4. Plate the mixture into dessert dishes. 
   
   
5. Refrigerate and serve cold with sprinkled almonds or pistachios. The colder the burfi, the better it tastes!

Note: If using pistachios, you might want to consider leaving out the food colouring as the nuts will naturally turn the burfi green.

Vermicelli Kheer

Poonam is a teacher and an artist who makes as delicious food as she makes beautiful paintings. 
Her passion lies in her uncanny knack of getting both her passion right to a T. Good food and awesome paintings are what you find at her place. 

Ingredients
1cup Roasted Vermacili
1.5 liter Milk
½ tsp. Cardamom Powder
½ tsp. Saffron
Dry fruit and resins

Method
Boil the milk in a broad mouth pan add the roasted Vermicelli and sugar to taste. Let it boil till thick. Dissolve saffrom in 1tsp. Water. Add cardamom and saffron to the thick vermacelli and milk mixture Garnish with soaked almonds and resins.