Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 c whole-wheat flour OR All-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c unsalted butter , at room temperature
1 c sugar
1 c mashed ripe banana (2 large bananas)
2 eggs
Few Chocolate chips
1/2 c chopped Almonds (optional)
1 Tbs cinnamon (optional)

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8 1/2” loaf pan.
2. In a medium bowl stir and toss together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until blended. Beat in the banana, then beat in the eggs until completely mixed; don’t worry if the mixture looks curdled — this is only because of the moisture in the mixture, and is not a flaw.
4. Stir in the nuts. Add the combined dry ingredients and stir just until blended.
5. Spread evenly in the prepared pan. Sprinkle some chocolate chips on top.
6. Bake until a thin wooden skewer inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, 45-50 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!!!

Chocolate Cake with roses on top

Cake just out of Oven

Icing Rosettes made by me

White Icing Rosettes made by me

Creamy Frosting/icing

Cake in the making

The Final Touch - The Borders

Final Product ~ Cake for my lil one's 1st Birthday

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE:

• 200g plain flour
• 200g caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 40g best-quality cocoa
• 175g soft unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
• 150ml sour cream

FOR THE ICING:

• 75g unsalted butter
• 175g best quality dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
• 300g icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon golden syrup
• 125ml sour cream
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
• Rosettes made from Frosting, optional

Method

1. Take everything out of the fridge so that all the ingredients can come to room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C and line and butter two 20cm sandwich tins with removable bases.
3. Now all you have to do is put all the cake ingredients - flour, sugar, baking powder and bicarb, cocoa, butter, eggs, vanilla and sour cream - into a food processor and process until you have a smooth, thick batter. If you want to go the long way around, just mix the flour, sugar and leavening agents in a large bowl and beat in the soft butter until you have a combined and creamy mixture. Now whisk together the cocoa, sour cream, vanilla and eggs and beat this into your bowl of mixture.
4. Divide this batter, using a rubber spatula to help you scrape and spread, into the prepared tins and bake until a cake tester, or a thin skewer, comes out clean, which should be about 35 minutes, but it is wise to start checking at 25. Also, it might make sense to switch the two cakes around in the oven halfway through cooking time.
5. Remove the cakes, in their tins, to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before turning out of their tins. Don't worry about any cracks as they will easily be covered by the icing later.
6. To make this icing, melt the butter and chocolate in a good-sized bowl either in the microwave or suspended over a pan of simmering water. Go slowly either way: you don't want any burning or seizing.
7. While the chocolate and butter are cooling a little, sieve the icing sugar into another bowl. Or, easier still, put the icing sugar into the food processor and blitz. This is by far and away the least tedious way of removing lumps.
8. Add the golden syrup to the cooled chocolate mixture, followed by the sour cream and vanilla and then when all this is combined whisk in the sieved icing sugar. Or just pour this mixture down the funnel of the food processor on to the icing sugar, with the motor running.
9. When you've done, you may need to add a little boiling water - say a teaspoon or so - or indeed some more icing sugar: it depends on whether you need the icing to be runnier or thicker; or indeed it may be right as it is. It should be liquid enough to coat easily, but thick enough not to drip off.
10. Choose your cake stand or plate and cut out four strips of baking parchment to form a square outline on it (this stops the icing running on to the plate). Then sit one of the cakes, uppermost (ie slightly domed) side down.
11. Spoon about a third of the icing on to the centre of the cake half and spread with a knife or spatula until you cover the top of it evenly. Sit the other cake on top, normal way up, pressing gently to sandwich the two together.
12. Spoon another third of the icing on to the top of the cake and spread it in a swirly, textured way (though you can go for a smooth finish if you prefer, and have the patience). Spread the sides of the cake with the remaining icing and leave a few minutes till set, then carefully pull away the paper strips.
13. Top this with Rosettes and border the cake if you like.

Enjoy!!!

I got this recipe over internet by Nigella Lawson and thought of giving it a try and it was a hit :) I changed few things like adding 1/2 cup of Cocoa powder to the Icing as i thought it was slightly sweeter and also gave it personal touch in decoration as i wanted it to be special for my lil ones 1st Birthday.

Paneer Crostini my way - Healthy way

Today morning when i was making Paneer Paratha for Aditya's Lunch box i had preserved some mixture for myself to eat.... Later when it was time for me to eat - i was bored of eating that Paneer Paratha. I somehow dont like such things not because i'm calorie watcher (which many people think i'm - but to be very honest i'm not, its just the liking and disliking about some foods). Anyways, i decided to try something Easy, Healthy and filling for myself than a paratha :)

Here is the Recipe:
Ingredients- as per servings for 2 i.e. 4 slices of bread
Paneer - mashed - 1/2 cup
Finely Chopped Onion
Finely Chopped Coriander leaves
Salt as per taste
Red Chilli powder as per taste
Italian Bread or any footlong Bread
Tomato Sauce
Mustard Sauce


Method-

• Mix all the ingredients except the bread, mustard sauce and tomato sauce in a container
• Cut the bread into slices
• Put the mixture on to the slices so that most of the portion of the bread is covered
• Garnish it with Tomato and Mustard Sauce as per your taste
• Preheat the oven at 300 degree F for 3-4 mins
• Grill / broil the slices for 5 mins or till they start turning brown

Enjoy your snack with coffee / tea or whatever you like :) This is a Oil-free dish as i dont believe in adding Oil in each and every dish.

This can be a good snack / starter item too and you can do as many variations with this one. Try your imagination and let me know :)

Have fun!
Richa

Apple Pie

This recipe is time consuming so plan properly before you start. The most boring task in this recipe is cutting slices of Apple :) if you can delegate it well and good or else put some songs atleast :D

Well this recipe is divided into 3 parts - Pie Crust, Pie Mixture and Combining the two for baking.

Pie Crust-
Ingredients:
2.5 cups of All purpose flour
1 tspn salt
1 tspn sugar
1 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
9-10 tbspn of water, if required little more

Method:

• Mix salt, sugar, butter in the all purpose flour and mix properly
• Add water slowly as required to make the dough
• Knead properly and make it soft. It should not be loose.
• Cover it with cling film and store in refrigerator for 1-2 hrs
• Divide the dough into 2 parts and roll them with a rolling pin. Each pie crust should not be too thin or too thick.
• Keep them aside for later use. Make these pie crust from dough right when you are making the mixture. Making them in advance and storing them will them hard.

Pie Mixture-
Ingredients:
3/4 th cup Sugar
1/2 tspn each of Cinnamon powder, Nutmeg powder and cloves powder
5 to 6 Apples - Sliced, not very thin
1-2 tbspn Milk
1-2 tbspn Sugar - this is for different purpose, so dont mix this with the upper one

Method:
In a container, Mix Apple slices, 3/4th cup sugar
To this add cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder and clove powder

Final Step-

• Take a round Baking dish and grease it with some butter. Sprinkle some all purpose flour on it. Then place one Pie Crust on it
• Then place the Pie mixture on top of this and cover with the other Pie Crust
• Put layer of 1-2 tbspn Milk on top of this to retain the moisture
• Sprinkle 1-2 tbspn of Sugar on this to get a caramelized top crust
• Give some cuts to let the steam pass
• Preheat the oven at 400 degree F for 5-6 mins
• Place the baking dish at the same temperature for 40-45 mins. Keep monitoring. You can stop when the upper crust is golden brown.

After taking it out, let it cool down a bit and Enjoy your Apple pie with a cuppa coffee or anything you like :)

Enjoy !!!
Richa

Baked Chicken with Spinach and Corn

Ingredients-

1 bunch Spinach
250 gms Chicken boiled and shredded .
1 cup Corn kernels
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
Mozzarella cheese (grated) – Handful is good enough :)
2 cup Milk
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp Butter
6 tbsp All purpose Flour

Method-

• Cut, wash and boil the spinach leaves.
• Boil the chicken and shred it.
• In a non sticking pan add butter Once it melts add All purpose Flour to it and saute it for sometime till you get cooked smell. You will get this in 1 min or so and the flour also starts turning brown. Make sure it remains white and not brown :)
• Cool the mixture, then add Milk to this. Take care that no lumps should be formed. Then add this mixture to the pan, sprinkle salt,pepper After stirring for sometime remove the pan and set it aside.our white sauce is ready now. You will come to know that your sauce is ready when it starts getting thick. Dont make it too thick like a paste. It should be medium so you can pour it over the baking dish.
• Preheat oven at 300 c for 5 mins.
• Take a baking dish , add mashed spinach,chicken,corn,salt,pepper, white sauce and cover it with grated mozzarella cheese.
• Bake it in the oven for 20-30 minutes over 300 c.
• Keep it on Broil / Grill for 2 – 3 mins so that cheese melts and crust is formed.
• Serve hot with garlic bread and some Drink ;)

Enjoy your dish – To make this vegetarian, add more vegetables like Brocolli, Peppers etc :)

Richa