Baby food- plantain

Plantain is of banana family. I was introduced to this food by my husband. Its normally needs to be cooked before eating.As the plantain ripens, it becomes sweeter and its color changes from green to yellow to black, just like bananas. 

Mostly we ate plantain which were salted and fried (no wonder they taste good!). 

Ripe plantains can also be fried and eaten with black eyed beans cooked in palm oil; a popular dish in Nigeria.

"Steam-cooked plantains are considered a nutritious food for infants and the elderly. A ripe plantain is used as food for infants at weaning; it is mashed with a pinch of salt and is believed to be more easily digestible than ripe banana."

sourced from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantain_(cooking)>

This is the recipe which I'm going to write about today. My baby ate the boiled plantain , mashed and mixed with honey without a hitch.  Maybe your baby will also like it..and if she doesn't well u can gulp down the tasty stuff urself…it 'll work as a snack between meals.

Ingredients

Plantain- 1, peeled and cut into a few pieces

Water

Salt to taste

Honey- 1 tsp

Butter/Ghee- 1/2 tsp

 

Method

Heat water in a pan and add the plantain pieces into it. They should be immersed in the water. Add a pinch of salt and cover the pan with a lid. Do not cover it fully, but leave it open on one side to let the steam escape. Cook on medium flame.

When the water is approximately half, check the doneness with a fork or knife.

Take out the plantain pieces, mash them and add butter/ghee and honey. Mix well . When it cools to room temperature, feed it to the baby.

Baby Food- What to feed the baby?

Anybody with a baby can know the feeling which gets you when you see her/him sleeping peacefully in your arms. Its a perfect mix of love and contentment.


 You want to do everything which keeps the smile  on that face from fading. So, mothers do not give food to their babies, they feed love.


Sounds mushy?….well it is …and its true .
:)
In the quest to give my baby the right foods I've given her an array of mushy, gooey, pasty  (but healthy) things. Here I've made a list of those foods and she ate them too…..yes….seriously (Ok, sometimes coaxing is required….but mostly yes).


1. Suji kheer/ semolina pudding
2. Suji upma/ salted semolina (with veggies and without veggies)
3. Ripe banana (mashed)
4. Ripe avocado(mashed)
5. Ripe papaya (mashed)
6. Mango puree/ aamras
7. Banana and strawberry smoothie
8. Apple and banana smoothie
9. Dal-rice khichri/ lentil -rice porridge
10. Sheera
11. Home-made baby food mix (recipe by Anushruti)


 She gets bored with everyday gruel (I can't blame her.) I'm continually in search of new ideas to make her food more interesting. You are welcome to add to these ideas.

Sooji upma as baby gruel

Sooji upma is an amazing dish in itself. I love it. We make it almost every week as breakfast. 

Here I'm giving a recipe which I have adapted to suit my baby's need. It's easy and made quickly. Moreover, it can be improvised to suit the taste of each child. It is one of the staples in my kitchen.

Ingredients for 1 serving

1. Sooji - 2tsp
2. Ghee/clarified butter- 1tsp
3. Salt to taste
4. Jeera powder- 1 pinch
5. Haldi/turmeric powder- 1 pinch
6. Baby carrot-1 (boiled and mashed)
7. Peas-5-6 (boiled and mashed)
8. Onion- 1 tsp (grated)
9. Water - 2 tbsp

Method

1. Take a thick bottomed wok/Kadhai and put it on the flame. Put ghee and let it melt.
2. Boil the peas and peeled carrot in a pressure cooker and mash them. Do not drain any extra water.
3. Add sooji to the ghee and roast till it smells cooked and is slightly golden brown.
4. Add the onions , immediately follow by adding the mashed veggies and water.
5. Add salt, Haldi and jeera powder.
6. Combine everything and cook till it thickens on a medium low flame.
7. Serve hot or at room temperature.

 Other vegetables of your choice can also be added.

Sooji kheer/ Semolina milk pudding

Sooji kheer is one of the easiest things to make and is ready in a jiffy. It can be served hot as well as cold, depending on one's preferance. My baby loves this one so I make it practically everyday, hence I'm giving measures for a single serving. You might need to add more milk though, if you feel that its gotten too thick and adjust the sugar accordingly. The sooji has to be toasted but not burnt to get a proper flavor.

You need: (for 1 serving)

1. Sooji - 2tsp
2. Milk- 1/2 cup
3. Sugar- 1 tsp
4. Ghee/clarified butter- 1tsp
5. Cardamom- 1, peeled and crushed
6. Dry fruits (optional)- crushed almonds, cashews, pistachios etc.
7. Kesar/saffron- 1 strand (optional)

Method:

1. Take a thick bottomed wok/Kadhai and put it on the flame. Put ghee and let it melt.
2. Add sooji and roast it till a cooked smell comes and it is slightly golden brown.
3. Add milk and let it come to a boil. Lastly, add sugar and cardamom. (add kesar too, if you are using it)
4. Remove from flame and garnish with dry fruits.
5. Serve immediately or after cooling for a few hours in the refrigerator.

Pineapple crumble

An experiment with dessert.


I took a risk when we had guests over for dinner.


But, hey life is about taking risks…even foolish ones…:p


 (psst... I had a backup plan, a tin of Rasgullas..;)


Thankfully, this Tarla Dalal recipe did not disappoint.


You need:
1. 1&1/2 cups chopped freash pineapple
2. 2tbsp sugar
3. 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
4. 1/2 cup rolled oats
5. 3/4 tsp  cinnamon powder
6. 3/4 tsp nutmeg powder
7. 2 Tbsp butter+ butter for greasing the baking tray
8. 1 Tbsp chopped mixed nuts (optional)


How to make:
1. Combine the chopped pineapple with 1Tbsp of sugar and mix well. Keep the pan on fire and cook on slow fire till the fruit becomes soft.
2. Combine the flour, oats, butter ,cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder and remaining sugar and mix well using your fingers till the mix resembles bread crumbs.
3. Spread the pineapple in the greased oven proof tray. Sprinkle  the dry mixture evenly over this. Top with nuts.
4. Bake in pre-heated oven at 180 degree centigrade for 20-25 min. Till the topping is golden brown and serve hot.

Aamrus/ mango pudding

This is one of my favorite summer recipes. The scorching heat of summers had only one welcome respite.. MANGOES!!
 With mangoes arriving in big crates at home and made into "aamrus" in every single meal! I used to to ape my father by dunking 2-3 chunks of ice into it and relishing it to the last spoon (or lick in my case..:) ). Bliss.

The recipe is super simple and easy and basically if you have nice juicy mangoes, you can't go wrong with it. In my mom's version, milk and dry fruits were not a daily happening. Just mangoes, sugar and a little water would go a long way but my mom usually used ripe Alphonso/ Haphous variety which is the most juicy and flavorful variety of mangoes.

As I said, you can't go wrong if you have some ripe good quality mangoes.

Ingredients

1. Mangoes-2 small sized
2. Sugar- 1 tsp for sweet mangoes (you may need more for ones which are a  little sour)
3. Milk- 2 Tbsp
4. Dried fruits (optional)- chopped,for garnishing

Method

1. Peel the mangoes and remove the stone/seed.
2. Take the mango pulp, add milk and pluse it in a blender. (If you want mango chunks to remain then add less milk or just stop blending before its totally smooth)
3. Add sugar and blend again.
4. Pour into a bowl, garnish with nuts and enjoy!

PS: You can omit the milk and replace with water for a vegan version.
You can increase the quantity of milk and add ice to make a mango shake.
Diabetics can enjoy this by omitting sugar because the fruit itself is sweet enough. People with very high sugar will have to avoid it though.

Sheera / Halwa/ Sweet semolina pudding

There is something about the rainy weather. You feel nostalgic. 


You want to eat something hot/warm and gooey. 


The only word i can think of now is  Sheera. It is a thick-yet-flowing sweet goodness.


I like that....I feel like making it…


So let's get started.


Ingredients (1 serving)
1. Fine Semolina/ Sooji- 2 spoons (3 tsp)
2. Ghee (clarified butter)- 3tsp (if you want, you can put more)
3. Milk (full cream)- 50 ml+ additional to thin consistency
4. Almonds/ badam- 2-4 (make coarse powder by pounding)
5. Kesar /saffron- 1-2 strands
6. Green cardamom/elaichi-2, remove seeds and crush them
7. Sugar- 2 tsp




Method
1. Take a small thick bottomed kadhai/wok. Heat ghee in it.
2. Add sooji and cook while continuously stirring. It avoids burning of the semolina.
3. When the color and smell of sooji changes to a darker shade and a cooked smell then add milk and cook. The semolina will swell. If it gets too thick, add more milk. You can add water also.
4. Now add sugar and mix well.
5. Add kesar, badam and elaichi.




Footnotes:
Sheera is a common Indian sweet and you will find a number of variations to it.
6. Jaggary /gur also can be used instead of sugar.
7. Water can replace milk in the above recipe.
8. Other dry fruits like raisins, pistachios etc. can also be added to this recipe.
9. Whole wheat flour  can be used instead of semolina.
10. Some people add a small amount of rosewater to it to add a touch of royalty and beautiful fragrance.
11. You can soak saffron in warm milk before adding, I skipped the step.


Enjoy the wholesome goodness of this Indian sweet pudding and appreciate life.
Life is good.

Toasted sandwich with veggie curd filling

Yes, it looks like we are on a sandwich spree this month.
Am I complaining? Definitely no.


The weather here is turning rainy, which is a perfect excuse for making this toasted sandwich.
The curd filling somehow tastes like creamy mayo. How cool is that! :-)

So what are we waiting for ? Lets get started.


Ingredients
1. Bread slice of your choice (I used brown bread)- 4
2. Thick curd- 1/2 cup
3. Carrots- 2 small, grated or chopped finely
4. Capsicum- 1, chopped
5. Coriander leaves-2 tsp, chopped finely
6. Red onions- 1/2 chopped
7. Salt & pepper to taste
8. Sooji (Semolina) -1tsp (I used this when the curd was too runny)
9. Butter to toast




Method
1. Take the curd in a deep bowl and add all the veggies, salt, pepper and sooji (if required). Mix them.
2. Heat a skillet.
3. Apply butter to a slice. Put the curd mix on the other side (without the butter). Put this bread slice on the skillet; buttered side down.
4. Cover the sandwich with the 2nd bread slice and smear with melted butter on the top.
5. Let it cook on medium flame for a while.
6. Now comes the tricky step; you have to flip the whole sandwich to toast the other side. 
7. Alternatively, you can just cook one slice and cover it with pre-toasted slice of bread. Both ways it'll taste the same. Do the same with the remaining slices.
8. Serve hot with garam garam chai. :-))




Enjoy!

A Tasty Sandwich

A tasty Sandwich


Here's another staple..though the ingredients are very simple , they result in a very satisfying bite.
Yumm…..yes, we can say that for a sandwich  :-)


Ingredients (for 2 sandwiches)
1. Brown bread/ wheat bread/ multigrain bread- 4 slices
2. Cucumber- 1, thinly sliced
3. Tomato- 1 big, thinly sliced
4. Capsicum- 1, thinly sliced
5. Red Onion-1, thinly sliced
6. Mushrooms- 3-4 small, thinly sliced and sautéed in oil/butter
7. Olives-4, thinly sliced (I used pimento olives)
8. Lettuce- 4 leaves, washed and torn by hand
9. Salt-to taste
10. Pepper-to taste
11. Cheese spread- to spread on the slices- 4 tsp
12. Mustard sauce and ketchup (optional)


Method
1. Spread the cheese on the slice. You can use readymade cheese slices also.
2. Spread the layer of each vegetable ; onion, cucumber, tomato, capsicum, mushrooms and olives.
3. Add salt & pepper. Now cover with torn lettuce leaves.
4. Cover this with another slice of bread ( if you want you can put some ketchup/mustard sauce on this slice).
5. Serve with hot cocoa or tea.


Variations to the filling:
You can add corn instead of mushrooms. You can boil them instead of sautéing them.
Add dried herbs of your liking eg. sweet basil and mint.
If red onion is too pungent for you, take white onions.
To add more color use multicolored capsicum- red, yellow & green. If you have access to colored lettuce or cabbage , use that. Cabbage needs to be washed and blanched before use.
You can use mayonnaise instead of cheese spread but, I'm not a big fan.




If you have any more filling ideas for a tasty cold sandwich, I would love to give it a try.
Ciao ….shabba khair….bbye

Sandwich with Pita bread

I realized that my blog is flooded with cake and dessert recipes….not fair, since these are not the everyday cooking experiments which I undertake.


Let's change that.


Let's talk about sandwiches…everybody likes them. Easy to make and generally healthy ( no frying etc.).


Sandwiches are something which we make at least 2 times in a week for breakfast or brunch….or just like that. 
Regular white bread sandwiches are common and they taste good, but we (yup, my hubby gave the idea!) decided to change it a little and take Pita bread/Lebanese bread for our sandwich..which is like a rolled up, stuffed with veggies sandwich.


Ingredients (for 4 sandwiches)
1. Pita bread- 4
2. Cucumber- 1, chopped
3. Tomato- 1 big and firm, chopped
4. Capsicum- 1, chopped
5. Red Onion-1 small, chopped
6. Hummus- 4 tbsp
7. Olive oil- 2 tsp+ some to drizzle on salad
8. Lettuce- 4 leaves, washed
9. Salt-to taste
10. Pepper-to taste
11. Red chili powder- 1 or 2 pinch





























Method
1. Take all chopped veggies in a bowl, add salt and pepper to it. Drizzle a little olive oil on it.Herbs are optional. You can add mint, basil or thyme or whatever you fancy. I did add a little bit of dried sweet basil.
2. Take hummus and pour olive oil on it with little red chili powder and mix thoroughly with a spoon.
3. Take pita bread and spread hummus on it. Sprinkle vegetable salad on the centre, cover with lettuce and now fold the bread from both sides and the edges.
4. Heat a skillet or tava. Place the sandwiches on it and then lower the flame. Cook until toasted well.
5. Serve hot…no need for any other sauces unless you are a ketchup freak…:P

Birthday cake...Again!!!

I know its a cake again...but one can never have enough cake recipes...right!?

Right. That's settled then.

It was my friend's birthday…that means i just had to bake a cake.

Plus women like chocolate , so I made a chocolate cake. (yippee!!)

Orange and chocolate is a winning combination, no second thoughts about it.

So I donned my apron and made this cake for her.

Orange chocolate eggless cake

Ingredients

1. Flour/maida/whole wheat flour (take any one)- 1 &1/2 cup
2. Cocoa powder- 1/3 cup
3. Baking soda- 1 tsp
4. Brown sugar- 3/4 cup
5. Salt- 1/2 tsp
6. Butter- 75 gm (you can use 5 Tbsp olive oil also…I used butter)
7. Orange marmalade- 1/4 cup
8. Orange juice- 1 cup
9. Orange extract- 1 tsp

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven at 150 degrees Centigrade. Prepare the pan by greasing it with butter and dusting with flour (you can use cocoa powder to dust it too).
2. Take all the dry ingredients and mix in a bowl.
3. Mix juice, marmalade and melted butter in another bowl.
4. Add 1/2 of the dry ingredient mix to the wet ingredients  and mix well. Add the rest of the dry ingredients , mix well.
5. Add orange extract and mix well.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and keep it in the oven for 40-45 min or until the toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool the cake before cutting. You can dust it with icing sugar.

Enjoy!

Birthday and Fruit cake

I get excited about baking birthday cakes..... because you can be very elaborate with them. I take my time searching, bookmarking recipes, improvising, procuring stuff from the market, finding ways to dress it up....my whipping cream decorations are a far cry from perfection.

So, when I was thinking of making a devil's food cake with layers of creamy richness for my hubby's b'day....he threw a surprise at me....'no creamy stuff, no chocolate'

WHAT!

Did I hear well? no chocolate!!?? OMG . But all my bookmarked recipes have chocolate.

A quick survey of my fav blogs led me to this Orange cake by Soma of Ecurry.
Saved the day...:)

I've used a variety which is termed as "mausmi" in India...not the orange we generally use. I was not very sure of the results, but it came out a winner...yipeee

SERVES 10–12

INGREDIENTS

For cake 

1. 3 Mausmi
2. 2⅓ cups sugar
3. Unsalted butter, for greasing the pan
4. 2½ cups flour, plus more for pan
5. 2 tsp. baking powder
6. 1 tsp. baking soda
7. 1 tsp. orange extract
8. 3 eggs
9. 6 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

For glaze

1. ¼ cup fresh orange juice (I used packed juice)
2. ¼ cup confectioners' sugar

For garnish

1. 2 oranges, sliced in thin strips
2. 1/2 cup sugar
3. 1 cup water

INSTRUCTIONS

For cake 

1. Trim about ½" from the tops and bottoms of oranges; quarter oranges lengthwise. Bring 6 cups water to a boil and add oranges. Bring water back to a boil; drain. 

2. Repeat boiling process twice more with fresh water. 

3. Put oranges, 1 cup sugar, and 4 cups water into a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until sugar dissolves and orange rind can be easily pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes. 

4. Remove pan from heat and let cool to room temperature.

 5.Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9' round cake pan with butter and dust with flour; line pan bottom with parchment paper cut to fit. Set pan aside.

6. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside.

7. Remove orange quarters from syrup, remove and discard any seeds, and put oranges into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until oranges form a chunky purée, 10 to 12 pulses.

8. Add sugar, reserved flour mixture, orange extract, and eggs and process until incorporated, about 2 minutes.
9. Add olive oil; process until combined. 

10. Pour batter into prepared pan; bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes. 

For glaze

In a small bowl, whisk orange juice and confectioners' sugar to make a thin glaze. Remove cake from pan and transfer to a cake stand or plate. Using a pastry brush, brush orange glaze over top and sides of cake; let cool completely. 

For garnishing

Bring 3-4 cups water to a boil; add orange slices. Bring water back to a boil; drain. Repeat boiling process twice more with fresh water. Combine 1/2 cup sugar with 1 cup water in the pan and add the orange slices to the pan. Simmer at low to medium heat for about 15-20 minutes or until the the slices softens and the solution gets thick, syrupy and sticky. Remove oranges and reserve to garnish.

Garnish cake with confectioners’ sugar and orange slices.

I did not use icing sugar though. Good for me because the cake came out a little too sweet for my liking. I believe a little less sugar in the batter would make the cake taste even better....I've not tried it out though. If you do, please let me know how was it?

 

Dal dhokli/ Wheat flour dumplings with lentil mix

This is one of my favorite recipe. My mother used to make it, usually during cold days when the winters had not really settled in but the evenings and nights were chilly. A warm bowl of love....

Ingredients
For dal
Split moong chilka dal/ Green Gram dal- 1 katori
Chana dal/Bengal gram dal- 1spoon
Fresh ginger- grated, 1 spoon
Green chilli-1, chopped
Turmeric powder-1/4th tsp
Water- 2-3 katori

For dhokli
Whole wheat flour- 2 katori
Besan/Gram flour- 2 tbsp
Ghee/Clarified butter-1/2 katori approx
salt- to taste
Jeera/cumin seeds- 1/4 tsp

For tadka/tempering
Ghee/clarified butter- 2tsp
Red chilli powder-1/2tsp (adjust according to taste)
Jeera/Cumin seeds-1/2tsp

PS: katori is the household bowl in India and measurement differs from one region to another. The katori which I used holds about 150 ml of liquid.

Method

1. Take wheat flour , add all the ingredients for the dhokli and knead it. Use lukewarm water to make dough. Keep aside for 15-20 min. Knead with both hands to make the dough smooth and divide into small balls. Flatten the balls and make a hole in the middle (something like a very thin doughnut). If you make it thick, then it will not cook well.
2. Take all ingredients for the dal in a pressure cooker.
3. Add the prepared raw "dhokli" and close the lid of the cooker. 
4. The whole preparation should be ready after 3-4 whistles, but always remember cookers are different everywhere, also the water quality might differ and increase or decrease the cooking time. The best way to know if the dal dhokli is done, is to check the 'chana dal' for done-ness. 
5. When the 'dal dhokli' is done, then temper it just before serving.
6. Take ghee in a pan, put it on high heat. Add jeera and let it sizzle and brown. 
7. Add red chilli powder and turn this mix into the cooker. Take care that the chilli should not get burnt. This will give a lovely reddish tinge  and a beautiful aroma to the preparation. 
8. Serve hot.

 

Garlic bread- a trick recipe

Who is not fond of warm, fragrant garlic bread?? Add a little grated cheese and you have got a winner!!
 They are a perpetual accompaniment of the Italian dishes and we love them.


 I buy garlic bread from a local bakery but sometimes  they are out of stock.
Now what does a lazy foodie do?


Find a trick!


So here's what I do when I have to have garlic bread.
Make garlic butter, smear on ordinary bread and toast it and….eureka! 


Ingredients
1. Butter- melted, 1 tbsp
2. Garlic- 4-5 cloves, minced
3. Salt & pepper- to taste (the use is optional)
4. White bread-4 slices


Method
1. Mix garlic, salt and pepper in the butter
2. Apply this garlicky butter onto the bread. I spread about 1tsp of the mix onto the bread.
3. Place it on a non-stick skillet or tava. When one side it done, put the buttered side down and let it brown on a low flame.
4. Sprinkle shredded cheese and microwave it for melted cheesey and garlicky bread
5. Serve hot with your pasta or use it as a starter.

Naan/ White flour flatbread- Khana restaurant style

Let me admit it..I feel proud of myself that I could make this amazing restaurant staple at home..yipee!! And that too without oven…yes, I made it on stove top. Amazing, isn't it! I really have to thank recipe website by Nishamadhulika for this easy method, but I'll share my experience with you.

Naan- for the uninitiated, it’s a kind of soft, differently flavored  flatbread we associate with big wedding parties and restaurants in India. It's made in big clay ovens or "tandoor"  as we call it. These triangular naans go best with North Indian dishes like kadhai paneer, dal makhni, dal fry, butter chicken, mutton in rich gravy, palak paneer,dum aloo and the list goes on. Basically heavy (read, rich in fats and spices) gravies go well with naan.

Ingredients

White flour- 200gm

Curd- 100gm

Baking soda/soda bicarb/Khane ka soda- 1/4 tsp

Sugar-1/2 tsp

Salt-1/4th tsp

Oil- 2 tbsp

Lukewarm water- to make dough

Method

1. Take white flour/maida. Make a well in the centre.
2. Pour oil and curd in this well and also add the rest of the ingredients.
3. Mix thoroughly.
4. Add lukewarm water and knead till a soft, pliable dough is formed.
5. Keep covered for 2-3 hours in a warm place and let it rise. It should approximately double it's size.
6. Divide the dough into 8-10 portions. Keep a little white flour on the side in which you can roll the portions like we do to make chapati.
7. Roll one portion into a round. Apply butter on the edges and fold into a "D". Again apply butter onto the edges and fold to make a quarter of the circle. With a rolling pin extend this shape to make a triangular naan.
8. Heat a skillet/heavy tawa
9. Apply water on one side and place it on the skillet, water side down.
10. You will observe bubbles on the visible side…this indicates that its browning at the other side.
11. Remove from skillet and cook the other side (the bubbled one), on the flame directly.
12. Serve hot

Savory cheese pasta cups

Sometimes you need something new to add to your evening snack apart from cheese and crackers. These pasta cups were a perfect filler. Easy to make and tasty (its got cheese..right!). I would say a thumbs -up to it anytime.

Cheese Pasta Cups
Please serve freshly made ones, reheating makes them lose flavor.  
Adapted from eCurry

Ingredients:

1. 1 Cup Cooked Pasta: Boil the pasta as per instructions.( I used macroni..u can use shell or any other small sized pasta)
2. 1 Cup Grated/Shredded Cheese (Any Cheese or any combination of 2 or 3 cheeses – cheddar, parmesean, amul or britannia cheese cubes will also do) I used grated paneer alongwith cheese cubes.
3. 2 Tablespoons of whole wheat flour
4. Salt to taste
5. Black Pepper to taste
6. Herbs (optional- any herbs you want to use…. I used dried Parsely and a mix of Italian seasoning)
7. Garlic -3-4 cloves minced or grated

Preparation:

• Lightly grease muffin pans/cup cake liners or silicon cups.
• Combine all the ingredients above & spoon it into muffins pan or cup cake liners.
• Bake at 375 Degree F for about 15-20 minutes or till the cheese melts & start to brown on the top.
• Cool on a rack for about 10 minutes.
• Carefully take out the Pasta cups. Serve Warm.

Eggless Choco-orange cake with Nutella frosting

Happy new year!!

I know I've been absent from the blog space for a while now, but now I'm bacck! And we are starting this new year with this very celebratory choco-orange cake...yummm.


Choco-orange cake with nutella frosting
Adapted from Anushruti's cake 

Ingredients

200 gm (1 1/2 cups) plain flour (i use whole wheat flour, pre-milled)

50 gm (1/4 cup) cocoa powder( i used Hershey's)

30 gm (4 tbsp) fine sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda/ sodium bicarbonate

1 tin/400gm sweetened condensed milk ( Nestle)

150 gm butter melted

1 tsp Orange extract

250 ml  (1 cup) water

For soaking the sponge

Orange juice ( fresh or packed, i used packed)- 5 tbsp approximately, but you can use more if you wish to. I intend to use more next time.

Nutella frosting

 Nutella- 1/3 cup

orange extract - 1 tsp

Filling for layer

Pulp of 2-3 oranges (or mausmi/moshumbi)  - about 1/2 cup

Icing sugar- 25 gm (5-6 spoons approx.)

20 gm butter

Method

1. Grease and line the bases of cake tin with greaseproof paper/baking parchment/butter paper.

2. Assemble the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and baking soda, mix with a fork and sieve once to make the mixture uniform.

3. Preheat the oven at about 150 c/300F.

4. Add in the condensed milk, melted butter, vanilla and water. Beat with an electric hand mixer or whisk till the mixture is uniform and smooth and there are no lumps. Do not overbeat.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 50-60 min. or until a skewer or toothpick comes out clean.

6. After the cake is, allow to rest in their tins forsome time and then cool them by keeping them on a cooling rack.

7. When the cake is cooled, slice it from the middle and divide into 2 parts. Sprinkle the Orange juice. Keep both parts seperate and leave them overnight.

Filling

Mix all the ingredients together and leave it overnight.

Frosting

Put Nutella in the microwave for 10-15 sec to make it smoother in consistancy, add orange extract and whip it to mix well.

 Assemble the cake

Spread the filling on the bottom portion of the cake and place the upper part on it. Press gently. Now spread the nutella frosting on the top and sides with a flat spoon or butter knife. You can sprinkle a little icing sugar or white chocolate chips on it.

Devour the yummy cake...;)

enjoy