Mixed Berries Frozen Yogurt.....for berry lovers

After seeing frozen yogurts on Deeba's and Purple foodie's blog i really wanted to try making one at home, though i dont own an ice cream maker machine i thought i'll give it a try as it works fine without it as well. I didnt have many strawberries at home but i did have raspberries and blue berries so i thought why not lets Mix N Match and I made this Mixed berries frozen yogurt. The original recipe is from David Lebovit's.

Verdict...I absolutely loved the creamy texture and the sweet and sour taste of berries :)  I have also used vanilla sugar which gives in nice vanilla kick. This is definately must a try....Sending this to My Favorite Things Event - Frozen Desserts  guest hosted by Aquadaze an event started by Bindiya

Ingredients

250 gms mixed berries (I used raspberries, blueberries, strawberries)

250 gms greek yogurt low fat

1/3 cup vanilla sugar or more if required

1 tsp lime juice

Procedure:

• Mix vanilla sugar and berries, keep it aside for about one hour until the sugar is disolved and berries become mushy.
• Blend together berries, yogurt and lime juice until creamy and smooth.
• Pass the yogurt mixture through a strainer to remove the seeds and for smoother texture.
• Check if sugar is proper, add more if required.
• Cover and freeze the yogurt in a plastic container with wide bottom.
• Churn this mixture using hand blender every 30 to 45 mins when it starts to set a little for about 4 to 5 times.
• Serve chilled.

Tried and Tasted - Cabbage in Chana Dal Sauce

When Tried and Tasted event was announced by Aparna, I wasnt familiar with Lisa's blog. Once i started to browse her blog i really got hooked on to it, she has wonderful collection of vegetarian recipes. I love the different combination of veggies and pulses she uses in her daily cooking. I have already bookmarked many of her wonderful dishes which i would love to try. For this event i tried her Cabbage in crumbly Chana Dal Sauce. The original recipe can be found here.

I have followed Lisa's recipe exactly with just one change where i have also added chopped onions to the curry. I absolutely loved this dish, it goes very well with plain rice or roti. Chana dal along with mild spices gives lovely taste, not too spicy just perfect :) My dish turned out to be more of a curry rather than dry vegetable, probably i added little more water. Sending this to Tried and Tasted :Lisa's Kitchen guest hosted by Aparna an event started by Zlamushka's Spicy Kitchen

Ingredients:

For Chana Dal sauce: 1/2 chana dal

3 dry red chillies

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp asafoetida

1 tsp olive oil

For Cabbage curry:

1 cup shredded cabbage

1 onion chopped finely

1 tsp urad dal

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

4-6 curry leaves

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste finely chopped coriander for garnishing

Procedure:

• Soak chana dal in water for about 4 to 5 hours.
• Grind together chana dal, asafoetida, red chillies and salt in a crumbly paste.
• In a pan heat the olive oil, fry the chana dal paste for about few mins, add little water if required.
• In a seperate pan, heat oil add in mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. When the seeds start to splutter, add in chopped onions and saute for about 2 mins.
• Now add in the cabbage, salt and turmeric powder.
• Add in the chana dal sauce with little water in the cabbage mixture. Cover & cook for about 10 - 12 mins on medium heat or until cooked.
• Keep stirring in the middle to make sure the curry doesnt stick to the pan.
• Serve hot with plain rice or rotis.

Tiramisu.......My New Love

I was introduced to this wonderful dessert few months back by one of my colleagues in the office cafeteria. One bite and i absolutely fell in love with it. From that day onwards on all thursdays i always take my lunch in office canteen as every thursdays we have TIRAMISU :) I wanted to try making this wonderful dessert at home so i started looking out for recipes on the internet. There are many different versions of making this but i chose the recipe shown on you tube here.

Tiramisu is basically made of egg yolks and mascarpone cheese,  garnished with cocoa powder. Some recipes also use whipped egg whites and heavy cream to make it more light and fluffy. For the base i have used Savoiardi which are similar to lady finger. This dish is perfect for social gatherings and parties, you can prepare it one day earlier too. Sending this dish to Events for Eggs hosted by Sudeshna of Bengali Cuisine.

Ingredients:

3 egg yolks at room temperature

250 gms mascarpone cheese

180 ml heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp Kahlua coffee liquor
6 tbsp sugar
1 cup dark espresso coffee
1 packet of Savoiardi or about 24 lady finger
coco powder for garnishing

Procedure:

• Beat the egg yolks and sugar until light in color for about 2 to 3 mins.
• Over double boiler cook the egg yolks continuously stirring for about 3 to 4 mins.
• Remove from double boiler and put the vessel in cold water immediately.
• Beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form, keep aside.
• Fold in the mascarpone cheese into the egg yolk mixture and mix well.
• Now add in the whipped cream and fold in gently.
• Add the kahlua liquor into the espresso and mix well.
• Dip the savioardi into coffee mixture and line them on the serving plate or individual dessert bowls.
• Add in a layer of mascarpone mixture and repeat the process.
• Cover the serving dish or individual bowls with foil paper and refrigerate over night (Very IMP).
• To serve, sprinkle generous amount of coco powder over the set tiramisu...enjoy this dish chilled.

Indian Style Spaghetti Pasta with Olive Oil

I had packet of spaghetti pastas in my pantry from a very long time. Usually for my pastas i make the tomato sauce at home but that day i was feeling lazy after long days work to make the sauce as the result i made this spaghetti using Indian spices and veggies. I was extremely happy with the final results, spaghetti was delicious and spicy, totally mouth watering. Olive oil gives a very distinct taste which i love and its healthy too. I have used red bell peppers, onions and green beans for veggies, you can use various different combinations. Next time i'll add in some baby corns and spring onions. The below recipes serves 2 people. This dish is off to AFAM - Olives hosted by Priya started by Maheshwari . This dish also goes to FIC Red & Green hosted by Neha, started by Sunshinemom of TongueTicklers

Ingredients:
1 small packet of spaghetti (Serve for 2 people)
1 cup veggies thinly sliced (green beans, onions and red bell peppers)
1 tsp olive oil
3 green chillies slit
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Boil the spaghetti pasta along with little salt and 1tsp of olive oil till tender and cooked. Drain and keep aside.
• In a sauce pan, heat the olive oil, add in cumin seeds and split green chilies. As the cumin seeds start to splutter add in the veggies, red chili, turmeric, cumin and coriander powders and salt.
• Cover and cook for about 15 to 20 mins on low heat until cooked.
• For serving mix spaghetti and vegetables and serve hot. 
• Garnish with spring onions and coriander.

Chocolate chip cookies

I usually do my baking sessions on weekends as i can take my own sweet time which is quite impossible during the weekdays. I wanted to make these cookies from a very long time but unfortunately something or the other came up. In the past i have tried quite a few recipes, some were good and some went in trash. I usually prefer crispy chocolate chip cookies with lots of chocolate in them. When i started to make these cookies I realized i didnt have enough chocolate chips on hand but the craving for having them was so STRONG that i went ahead. I was making this cookie after a very long time but the results were pretty good, these cookies were crispy around the edges and chewy in the middle and brown sugar does give them a distinct flavor. I wouldnt call them the best cookies ever but they are definately a keeper. I got around 15 to 18 medium sized cookies from the below recipe. I am sending these cookies to For the Love of Chocolate event hosted by Poornima and to EFM-Cookies hosted by Srilekha.

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter softened (about 50 to 60 gms)
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 small sachet vanilla sugar (15gms)

Procedure:

• Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C.
• Sift the flour and baking soda together and  keep aside.
• Beat the butter until it gets creamy, add in the sugars along with the vanilla sugar and beat for about 2 to 3 until well blended.
• Now add in the egg and vanilla essence and beat on medium for about 2 mins.
• Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix together using a spatula (Donot use beater for this).
• The mixture will be quite thick, now add in the chocolate chips and mix well.
• Line the baking try with foil or butter paper and drop a spoonful of mixture. Make sure there is atleast 2 inch space between each as the cookies will expand.
• Bake for about 10 to 12 mins, until they turn light brown around the edges.
• Remove the tray and cool it completely for about 15 to 20 mins.
• Store the cookies in airtight container.
• Enjoy them with a  glass of cold milk or just munch them inbetween meals as i do :)
  

Bell Pepper and Onions in creamy cashewnut gravy

It was dinner time and there were no veggies in my pantry. I had few potatoes, onions and bell peppers. Oh damn!! i thought, should have done my grocery shopping on the weekend...so i did some random mixing and BAM!!! I got this wonderful rich and creamy dish, which I absolutely loved. I have used bell peppers and onions for this dish, i left out potatoes as i dont prefer potatoes in a curry dish. The gravy i made using cashewnuts , onions along with roasted chana dal. Next time i may add in some baby corns and paneer to give it a more rich taste. The recipe below serves 4 people. This dish is off to Lets Go Nuts Cashewnuts hosted by Poornima of Tasty Treats and to Aquadaze of ServedWithLove

Ingredients:

1 Bell Pepper chopped into cubes

2 medium onions chopped

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp corainder powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp sugar

pinch of Asafoetida (Hing)

Salt to taste

Cilantro for garnishing

For Gravy:

2 onions cut into 4 pieces each

50 gms cashewnuts

2 tbsp roasted chana dal

2-3 green chillies chopped

1 tsp ginger paste

Procedure:

• For gravy, grind together all the ingredients with little water into a smooth paste, keep aside.
• In a non stick pan heat oil, add in cumin seeds and asafoetida, when cumin seeds starts to splutter add in the gravy mixture.
• Now add chopped onions, bell peppers, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, corainder powder, garam masala , salt and sugar. Add enough water as chana dal absorbs lot of water and we want to make sure the gravy does not get burnt.
• Cover and cook for 15 to 20 mins on medium heat or until the onions and bell peppers are cooked. Keep stirring in middle just to be sure that the gravy doesnt stick to the bottom of the pan. Add more water if required.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with paratha or rice.

Sweet Corn Cheese Balls/Fritters

This is one of my favourite recipe, I make these occassionally as they are fried and contains cheese and I am bit of a calorie conscious person but once in a while we all should give a treat to ourselves and just enjoy the food and these fritters absolutely melt in mouth. This is my sister's favourite recipe too, if given a chance she would probably have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I remember my mom used to make the filling in huge quantity as my sister would have this for atleast next two days :) Darling of my father and apple of my eye, she always keeps me on my toes. She is chirpy little girl who goes on and on...until your head starts spinning. Like me she is too a complete foodie and loves Pastas or i should probably say lives on pastas :) Hey sweetie if you are reading this, i really miss you :) Well lets get back to the recipe, this recipe is fairly simple to make and tastes delicious. Kids love these yummy cheesy fritters and its perfect for dinner parties and functions. I basically make this dish for functions and family gathering, I serve it as a farsan along with the the other main dishes. Farsan is usually some fried dish like bhajia(fritters), samosas, kachoris or sometimes even dhoklas.  The below recipe will serve 2-3 people. This dish goes to Sunday Snacks - Chaat Indian/Street Food hosted by Pallavi of All Thingz Yummy and to WYF Side Dish hosted by EC of Simple Indian Food.

Ingredients:

1 cup of grated veggies (I used cabbage, capsicums, carrots and onions)

1/2 cup of sweet corn roughly grinded

2-3 green chillies finely chopped

1/3 cup of grated cheese

1 tsp pepper powder

Salt to taste

1-2 tbsp of cornstarch

Oil for deep frying

Procedure:

• Mix grated veggies, green chillies and salt. Keep aside for few minutes.
• Strain the veggie mixture and remove all the water which was left out from veggies.
• Add in sweet corn, grated cheese and pepper, mix well.
• Make small round balls out of it. If the mixture is not sticking together, try adding in little cornflour, cornflour will act as binding agent for the fritters.
• Heat oil in a deep frying pan, fry them on medium heat, it will take 5-7 mins for each ball to get fried properly. If fried on high heat the inner part of the fritters may not be cooked properly.
• Serve them hot with tomato ketchup or hot and sweet sauce.

Moong dal chilla with twist of bell peppers

I was waiting to prepare this dish from a very long time. Ealier too i had tried to prepare but unfortunately my mixie broke that day and i had to wait until i got a new one. So finally i made them today for lunch, while making them i suddenly i saw one red bell pepper on my fridge shelf an i realized that this combination would would be perfect for the FIL-Red and Green. This recipe is off to Neha who is hosting FIL- Red and Green event and to Sunshinemom of Tongue Ticklers. The recipe below will make around 4 to 6 chillas.

Ingredients:

1 cup split green gram

2 tsp urad dal

1 medium onion finely chopped

1 red bell pepper finely chopped

3 green chillies

1 tsp ginger paste

Salt to taste

oil to cook

Procedure:

• Soak split green gram and urad al seperately in water over night or for 4-5 hours.
• Grind together green gram, urad dal, green chillies, ginger paste and salt along with little water into smooth paste.
• Add in chopped onions and bell peppers, mix well.
• Heat a non stick pan, drizzle little oil and spread the batter and event out using a spoon.
• Drizzle little oil on the sides of the chilla, cover and cook on both the sides for about 5-7 mins or until light brown in color.
• Serve hot with corainder chutney or tomato ketchup.

Masala Khichdi

Khichdi, its one of the most simplest and easiest to make. You can never go wrong in making khichdi. I remember when i had started cooking way back when i was in school one of the dishes I learnt first was khichdi. Its said to be mild for stomach and considered to be a comfort food. Most of the doctors suggest to eat khichdi in sickness. Khichdi is very famous in gujaratis and we prepare it almost once or twice a week. Its best for bachelors and when you need something in jiffy as this dish can be prepared in minutes. Traditionally khichdi is prepared using Toor Dal and Rice and its mildly spiced with salt and turmeric powder. Spoonfuls of ghee is drizzled over it and served with Kadhi. I know lot of you out there must be thinking about the extra calories, but believe me its all worth it :) I have prepared this dish using split green gram lentils and added whole spices and masalas, hence the name Masala Khichdi. The recipe below serves 2. This is my fourth entry to Single Serving Recipes event started by Sahaja of SpicyRasam. Ingredients: 2/3 cup rice 1/3 cup split green gram 1 big red onion chopped finely 2 tbsp peanuts 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp red chillie powder 1/2 tsp garam masala powder For tempering: 1 tbsp oil 1 tsp cumin seeds 3 whole cardamon pods split into half 1 stick cinnamon 3-4 whole black peppers 1 bay leaf 2-3 anise flowers 2-3 cloves 2 dry red chillis broken into half 1 pinch asafoetida

Procedure:

• Wash the rice and green gram together, keep it aside.
• In a pressure cooker, heat the oil add cumin seeds, elaichi, black peppers, cinnamon, dry red chillies, bay leaf, star anise, cloves and asafoetida.
• When cumin seeds start spluttering, add in peanuts and saute for about 2 mins.
• Now add in onions, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala and salt. Saute the mixture for about 5 mins.
• Add the rice and green gram along with 2 1/2 cups of water. Pressure cook on medium for about 3 to 4 whistles or until cooked.
• Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with curd.

The best part about this dish is that you can eat it just as it is without any side dish, its a whole meal in itself. I like mine with pickle and curd.

Variations: You can also add in some veggies like carrots, green peas cauliflower etc to give it a healthier touch.

Sweet Corn Frankies

I am a complete foodie and love to eat all kinds of chatpata food. Thats one of the things which I miss a lot living in Swiss :( Back in bombay I used to have chaats almost every other day. I have always been a tasty food eater and i cannot take plain bland food. In Bombay we buy all our household stuff from Alfa which is situated in Vile Parle, its a custom notified store with the lowest rates on a range of international products. Just beside Alfa there are some mouth watering chaat stalls for Dabeli, Frankies, Grilled sandwiches, paani puri etc the list goes on....For me its like a tradition to have chaat there whenever I visit the store....:) The best one i like there is frankie...stuffed with potatoes, onions and spiced with green chillies and chaat masala....hmmm....yummy. Last weekend i was craving to have something spicy and chatpata so i made these frankies with little variation of my own :) I made the stuffing using sweet corn and potatoes, i love the taste of sweet corn and they go very well in chaat items. For the roti base I have used the ready made frozen plain parathas we get here, just need to heat them up, you can also use the home made rotis or parathas. The below recipe will make around 4 -6 frankies depending upon the size of the cutlets. I am sending this recipe to Monthly Mingle event Kids Lunches hosted by Srivalli of cooking4allseasons, started by Meeta and to Single Serving Recipes event by Sahaja of SpicyRasam.

        MM:Kids Lunches          

                                         Single Serving Recipes        Ingredients for filling : 1 cup boiled mashed potatoes 1/2 cup boiled and roughly grinded sweet corn kennels 3 small green chillies finely chopped 1-2 tsp salt (adjust to taste) 1/2 cup corainder finely chopped 1 - 2 tsp sugar (adjust to taste) 1 - 2 tsp lime juice (adjust to taste)

1 - 2 tbsp cornflour

2-3 tbsp oil for cooking 1 big onion finely chopped 1 tsp chaat masala 1 tsp red chillie powder Corainder chutney (Recipe below) Ingredients for Corainder chutney :

2 tbsp roasted chana dal 1 cup freshly cut corainder leaves 1 tsp salt 2 green chillies cut into halves 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp lime juice Procedure for Corainder chutney:

Grind all the ingredients in a mixer with little water until smooth paste. Adjust the spices according to your taste. Store in airtight container in frigde.

Procedure for filling:

• In a large bowl mix potatoes, sweet corns, green chillies, corainder leaves, salt, sugar and lime juice. Mix well so as all the ingredients are blended well.
• Make small cutlets out of the mixture, if the mixture is too sticky add some cornflour to it.
• Roll the cutlets in some cornflour so that it does not stick to the pan while frying.
• Heat the oil in non stick pan, add in the cutlets and cook them on medium heat on both the sides until light brown in color.
• For frankies, heat the parathas or roti using little butter or ghee whichever you prefer, spread some corainder chutney on it, add chopped onions, chaat masala and red chilli powder. Place a cutlet in the middle and roll the sides of the roti tightly to make a wrap.
• Serve with corainder chutney or have it just like that...enjoy.

For people who are not calorie conscious can add grated cheese for melt in mouth texture. Next time i may simply bake the cutlets in oven to make it more calorie friendly...:)

Bell Pepper and Spring Onion Parathas

Saturday is our official day for grocery shopping as on weekdays we dont get much time after office. Every week we make sure we get a big bunch of Bell peppers. Right from my childhood days I am very fascinated by bell peppers, back then red and yellow bell peppers were not that easily available in the market and hence were not very common at home. As I am very fond of Bell Peppers, i try to do lot of experiments with them, right from pastas to parathas, thats right parathas and what else would go with them other than lovely green spring onions. So here's my recipe for Bell Pepper and Spring Onions parathas. The below recipe will make around 4 -5 medium sized parathas. You can either have them with plain yogurt or with pickle, they are ideal for tiffin lunch..:) I am sending this recipe to Single Serving Recipe event hosted by Sahaja of SpicyRasam and also to Monthly Mingle - Kids Lunches hosted by Srivalli of Cooking4AllSeasons, originally started by Meeta of WhatsForLunchHoney

Ingredients:

For dough

2 cup wheat flour or chapatti flour

1 pinch salt

1 tbsp oil

warm water to knead

For Filling

1 big Red Bell Pepper cut into small pieces

1 big Yellow Bell Pepper cut into small pieces

1 bunch of spring onions finely cut

2 green chillies finely cut

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp black pepper powder(optional)

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp chaat masala

1 tbsp oil

Procedure:

• Mix together wheat flour, salt and oil. Slowly add in warm water and knead into a soft dough. Cover and keep is aside for atleast half an hour.
• For the filling, heat oil in a non stick pan, add all the ingredients except spring onions.
• Cover the mixture and let it cook for around 5 to 7 mins, until bell pepers are partly cooked. Now add in the spring onions.

• Cover and cook again for another 5 mins. Remove from heat and cool it completely.
• For making parathas, make lemon sized ball, roll this dough using a rolling pin on floured surface to make a small circle of about 4 inch diameter.
• Place a spoonful of filling mixture in middle of the dough, fold in the sides and seal them together.
• Roll this dough again using flour into 1/2 cm thick rotis taking care that filling doesnt come out while rolling them.
• Cook the paratha on medium heat either using oil or ghee.
• Serve hot parathas with curd, pickle or raita.

Chilla with Gram Flour (Besan)

It was lazy sunday afternoon and I was in mood to cook something really simple and easy without much effort. I simply made some chillas with gram flour using spring onions, tomatoes and spiced them with green chilles. In gujarati chillas are also called Pudlas. Its ideal dish to make when you are running out of time, its real easy and quick to prepare and you can add whole lot of veggies like grated carrots, cabbage ,cucumber,capsicum etc....The recipe below is ideal for one person and makes 2 to 3 chillas. I am sending this dish to Sahaja of SpicyRasam who is hosting Single Single Recipes event and to Neha of EasyNTastyRecipes who is hosting FIC Red and Green event, originally started by Sunshinemom of  TongueTicklers.

Ingredients :

1/2 cup gram flour (Besan)

2 tbsp Semilona (makes chillas crispy)

2 green chillies finely cut

1 medium size tomato finely cut

1/2 cup spring onions finely cut

1 tbsp finely chopped corainder leaves

1 tsp salt

1 pinch Asafoetida

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 to 3 tsp oil for cooking

Procedure :

• Mix gram flour, semilona, salt, asafoetia and cumin seeds in a bowl.
• Add little water and make a smooth paste out of it, the consistency will be of dosa batter.

• Add finely cut spring onions, tomatoes, corainder leaves and green chillies. Keep it aside for 10 mins.
• Heat non stick pan , add 1 tsp of oil, spread the batter, cover and cook it for 5 to 10 mins on medium heat.
• Cook on both the sides until light brown.
• Serve hot with corainder chutney or tomato sauce.
• Variations - Use can also use grated carrots, cucumber, capsicum and cabbage.

Chocolate Racing Car Track Cake

I am a complete Chocoholic person!!! Its the only thing I just can never give up, I know many people who actually dislike chocolates and I wonder whats life without chocolates? I always have chocolate bars stuffed in my office cabinet which by the way gives me instant boost during stress :) One bite and I forget all my problems :)....Though i must say that I dont get to make chocolate desserts more often as I am a bit lazy when it comes to preparing anything just for my self. This is a long pending post as i had made this cake almost a month ago but before I post the recipe, some interesting facts about Chocolate (Source Wikipedia).

History

The word "chocolate" comes from the Aztecs of Mexico, and is derived from the Nahuatl word xocolatl which is a combination of the words, xocolli, meaning "bitter", and atl, which is "water".

Types of Chocolate

Several types of chocolate can be distinguished. Pure, unsweetened chocolate contains primarily cocoa solids and cocoa butter in varying proportions. Much of the chocolate consumed today is in the form of sweet chocolate, combining chocolate with sugar. Milk chocolate is sweet chocolate that additionally contains milk powder or condensed milk. "White chocolate" contains cocoa butter, sugar, and milk but no cocoa solids.

Health Benefits

Recent studies have suggested that cocoa or dark chocolate may possess certain beneficial effects on human health. This is mainly caused by a particular substance present in cocoa called epicatechin. Cocoa possesses a significant antioxidant action, protecting against LDL oxidation, perhaps more than other polyphenol antioxidant-rich foods and beverages. Some studies have also observed a modest reduction in blood pressure and flow-mediated dilation after consuming dark chocolate daily.

More on chocolate you can find here.

Chocolate Cake which i made is adapted from Deeba's blog PassionateAboutBaking, you can find the original recipe here. As the birthday was of a 3yr old boy Rishi, i thought of making a cake which is more appealing to kids. I came to know from my dear friend and also Rishi's mom Jayshree that he is crazy about cars and trucks. So I thought why not lets make a Racing Car Track Cake. I knew from my past experience that it wasnt difficult to assemble the cake, on the contrary its fairly simple to make. I made two 6 inch round cakes. I cut one small semi circle from one of the cake and joined both the circles in a way which resembles number eight. The below ingredients will make 2 6inch round cakes. This cake is going to For the Love Of Chocolate by Poornima.

Ingredients: (my version)

6 eggs at room temperature

160 gms all purpose flour

160 gms powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla essence

4 tbsp coco powder

2 tsp baking powder

Chocolate Ganache:

400 ml heavy whipping cream

500 gms good quality dark chocolate (I use Lindt)

For Decoration:

MnMs 1 packet

Colorful chocolate sprinkles

Green food color and desicated coconut for grass

1/c cup butter cream icing for racing track

Small cars to put on the track

Procedure for cake:

• Preheat the oven for 15 mins at 190 degree C.
• Sieve all purpose flour, baking powder and coco powder together 3 times and keep it aside.
• Beat together eggs and sugar until it doubles in volume or until soft peaks form. This will take around 10 mins if using an electric beater.
• Add the vanilla essence and again beat for a min.
• Now gently fold in the dry ingredients and mix well, donot over beat.
• Grease 2 6inch round spring form pan and divide the batter equally in both the pans.
• Bake the cakes for around 35 to 40 mins at 190 degree C, until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
• Once done, remove the cakes and cool it completely.

To make Ganache:

• Heat the whipping cream in a pan, when it starts simmering turn off the heat and add the chocolate pieces.
• Stir continuosly until the chocolate melts.
• Once at room temperature the ganache will become thick.

Procedure for Icing the cake:

• Cut one small semi circle from one of the cake, keep aside.
• Slice both the cakes horizontally into 3 layes each.
• Join the bottom most layers of both cake on serving plate such that it resembles number eight, moisten both the layer with sugar syrup (You can prepare sugar syrup by dissolving 2 tbsp of sugar in half cup water, you can also add little vanilla essence for flavouring).
• Spread the ganache over it. You can also add in chocolate shavings in between the layers to give in more chocolate kick.
• Place the 2nd layer over it and repeat the process.
• Frost the sides and top of the cake with the remaining ganache.
• Decorate the sides of the cake with colorful chocolate sprinkles.
• I have used desicated coconut mixed with green food color for grass on the sides of the track as well as in the middle of the track.
• I have used plain buttercream icing to form the tracks. Add little green color to the butter cream icing to make a small tree out of it.
• Use MnMs to give a nice colorful border to the cake.
• Place the cars as shown.

The cake turned out to be a hit and I was too happy with the outcome. It had great chocolate flavor and it looked beautiful. Rishi, the bday boy actually wanted to run his cars on the track...:)