Pan Sauteed Asparagus

Hi All,

First of all I would like to thank all my wonderful readers and friends who reached out to me when I really needed the most. Honestly some of the emails I got really touched my heart and brought tears in my eyes. So a BIG THANK YOU to everyone, I really am lucky to have you all with me!

Cooking home cooked meals is not easy, especially when you are traveling to different countries and living out of a suitcase. At such times we need something which is easy and can be ready in minutes and of course it has to be extremely satisfying. Today's dish is simple and satisfying Pan Sauteed Asparagus, I learnt this dish from a colleague and I was pleasantly surprised on how easy it was to prepare and how delicious it tasted with all that butter, salt and pepper.

Pan Sauteed Asparagus
Ingredients:-
1 bunch of fresh asparagus (about 15-20)
1 tbsp of unsalted butter
Salt to taste
Freshly grounded black pepper to taste

Procedure:-

•  Chop off the ends of the asparagus and give it a good rinse in cold water.
• Heat a non stick pan, add in your butter, once melted throw in your asparagus.
• Season with some salt and pepper according to your taste. 
• Cover and cook for about 5-7 mins, until crispy and cooked.
• Serve hot as an appetizer of side dish.

Verdict:- I love these! Its so simple and is ready in mins, perfect when I am tired from long day work and really need something satisfying to dig in! If you love butter and asparagus you will definately love these. Try it for yourself today!

Feeling Blue!!

Dear All,

I know I owe you all an explanation to my unexpected disappearance. I havent updated my blog in last one month and there is a reason behind it. Lots of things have changed in last one month at work front and in personal life. Let me ask you all a question..have you ever felt so alone in life as if you were living on a different planet with no one to talk to and share your feelings with? with no friends and family? Do you question yourself upon the decisions you make and when those decisions go wrong and makes you feel miserable and guilty? When someone you love breaks your trust and you cannot forget and let go?  It hurts so bad that you want to scream your heart out? Honestly I feel like I am going through that phase in life. I feel sad, disappointed, betrayed and probably lots more!!

I think I am going through some kind of identify crisis. Its like you think you know what you are doing and you know what you want in life but suddenly life takes you down to a path which you never thought you would walk on. It makes you question yourself and the worst part is you dont have an answer for that! Its when you feel even after doing all things right still everything goes wrong. It makes you question your beliefs and your moral values. I always knew life's tough and the world is cruel but a part of me always believed that there are good people out there who would feel the same way as I do. I always thought that if you didnt do anything wrong to anyone else nothing can go wrong with you but now I am not so sure about it. I always thought that whatever happens..happens for good, I wish I knew what good its gonna bring out to me. I wish we knew answers to all our questions...life would be so much better..isnt it?

So what do you do in such situation? Of course apart of getting all emotional and giving a big lecture just like I did above :) For me CHOCOLATE is probably the best way of making myself feel better..ah forget the extra pounds for a while! Some chocolate brownies with creamy vanilla ice cream on top! Yup thats what I am having right now while writing this post :) And what better way than sharing a delicious chocolate cake recipe with you all especially if it has lots of sour cherries in it...hummm and some chocolate chips as well! Chocolate+Cherry is one of my favorite combo and I always wanted to bake with sour cherries. So when my dear roomy got some sour dried cherries from US I baked this gorgeous cake for my colleagues who never disappoint me in finishing any of my baked treat in record time :) 

Chocolate Cherry Cake to make you feel better!
Ingredients:-
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
3 tbsp of rich cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 cup milk
90 ml vegetable oil
1 cup chopped dried sour cherries
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 tsp vanilla essence or seeds of one vanilla bean scrapped

Procedure:-

• Grease amd flour a pound cake pan, preheat the oven to 180 degress C.
• Sieve all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda.
• Dump together the above dyr ingredients with sugar, cherries and 1/4 cup chocolate chips.
• Now in a measuring cup mix together 1 cup of milk, 90 ml oil, vanilla seeds/essence and 2 eggs.
• Thoroughly mix the wet ingredients well until fully incoporated.
• Now pour the wet ingredients in the dry ingredients while mixing well with a spatula in between the additions. Donot use a beater, a spatula or a wooden spoon is more than sufficient. 
• Be careful to not to over mix the batter.
• Pour the batter into the cake pan and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cups chocolate chips.
• Bake the cake for 45 mins or until a knife inserted comes out clean.
• Remove the cake from oven and let it cool completely.
• Slice and serve with some warm milk or even with a dollop of vanilla ice cream!

The cake was deliciously moist and everyone in office enjoyed it! Will definately be making this cake more often as I am sure my little sister R would love it! So now you know what to make in case you  are feeling blue or even just want to pamper yourself :)

Love,

Cardamon and Rose Flavored Ricotta Pound Cake (Paneer Cake)

Dear All,

Today's post is a very special and close to my heart. This post is dedicated to two very special individuals in my life...my mom and my dear roomy V. Today is my mom's birthday and I just wanna wish her.."Happy Birthday Ma", I know I may not express it enough but I love you very much and today whatever  I am is because of the culture and integrity that you built in me! Cant thank you enough mumma!!

  V and A, made for each other :-)

Now its V's turn, she is one of my closest and sweetest friend, though we both are roommates but I feel more like sisters and of course I being the eldest :P She is a sweetheart and I adore her! Very emotional and sensitive but at the same time rock solid and steady, now thats an awesome combo wouldnt you say? No wonder A has fallen hard for her and now they both are ready to tie a knot very soon! Congratulations guys! A calls me mother-in-law in context that V is my daughter :-) Now being a mother-in-law I have certain responsibilities towards my daughter's future which I do take very seriously :P Usually I need to bear with the dowry requests coming in from A where he demands for cakes and in return I make him cook food..lol. A is a hardcore punjabi and a fantastic cook himself! On this special occasion I wanted to make something festive  like halwa or some bengali sweet but the baker in me immediately took charge and I ended up baking this gorgeous melt in mouth Cardamon and Rose flavored Ricotta Pound Cake!

I had bookmarked Ricotta Pound Cake from Aparna's blog the moment I saw it and this was the perfect occasion to make one, as usual made some changes, added powdered cardamons and some rose water and it came out fantastic! Got 2 thumbs up from A and V both! Ricotta is not available in India and Paneer  (Indian Cottage Cheese) can be easily substituted for this. For cakes always use freshly homemade paneer and not the ready made ones, trust me this makes a lot of difference to the texture of cake. I know its a little extra effort but its well worth it! How to make paneer at home is here.

                                                          Myself and V, don't we look cute?

Cardamon and Rose flavored Ricotta Pound Cake
Adapted from Aparna's blog, original recipe here
Ingredients:-
3/4 cup fresh paneer or ricotta, its about 180gms (I used entire paneer from 1litre full fat milk)
3/4 cup all purpose flour, 110 gms
1 tbsp cornflour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg at room temperature
1/3 cup unsalted butter (75 gms)
3/4 cup sugar, 150 gms
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp freshly crushed cardamon seeds
2 tbsp rose water or 1 tsp rose essence
handful of raisins, soaked in water/rum for minimum 2hours, drained
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds removed or 1 tsp vanilla essence (optional but preferred)

Procedure:-

• Grease and flour a 6'inch round cake pan . Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
• Sieve flour, cornflour and baking powder. Keep it aside.
• In a blender/mixer add freshly made paneer with 2 tbsp of rose water and make a smooth paste.
• Put this paneer in a bowl, add in butter and beat it well. Use a beater for this but I did it using hand and didnt face any problems, its just that it takes a little more effort and plus its a very good exercise for hands :)
• Add in sugar and beat till light and fluffy.
• Now add in vanilla seeds, eggs and powdered cardamon and beat well.
• Add in flour mixture in 3 turns and beat gently.
• Finally add in drained raisins and give it a quick stir, donot beat.
• Fold the batter in the greased and floured pan and bake at 180 degress for 35 to 40 mins or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean!
• Remove from oven and let it cool for 10 mins.
• Once cooled completely, remove from tin and serve it plain and simple or with some whipped cream and fruits!

Verdict? I am planning to prepare a chocolate version of this cake very soon..yeah you guessed it right! The cake is a winner with melt in mouth texture and so soft and moist! Infact truly said its the softest cake I have ever made! It cuts extremely well and the recipe is very versatile.

Until next time take care and have fun!

Love,

Eggless Mawa Cake - Saffron and cardamon flavored eggless milk cakes

Dear All,

This post has been pending in my drafts from quite some time now and finally today I decided to go ahead and share it with all you wonderful people out there. Mawa cakes are plain simple cakes made out of khoya, these are perfect for tea time treats, very rich in flavor and fulfilling at the same time. I have grown up eating these yummy cakes from Parsi bakeries, I still remember my mom buying a packet of 6 small muffins and we kids would finish them in no time. I had bookmarked this recipe long time back and finally decided to give it a try few days back. I have added few saffron strands and some powdered cardamons to give it a rich and festive flavor. You can even try adding some cashews and currants, which I am planning to add next time :)

On a lighter note here's a sms which one of my friends messaged me...Once a beautiful woman was asked to describe Marriage..She said: "Sacrificing the admiration of many men for criticism of one man" ...I am not sure if you all will agree with this but I do find some truth in it :) Let me know your views

Original Recipe Source - Ravum's Recipe
The recipe yields close to 18/19 small muffins
Wet Ingredients:-
1 tin condensed milk (400 gms)
1/3 cup butter, Amul is fine
200 gms mawa or khoya
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup milk (this is to be used while mixing dry and wet ingredients if the batter is too thick)

Dry Ingredients:-
1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour (210 gms)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp freshly crushed cardamon powder
few strands of saffron
1/4 cup of finely chopped cashews (optional)


Procedure:-

• Grease and line 18 muffin cup cake moulds.
• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.
• Mix all the wet ingredients together except 1/4 cup milk, heat this mixture until all the butter is melted and it becomes homogenous mixture. Cool it to room temperature.
• Sift all purpose flour and baking powder, add in saffron and cardamon powder.
• Mix the dry ingredients with the wet mixture, if the batter is too thick use 1/4 cup of milk, the batter should be similar to idli batter consistency.
• Fill in the muffin liners till 3/4 full and bake them at 175 degrees C for exactly 20 mins.
• These cakes get browned very fast so keep an eye on them if you are baking over 20 mins.
• Enjoy these with a warm glass of milk or during tea time.

Verdict:- I got approximately 19 muffins out the recipe, this recipe is very easy to make and extremely rich in taste. Adding dry fruits like cashews and currants would make a lovely combo of flavors! A must try for all mawa cake lovers! I made a batch for my office colleagues and it was a BIG hit with everyone :)

Eggless Fruit and Nut Cake

Dear All,

Finally I am back to blogging after a short break which felt like long and which was unplanned. This month has been too hectic for me, with heavy workload and health not supporting I couldnt do a lot of blog hopping but I am hoping that things will go back to normal soon. This whole month I have been neglecting my oven though I really wanted to bake few things but never came around but when my dad's birthday was around the corner I just had to bake a cake for him. Though my dad loves sweets but due to his health he is now refrained from having sweets so I am always on lookout for recipes which are low in sugar and fats especially for my parents. Fruit and Nut cake seemed perfect to celebrate his birthday, this cake studded with rich dry fruits, spices and caramel was enjoyed by everyone in the family. My dad even commented that he would love to have this cake with some wine but one look from my mom and poor dad swallowed his feeling :-) Looking at this scene I remembered something "Even though the man is said to be the head of the house but wife is the neck who can turn the head any direction she wants", so true isnt it? :D

Recipe adapted from Aayi's Recipe
Ingredients for Caramel:-
1/2 cup sugar (100 gms)
1/4 cup boiling water (60 ml)

Ingredients for Cake:-
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour (175 gms)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter melted (100 gms), I used Amul
1/2 cup cranberry juice (125 ml)
1 whole cinnamon stick
2 cloves
2 whole cardamon pods seeds
1 cup tuttu frutti (100 gms)
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds (50 gms)
1/2 cup finely chopped cashews (50 gms)
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (50 gms)
1/2 cup raisins

Procedure:-

• One day before making the cake, soap the dry fruits in cranberry juice along with whole spices.
• On the day of making the cake, first prepare the caramel. In heavy bottom pan heat the sugar on low heat.The sugar will start to melt, stir the melted sugar until all the sugar is melted and caramel is started to form. Slowly the melted sugar will become dark brown in color, make sugar that you donot burn the caramel or else it will spoil the taste of the cake, once whole sugar is metled and the mixture turns dark amber in color, remove from gas and put the vessel in sink. Now add in hot boiling water, about 1/4 cup, be extra careful here as the this will splutter a lot. Make sure you donot have children anywhere near you when you are doing this.
• Cool this mixture completely before using in the cake.
• Grease and flour a 6 or 7 inch cake pan. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C.
• Sieve the flour, baking powder and baking soda.
• Remove the whole spices from the soaked dry fruits (You can also soak the whole spices alone in the juice initially for a day and then use this spiced juice to soak your dry fruits). Add in melted butter and 1/3 cup sugar and earlier prepared caramel syrup. Mix well.
• Now fold in the flour mixture in the dry fruits batter.
• Pour the batter in the cake pan and bake for 45 to 50 mins, until the cake is well browned and a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
• Once done, remove the cake from oven and cool completely. Once cooled, wrap the cake in foil and store it in fridge overnight, this helps to intensify the flavors in the cake.
• Remove the cake from fridge before 1 hour of serving.

Verdict: This cake is perfect for celebrating any occasion, its moist and flavorful with rich dry fruits. Every bite has crunch of walnuts and almonds with flavors of cinnamon, cloves and cardamons. Have this cake with some wine after dinner or as a tea time cake, however you have it I am sure you will love it and want more.

Kanda Sev Tameta Nu Shaak - A Gujarati Speciality

Dear All,

I enjoy simple pleasure in life, from walking on sand without footwear to sipping filter coffee during rainy season, from reading a romantic novel to watching a kid playing with balloons and from having roadside pani puri to cook for someone special and watching them eat, I bet there is no site more satisfying.  My mom is blessed in having a daughter who is not at all fussy in eating, oh yeah I am talking about myself :-) Of course we all have choices but I dont remember being fussy about any food or not liking a vegetable...of course there are exceptions and karela is not a vegetable in my dictionary!

I too am blessed to have D who is not at all fussy in food habbits, poor guy majority of my experiments in switzerland were done on him and what choice he had?  Today's dish is one of his favorites and I still remember the expression on his face when I served this curry. Sev in curry? I am sure he must have thought I am nuts but after tasting..lets just say he chew on his own thoughts :) After Bharela Kanda (Cilantro stuffed onions) this is one of my favorite dishes as well, its quick and extremely  tasty! 

Serves 2
Kanda Sev Tameta Nu Shaak
Ingredients:-
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup Sev (increase or decrease acc to taste)
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp coriander seeds powder
1 tsp cumin seeds powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Procedure:-

• Heat oil in a pan, add in asafoetida, mustard seeds and cumin seeds, as it starts to splutter add in chopped onions and tomatoes.
• Cook on slow gas for about 2 to 3 mins, add in 1 cup water and rest all masalas - turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, salt and sugar.
• Cover and cook for 10 mins, until onions and tomatoes are cooked properly.
• Finally just before serving add in sev and mix lightly, serve immediately with rotis or phulkas.
• Enjoy this delicious and tasty dish whenever you want, lunch or dinner, its perfect on both the occasions!

I love to make this during night time as I enjoy having this curry hot with some rotis, its perfect for a winter evening!  If you enjoy Gujarati cuisine then you will love this as well, try and let me know.

This dish is off to Flavors of Gujarat event by Nayna.

Until next time, take care and have a relaxing weekend!

Low Fat Rum Raisin and Vanilla Coffee Cake

Dear All,

Most of my cakes these days are made using oil rather than ounces of butter. Using oil not only makes your cake a lot healthier but also keeps it super moist. I usually use any vegetable oil but to make it even more healthy you use olive oil. I have tried baking with olive oil and never had any problems.

 Few days back when I was sorting through my pantry I came across a box full of raisins which I had last used in my Eggless Chocolate Raisin Coffee Cake, thinking of the same reminded me that V has asked me (yeah not even requested but specifically asked!!) to prepare this cake and I have been ignoring her since long time. Not that I don't want to prepare this cake but I am trying to pursue her to make it on her own! Yeah have been trying to push her towards baking from long time, though she is a great cook but she seems to be allergic to the word baking..duh!!

Now those raisins were crying out loud to me and I really had to use them as..oh well I cannot see anyone crying :-) Luckily I even had rum in hand to soak my raisins in. I was about to give in to V's request but unlucky for her that I was out of coco powder so the cry for the hour was to go in with Plain Raisin Cake but can Vanilla beans be left behind? So finally I decided to make Raisin and Vanilla combo and I must say what a fantastic combo it came out to be! It looked and smelled amazing! I literally had to hide few pieces from V to be able to take them to office for my new colleagues! 

Look at those plump and juicy raisins along with spects of vanilla beans, aren't they gorgeous!

Rum Raisin and Vanilla Coffee Cake
Ingredients:-
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups of sugar or vanilla sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 large eggs as room temperature
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
1 Vanilla bean scrapped or 2 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup dark rum for soaking

Procedure:-

• Soak raisins in rum overnight or for atleast 3 to 4 hours, the raisins should become plump and juicy.
• Preheat the oven to 180 degress C, grease and flour a bundt pan.
• Sieve together flour, baking powder and baking soda, keep aside.
• In a seperate vessel beat together sugar, eggs and oil until well combined and creamy.
• Add in scraped vanilla beans or vanilla essence, mix well.
• Now add in flour mixture alternatively with milk and beat on low speed until all the flour and milk is well combined.
• Finally gently fold in rummy raisins along with any rum that is left. DONOT beat.
• Pour this batter in bundt pan and bake for 40 to 45 mins, until a knife or a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
• Cool the cake completely before removing from the pan.
• Slice and serve with tea or coffee, enjoy!

 

Verdict? Dont pictures talk a thousand words more than writing? Honestly I am in love with this cake! Its one of the best raisin cake ever! If are lover of rum and raisin combo than it is a must for to try this. I got fantastic reviews from everyone in office and to top it off V had already finished off the entire cake by the time I reached home from office, I dont know about you guys but that speaks a lot about its taste to me! Thanks V for always being a fantastic reviewer of my cakes by finishing them off :-)

Got any recipes that you have tried from my blog? Email me in those entries for "Show Me Your Creations" and I'll upload them right here on my blog. Lets share experiences and learn together!

First entry for Show Me Your Creations!!

Dear All,

I am very excited to present you all with the very first entry for "Show Me Your Creations" which I received from Sharmilee. Sharmilee has used my recipe for Tutti Frutti cake and prepared this gorgeous cake. I was extremely happy when I received a feedback from her letting me know how much she and her family loved this cake. Thank you so much sharmilee for sharing your creation with all of us.

This is what she posted to me on Facebook "Hey this cake came out so well....means the texture and slices everything came out perfect even with one egg.. I have tried 2-3 variations with this recipe.....Thanks for such a nice recipe Parita.....will post it soon in my blog!" 

Dont forget to visit Sharmilee's blog for different variations of this cake she has tried and tested successfully.

And keep sending me your experiences and I'll be most happy to share them on my blog.

Until next time, take care and happy baking!

Show Me Your Creations......A new feature at Parita's World

Dear All,

First let me start by thanking each and everyone of my blogger buddies and my readers for their constant motivation and support without which Parita's World would not have survived. I am truly blessed with blogger buddies and readers who take effort to send me me their  feedback after they have tried a recipe from Parita's World. I am sure every blogger will agree that receiving a feedback from your fellow readers about one of the dish they have tried is one of the most happiest and inspiring moments. 

To continue this trend and to inspire everyone out there I am starting a new section called "Show Me Your Creations" on my blog where I will post pictures of the dishes sent by you tried from my blog. I would request each and every reader of my blog to share your experiences whenever you try a recipe from my blog. You can email me at paritashah26@gmail.com with your experiences and I will post the picture of your creations on my blog. You dont need to be a blogger for this, even if you have adapted any of my recipe I would love to share your version with everyone. Your feedback is very important. You can also shoot me an email with your suggestions and I would love to hear from you! 

I hope you all will share your experiences with everyone and continue to give your love and support!

Love

Eggless Date and Walnut Cake/Loaf ...Low Fat and Healthy!!!

Dear All,

The moment I think about dates (khajoor) the first thing that comes to my mind is Pani Puri and the second is this Date and Walnut Cake. This cake is not light but quite dense , not too sweet and perfect combination with some tea or coffee. This recipe is inspired from Eggless Date Cake which I had bookmarked ages ago from Shilpa's site, this cake has almost 100% success rates and by the popularity of this cake I had to try it soon. The adventure began when I saw a packet of seedless dates in my fridge. Being Anaemic I was advised to have black dates regularly due the high iron content in them. I have dates as a meal filler in between my meals, they are extremely rich and fulfilling, so next time you have craving to have something sweet go and buy yourself a packet of dates!  Lets stay healthy!

Original Recipe Source: Shilpa from Aayi's Recipes
Ingredients:
25-26 seedless dates
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar (You can increase/reduce depending upon the sweetness of your dates)
1 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
3 tbsp oil
1 1/2 tsp of baking soda
1/4 cups of finely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup of finely chopped dates

Procedure:-

• Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C, grease and flour a loaf tin.
• Soak dates in warm milk for about half an hour until they become little soft and mushy to touch
• Add sugar and grind them into smooth paste along with the milk in which the dates were soaked.
• Add oil and mix. 
• Sieve the flour and baking soda together. 
• Add flour one tablespoon at a time and mix well after each addition.
• Add the finely chopped walnuts and dates and mix well.
• Grate few walnuts on top of the cake and bake it for 40 to 45 mins until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

Verdict? The cake is quite dense in nature due the dates puree used, the texture i got was quite fudgy in nature! The color of the cake highly depends upon the type of the dates you have used and varies accordingly. So if you cake is darker in color than donot worry , it does not mean the cake was burnt :)

For best result always use fresh dates and seedless ones which will speed up the process of baking as well. You can also use all whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour to make it even more healthy! Hope you enjoyed this cake. Until next time, take care!

Chocolate Chip Almond Pound Cake for a new begining !!!

Dear All,

Change is always very painful especially if you are changing from your very first company to another. First company is like your first love which one really cannot forget! You all must be wondering what the hell I am talking about....well I recently switched from my previous and first company to another details of which I have already updated on my FB :-) Honestly there is lot of excitement as well as little sadness as I really miss my old company. The beautiful campus, my colleagues, my friends and each and every moment I have spent in my last 4 years here brings tears in my eyes. But I am happy that I am moving ahead in my career to take on new opportunities and challenges!

During my last week in my previous company, lots and i mean lots of people expressed that they will miss me a lot but more than me they will miss my bakes! Now that really is a compliment!! Yes and for all my colleagues and well wishers I prepared this cake which was till date on of my best cakes I have ever made! I was so impressed by the taste and texture of this cake that I have already made it twice in a week!

Chocolate Chip Almond Pound Cake
Ingredients:-
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups of brown sugar or white sugar
2 tbsp coco powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 medium eggs at room temperature
1 cup milk
90 ml vegetable oil
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup roasted almonds, chopped finely


Procedure:-

• Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C.
• Grease and flour a pound cake tin.
• Sieve together flour, coco powder, baking powder and baking soda in a vessel.
• In a measuring cup mix milk, oil and eggs. Mix with a spoon until well blended.
• Mix together flour mixture, sugar, almonds and 1/4 of chocolate chips.
• Add the liquid mixture and fold the batter together until well blended. DONOT use a beater, a wooden spoon or a spatula is perfect.
• Pour the batter in the baking tin and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chip on top.
• Bake the cake for 40 to 45 mins until tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
• Remove the cake from oven and let is cool completely atleast for 20 mins.
• Once completely cooled, cut into pieces and serve.
• Enjoy with a coffee or even with some vanilla ice cream!

Verdict? Trust me and go and make this cake right away!!! Its so easy to prepare and hardly require any extra preparations, just mix the dry and liquid ingredients and you are ready to go! Everybody in the office loved it and I too managed to gobble down 3 pieces all by my self..hehehe :)

So what are you waiting for, rush into your kitchen and make this special treat for your loved ones! In case of any queries pls feel free to email me anytime and I will try to answer them to the best of my knowledge!

Thank you and take care!

Anzac Bicsuits for my 100th post !!!

Dear Foodies,

Finally I have reached my 100th post. The journey till here has been quite a roll-a-coaster ride sometimes slow and sometimes with lots of bumps but I cant complain as this has been one of the most beautiful and enriching journey for me and my blog. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and everyone of you who have supported and encouraged me, a very big heart felt thanks to all of my readers!

If you have been following my blog closely you would know I am not a big cookie person in fact the only cookies I love to munch are Chocolate Chip Cookies and very recently I have fallen in love with Anzac Biscuits. Anzac biscuits are very popular in Australia, made with oats, flour, sugar and golden syrup, it has been said that wives of soldiers used to make these biscuits during the WWI. These biscuits are extremely easy to prepare and taste extremely delicious, if you like your cookies eggless, mild in sweetness and chewy then these little drops are for you!

Recipe adapted from here
Recipe yields 24 cookies
Ingredients:-
1 cup (240 gms) all purpose flour
1 cup (90 gms) rolled oats, I used quacker
1 cup (85 gms) dessicated coconut, I used 100 gms
3/4 (155 gms) cup brown sugar
1/2 cup + 1tbsp (125 gms) unsalted butter
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp water

Procedure:-

• Preheat the oven to 160°C, line a baking tray with parchment paper.
• Sieve the flour in a bowl, add in oats, coconut and sugar, mix well.
• Put butter, honey and 2 tbsp water in a pan, stir over medium heat until butter is completely melted. Add in baking soda.
• Pour the butter mixture on the flour mixture and stir until well combined.
• Roll a tbsp of mixture into small balls and place on the baking tray 5cm apart from each other.
• Using a fork, flatten the top of the cookies lightly.
• Bake for 12 to 15 mins until lightly browned. If you like your cookies crunchier than bake them for 2 to 3 mins more than the specified time.
• Remove the cookies from oven once done, let them cool down for 5 mins and then transfer them to a cooking rack. After 20 mins store these in air tight containers.

Verdict? These cookies were fantastic in taste, not over sweet and just perfect for some tea time munching. I did not have golden syrup so i substituted honey and it worked like a charm! I love my cookies a little crunchier so I baked these for close to 17 to 20 mins or until the top was golden brown. I shared these cookies with my friends and colleagues and got great reviews, everybody loved these! 

These were so easy to prepare, no heavy beating or mixing required, just fold in all the ingredients and you are ready! I urge everyone to try these wonderful cookies once, do share your experiences with me and you can always email me if you have any questions or doubts and I will try to answer them to best of my knowledge! Until next time thank you an wish you all a wonderful week ahead!

Eggless Strawberry Cupcakes/Eggless Strawberry Muffins

Dear Foodies,

Hello everyone! I know I have been away for quite sometime but last two weeks have created quite a stir! First of all there is this never ending assignments and work in office, on top of this monsoon has finally hit India. Last couple of days have been a complete mess. It rained quite heavily here in Pune, with strong winds blowing there was quite lot of destruction. Several trees have fallen, cables wires have been uprooted, infact we almost had an accident in our office with the glass doors bursting due to strong winds! Thank god no one was hurt! With electricity gone for 2 days and maid not turning up for work I was really frustated!

So when V asked me if i could bake a batch of muffins for her office party I got the much needed break! She wanted something other than the usual chocolate and vanilla flavors. I had strawberry extract in my pantry, so thought of making some Strawberry cupcakes with vanilla buttercream icing. She loved the idea and she wanted to use the same color combination which I had used for the cake which I made for my parents anniversary.

This is off to Bangalore Baker's Bake-Off event!

Eggless Strawberry Cupcakes/Muffins
Recipe yields - 9 muffins
Ingredients:-
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 tin (200 gms) sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp strawberry essence
1/4 cup limca or plain aerated soda water

Procedure:-

• Preheat the oven to 180 degress C, grease and flour 9 muffin moulds.
• Sieve flour, baking powder and baking soda together.
• Beat butter, condensed milk and icing sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the strawberry essence.
• Alternatively add flour and limca and beat well after each addition.
• Fill in the muffin cups to 3/4 full and bake the muffins for 15 to 18 mins until tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and cool them completely before going ahead with icing.

Buttercream icing, recipe here

Verdict? I got great reviews on these cupcakes and everyone in the office loved them! As compared to other eggless recipe, i like this one the most as I have always got fantastic results! Muffins were light and fluffy, perfectly baked! With vanilla buttercream icing it was a winner! Do try these and let me know, you can replace strawberry essence with any other flavor and it will still work like a charm!

Classic Vanilla Beans Muffins

Dear All,

Vanilla has always been apple of my eye when compared with other universal flavors. Did you know vanilla is the second most expensive spice after saffron, due to extensive labor required to grow the vanilla seed pods. And still I am sure we all love vanilla flavor for its oure and delicate flavor which is described by author Frederic Rosengarten Jr as "peculiar bouquet". The most common types of vanilla pods are Bourbon or Madagascar vanilla, Mexican vanilla and Tahitian vanilla.

Vanilla beans are not easily available in India though few super markets do sell them but one really needs to search a lot. My sources say that the only place in india where you can find Vanilla pods is Kerala so if any of your friends and family coming down from kerala or visiting kerala dont forget to request them to get a bunch of fresh vanilla beans for you! I probably dont mind visiting Kerala only to buy vanilla pods, I am sure its worth it! Or if anyone coming down from US or EU you can request them to get vanilla pods from there as well as I too got mine from Switzerland, a little expensive but I have no complains! Planning to request few more, hope D is listening :-)

Recipe is adapted from Deeba's blog, which can be found here
Recipe yields 12 medium muffins
Ingredients:-
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups of vanilla sugar
2 tsp  baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup milk
*1 vanilla bean or use 1 tsp vanilla extract

* Tip - Slice the vanilla bean from middle and scrape the sides using back of a knife to remove the seeds

Procedure:-

• Gease and line 12 muffins cups or muffin pan.
• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C
• Sieve flour, baking powder and baking soda.
• Beat butter and sugar together in a seperate bowl for 2 to 3 mins until light and fluffy.
• Add in one egg at a time and beat well between each addition.
• Add in flour and milk alternatively in 3 additions. Beat well after each addition.
• Add in the scraped vanilla seeds and mix well.
• Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full and bake them at 180 degrees for 15 to 20 mins, until tooth pick inserted comes out clean/
• Remove from oven and cool them completely, you can see the muffins leaving the side of the pan.
• Serve warm or at room temperature, its a perfect tea time cake!
• Enjoy!