Triple Decker New Year Cake

Ingredients :

1. Plain Flour/Maida - 3 cups

2. Butter - 1 & a 1/2 cup

3. Powdered Sugar - 1 cup

4. Eggs - 3

5. Orange juice - 3 tbsp.

6. Orange Food Colour - a pinch

7. Cocoa Powder - 1 tbsp.

8. Baking Powder - 1 & a 1/2 tsp.

9. Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp.

For the Frosting :

1. Icing Sugar - 1 cup

2. Chocolate - I used a small packet of Kit Kat

3. Cocoa Powder - 1 & a 1/2 tsp.

4. Horlicks Nutribar

Method :

1. Mix the butter and sugar together. Keep stirring till you get a creamy mixture.

2. Separate the egg whites and egg yolks, and whisk the egg whites for a few minutes.

3. Add the egg yolks and the egg whites to the butter mixture and stir properly.

4. Now divide this mixture into three parts.

5. Separately, add baking powder to flour and mix properly.

6.

For the Cocoa Layer : Add cocoa powder

For the Vanilla Layer : Add vanilla essence

For the Orange Layer : Add orange juice and food colour

7. Stir well, add milk and/or water to this and continue stirring till you get a semi solid mixture.

8. Now I coudn't fit in all the three layers in my baking tin, so i first baked two layers, and then the third, and then placed the third on top of the other cake.

You can bake all the three layers together. Pour them separately to the baking tin.

9. I baked in my OTG at 140 degree celcius for 30 minutes. the temperature and time may vary according to your oven.

10.After it's done(toothpick test - it should come out clean), let it stay in the oven for 5 minutes.

11.Let it cool.

For the frosting :

1. Heat the chocolate, icing sugar and cocoa powder.

2. Spread this mixture on the cake and top with nutribar pieces.

Happy New Year :-)

Dry Fruits Cake

Ingredients :

1. Cashewnuts - 10

2. Badam - 5

3. Pistachios - 10

4. Apricots - 5

5. Butter - 1/2 cup

6. Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp.

7. Water

8. Egg - 1

9. Plain Flour - 1 & a 1/4 cup

10.Powdered Sugar - 3/4 cup

11.Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp.

12.Buttermilk - 1/4 cup

13.Cashewnuts and Raisins - a few

Method :

1. Blanch the cashewnuts, badam, pistachios and apricots in water.Add vanilla essence. First let it come to a boil, then heat on medium flame for 10 minutes.

2. Let it cool.Grind the dryfruits. Then add water to it to make it exactly 1/2 cup. If there's extra, drain it.

3. Mix the butter and powdered sugar until you get a creamy mixture.

4. Mix flour and baking powder. Add the butter mixture and the dry fruit mixture to this.

5. Add egg and butermilk to the mixture and stir for a while until you get a semi-solid batter.

6. Chop the cashewnuts and raisins into half and add to the batter.

7. Trnsfer to the baking try and add a few more half cut cashewnuts on the top.

8. Bake at 180 degree celcius for 15 minutes.

I love the rich fragrance that comes when it gets baked :) Let me know how it turns out :)

Easy Cupcakes

Ingredients :

1. Plain Flour/Maida - 1 & 1/4 cup

2. Wheat/Aata - 3/4 cup

3. Oil - 2 tbsp.

4. Citric Acid(solid) - 1/2 tsp.

5. Water - 1 cup

6. Powdered Sugar - 1 cup

7. Baking Powder - 1 tsp.

8. Salt - a pinch

Frosting :

1. Cocoa Powder - 1 tsp.

2. Icing Sugar - 2 tbsp.

3. Milk - 2 tsp.

Method :

1. Mix plain flour, wheat and salt together. Add baking powder to it.

2. Separately, add citric acid in water and mix well.

3. Add this mixture to the flour mixture.

4. Add oil and sugar to this. Mix all the ingredients well until the shown consistency is obtained.

5. Pour this into greased cupcake molds and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes. The time may vary according to your oven, but it should pass the toothpick test(insert a toothpick and it should come out clean). If it doesn't, keep it for some more time. Once done, let it stay in the heat for 5 minutes.

Frosting :

1. Heat the cocoa powder for a few seconds and add to it, icing sugar and milk.

2. Stir for a few minutes in the heat, till a creamy consistency is obtained.

Now apply this frosting on the cupcakes and enjoy :-)

You can use vinegar instead of citric acid, But you'll have to add the 1 cup water mentioned in the recipe.

Banana Cake

Ingredients :

1. Plain Flour/Maida - 2 cups

2. Pureed Bananas(small) - 1 and a half

3. Butter - 1 cup

4. Egg - 1

5. Powdered Sugar - 3/4 cup

6. Nutmeg Powder - a pinch

7. Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp.

Method :

1. Stir the butter till it becomes creamy.
2. Add sugar to it and mix well.

3. To this, add the pureed bananas and the egg..
4. Separately, sieve maida and add baking powder to it.
5. Add this to the butter mixture, part by part, not all at once.
6. Mix well. You'll have to mix for a long time, as the batter should be of a ribbon consistency, i.e., when you hold the spoon in a slanting position, the batter should fall down like a ribbon.
9. You may add milk to achieve this semi-solid consistency.
10. Grease the cake pan with butter, pour the batter into it and bake for 10 mins. at 180 degree Celcius.
11. Do not take it out immediately. Take it out after 5 mins.
12. Insert a tooth pick into it, it should come out clean.

Fruit Squares

Ingredients:

1. Plain Flour(Maida) - 1 cup

2. Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp.

3. Vanilla Essence - 1/2 tsp.

4. Sugar - 3/4 cup

5. Water - lesser than 1/2 cup

6. Pureed cheeku(suppota) - 3

7. Butter - slightly lesser than 1/2 cup

8. Brown Sugar - 1/4 cup

9. Egg - 1

Method:

1. Mix thoroughly the butter and brown sugar.

2. Make sugar syrup by boiling the sugar and water and once it starts getting thick, reduce the heat and continue stirring till you get a thick sugar syrup.

3. Mix the flour and baking powder.

4. In a pan/vessel, add the butter mixture and the sugar syrup. Slowly add flour to it and heat this mixture for a few minutes.

5. Turn off the gas. In a separate vessel, add the egg and beat it properly.

6. Add this to the mixture and stir well.No need to heat it.

7. Pre-heat the oven for 3-5 minutes. Pour the mixture to a greased baking container.

8. Bake the mixture at 180 degree celcius for 15 minutes.

9. Once done, let it remain in the oven for a few minutes. Then take it out and insert a tooth pick. It should come out clean. Otherwise, bake it for a few more minutes on a lower temperature.

10.Cut it into squares and serve hot.

Kids will love it :)

Variation : You can replace suppota with pureed mango or pureed banana.

You can combine whipped cream and icing sugar, or heat butter, icing sugar and flour, to prepare the frosting and spread evenly on the squares.

Vanilla Sponge Cake

(Photo courtesy - my friend - Amby, who made this soft delicious cake)

My mom's recipe

Ingredients:

1. Maida/Flour - 2 cups
2. Powdered Sugar - 1 & a 1/2 cup or 1 & 3/4 cups
3. Unsalted Butter - 1 cup
4. Vanilla Essence - 1/4 tsp.
5. Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp.
6. Eggs - 2
7. Milk - as per requirement

Method :

1. Stir the butter till it becomes creamy.
2. Add sugar to it and mix well.
3. Separately, sieve maida and add baking powder to it.
4. Add this to the butter mixture, part by part, not all at once.
5. Separate the egg whites from the eggs and beat them till they increase in volume.
6. Add the egg yolks to the mixture.
7. Then add the egg whites and vanilla essence.
8. Mix well. You'll have to mix for a long time, as the batter should be of a ribbon consistency, i.e., when you hold the spoon in a slanting position, the batter should fall down like a ribbon.
9. You may add milk to achieve this semi-solid consistency.
10. Grease the cake pan with butter, pour the batter into it and bake in microwave for 5-6 mins. at 650 degree Celcius.
11. Do not take it out immediately. Take it out after 5 mins.
12. Insert a tooth pick into it, it should come out clean.

Variation:
For making chocolate cake, just mix 3 tbsp. of cocoa powder with maida.
You may add tooty fruity or dry fruits while mixing maida with baking powder.

Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

1. Wheat/Atta - 2 cups
2. Grated carrots - 2
3. Cinnamon powder/Dalchini - 1 tsp.
3. Nutmeg powder/Jaiphal - 1/2 tsp.
4. Baking powder - 1/2 tsp.
5. Butter - 1/2 cup
6. Grated jaggery/Gur - 1/2 cup

Method:
1. Melt the butter and jaggery over a low flame. Keep aside.
2. Sift the flour with the cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder and baking powder.
3. Combine the butter mixture, flour mixture and grated carrots and pour into a greased baking pan.
4.Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C for 1 hour. Cool and cut.

This cake is not only different in taste from other cakes, but also is healthy as it contains jaggery, a rich source of iron and carrots, which contain Vitamin A.

Variation : You can add honey to increase the sweetness. Njooooy :-)