Wednesday 1 July 2015

Eggless chocolate cake (father's day special)




Ingredients:-

Total Preparation Time - 1 hour 45 minutes

Dark chocolate - 1 bar
Maida - 1 1/4 cup
Butter- 5 1/2 tbsp
Boiled milk - 2 tsp (optional)
curd - 3/4 cup
Coco powder - 2 tbsp (unsweetened)
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Soda bi-carb - 1/2 tsp
Baking Pd - 1 1/2 tsp
Salt - a pinch

For Chocolate Ganache Frosting

Dark chocolate - 2 cup (i took dark chocolate chips)
Fresh cream or whipping cream - 1 cup
Milk - 2 spoons (optional)

For garnish

Cherries -3-4
Strawberries - 2-3
For the middle layer: (optional)
Whipped cream / Double cream - As required


Double boiler Method:-


1.Double boil the chocolate pieces to melt it. To do this, break the dark chocolate into smaller pieces and add into a bowl.
2.Take a pan add water into it and place on flame, then inside this pan add the bowl with dark chocolate pieces and leave undisturbed.
3.When it melts well and there are no lumps remove from flame and set aside until it cools.


Note: Don't over heat the chocolate else it may get burn and it will be of no use any more.

To proceed :
 
1.Add the curd, butter, vanilla essence and 4 tbsp of water and mix well. The batter should be of dropping consistency.
2.Now add the sifted all purpose flour mixture and fold in gently using a wooden ladle or spoon. Do not use a beater here.
3.Now add the melted dark chocolate and stir well until the chocolate blends well with the batter.
4.In a bowl mix together flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, baking soda, baking powder and sieve it once to remove any lumps if any. To this dry mixture add melted butter, warm water, curd and vanilla essence. Take a fork and mix all the ingredients well,
5.until there are no lumps and the mixture is smooth and uniform.
6.Pour the batter in the greased tin and bake it at 180 degrees C for 30-35 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
7.Remove pan from the oven and invert it on a wire rack. Leave the cake upside down to cool completely.

[If you plan to do frosting the next day, then wrap this cake very well and refrigerate it overnight


Chocolate Ganache Frosting

Double boiler method :

1.To a bowl add cream and double boil it. To do this place the cream filled bowl in a pan containing water and place on flame. (Do not use plastic bowls)
2.Now after a minute add the dark chocolate pieces into it and leave undisturbed.
3.After it starts melting, stir well with a spoon and mix well until it blends well and there are no lumps. Then add 2 spoons of milk and stir well.
4.Then remove from flame and set aside until it cools down.
5.After it cools down using a beater beat well for 2 to 3 minutes and set aside. (The ganache should not be runny, it should be smooth and thick, but not too thick) .


Middle Layer:


Use whipped cream to sandwich the cakes.
This step is purely optional. If you don't get whipped cream whip the double cream well until it turns stiff and forms a peak then use it.


Assembling the cake:


Now place one of the cake slice on a wire rack and spread the whipped cream on it. You can spread as much as you want. I just spread a thin layer.
Now place the other half over this, by placing the sliced side facing the cream. Press gently.
Now pour the chocolate ganache icing over the cake and spread well and evenly all over the cake. Even it with a knife or a flat spatula.
Then decorate with strawberry slices if you wish and spread some grated chocolate over the icing.
Refrigerate until it sets well and then serve.



Note
The cream layering or sandwiching cake slices is completely optional you can just make the ganache icing and serve!! You can use any kind of dark chocolate or chocolate for making the cake and ganache.
 You can also add some orange zest to the cake. The ganache sets well after

Friday 8 May 2015

Eggless Chocolate cake with Strawberry Filling

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

21/4 cups granulated sugar ( I used 1 cup of brown sugar and the rest granulated sugar)

1 1/4 cups cocoa powder

2 teapoons baking powder

1/2 cup  yoghurt

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla essence

Strawberry


Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160 C. Lightly butter and dust  two 9 – inch round cake pans.

2. In a saucepan, boil water  and add baking soda, stirring until dissolved. Remove from heat and keep aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa and baking powder. Then aadd baking soda- water mixture. With a handheld electric mixer, set on medium speed, beat in the water and beat in one ata time sour cream, oil and vanilla, stirring intil completely mixed. Scrap the sides in between while mixing.

4. Pour batter in the pans and bake for 40-50 minutes or until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean.
   Cool in pans for 15 minutes on wire rack and turn out onto plates. Cool completely before frosting.


Filling and Frosting:


I sliced the cakes into two so that I had 4 layers. I followed the Strawberry filling and frosting.



Tuesday 20 January 2015

CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH GANACHE FROSTIN



Ingredients

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 cup milk
1 tsp p baking powder
3/4 tsp  baking soda
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla essence
Strawberry buttercream.
1/4 tsp salt

Decoration as per your choice


For sugar syrup
2 tbsp sugar
125 ml water

For chocolate ganache-

200 gms semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp butter, room temperature

Method:

1.Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C for 10 minutes. Grease a pan with butter and line the base with butter/ baking paper.

2.In a bowl mix together flour, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, baking soda, baking powder and sieve it once to remove any lumps if any. To this dry mixture add melted butter, warm water, vinegar and vanilla essence. Take a fork and mix all the ingredients well, until there are no lumps and the mixture is smooth and uniform. Pour the batter in the greased tin and bake it at 180 degrees C for 30-35 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove pan from the oven and invert it on a wire rack. Leave the cake upside down to cool completely. [If you plan to do frosting the next day, then wrap this cake very well and refrigerate it overnight]

3.add lamon juice to milk for 4-5 min.

5.butter add sugar properly beat then add dry ingredint and mix it well.add milk and mix it well

6.Pour the batter in the greased tin and bake it at 180 degrees C for 30-35 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

7.Remove pan from the oven and invert it on a wire rack. Leave the cake upside down to cool completely.

8.Mix the chocolate chips, cream and butter in a heat proof bowl. Place this bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and allow the chips to melt down slowly [Double boiler]. Blend the ingredients well to get a smooth sauce. Switch off the flame and allow it to cool.

To assemble :

1.Place the cooled chocolate cake on a cake board and using serrated knife. slice the cake into two layers. Lift the top layer and keep it aside.
2.Put some sugar syrup on the cake layer that is placed on the cake board. Spread buttercream  all over the soaked cake covering it completely. Carefully place the other layer over the buttercream and take care to align it with lower layer. Moisten it with remaining sugar syrup. Allow this to rest in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before you proceed with frosting.

I used the round pan once again while using chocolate ganache to frost the cake. Place the round pan upside down inside a steel plate* and place the cake over this pan to continue working with ganache.




Thursday 1 January 2015

Eggless Black Forest Cake, Without Condensed Milk, Without Curd


Ingredients:-

Maida/Plain Flour - 1¼ Cup
Cocoa Powder - ¼ Cup
Baking Soda - ½ Tsp
Baking Powder - ¾ Tsp
Sugar - 1¼ Cup
Butter - ½ Cup
Milk - 1¼ Cup
Vinegar - 1 Tsp
Vanilla - 1 Tsp

For Icing: Whipping Cream: 500-550 ml
Sugar: 4 Tbsp
Cherries: ¾ Cup
Compound Chocolate: 1 cup
Syrup from cherry tin: ½ Cup

Instructions:-

1.Start by preheating oven to 180 C.
2.Now add in the vinegar to the milk. Sift together-Maida, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, and Cocoa twice.
3.In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until creamed well. Now add in the vanilla. Beat well.
4.Add in half of the buttermilk, and half of the flour mix. Mix well, now add rest of the buttermilk and rest flour and mix well.
5.Grease a cake tin, and line it with butterpaper.
6.Add the cake batter to it and bake it for 35 mins in the preheated oven.
7.After the cake is baked, let the cake cool to room temp, then refrigerate overnight or for atleast 4 hrs.
8.Once the cake is chilled, let it come to room temp.


For Icing:

In a bowl, add the cream and beat it using mixer/whisk until soft peaks. Now add in the sugar, and then whip until stiff peaks.

For completing cake: Take ½ cup cherries and remove the seed of it.

Peel the chocolate using a peeler to make the shavings. Then refrigerate until use.

1.Take the sponge and level the top.
2.Now cut the cake into 3 layers using a big knife/serrated knife. Transfer the layers to a plate.
Place some bowls below a plate or simple use a turn table. Touch the table with a bit of cream.
3.Now place the bottom most layer, spread syrup, now make a thick layer of whipped cream, now some cherries(without seed ones). Place the second layer and repeat the steps of syrup, cream, cherries, another layer, and again syrup!
4.Now take a big dollop of cream and place on top..Now spread the cream using a big knife/palette knife. As shown in video.

For Crumb Coat: After spreading the cream on top, spread some cream in sides using the big knife and then freeze the cake for 30 mins.

Now for the final icing: take a big dollop of cream and spread it on top as well as on sides using a big knife/palette knife.

Add the remaining cream in a piping bag, make rosettes in top.. And also make a border in the edge..

Sprinkle chocolate in sides as well as in top..

Put the remaining cherries in the top.