"Parwal Mithai/ Sweet Pointed Gourd"

It was the festival of Holi two days back and I had a lovely time with family and good food. Hope you all too had a wonderful Holi. Apart from the default gujiyas and sweets, I tried a very old sweet recipe ( mostly prepared in Northern parts of India ) which I last had in my school days. I remember my aunts making this sweet on special occassions and it used to taste divine. When I saw parwals (pointed gourd) vegetable in the market, I instantly had the urge to make it for Holi.

So here I am sharing yet another old and sweet recipe of Parwal Mithai/ Sweet Pointed Gourd today.Its easy to make and delicious to taste. You can make it in big quantity and store in airtight container in the fridge for upto a  week. 

"Parwal Mithai/ Sweet Pointed Gourd"

Ingredients :

250 gms Parwal ( Pointed Gourd)

200 gms khoya/mawa ( dried whole milk)

2 cups Thin sugar syrup ( made with 1/2 cup sugar and 2.5 cups water)

3/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp ghee ( clarified butter)

cardamom powder

almonds/pistachios for garnish

Preparation:

• Peel the parwal vegetable and slit it midway lengthwise and remove the core.
• Blanch the parwals in hot water for 5-6 minutes and remove in a seive to remove the excess water.
• Prepare the sugar syrup to a thin ( one wire) consistency and add parwals. Cook them in the syrup on slow flame for around 10-15 minutes till they are cooked and soft. You will see a slight colour change once they start cooking. Switch off the gas and cover the pan and leave for another 10 minutes to soak. Drain the parwals and let them cool
• To make the stuffing, heat ghee and saute the khoya in a non stick pan on medium heat till it becomes soft and changes slight colour ( you will get the aroma of cooked khoya)
• Add the sugar and and saute till light golden in colour
• Add cardamom powder and few chopped nuts and mix well.
• Let the mixture cool for sometime before stuffing
• Now to prepare the sweet, take the parwal and stuff it with the mixture properly. Repeat the process with all the parwals. Garnish with chopped nuts and chill for few hours before serving.

Notes : You can use readily made khoya barfis or any other flavoured burfis/milkcakes for the stuffing if you cant make the khoya filling. You can also use saffron for garnish and in the stuffing to add more flavour. 

"Classic Swiss Meringues"

Hello guys.. I know I have not been in touch for few days now and havent shared any yummy recipe with you all. Hope you all are enjoying yourself and preparing for Holi and Easter holidays. 

After a month I managed to get back to baking and absolutely loved it. I realised how much I missed it as soon as I smelt the lovely aroma coming out of my oven.

So here I am sharing yet another beautiful and simple recipe today. This weekend I made something special for a special friend. These beauties are light, airy, munchy, tasty, melts in your mouth and vanish like thin air in seconds. These special treats are called Meringues. 

Today I'll share a simple and lovely recipe of Classic Swiss Meringues. 

Meringues are the most fragile sweets that you can make and devour. You can enjoy them plain or sandwitch two with peanut butter or chocolate sauce or whipped cream or caramel and so on. These can also be enjoyed with ice cream or just crush them on your shakes and puddings. You can make in plenty and store them for weeks and enjoy in different versions. 

So try making some of these beauties this weekend and make your summer desserts more special.

" Classic Swiss Meringues"

Ingredients :

4 egg whites

240 gms superfine powdered sugar 

2 tbsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp rose water - optional

few drops red or pink food colour

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 100*C. Line a baking tray with butter paper evenly.
• Use hand mixer or electric mixer and whip the egg whites in a large bowl till light and foamy. It should take approx 10 mins with an electric hand/ standing mixer.
• Slowly add the sugar and start whisking till all the sugar is incorporated. Do not add all at once. 
• Continue whisking for another 10 mins till the mixture is glossy and forms firm peaks. ( You can test this by removing the whisk and checking  if the mixture stays or falls in the bowl. If its firm it will stay)
• Add vanilla essence and mix it gently with a rubber spatula or silicone spoon from out to in direction so that you dont break the air.
• Add few drops of any colour and just swirl it in the mix like a rainbow pattern. You will get a ripple effect by doing this. You can use a skewer or toothpick to do this.
• Take two big spoons. Drop big spoonfuls of the mix on the baking tray and try and form small peaks with the help of the other spoon. ( Refer pic for the peak)
• Bake in preheated oven at 100*C for an hour. Switch off the oven and the meringues cool off completely in the oven itself ( you can leave the oven door slightly ajar)
• Once completely lift them gently from the butter paper and store them in airtight container for weeks.

Notes :- While whisking egg whites please ensure that the mixer and bowl is completely clean and not at all greasy else they will not foam or form peaks. Its better to use electric mixer for this recipe to get better results.Always use baking or parchment paper else the meringues will stick to the tray and break while lifting.Do not bake them on higher temperature else they will brown and not retain the original colour and taste. Its ok to see slight cracks on them after baking. You can use any colour or flavour for the mix. 

Add some chocolate or nutella to get variety of flavours. Ice or sandwitch them with chocolate or cream sauce and dust with nuts and icing sugar to form a delicious dessert.

Valentine Whole Wheat Cupcakes !!!

Cupid visited me today and wanted to eat some fresh homemade cupcakes :)

Its Valentine's day and there is way too much romance in the air. Everyone is celebrating this special day in their own special ways and I started mine with some baking today.

I wanted to bake something simple, healthy yet cute for my better half. So here is a special Valentine recipe for Whole Wheat Cupcakes with Simple Butter glaze icing.

You can just opt for the plain cupcakes if you want to go completely healthy. Yet you can cover it up with any frosting of your choice and make them taste and look more wonderful for any occassion.

Hope you enjoy the recipe and have a Happy Valentines Day !!!!

" Valentine Whole Wheat Cupcakes"

2 bananas - ripe

1/3 cup olive / vegetable oil ( prefer olive though)

4 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla essence or extract

2 and 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

Preparation:

• Mash the banana and mix with egg whites, oil and vanilla essence in a bowl
• Mix flour, brown sugar,cinnamon,baking powder,salt and baking soda together.
• Add this flour mixture to the banana mix slowly and keep mixing to form a smooth batter
• You can add little milk if the batter is not smooth and of dropping consistency
• Line a muffin tray with paper cups or grease it with little oil
• Drop spoonful of batter in muffin cups and bake in the preheated oven at 180* for 20 minutes
• Check with a toothpick or knife if cooked.

For icing on the cupcakes, you can opt for Royal butter icing, Whipped cream icing, Marzipan or fondant icing, etc. 

I made a simple icing by whipping 50 gms butter with 125 gms icing sugar, 3 tsps milk and a drop of pink colour. Once its smooth and whipped spread on the cupcakes and decorate with sugar pearly and cherries. 

Let it set for sometime and serve.

"Lovebirds Special Celebration Cake"

Its the month of February and I can already sense a lot of Love in the air :)

Valentine's Day is one of the most special day for all the couples and everyone likes to impress their better half on this special day. So I dedicate this month to all you lovebirds and will post some recipes that you can make for the special people in your life. 

Though I am sure we dont need a specific day to portray our love for anyone. You can do that all the year round and make people happy with some yummy dishes :) 

So lets celebrate this lovely month and to start with I am sharing a Hearts celebration cake recipe that I made for my better half on our wedding anniversary. 

Its a simple yet exotic cake. When you look at it, you may feel that there is a complicated process behind making it. But, trust me its quiet simple and can be made with readily available ingredients. I skipped cream based frosting in this cake as it makes the cake more dense and heavy and reduces the lifespan. So this time I opted for some lighter ingredients that adds texture, beauty and taste to the cake. You can always create this beauty in your way and style using diff ingredients and shapes.

Enjoy the recipe and have a lovely "Love" month !!!

" Lovebirds Special Celebration Cake"

Ingredients : 

For the Cake base (Eggless) - 

1/2 tin condensed milk

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup oil

2 tbsp powdered sugar

1 cup flour

1/4 cup cornflour

1/2 tsp soda bi carb

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup soda water ( bottle of soda)

1 tsp vanilla essence

For Marzipan Hearts and flowers - 

25 almonds - blanched, peeled and dried

3 tbsp icing sugar

2-3 drops of almond/ vanilla essence

red or pink colour

For Frosting or Decoration - 

1 cup chocolate cookie powder ( grind half packet chocolate cookies)

1/2 cup dessicated coconut

1/2 bar chocolate melted

One tray or cake board wrapped in silver or golden paper

Pink or Red ribbons to decorate the sides

Sugar pearls - coloured

2-3 tbsp Jam or Honey ( any flavour)

Baking tins - one medium sized heart shaped tin and another small heart shaped tin. Grease both and line with butter paper.

Preparation :

For Cake Base  :-

•  Sift flour, cornflour,soda bi carb and baking powder in a wide bowl. Keep aside
• Mix sugar and condensed milk together till light and smooth. Add oil and beat well
• Add this liquid mixture to the flour.Add milk slowly and keep whisking to form a smooth batter and avoid any lumps. Add essence and mix well. 
• Pour soda water and mix quickly till the batter is fully smooth and light.
• Immediately pour the batter in both the tins. 
• Bake in preheated oven at 150*C for 40 mins. Check with a skewer if it comes out clean then cake is cooked.
• Once cool, unmould and keep aside.

For Making Marzipan hearts and flowers - 

•   Grind almonds. Add icing sugar and essence and knead it to make a dough. If it looks rough then add 2 drops of water to make is smooth and pliable. Knead well with your palms on a smooth surface for about 7-8 minutes till its smooth and the surface and clean and shiny.
• Rest the dough in the fridge for about 5 minutes. Remove and again knead for a minute and add 2-3 drops of your favourite colour. Knead well to spread the colour uniformly.
• Now make small balls of the dough . Dust some icing sugar on the surface and roll these balls a little to flatten them. Using a cookie cutter cut the dough in heart or desired shapes and keep aside. You can make hearts, flowers, stars,etc. 
• You can also stick two hearts together and fix a toothpick in the centre to fix in the cake as props ( as shown in the picture)
• Once all the shapes are created store them in the fridge till use.

For Chocolate Shards - 

• Chop chocolate and melt it in the microwave or double boiler till soft. 
• Using a rubber spatula quicly spread melted chocolate on a butter paper in thin layers of any shapes. Keep in fridge to set
• For names and sticks fill the remaining melted chocolate in a paper cone and pipe the desired alphabets and shapes on a butter paper. Keep in fridge to cool and set.
• Once set after 1-2 hours, remove them slowly from the paper and decorate on and around the cake.

For Decorating the Cake - 

• Tie ribbons around both the cakes to give a satin bow effect ( as given in the pic)
• Place the bigger base on the cake board. Put a layer or jam/ honey on top of the base. Dust it with cookie powder to cover the top completely. ( The jam will act as a glue here ) 
• Place the small base on top of the bigger one. Layer it with jam/honey. 
• Dust it with dessicated coconut to form a even white layer.
• Decorate the marzipan props on top of the small cake and around the big cake ( refer the pic)
• Place your alphabets on top of the small cake. ( optional)
• Decorate the cake board with Chocolate shards and dust it with some coconut powder. 
• Throw some sugar pearls and Marzipan balls all over to give a colourful effect. 
• Tie ribbon around the cake knife and place on the side
• Your beautiful Hearts cake is ready. 

Note : You can skip or add any of these steps as desired. If you want to go for butter or cream frosting then use a coloured frosting on both the cakes and decorate with chocolate shards and sugar pearls.

"Xmas Plum Cake"

I am keeping my promise to share the recipe of Rich Plum cake to celebrate this Christmas. Its Christmas eve and its time to open some sparkling wine or champagne with rich plum cake slices.

I hope you all had soaked dryfruits in Rum as per my previous pre cake update and ready with your ingredients now.

So lets not waste more time and get started with the cake preparation. I made these today and trust me they look so delicious that I cant wait to dig in post midnight ;)

Hope you like the recipe and prepare this for Christmas tomorrow and enjoy with your friends and family.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas . Have a beautiful Christmas :)

" Xmas Plum Cake"

Ingredients:

Pre soaked dry fruits and spices ( please follow my previous recipe on the same)

2 cups flour

2 cups powdered sugar

200 gms butter

2 tsp baking powder

6 eggs

2 tbsp vanilla essence

salt a pinch

2 tbsp orange juice

Few tablespoons of Brandy or Rum

Preparation:

•  Preheat the oven at 177*C for ten minutes before baking
• Sift the flour,salt and baking powder together. Mix the soaked dry fruits in the flour nicely
• Beat butter and powdered sugar together till light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and keep whisking till the batter is mixed properly and smooth
• Add vanilla essence and orange juice to the batter and mix properly
• Add the liquid batter to the flour mixture slowly and mix well to avoid any lumps.
• Add a tsp of brandy and mix well.
• Pour the batter in greased or lined cake mould and bake for 45 minutes. ( I could make two cakes with this batter so try distributing it in two small cake moulds)
• Check with a knife or toothpick if it comes out clean. Remove cake from oven. Immediately sprinkle two tbsp of brandy or rum to enhance the flavour and increase the lifespan of the cake.
• Slice and serve. Store the remaining cake in an airtight container. Keep in refrigerator if storing for a little longer

Note : You can skip adding more brandy or rum if you dont want additional liqour in the cake. You can also more mixed spices powder in the batter to enhance the flavour.

"Dates & Figs Cake - Eggless"

Christmas day is coming nearer and nearer and so is the excitement to celebrate :)

I am sure you all are busy preparing cakes and muffins for the big day so I thought of sharing a quick and delicious recipe of Dates & Fig cake. This cake is dense, rich and eggless which makes it perfect to enjoy on   a Christmas day. Another good thing about this cake is that you can enjoy its warmth in this chilly weather as dates and figs are perfect fruits for the winter season.

Enjoy the recipe and keep sending your posts and feedback :)

"Dates & Figs Cake - Eggless"

Ingredients :

1 cup chopped dates ( seedless)

1/2 cup chopped dried figs

1 cup plain flour

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 tin condensed milk 

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp soda bi carb

1/2 cup oil

Few cashewnuts for garnishing

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven at 150*C for ten minutes before baking 
• Chop the dates and figs finely and put in a deep pan. Add 6 tbsp of water and heat gently together on low flame for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add soda bi carb. Mix well and keep aside for 15-20 minutes
• Sift flour and baking powder together in a mixing bowl.Mix dates mix with the flour. 
• Beat oil and condensed milk together till smooth and add vanilla essence. Mix well.
• Pour this liquid to the flour mixture and mix well till the batter becomes smooth and of dropping consistency.
• Grease a small cake or loaf tin and put butter paper to prevent cake from sticking. 
• Pour the batter in the tin and garnish with cashew pieces.Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Check with a knife before removing the cake if its done or not.
• Slice the cake and serve warm with coffee or tea.

Note : You can frost this cake with whipped cream before serving. Store this cake in an airtight container for longer shelf life. This cake will be little dense and heavy so you need to grease the tin well or use butter paper before baking. Decorate the cake with cashew or walnuts for additional flavour/taste.

"Sponge Fingers with Strawberry Coulis"

Its the season for Strawberries. I love the rich red colour and the aroma of this beautiful fruit. Eat it like that or convert it into jams, sauces, pulps or icecream. You can enjoy this luscious red fruit in any and many ways.

Christmas season is about guests and family gatherings and celebrations. The whole idea of celebration revolves around good food and wine :) Listening to carols and chitchatting with your friends and family,you will not get enough time to prepare massive desserts. So I am sharing a quickfix dessert for you which you can serve for coffee or after dinner. Prepare the sponge cake and sauce in advance and store it in an airtight container and you can prepare this dessert in a jiffy without putting in much effort ;)

Hope you enjoy this simple and delicious recipe. Happy Baking !!!!!

" Sponge fingers with Strawberry coulis"

Ingredients :

For Sponge cake please follow my Eggless Tea Cake or Britannia Fruit Cake recipe. You can also use a readymade vanilla sponge for this dessert

For Coulis :

250 gms fresh strawberries

80-100 gms castor sugar ( as per your sweet tooth)

1 tbsp of lemon juice

some fresh strawberries to decorate

Icing sugar for dusting

Preparation:

• Rinse the strawberries and remove the leaves from berries.
• Put the berries and sugar in a pan and put on low heat. Simmer softly for around ten minutes or till the fruit has become soft. Let it cool.
• Once its cooled down blend it together. Seive the syrup to get a smooth sauce.
• Add lemon juice and mix well.
• Chill the coulis before serving
• To serve, cut slices of the cake and arrange on a plate. Drop some spoonfuls of coulis all around and over the slices. Decorate with freshly cut strawberries and dust it with some icing sugar. Serve chilled

Note : You can store this coulis for upto a week in an airtight container in the fridge. Just like strawberries you can make this sauce with Raspberries, Blueberries,etc for different taste and colours. 

If you want to experiment more then try using chocolate cake slices with the coulis and enjoy the sinful taste:)

Also, you can decorate the dessert with other freshly cut fruits like bananas or oranges. I also like to pour a littlt hot chocolate sauce on the plate to add more dimension to this dessert. There are way too many options to add to this simple cake and coulis and make it extraordinary so keep trying new versions and do share them with us. 

"Pre Christmas Plum Cake Preparation"

Traditional Christmas Plum cake calls for a month long soaking of dry fruits and spices in Rum or Brandy. So keeping this lovely and delicious tradition in mind, I have done my Plum cake preparations and I am already looking forward to a rich,yummy and delicious Xmas cake.

Have you all started the Christmas preparations yet ???

Get ready for Christmas and soak some nuts tonight :)

I will share the Christmas plum cake recipe before the festival. Till then Happy Baking !!!!! 

"Pre Christmas Plum Cake Preparation"

Ingredients :

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup chopped cashews

1/2 cup tutti frutti

1/2 cup candied cherries

1/2 cup black currants

1 tbsp powdered cinnamon

few orange and lemon peel

1 cup Rum or Brandy

Preparation:

Mix all the dry fruits and spices and soak in Rum/Brandy in an airtight container and keep in the fridge till Christmas. 

" Banana & Carrot Muffins - Eggless "

Have yourself a merry little Christmas.

Let your heart be light,

From now on our troubles

Will be out of sight.

Christmas is coming nearer and the excitement to celebrate the festival has already begun. Rum cakes preparation is going on, carols are playing and everyone is looking forward to the party season. So what are we waiting for??? Lets start the month with some yummy sweet treats and enjoy with our family and friends.

Today I am sharing a simple yet yummm Banana & Carrot Muffin recipe. Its eggless and has the goodness of whole wheat ( pssst less calories ;) ) ..

Will post more yummy Xmas recipes this month and I hope you all will like them. Enjoy the season and have a beautiful December. Keep Baking :)))))

" Banana & Carrot Muffins - Eggless"

Ingredients :

3/4th cup whole wheat flour

3/4th cup self raising flour

1and 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp soda bi carb

1 cup grated carrots

2 tbsp raisins

1/2 cup butter - softened

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 cup powdered sugar

2 ripe bananas - mashed or blended in a mixer

1/3 cup milk ( approx)

Preparation :

• Seive both the flours in a bowl with baking powder and soda bi carb.
• Add carrots and raisins and mix well. 
• Beat butter, vanilla essence and sugar till light and fluffy.
• Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture slowly and mix well. You will get a thick lumpy batter
• Add banana puree to the mixture and mix. Add little milk and mix well. You need to add as much milk that will give you a smooth cake batter. 
• Preheat the oven at 160*C for ten minutes before baking
• Line muffin moulds or cupcake moulds with butter paper. Add the muffin batter to each mould till 3/4 full. Bake at 160*C for 30 minutes till golden and cooked. 
• Garnish with grated carrot and serve warm

Note : You can frost these muffins with fresh cream or butter icing and then decorate with grated carrots and serve. The texture will be little soft and dense as we have used whole wheat in the recipe. 

" Creamy White & Saffron Ladoos/ Rounds"

How was your Diwali people ... Mine was superb and really enjoyed all the festivities. But, as the week long festival is still not over, I thought of sharing another quick, simple and light sweet recipe today. If you need to treat your brothers tomorrow with something light and tasty, then you should make this one and enjoy it :)

This recipe is of Creamy White and Saffron Ladoos / Rounds or Pedas. 

Enjoy the rest of the festival with some delicious sweets !!!

" Creamy White & Saffron Ladoos/ Rounds"

Ingredients :

1/2 cup condensed milk 

250 gms cottage cheese

food colour - saffron - 5 drops

Rose Water few drops

Cardamom Powder

Preparation:

• Mash the cottage cheese and make it smooth by rubbing with the palm of your hands or blend it in a mixer for a smooth & creamy consistency.
• In a non stick pan, add the cottage cheese and condensed milk and mix well. Cook on a low flame till the mixture thickens and leaves the pan sides.
• Remove from fire. Add rose water and mix well.
• Remove little mixture potion separately and add food colour and mix well. Keep aside to cool.
• Remove the remaining mixture in a plate and let it cool completely.
• Shape the entire white mixture in small round balls. Shape the yellow mixture in small tiny round balls.
• Now as shown in the recipe pic, press the yellow ball on top of the white one and shape it like a cap or cone. You can always make any other designs of your choice to make it look more attractive. 
• Stick cardamom powder on top of the rounds.
• Arrange the laddos ( rounds ) in a plate and serve fresh.

Note : Another option is to fill the yellow mixture inside the white mixture and then shape it in a round. To serve cut it in half and serve it like an egg sweet. If you want a complete saffron coloured ladoo then add the food colour to the entire mixture and then shape them.You can decorate with almonds,pistachios and rose petals.

Chocolate & Milk Almond Fudge Rolls

Happy Diwali !!!!

The beautiful festival has finally arrived and I am busy preparing for the festivities. Lights, decoration, colours and sweets are all around me and I am loving every bit of it. 

Sweet distribution is one of the most common practise in Diwali. When you visit your loved ones, you bring in a box of sweets presenting your good wishes. The market is flooded with so many coloured sweets but I was little reluctant in buying them considering the amount of adulteration that goes behind in bulk orders.

I made this recipe for my cousin so that they can enjoy the goodness of homemade sweets guiltfree :)

This is a chocolate and milk almond fudge roll that I made for Diwali. Its a very simple recipe and tastes delicious. I was supposed to make Barfis ( squares) but landed up trying a new variation. 

Do try this recipe and share it with your family and friends and stay assured that will vanish off in a jiffy after you serve them :)

"Chocolate & Milk Almond Fudge Rolls"

Ingredients :

250 gms Khoya ( dried whole milk)

100 gms sugar 

1 tsp ghee ( clarified butter)

50 ml water

3 tbsp cocoa powder

few almonds chopped

Preparation:

• Mash the khoya . Cook it in a non stick pan on with ghee till it turns light pink in colour.
• Once it leaves the pan sides remove it in a metal bowl.
• Dissolve the cocoa powder in 1 tbsp of water or milk
• Bring the water to boil in a pan and add sugar. Dissolve the sugar and stir for a little while till it gets little thick and you get a two to three wire consistency ( take a little syrup on the back of the spoon and leave it. You will see a three wire consistency)
• Add cocoa liquid to the sugar syrup and stir.
• Add the sugar mix to the khoya and mix well for even chocolate colour consistency.
• Spread in a greased plate and let it cool for a while. You can chill it for an hour in the refrigerator.(Once fully cooled and set you have an option of cutting it in squares and serving it like chocolate burfis)
• For making the rolls, take a big wide spoon and scoop a small section of the mixture. Shape it in a roll with your hands and garnish with chopped almonds. Repeat the same process with the entire mixture to make all the rolls.
• Store it in an airtight container. You can consume it the same day or if any left then refrigerate the rolls for the next day. 

Note : You can make simple khoya rolls too if you dont like chocolate flavour. The same can be used to make different coloured rolls by adding few drops of food colour to the khoya mixture.

Add pistachios instead of almond for different taste and textures. The rolls will soft resembling a fudge so taste great when eaten fresh. If you dont want to use ghee ( clarified butter) then use 1 tsp of unsalted butter.

"Pinwheel Cookies"

Diwali is approaching and its time to distribute sweets and gifts amongst family and friends. One of most beautiful and brightest festival brings in lots of joy, happiness, celebration and good food to make everyone happy. So when we are talking about distributing sweets to others, we should not limit ourselves to the staple sweet shop boxes with milk and dry fruit sweets. This time try your hands on something different and personalize your gifts to make them more special. I suggest boxes of cookies of any type. Decorate the box nicely and it will become the most beautiful gift one can receive this Diwali.

Today I'll share the recipe of a pinwheel or vanilla and chocolate cookies which can be a perfect gift item for you and your loved ones. 

"Pinwheel Cookies"

Ingredients :

200 gms butter

150 gms powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla essence 

1 egg

300 gms plain flour

25 gms cocoa powder

Preparation:

• In a bowl, whisk the butter and sugar together till light and fluffy.
• Add vanilla essence and egg and keep whisking to form a smooth batter
• Add flour and mix well. Knead the mixture in a dough ( use little more flour if its greasy)
• Cut the dough in two halves. To one half, add cocoa powder and knead well for even brown consistency
• Wrap both the doughs in clingfilm and chill for half an hour
• Roll out each dough in oblong shape separately to an inch thickness. Put the chocolate dough on top of the plain dough.
• Roll up the dough length ways like a Swiss roll. Wrap in clingfilm tightly and chill for another half an hour
• Preheat the oven at 180*C for ten minutes
• Slice the chilled dough into thin slices like black and white coins.
• Place the cookies on a greased baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
• Cool for sometime before storing in an airtight container

Choco Muffins -- Eggless

I love making muffins and cupcakes. The round tiny fluffy muffins are a delight to eat be it plain or frosted. My favourite are chocolate and blueberry muffins and I can polish as many as I can manage with a cup of coffee. 

This time I prepared an eggless chocolate muffin recipe. I used bits of white chocolate in the centrer just to add an additional taste. You can add dark chocolate chips as the molten texture will lift the wonderful chocolatty taste of these beauties. 

Enjoy the recipe i'll wait for your feedback and comments.

" Choco Muffins -- Eggless "

Ingredients : 

3/4th cup flour

1/4th cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp soda bi carb

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup butter

1 cup buttermilk (mix 3/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup curd)

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1 bar white chocolate or 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preparation:

• Sift flour, cocoa powder,baking powder and soda bi carb together in a bowl
• Beat butter and sugar till soft and fluffy. Add vanilla essence and mix again
• Add buttermilk to the above butter mix
• Add flour mix slowly and keep mixing till soft and smooth. 
• Add chocolate chips or milk chocolate pieces and mix well.
• Grease muffin or cupcake cups with little butter and flour. Pour the mix in these cups till 3/4th full
• Put chocolate chips or milk chocolate pieces on top 
• Bake in preheated oven at 180*C for 25 to 30 minutes till done. Insert a toothpick or knife and check
• Let them cool. Remove from the cups and serve plain or frosted

Note : You can use white or dark chocolate as per your choice. These muffins will be little soft and moist due to buttermilk. 

"Celebration Cake"

Birthdays and Anniversaries are incomplete without a CAKE. Imagine having a birthday party without the birthday cake .. Impossible. With the amount of cakes available nowadays at each shop, you tend to get confused as to which one is the best one. Chocolate, Oreo  tiramisu, pineapple,butterscotch,vanilla,fruity,cheesecake and so on. The list is endless and we might have to celebrate 365 birthdays every year to try all the types of cakes available :)

So let me share an excellent and exquisite recipe of an Eggless Celebration Cake. I made this cake for my hubby's birthday last weekend and trust me it was really special. There is a bit of hard work involved but if you want to gift something special to your loved one, then do try this cake for the next special occasion. 

Enjoy the recipe and I'll wait for your feedback !!!

"Celebration Cake"

Ingredients :

For the Cake Base - 

200 gms flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp soda bi carb

1/4th cup milk

1 and 1/4 cup yogurt

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup butter

3/4th cup powdered sugar

Preparation for the base :

• Line a round cake tin with butter or baking paper. Grease with butter and dust with a little flour. Keep aside
• Preheat the oven at 190*C for ten minutes before baking
• In a bowl, Seive flour , baking powder and soda bi carb. Keep aside
• Beat sugar and butter together till light and fluffy. Mix yogurt and lemon juice.Add the flour mix gently and keep mixing. Add milk and mix well.You will see that the mixture will turn smooth and light and starts doubling in quantity. Do not over mix.
• Pour the mix in the greased tin and bake for 30 minutes till browned and done. Check with a knife if its fully baked or not.
• Remove from the oven and let it cool for sometime before removing it gently from the cake tin.
• Place on a serving plate or tray and keep aside

For the icing :

200 gms whipping cream ( you can use double cream as well)

1 tbsp butterscotch essence ( if not available, use vanilla essence)

1/4th cup sugar boiled with 1/2 cup water for soaking the cake

For the caramel praline and nougat : 

1/2 cup regular sugar

1/4 cup roasted peanuts

For decoration :

Coloured fresh fruits - 

1 apple

1 kiwi

few pieces pineapple

cherries or strawberries  ( You can use any types of fruits as per ur taste or choice)

Preparation for Frosting and Decoration:

• Whip the cream with butterscotch essence till firm peaks are formed. Refrigerate
• For making the praline, grease the kitchen surface with little oil. Add sugar to the non stick pan. Spread it out evenly in the whole pan and keep on medium heat for 2-3 minutes without touching the sugar.
• When the sugar starts to melt and turn golden just stir the sides a little and swirl the pan till the sugar melts completely. Let it become light golden in colour.  
• Immediately pour some designs from a spoon to the greased surface. You can make any abstract thin designs. ( Remember to do it fast ). These will look like praline shards as given in the pic below.
• Let them cool for few minutes completely and they will harden and become solid. Gently lift them and place on a tray and keep in the fridge

• To the remaining sugar in the pan, add the roasted peanuts and mix well. Pour on the greased platform and let the mixture cool down completely. Once it becomes hard, crush them roughly and keep aside. They will look like rough breadcrumbs. Nougat is ready.Refer to the pic below. 

• Cut the fruits in some designs like apple leaves, kiwi baskets and pineapple flowers or any other form of your choice

Arranging the cake :

• Cut the cake in two layers. Place one layer of cake on the serving plate. Soak with few spoons of sugar syrup. Put few dollops of whipped cream and spread evenly. Sprinkle some nuts nougat and put the second layer of cake on top. Press gently.
• Soak with the sugar syrup.Cover with cream on top and on all sides evenly. Use a big knife or spatula to even the cream on all sides. Clean the plate with a tissue to wipe the cream fallen outside. Refrigerate for 30 minutes
• Stick the nuts nougat on the cake sides generously. Remove the fallen mixture from the sides.
• Decorate the fruits in the center of the cake. Insert the praline shards around the fruits creating a design. 
• Sprinkle some remaining nuts nougat on top.
• Chill the cake and serve for the party.

Note : The base of the cake is soft and fluffy and once you soak it in sugar syrup it will become more mushy and as good as a bakery product. You can change the fruits and design as per your liking. 

"Classic Bread & Butter Pudding"

There seems to be a lot of confusion on the intake of white bread when it comes to healthy eating. One school of thought states that you should only consume whole wheat brown bread to avoid unsaturated fats and the other school of thought states that white and brown bread has the same qualities and demerits. 

Well, you know what, who cares, eat what you think is right and will keep u healthy. My school of thought is  eat everything but in moderation :)

So lets enjoy a classic Bread & Butter pudding recipe that can be made in a jiffy and will taste delicious at any time. Serve it little warm with a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy the comfortness of this delicious recipe.

"Classic Bread & Butter Pudding"

Ingredients :

Raisins and Black currants - 1/2 cup soaked for few hours

1 egg

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp custard powder

one glass or 350 ml milk

1 tbsp vanilla essence

1 lemon zest

4 tbsp cream cheese ( optional) or fresh cream

25 gms soft butter

5 slices white bread

2 tbsp jam ( mixed fruit / pineapple/mango/apricot)

icing sugar for sifting

Preparation:

• Beat the egg and sugar together till light and fluffy. Whisk in the custard powder until the mixture is smooth
• Warm the milk a little and then add it to the egg mixture slowly. Keep whisking till the mix becomes smooth and to avoid curdling
• Add vanilla essence, lemon zest and mix well. Let it rest for half an hour
• Add the cream cheese or fresh cream and whisk well
• Strain the custard through a sieve to get a smooth consistency
• Grease a pudding bowl or tray with some butter.
• Spread butter and jam on each bread slice. Cut the slices into 4 triangles. Lay the bread triangles in the dish with the jam side facing upwards.
• Scatter some raisins on top. Pour half the custard mix and leave to soak for 15 minutes
• Preheat the oven at 180*C . Take a baking tray, Place the pudding bowl in it. Pour the remaining custard on top of the bread and press the slices a little.Spread the remaining raisins as well.
• Fill the baking tray with a little water before placing it in the oven.
• Bake at 180*C for 20 minutes and then at 190*C for another 5 minutes till top is crisp and golden.
• Serve it warm with fresh cream and sift some icing sugar on top.

Note : you can use any jam of your choice for the pudding. 

"Rich Coca Cola & Chocolate Cake" -- Eggless

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I had a really busy and fun weekend with friends and family. For dessert I prepared a dense and rich Chocolate and Coco Cola cake.The tempting flavours of Chocolate and Cola makes this cake irresistible and you want more with every bite. If you prefer having an eggless cake then you will surely love this one. 

Have a great week and keep baking .

"Rich Coca Cola & Chocolate Cake"

Ingredients :

1 can milkmaid ( condensed milk) - 400 gms

6 tbsp sugar - powdered

100 gms butter

250 ml aerated drink ( Coca Cola/ Pepsi/Thumsup)

5 tbsp cocoa powder

225 gms plain flour

2 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp soda bi carb

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven at 150*C for ten minutes before baking
• Take a big cake tin and grease with butter or oil. Dust with flour and line it with a baking or butter paper
• In a bowl mix butter,sugar and condensed milk till smooth
• Add sifted flour,cocoa,soda bi carb and baking powder in the above mixture slowly and keep mixing to avoid any lumps. Mix till it becomes smooth.
• Add coco cola to the mixture and mix well. Transfer the mix to the cake tin and bake in the preheated oven at 150*C for an hour. Check with a knife or toothpick by inserting in the cake, if it comes out clean, cake is done.
• Let the cake cool down before removing it out from the tin.
• Slice and serve. 

Note : I served this cake with a chocolate glaze icing. You can try using any other icing or topping of your choice to make this cake more fancy. 

"Saffron Modaks"

"Happy Ganesh Festival"

There is nothing more beautiful and fulfilling then celebrating festivals. Today the eleven day long Lord Ganesh festival has started. With the arrival of Lord Ganesha, every lane and house is filled with festive air and each person gets busy celebrating the sacred time.

To celebrate the arrival of this festival and to welcome Lord Ganesha, I prepared Modaks yesterday which is considered as one of his favourite sweets.

There are varied types of Modaks (sweet dumplings ) made in Maharashtra which are offered to the God during this festival. Steamed ones made with rice flour and filled with coconut and jaggery filling, fried ones made with flour and filled with nuts, coconut and jaggery and then there are the khoya ( dried whole milk) modaks which are soft and yummy in taste. 

Today I am sharing the recipe for Saffron Khoya Modak. This week Ill share one more recipe of fried modaks which I prepared last year. 

Indulge in some sweet treats and enjoy the festival :)

"Saffron Modaks" - Sweet Dumplings

Ingredients:

250 gms Khoya ( Dried whole milk)

100 gms - powdered sugar

1 tsp cardamom powder

few strands of saffron soaked in little warm milk

1 tsp ghee ( clarified butter)

Preparation:

• Heat ghee in a non stick pan and saute the khoya till it turns light pink and  you can get the roasted smell
• Remove from heat and let it cool
• Add sugar, cardamom powder and soaked saffron to the cooled khoya and knead the mixture
• Keep it in the fridge for an hour so it becomes firm and easy to shape
• Make small round balls of the mixture and shape them into modaks ( Refer to the pic above). You can use a modak mould too to shape them. 
• Chill for an hour and then serve. 

Note : You can use crushed pistachios, almonds or any other flavour to make different styled modaks using the above recipe. You can even add grated chocolate and make choco modaks. 

To add some more style to the modak, I used a toothpick and made fine lines around it. You can use your own creativity and decorate the modak. 

"Sticky Fruit Loaf"

Am in the mood to share another eggless cake recipe today. We always land up baking goodies with a lot of eggs to add texture and fluffiness. So am taking a break from eggs and using them only for breakfast items :)
This cake is called as Sticky Fruit Loaf. Its sticky because its loaded with dry fruits and nuts which adds a lot of richness to this cake. Also this is made with vinegar and baking soda which will act as a substitute for eggs to make this loaf nice and fluffy.
Do try loaf this weekend and enjoy with coffee or icecream.
Happy Baking !!!!

  "Sticky Fruit Loaf"

Ingredients :

175 gms flour

3/4tsp mixed spices ( nutmeg/cinnamon and clove powder) -- this is optional

125 gms powdered sugar

100 gms butter

1/2 cup milk ( at room temperature)

1/2 tbsp white vinegar

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp soda bi carb

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp black raisins

4 tbsp chopped cashews

2 tbsp candied cherries

2 tbsp candied fruit ( red/yellow/green)

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 190*C before baking
• Prepare a loaf tin by greasing with a little butter and dusting with little flour
• Sift flour with mixed spices in a big bowl. Rub flour and butter together ,till the mixture is crumbly ( Do not over mix)
• Add baking powder and sugar and mix lightly. Add raisins,nuts and fruits to the mixture
• Divide milk in two equal parts. To one part add vinegar
• Warm the other part of milk slightly and add soda bi card. Now mix both the milk portions together
• The milk will start foaming. Add vanilla essence and pour the milk in the cake mix very quickly.Mix fast and well to a smooth batter
• Pour the batter in the loaf tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 150*C and bake for another 20 minutes.
• Remove from oven, let it cool and then remove it from the loaf tin
• Slice and serve the cake with coffee or icecream.

Note : You can use any other nuts or dry fruits of your choice in the batter. You can even sprinkle some on top for decoration before baking. This loaf slice will taste nice as warm or even after being chilled. 

"Nankhatai Cookies"/ "Eggless Shortbread Cookies"

Going nuts about cookies ... 

This weekend was another fabulous time to bake a set of mouthwatering cookies for my loved ones.. I have already shared some recipes of butter and chocolate cookies before . Today I'll share the old time granny recipe of a shortbread cookie which is popularly known as "Nankhatai" in India. 

This cookie is a classic when it comes to taste and looks. Round cookies with crunchy exteriors and soft interiors baked to perfection are an absolute delight.They are eggless and made with clarified butter which adds to the richness of the texture. Try one of these cookies with tea or coffee and you will keep asking for more :)

Enjoy this recipe and do share your thoughts and feedback

" Nankhatai Cookies / Eggless Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup semolina

1/2 cup gram flour

a pinch of soda bi carb

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

1/2 cup clarified butter ( ghee )  / unsalted white butter

2/3 cup powdered sugar

Preparation:

•  Seive the flour,semolina,gramflour and soda in a bowl
• Add cardamom powder and sugar
• Melt the clarified butter and add it to the flour mixture
• Now knead the mixture in a soft dough with hands till its smooth and not crumbly
• Wrap it in a cling film wrap and keep it aside for 2-3 hours to rest
• Preheat the oven to 180*C for ten minutes before baking
• Grease a baking tray with butter 
• Now make small round balls and put them on the baking tray. Press the balls slightly with your fingers to make them look like a cookie ( Do not flatten them )
• Keep space between cookies as they will expand while baking
• Bake in the oven at 180*C for 15 minutes or till the top is slightly brown ( refer the picture in the recipe)
• Remove from the oven and let them cool ( when you touch the cookies in the oven they will feel a little soft. Do not over bake thinking they are not cooked as they will become hard after cooling down)
• Once cooled, store in an air tight container and enjoy them with a hot cup of tea or coffee

Note : I have given an option of using unsalted white butter if you cant find clarified butter. You can also make them look more pretty by putting cashew and pistachio pieces on top before baking.