Confessions of a Bake-a-holic!

Cake + Ice Cream, can it go wrong????  Ummmph…. did I forget to mention “CHOCOLATE”????

DB is the only reason I even blog these days.I really need to get back to my old self and start baking and blogging in full swing.Icecream cakes from Coldstone have always been my fav ones. Making anything like that from scratch is something that I wouldn’t have even dreamt about. I was over excited when I read the months challenge in the DBC forum. Here is how I made it:)

The July 2010 Daring Baker’s challenge was hosted by Sunita of Sunita’s world – life and food. Sunita challenged everyone to make an ice-cream filled Swiss roll that’s then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home.

There were some mandatory rules,such as – We had to make the Swiss Roll,a filling,fudge sauce and two kinds of Icecream all made from scratch.And set the dessert in a bowl/pan etc in the order given in the recipe-Swiss roll, first ice-cream, the fudge topping and, finally, the second ice cream.

Preparation time-

For the 2 Swiss rolls-

30 mins each + cooling time (at least 30 minutes) before filling and rolling. The filling can be made while the cakes cool.

-For the ice creams- 5+10 minutes + freezing time

For the fudge topping- 5 minutes + cooling time

Assembly- At least an hour of freezing time between each layer

Swiss roll ice cream cake (inspired by the recipe of the same name from the Taste of Home website)

The Swiss rolls:

Preparation time- 10 minutes

Baking time- 10-12 minutes

Rolling and cooling time- at least 30 minutes

Filling-5-8 minutes

Filling and rolling- 5-10 minutes

Ingredients-

6 medium sized eggs

1 C / 225 gms caster sugar /8 oz+ extra for rolling

6 tblsp / 45gms/ a pinch over 1.5 oz of all purpose (plain) flour + 5 tblsp/40gm /a pinch under 1.5 oz of natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted together

2 tblsp /30ml / 1 fl oz of boiling water

a little oil for brushing the pans

For the filling:

2C / 500 mls/ 16 fl oz of whipping cream

1 vanilla pod, cut into small pieces of about ½ cm (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)

5 tblsp / 70gms/2.5oz of caster sugar

Method-

1. Pre heat the oven at 200 deg C /400 deg F approximately. Brush the baking pans ( 11 inches by 9 inches ) with a little oil and line with greaseproof baking paper. If you have just one pan, bake one cake and then let the pan cool completely before using it for the next cake.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and sugar and beat till very thick; when the beaters are lifted, it should leave a trail on the surface for at least 10 seconds. 
3. Add the flour mixture, in three batches and fold in gently with a spatula. Fold in the water.
4. Divide the mixture among the two baking pans and spread it out evenly, into the corners of the pans.
5. Place a pan in the centre of the pre heated oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes or till the centre is springy to the touch.
6. Spread a kitchen towel on the counter and sprinkle a little caster sugar over it.
7. Turn the cake on to the towel and peel away the baking paper. Trim any crisp edges.
8. Starting from one of the shorter sides, start to make a roll with the towel going inside. Cool the wrapped roll on a rack, seam side down.
9. Repeat the same for the next cake as well.
10. Grind together the vanilla pieces and sugar in a food processor till nicely mixed together. If you are using vanilla extract, just grind the sugar on its own and then add the sugar and extract to the cream.

Filling -

1. In a large bowl, add the cream and vanilla-sugar mixture and beat till very thick.
2. Divide the cream mixture between the completely cooled cakes.
3. Open the rolls and spread the cream mixture, making sure it does not go right to the edges (a border of ½ an inch should be fine).
4. Roll the cakes up again, this time without the towel. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge till needed, seam side down.

Vanilla Ice Cream:

Preparation time-5 minutes+freezing

I have made the ice cream without an ice cream maker.

Ingredients-

2 and ½ C / 625 ml / 20 fl oz of whipping cream

1 vanilla bean, minced or 1 tsp/ 5 ml/ .15 fl oz vanilla extract

½ C / 115gms/ 4 oz of granulated sugar

Method-

Grind together the sugar and vanilla in a food processor. In a mixing bowl, add the cream and vanilla –sugar mixture and whisk lightly till everything is mixed together. If you are using the vanilla extract, grind the sugar on its own and then and the sugar along with the vanilla extract to the cream.

Pour into a freezer friendly container and freeze till firm around the edges. Remove from the freezer, beat till smooth and return to the freezer. Do this 3-4 times and then set completely.

Hot Fudge sauce:

Preparation time-2 minutes

Cooking time-2 minutes

Ingredients-

1 C / 230gms/ 8 oz of caster sugar

3 tblsp / 24gms/1.5 oz of natural unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tblsp /15gms/ 1 oz of cornflour/cornstarch

1 and ½ C /355ml /12 fl oz of water

1 tblsp /14gms/ 1 oz butter

1 tsp/5 ml / .15 fl oz vanilla extract

Method-

1. In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, cornflour and water.
2. Place the pan over heat, and stir constantly, till it begins to thicken and is smooth (for about 2 minutes).
3. Remove from heat and mix in the butter and vanilla. Keep aside to cool .

Chocolate Ice Cream-

Preparation time- 5 minutes + freezing

Ingredients-

2C/ 500 ml whipping cream

1 C/230gms/8 oz caster sugar

3 tblsp/ 24 gms/1.5 oz of natural unsweetened cocoa powder

Method-

1. Grind together the sugar and the cocoa powder in a food processor .
2. In a saucepan, add all the ingredients and whisk lightly.
3. Place the pan over heat and keep stirring till it begins to bubble around the edges.
4. Remove from heat and cool completely before transferring to a freezer friendly container till firm around the edges. If you are using an ice cream maker, churn the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s instruction, after the mixture has cooled completely.
5. Remove from the freezer, beat till smooth and return to the freezer. Do this 3-4 times and then set completely.

Assembly:

1. Cut the Swiss rolls into 20 equal slices ( approximately 2 cms each ).
2. Cover the bottom and sides of the bowl in which you are going to set the dessert with cling film/plastic wrap.
3. Arrange two slices at the bottom of the pan, with their seam sides facing each other. Arrange the Swiss roll slices up the bowl, with the seam sides facing away from the bottom, to cover the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze till the slices are firm (at least 30 minutes).
4. Soften the vanilla ice cream. Take the bowl out of the freezer, remove the cling film cover and add the ice cream on top of the cake slices. Spread it out to cover the bottom and sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze till firm ( at least 1 hour).I added some sliced strawberries(4 nos) and some toasted walnuts(3tbsp).
5. Add the fudge sauce over the vanilla ice cream, cover and freeze till firm . ( at least an hour)
6. Soften the chocolate ice cream and spread it over the fudge sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4-5 hours till completely set .
7. Remove the plastic cover, and place the serving plate on top of the bowl. Turn it upside down and remove the bowl and the plastic lining. If the bowl does not come away easily, wipe the outsides of the bowl with a kitchen towel dampened with hot water. The bowl will come away easily.
8. Keep the cake out of the freezer for at least 10 minutes before slicing, depending on how hot your region is. Slice with a sharp knife, dipped in hot water.

A closer look at the cake …..

Had to take a picture before they melted:)

Verdict : Anything “chocolaty” and am in for it:).This cake is all about flavors ….there is a strong amount of Vanilla in most layers,the chocolaty taste is something that can make anyone drool.I cudnt stop licking the fudge sauce it was sooo good:).

The cakes were pretty moist the first day and were not so very perfect later.The ice-creams were very good though I felt that they were too sweet(I shud probably reduce the quantity of sugar the next time I make this.) Also the Vanilla ice cream turned a li’l hard after few days.However, I loved this challenge and would surely make this again.

DH loved it and was proud of me:). This time for a change we had friends home only for desserts.D and A liked it alot, infact D updated the pic in FB and I gained some publicity coz of it:-P.

Check out the rest of the Daring Baker’s post here.

“A stitch In Time Saves Nine” -  is the proverb that comes to my mind as I work on the Daring Baker’s Challenge for the month of June’10.  Even though I’ve been busy for the past few weeks, I had made up my mind to diligently participate in my fav forum.

Pavlovas is something that I’ve been meaning to bake for a long time now.Thanks for the challenge,it gave me an opportunity to accomplish this. Pavlova is a meringue based dessert,where in the meringue is with a crispy crust  and soft,light inner.

The June 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Dawn of Doable and Delicious. Dawn challenged the Daring Bakers’ to make Chocolate Pavlovas and Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse. The challenge recipe is based on a recipe from the book Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard.

Note :The recipe consists of four parts.The quantity of ingredients was a lot for all recipes except Chocolate Meringue.Using the provided recipe, I ended up with more than 2 cups of Mascarpone cream(used for drizzling) and I am sure thats too much.One wouldn’t need more than few spoons for drizzling.Similarly, the Mascarpone mousse was a lot too.I suggest to reduce all the ingredients to 1/4th.This is what ideally I should have done. Also, the Meringue was very sweet and chocolaty,reducing the quantity of sugar and cocoa powder would do good.

Recipe 1: Chocolate Meringue (for the chocolate Pavlova):

3 large egg whites
½ cup plus 1 tbsp (110 grams) white granulated sugar
¼ cup (30 grams) confectioner’s (icing) sugar
1/3 cup (30 grams) cocoa powder

Directions:

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 200º F (95º C) degrees. Line two baking sheets with silpat or parchment and set aside.
2. Put the egg whites in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Increase speed to high and gradually add granulated sugar about 1 tbsp at a time until stiff peaks form. (The whites should be firm but moist.)
3. Sift the confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder over the egg whites and fold the dry ingredients into the white. (This looks like it will not happen. Fold gently and it will eventually come together.)
4. Fill a pastry bag with the meringue. Pipe the meringue into whatever shapes you desire. Alternatively, you could just free form your shapes and level them a bit with the back of a spoon.

1. Bake for 2 hours until the meringues become dry and crisp. Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Recipe 2: Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse (for the top of the Pavlova base):

1 ½ cups (355 mls) heavy cream (cream with a milk fat content of between 36 and 40 percent)
grated zest of 1 average sized lemon
9 ounces (255 grams) 72% chocolate, chopped
1 2/3 cups (390 mls) mascarpone
pinch of nutmeg
2 tbsp (30 mls) Grand Marnier (or orange juice)

Directions:

1. Put ½ cup (120 mls) of the heavy cream and the lemon zest in a saucepan over medium high heat. Once warm, add the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let sit at room temperature until cool.

2. Place the mascarpone, the remaining cup of cream and nutmeg in a bowl. Whip on low for a minute until the mascarpone is loose. Add the Grand Marnier and whip on medium speed until it holds soft peaks. (DO NOT OVERBEAT AS THE MASCARPONE WILL BREAK.)

3. Mix about ¼ of the mascarpone mixture into the chocolate to lighten. Fold in the remaining mascarpone until well incorporated. Fill a pastry bag with the mousse. Again, you could just free form mousse on top of the pavlova.

Recipe 3: Mascarpone Cream (for drizzling):

1 recipe crème anglaise
½ cup (120 mls) mascarpone
2 tbsp (30 mls) Sambucca (optional)
½ cup (120 mls) heavy cream

Directions:

1. Prepare the crème anglaise. Slowly whisk in the mascarpone and the Sambucca and let the mixture cool. Put the cream in a bowl and beat with electric mixer until very soft peaks are formed. Fold the cream into the mascarpone mixture.

Recipe 4: Crème Anglaise (a component of the Mascarpone Cream above):

I made the creme anglaise a day in advance.

1 cup (235 mls) whole milk
1 cup (235 mls) heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 large egg yolks
6 tbsp (75 grams) sugar

Directions:

1. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture turns pale yellow.
2. Combine the milk, cream and vanilla in a saucepan over medium high heat, bringing the mixture to a boil. Take off the heat.
3. Pour about ½ cup of the hot liquid into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to keep from making scrambled eggs. Pour the yolk mixture into the pan with the remaining cream mixture and put the heat back on medium. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens enough to lightly coat the back of a wooden spoon. DO NOT OVERCOOK.
4. Remove the mixture from the heat and strain it through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until the mixture is thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours or overnight.

Assembly:
Pipe the mousse onto the pavlovas and drizzle with the mascarpone cream over the top. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and fresh fruit if desired.

Verdict:

DH and me felt that it was toooooo very chocolaty. The crispiness of the meringue was wonderful,the mousse was just perfect.I didn’t have any fruits left at home, so used a li’l bit of home made Mango Pudding which went very well with the Pavlova. Overall,a great dessert.I relished it!!!!

This month’s Daring Baker’s was an easy one. I didn’t want to miss out again,somehow managed to make it for this month’s challenge at the last minute.

This month’s challenge recipe was “Piece Montée”, which means literally “mounted piece.” The other name for this dessert is  Croquembouche (“crunch in the mouth”).The original piece montée is a cone like structure made of profiteroles (cream-filled puff pastries) sometimes dipped in chocolate, bound with caramel, and usually decorated with threads of caramel, sugared almonds, chocolate, flowers, or ribbons.

The May 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Cat of Little Miss Cupcake. Cat challenged everyone to make a Piece montée, or Croquembouche, based on recipes from Peter Kump’s Baking School in Manhattan and Nick Malgieri.

This recipe has 3 main components: the pate a choux, the crème patissiere, and the glaze used to mount/decorate it.

Ingredients:

For the Vanilla Crème Patissiere (Half Batch)

1 cup (225 ml.) whole milk
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
6 Tbsp. (100 g.) sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
2 Tbsp. (30 g.) unsalted butter
1 Tsp. Vanilla

Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup of milk. Combine the remaining milk with the sugar in a saucepan; bring to boil; remove from heat.Beat the whole egg, then the yolks into the cornstarch mixture. Pour 1/3 of boiling milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so that the eggs do not begin to cook.Return the remaining milk to boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, continuing whisking.Continue whisking (this is important – you do not want the eggs to solidify/cook) until the cream thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat and beat in the butter and vanilla.Pour cream into a stainless steel/ceramic bowl. Press plastic wrap firmly against the surface. Chill immediately and until ready to use.

Pate a Choux (Yield: About 28)

¾ cup (175 ml.) water
6 Tbsp. (85 g.) unsalted butter
¼ Tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup (125 g.) all-purpose flour
4 large eggs

For Egg Wash: 1 egg and pinch of salt

Pre-heat oven to 425◦F/220◦C degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Preparing batter: Combine water, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally. At boil, remove from heat and sift in the flour, stirring to combine completely.Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly until the batter dries slightly and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.Transfer to a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon 1 minute to cool slightly.Add 1 egg. The batter will appear loose and shiny.As you stir, the batter will become dry-looking like lightly buttered mashed potatoes.It is at this point that you will add in the next egg. Repeat until you have incorporated all the eggs.

Piping:Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large open tip (I piped directly from the bag opening without a tip). Pipe choux about 1 inch-part in the baking sheets. Choux should be about 1 inch high about 1 inch wide.

Using a clean finger dipped in hot water, gently press down on any tips that have formed on the top of choux when piping. You want them to retain their ball shape, but be smoothly curved on top.Brush tops with egg wash (1 egg lightly beaten with pinch of salt).

Baking:Bake the choux at 425◦F/220◦C degrees until well-puffed and turning lightly golden in color, about 10 minutes.Lower the temperature to 350◦F/180◦C degrees and continue baking until well-colored and dry, about 20 minutes more. Remove to a rack and cool.

Can be stored in a airtight box overnight.

Filling:When you are ready to assemble your piece montée, using a plain pastry tip, pierce the bottom of each choux. Fill the choux with pastry cream using either the same tip or a star tip, and place on a paper-lined sheet. Choux can be refrigerated briefly at this point while you make your glaze.

Use one of these to top your choux and assemble your piece montée.

Hard Caramel Glaze:
1 cup (225 g.) sugar
½ teaspoon lemon juice

Combine sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan with a metal kitchen spoon stirring until the sugar resembles wet sand. Place on medium heat; heat without stirring until sugar starts to melt around the sides of the pan and the center begins to smoke. Begin to stir sugar. Continue heating, stirring occasionally until the sugar is a clear, amber color. Remove from heat immediately; place bottom of pan in ice water to stop the cooking. Use immediately.

Assembly of your Piece Montée: Lay out the unfilled, unglazed choux in a practice design to get a feel for how to assemble the final dessert. For example, if making a conical shape, trace a circle (no bigger than 8 inches) on a piece of parchment to use as a pattern. Then take some of the larger choux and assemble them in the circle for the bottom layer. Practice seeing which pieces fit together best.

Once you are ready to assemble your piece montée, dip the top of each choux in your glaze (careful it may be still hot!), and start assembling on your cake board/plate/sheet. Continue dipping and adding choux in levels using the glaze to hold them together as you build up.

Once done, drizzle with remaining glaze.I used slivered almonds to decorate it.

As I had mentioned earlier,I took time to get comfortable baking Breads, especially handling yeast.Yeast the most important ingredient for baking bread is nothing but a microorganism which activates when combined with warm water.It consumes the sugar and flours and produce carbon dioxide gas that helps give bread the light airy texture. Using the right kind of temperature is required to activate the yeast.If the liquid temperature is way too high,it would kill the yeast which will affect the bread to rise.Active Dry yeast ( this is something  I always use) and Quick rise yeast are the two popular ones.Its always important to check for the yeast before baking.Proofing is done by dissolving yeast with warm water and allowing it to stand for 5-10mins.If the mixture foams up,the yeast mixture is active and can be used if not it should be discarded.I baked some Soft Sandwich Bread and Rolls using active yeast and been waiting to blog about it.

The kind of dough used for this Bread is often referred to as “Mik Dough”. If you use “honey” or “agave nectar” instead of “sugar” increase the amount of flour by 3 ½ to 7 tbsp.This dough makes wonderful sandwich bread and can also be used to make many different types of rolls.

Recipe Source – Peter Reinhart’s Artisan Breads Everyday

Makes 2 large loaves or many small rolls(I made one large loaf and 18 small rolls)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp active yeast

1 ¾ cups plus 2 tbsp Lukewarm Milk(any kind at about 95F)

6 ¼ cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour

2 tsp salt

5 ½ tbsp sugar or ¼ cup honey or agave nectar

6 tbsp Vegetable oil or melted unsalted Butter(is used oil)

1 egg

Method -  Whisk yeast into lukewarm Milk until dissolved.Set aside for 1- 5mins.Combine flour,salt,sugar,oil and egg in a mixing bowl,then pour in the milk mixture.If using a mixture,on low speed mix it for 2 mins.If mixing by hand,use a large spoon and stir for about 2 mins.The dough should be coarse and slightly sticky.

Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium  low speed for 4-5mins,or knead by hand on a lightly floured work surface for 4-5mins,until dough is soft,supple and tacky but not sticky.Whichever mixing method you use,knead the dough by hand for  1 min,then form it into a ball.Place the dough in a clean,lightly oiled or for upto 4 days.

On the day of Baking – remove the dough from the refrigerator about 2 ½ hours before you plan to bake and divide it into half;Each piece weighing about 25 punces(710g) which is perfect for 4 ½ by 8 inch pans.For a 5 by 9 inch pan(which i used),use 28 to 32 ounces(794-907g) of dough.Shape into sandwich loaves,then place them in a greased loaf pans to rise.(You can make different kind of rolls as mentioned below).Mist the dough with spray oil and cover the pans loosely with plastic wrap;then let the dough rise at room temperature for about 2 ½ hours,until it domes about 1 inch above the rims of the pans.

Preheat oven to 350F.Bake for 20mins,then rotate the pans and bake for another 20-30mins.The bread is done when the top is golden brown,the sides are firm,the loaf sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom. Remove from pans and cool on rack for atleast 1 hour before slicing or serving.

For making soft rolls – You can come up with your own ideas.Soft Rolls must be brushed with egg wash(egg white+ atbsp water mixed).After applying the egg wash you garnish with poppy seeds or sesame seeds if you like.The total baking time is 12-18min,depending on size at 400F.

Making different shapes : I followed Anne Willan’s book for the shapes.

Bow Knot – Roll a piece of dough into a long rope.Tie a single knot,pulling through the ends of the rope.

Baker’s knot – Roll a piece of dough into a long rope. Shape into a figure of eight and tuck the ends through the holes.

Twist – Roll a piece of dough into a long rope, fold it in half and twist.Arrange twist on baking sheet  and press down the ends.

Snail – Roll a piece of dough into a long rope.Roll the rope around in a spiral,tucking the end underneath.

Clover Leaf – Shape the dough into small balls.Push the balls close together so they are touching.

Verdict – The Sandwich Bread was soft and tasted just like the store bought ones.The rolls were very good too,but I wish I had made them very small.These rolls puff up when baked so rolling into smaller shapes will be a great idea.I had these rolls with Mayo and Sour Cream dip (was readily available at home).However,these tasted good without any dip/butter/jam.Perfect for Breakfast!!!!

Generally while cooking its easy to add ingredients without causing any problem.Baking is however much more precise and requires the quantities of each ingredient to be exact. I can never blindly throw any  ingredients and come up with something perfect.Not only with Baking,in any recipe especially for the ones you are not sure of the outcome,following the measurements really helps.Long back someone I know,cooked something using an old recipe of mine and ended up in a disaster. I was surprised and asked her to explain how she made the dish.Everything was right,nothing could have gone wrong.Finally I asked her about her measuring cup and there you go that was the reason.She had used a regular drinking glass for measuring ingredients.That answers it all!!!!

Coming to the recipe – Home made biscuits are golden in the outside and tender and flaky inside. Less butter may harden and more butter might make the biscuit more flaky.And when the quantity of buttermilk is increased the dough will soften .So be careful with the measurements.

Recipe Source – Anne Willan’s Look & Cook – Classic Breads

Work time – 15-20mins

Baking time – 12-15mins

Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached All – Purpose Flour

2 tsp Baking powder

½ tsp salt

¼ cup unsalted butter,more for baking sheet

¾ Cup Buttermilk,more if needed (can be substituted with whole milk)

Its easy to make buttermilk at home – Mix 1 Cup of milk(minus one tbsp of milk)+ a tbsp of white vinegar.Stir and allow it to rest for 5mins and use in any recipes.

Method: Preheat oven at 425F. Grease the baking sheet.Sift flour,Baking Powder and salt into a medium bowl.Add butter and cut into small pieces using a mixer or 2 round bladed knives.Rub the mixture with you fingertips until it forms fine crumbs.Make a well in center.In a slow,steady stream,pour the buttermilk into the center of the well.Quickly toss the flour mixture and buttermilk with a fork to form crumbs.{ Notes – Do not overmix the dough or the biscuits will be heavy.Add a little more buttermilk if the crumbs seem dry}.

Stir the mixture until the crumbs hold together and form a dough.Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and knead lightly 3-5secs.Pat the dough out to a round,1/2inch thick.Cut out rounds with the cookie cutter,patting out the trimmings and cutting additional rounds until all the dough has been used.{Don’t be tempted to make the dough smooth.The rougher the dough remains the lighter the biscuits will be}Arrange the biscuits about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.Bake the Biscuits in the heated oven until lightly browned,12-15mins.

Serve them hot from the oven with Jam and Butter.I had picked up a bottle of Raspberry and Pomegranate preserve which went very well with the biscuits.

Verdict –They are best the day they are baked. P took some with him for work the next day and complained that they weren’t as good as the previous day.The slightly tangy flavor of buttermilk is great. These Biscuits are a perfect breakfast treat.

I made it…Tah-dah!

I have reached a point in life where the idea of home baked desserts is more appealing than the store  bought ones.In this way I also have control over the ingredients I use. My love for Chocolate never ends,infact I try and read a lot about it.There are so many different kinds of chocolates available. If a recipe calls for Dark chocolate, Semisweet or bittersweet can be used compromising a bit in the taste.Ofcourse, White chocolate cannot be substituted with any other chocolate. I came across an interesting read on Cocoa powders - Often we come across recipes asking for Dutch Processed  Cocoa,this actually means that the cocoa has been treated with an alkali such as Potassium carbonate which makes it much darker and less acidic.

As we all know,chocolate can be melted either by using a “microwave” or a “double boiler method” where in two bowls stacked with some water on the lower one and the chocolate on the upper .As the water heats up,it slowly heats the upper bowl and melts the chocolate.Its also said that the upper bowl should never touch the lower one.I always wondered why this would make a difference in melting chocolate,until I got to know that Water and Chocolate are fatal. Chocolate is an oil based product and hence does not combine well with water. When melted chocolate contacts water, it will seize (solidify rapidly).So you should avoid any contact with steam.That’s too much of trivia,lets head to the recipe.

I came across Bridget’s blog Bake at 350 and her event  Flavor of the month – Chocolate and thought my Molten Chocolate was a perfect entry.

Recipe Source – Good housekeeping – All Chocolate recipes

Preparation time – 20mins ; Bake – 8-9 min

Ingredients:

4 ounces semisweet Chocolate(1/3 Cup Chocolate chip)

½ Cup Butter(1 stick)

¼ Cup Heavy or Whipping Cream

½ tsp Vanilla Extract

¼ cup All Purpose Flour

¼ cup Sugar

2 Large Eggs

2 Large Egg yolks

Whipped Cream or Vanilla Ice cream for serving

Confectioner’s Sugar (for decorating) optional

Method: Preheat 400F.Grease 8 six ounce custard cups/ramekins.Dust with Sugar.In a three quart saucepan, Combine chocolate,butter and cream.Heat over low heat stirring occasionally until butter and chocolate have melted and mixture is smooth.Remove from heat.Add Vanilla with wire whisk.Stir in flour just until mixture is smooth.

In a medium bowl,with mixer at high speed beat sugar,eggs and egg yolks until thick and lemon colored, about 10mins.Add egg mixture ,one third at a time into chocolate, until blended.Divide batter equally among prepared custard cups/ramekins.Place jelly roll pan for easier handling.Bake until edges of cakes are set and center still jiggles,8-9mins.Do not overbake else you will end up with just a moist cake.Cool in pan on rack . Run knife around the cakes to loosen from sides of cups,invert into dessert plates.Serve immediately with whipped cream or icecream if desired. You may also sprinkle confectioner’s sugar on top of it.

Verdict: Each servings is about 281 cal; 22g total fat. As always,chocolate at its best.Its one quick recipe with absolutely no fuss.When you run a fork to take a bite,goey chocolate oozes out from the center,that is the perfect Molten chocolate.Its sinful and delectable.If you are passionate about chocolate like me….this is what you shud bake!

TIRAMISU,the one that can make me smile all the time. I am so crazy about this dessert that I had even named P’s name as TIRAMISU on my mobile phone:). The best one I have had is in Olive Garden’s which is one of my fav restaurant . The word “Tiramisu” literally means “pick me up”.The original recipe was round in shape and had no liquor in it.These days its made in different shapes and sizes. It is made by dipping Savoiardi biscuits(ladyfinger) in espresso and liquor and layering them with Zabaglione ,a custard or pastry cream made with Marsala wine and mascarpone cheese.ie., MASCARPONE + SAVOIARDI  BISCUITS + ZABAGLIONE  = TIRAMISU

A lot of people confuse Ladyfinger to Lady’s finger(the other name for Okra) .Tiramisu has nothing to do with Lady’s finger(okra):-)

The CHALLENGE here was to make everything from scratch.Even in my wildest dreams, I wouldn’t have thought about making Mascarpone Cheese at home .My first attempt with the cheese was a disaster. I kept stirring the cream and didn’t realize that I didn’t have enough water in the vessel below because of which the upper glass bowl filled with cream almost burnt and I ended up with cheese which was yellow in color, with an oily texture.So I had to re do it.Guess practice makes it perfect.The store bought ones can be very expensive too,this is surely an easy option.

Tiramisu can be made with different flavors, one such interesting one that I came across was “Strawberry Tiramisu” in Aparna’s blog.I am not a “coffee/tea” person,so the idea of using espresso was ruled out.I mixed a tbsp of cocoa powder in warm milk instead of the espresso.

The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking. They chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month. Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Bleu at Home and Baking Obsession.

RECIPE SOURCE:

Mascarpone Cheese – Vera’s Recipe (Baking Obsession) for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese.
Savoiardi/ Ladyfinger Biscuits – Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home
Tiramisu – Carminantonio’s Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007

THE CHALLENGE:

They have chosen Baltimore pastry chef Carminantonio Iannaccone’s version of tiramisu for a couple of reasons.

• Firstly, his recipe is different from most other tiramisu recipes as he makes a zabaglione, an egg custard which is flavoured with Marsala wine (you may use coffee instead). Even more important is that his zabaglione is cooked so there is no risk from using raw eggs.
• He also makes a vanilla flavoured pastry cream which we haven’t seen in other tiramisu recipes.

I started with : Ladyfinger/ Savoiardi Biscuits

Mascarpone Cheese

Tiramisu (includes zabaglione & vanilla pastry cream)

MANDATORY:

It was a MUST to make our own savoiardi / ladyfinger biscuits and mascarpone cheese with the given recipes. Also, to make the zabaglione and pastry cream using the given recipes.
Sponge cake may be not be used as a substitute. After all, a large part of this challenge is making those biscuits.

VARIATIONS:

Tiramisu is usually made in square dishes and cut into squares to serve. If you want to be different, please feel free to give full rein to your creativity as to how you want to present, decorate and serve your tiramisu. Make it square, round, as individual servings, or whatever! However, your version of Tiramisu must contain the mascarpone cheese and the savoiardi/ ladyfinger biscuits you made.

PREPARATION TIME:

Tiramisu is made up of several components which can be made separately and ahead of time and put together the day before serving.
Making Tiramisu from scratch requires about 2 to 3 days (including refrigeration) from when you start making the mascarpone to the time the tiramisu is served. So this challenge requires some prior planning.

TIRAMISU

(Recipe source: Carminantonio’s Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007 )
This recipe makes 6 servings

I first started with the biscuits.The below mentioned recipe was just perfect,I ended up with 46 small biscuits.

LADYFINGERS/ SAVOIARDI BISCUITS
(Source: Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home)

Ingredients:

3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup cake flour, sifted (or 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 2 tbsp corn starch)
6 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar,

Method:Preheat your oven to 350 F , then lightly brush 2 baking sheets with oil or softened butter and line with parchment paper.Beat the egg whites using a hand held electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually add granulate sugar and continue beating until the egg whites become stiff again, glossy and smooth.In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork and fold them into the meringue, using a wooden spoon. Sift the flour over this mixture and fold gently until just mixed. It is important to fold very gently and not overdo the folding. Otherwise the batter would deflate and lose volume resulting in ladyfingers which are flat and not spongy.

Fit a pastry bag with a plain tip (or just snip the end off; you could also use a Ziploc bag) and fill with the batter. Pipe the batter into 5″ long and 3/4″ wide strips leaving about 1″ space in between the strips.Sprinkle half the confectioner’s sugar over the ladyfingers and wait for 5 minutes. The sugar will pearl or look wet and glisten. Now sprinkle the remaining sugar. This helps to give the ladyfingers their characteristic crispness.Hold the parchment paper in place with your thumb and lift one side of the baking sheet and gently tap it on the work surface to remove excess sprinkled sugar.Bake the ladyfingers for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the puff up, turn lightly golden brown and are still soft.Allow them to cool slightly on the sheets for about 5 minutes and then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula while still hot, and cool on a rack.

Store them in an airtight container till required. They should keep for 2 to 3 weeks.( It might be a good idea to decide the size of the dish in which you intend to set the dessert, and make the fingers to a size which would fit that dish. This makes it easier when assembling the tiramisu later. Do remember that ladyfingers/ savioardi puff up a little while baking.)

MASCARPONE CHEESE

• (Source: Vera’s Recipe for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese)
  This recipe makes 12oz/ 340gm of mascarpone cheese,though we need 1/3 Cup for this recipe.

Ingredients:
474ml / 2 cups whipping (36 %) pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized), preferably organic cream (between 25% to 36% cream will do)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Method: Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a wide skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the water is barely simmering. Pour the cream into a medium heat-resistant bowl, then place the bowl into the skillet. Heat the cream, stirring often, to 190 F. If you do not have a thermometer, wait until small bubbles keep trying to push up to the surface.It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating. Add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles. Do not expect the same action as you see during ricotta cheese making. All that the whipping cream will do is become thicker, like a well-done crème anglaise. It will cover a back of your wooden spoon thickly. You will see just a few clear whey streaks when you stir. Remove the bowl from the water and let cool for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Transfer the mixture into the lined sieve. Do not squeeze the cheese in the cheesecloth or press on its surface (be patient, it will firm up after refrigeration time). Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (in the sieve) overnight or up to 24 hours.

Vera’s notes: The first time I made mascarpone I had all doubts if it’d been cooked enough, because of its custard-like texture. Have no fear, it will firm up beautifully in the fridge, and will yet remain lusciously creamy.
Keep refrigerated and use within 3 to 4 days.

For the zabaglione:
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup Marsala wine (or port or coffee)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Method – Heat water in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a pot with about an inch of water in it on the stove. Place a heat-proof bowl in the pot making sure the bottom does not touch the water.
In a large mixing bowl (or stainless steel mixing bowl), mix together the egg yolks, sugar, the Marsala (or espresso/ coffee), vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk together until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth.

Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler or place your bowl over the pan/ pot with simmering water. Cook the egg mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard. It may bubble a bit as it reaches that consistency.Let cool to room temperature and transfer the zabaglione to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the vanilla pastry cream:
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup whole milk

Method: Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. To this add the egg yolk and half the milk. Whisk until smooth.
Now place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling.
Add the remaining milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly. After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, free of lumps and beginning to bubble. (If you have a few lumps, don’t worry. You can push the cream through a fine-mesh strainer.) Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

For the whipped cream:
1 cup chilled heavy cream (we used 25%)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method: Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer or immersion blender until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Set aside.( Placing the bowl (in which cream is to be whipped) and the beaters of the hand held electric mixer in the fridge for about 1/2 to 1 hour before hand makes the cream whip up very well.)

For dipping the Savoiardi:

1.5tbsp Cocoa powder

2 cups of warm milk(I used 2% milk)

2 tsp rum extract

2 tbsp sugar

Mix all the above ingredients in a shallow dish and set aside to cool.

To assemble the tiramisu:

Line an 8”round pan with plastic wrap. In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon to break down the lumps and make it smooth. This will make it easier to fold. Add the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, blending until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Set this cream mixture aside.

Now to start assembling the Tiramisu.
Workings quickly, dip 12 of the ladyfingers in the sweetened dipping mixture, about 1 second per side. (Do not dip the ladyfinger/ savoiardi into the coffee solution for more than ONE second, or they might become very fragile & disintegrate. Extra soaking is likely to spoil the end product, making it soggy). Immediately transfer each ladyfinger to the platter, placing them side by side in a single row. You may break a lady finger into two, if necessary, to ensure the base of your dish is completely covered.Spoon one-third of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then use a rubber spatula or spreading knife to cover the top evenly, all the way to the edges.
Repeat to create 2 more layers, using 12 ladyfingers and the cream mixture for each layer. Clean any spilled cream mixture; cover carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight.(Keeping it overnight didn’t help me much,I ended up freezing it which worked well)

To serve, carefully remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa powder using a fine-mesh strainer. Cut into individual portions and serve.

Verdict: Tiramisu was out of the world.Its one of the finest Desserts I’ve ever made.If not for DBC ,I wudn’t have thought about making this from scratch.It was very moist,creamy and delicious.Using cocoa instead of expresso din’t make much of a difference.I had some friends home for dinner and served this for Dessert and everyone loved it.I adore this  dessert and can die for this one

You might also like:

Dobos Torte

Cannoli

When I started Baking,I never felt confident baking Breads.Thats why you wouldn’t find many bread recipes in my site:) It took some time for me to get comfortable handling yeast. Now I’ve almost stopped buying breads and try and bake at home. Bread Flour is nothing but wheat flour made with hard wheat and has a higher protein and gluten than All Purpose flour.Since it is especially formulated for bread baking I prefer this to All Purpose flour. However,nothing like making some healthy breads.When I came across Michelle’s blog I realized what I have missed so far.Immediately I mailed her with details and placed an order of the Healthy Baking Bread in Five minutes a day.I joined her HBinfive group.Having never worked with Gluten flour,it was quite a different experience.I went to the Grocers looking for Gluten flour and ended up buying Red Mills Gluten free All Purpose flour.How on earth did I get confused? Don’t ask me…guess it happened coz I was absolutely not sure of what I needed. Anyways,I picked up the right flour later and started with my bread.Gluten flour is basically made by removing most of the starch from high protein,hard wheat flour.

The idea of Baking with Steam interested me the most.Creating a steamed environment is needed for bread to help in achieving a crispy crust.Ofcourse highly enriched bread like challah & broiches don’t benefit from this kind of baking.Pour Hot tap water(or a handful of ice cubes) into the preheated broiler tray just before closing the oven door. We were asked to make the below mentioned basic Whole wheat bread dough and using the same dough we had to make the Whole wheat Bread, Focaccia and Aloo Paratha.

100% WHOLE WHEAT BREAD WITH OLIVE OIL

Makes enough dough for at least four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.

Ingredients:

7 cups Whole wheat flour

1 ½ tbsp granulated yeast,or packets

1 tbsp kosher salt

¼ cup vital wheat Gluten

31/2 cups Lukewarm water

½ Cup Olive oil

Method: Whisk together flour,yeast,salt and vital wheat gluten in a 5-quart bowl,or a lidded food container.Add the liquid ingredients and mix without kneading,using a spoon or a mixer.Cover(not airtight) and allow the dough to rest at room temperature until it rises and collapses,approximately 2 hrs.The dough can immediately  be used after the initial rise,though it is easier to handle when cold.Refrigerate in a lidded(not airtight) container and use it over 7 days.

Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound piece and kneading  it a li’l quickly roll into a ball.Elongate it into a narrow oval and allow the loaf to rest loosely covered with plastic wrap for 90mins.If using fresh dough,allow it to rest for 40mins.

Preheat oven at 450F.Place an empty metal broiler tray on any other rack that won’t interfere with rising the bread.Brush li’l water on top of the bread just before baking.Slash loaf with 1/4inch deep parallel cuts using a serrated knife.Place inside the oven,pour a cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray and quickly close the oven.Bake for about 30mins until richly browned and firm.Cool on rack.

SOUTHERN FOCACCIA WITH ROASTED CORN AND GOAT CHEESE

Makes one medium size Focaccia (abt 10-12”)

Ingredients:

1 pound Whole wheat Bread dough (Use our basic pre refrigerated dough as above.)

1 ear fresh corn ,roasted/1/4 Cup frozen corn nibblets(I substituted this with canned corn)

1 ½ tsp chili powder

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 medium Onion,chopped

1 for poblano pepper,seeded and stemmed and diced

1 tsp ground cumin

One 14-ounce can pureed or diced tomatoes

1 tsp Kosher salt

2 ounces semisweet goat cheese

1 tbsp fresh cilantro

Method: Heat olive oil over medium heat in a skillet.Add the onion and sauté until beginning to brown,add poblano pepper and continue cooking until softened.Add cumin and chili powder and cook for 2 mins.Add the tomato and salt and then cook for another 5 mins.Preheat oven to 425F.Place an empty broiler tray on any of the rack that wudn’t interfere with the focaccia.

Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off 1-pound piece.Stretch the surface of the dough and roll into a ball.Flatten it into ½ to ¾” thick round using hands/rolling pin.Cover with a plastic wrap and cool for 20mins.Cover the surface of the dough with the sauce,leaving a narrow border at the edge.Dot the surface with pieces of goat cheese and finish with roasted kernels.Place the focaccia in the oven.Pour 1 cup of hot top water into the broiler tray and quickly close the oven door.

Bake for 25mins until the crust has browned.Remove the focaccia from the oven and sprinkle with cilantro.Cut into wedges and serve warm.

ALOO PARATHA (POTATO AND PEA-STUFFED FLATBREAD)

Makes one Aloo Paratha

1 pound of pre refrigerated Whole wheat bread as per the first recipe

2 medium  potatoes,boiled and mashed

½ TbspGhee(melted) for brushing the top

1 ½ tbsp oil

1tsp Cumin Seeds

1 medium onion(chopped)

2 tsp Chilli Powder

As per taste ,Salt

Sugar – a pinch

Cilantro  l’il

1 tsp curry powder+ for sprinkling

½ tsp kosher salt

½ cup frozen or fresh peas

Filling – I had made some Samosa’s(an Indian appetizer made with potato filling covered with a dough made of A.P flour and wheat flour) and used up the remaining filling for the Paratha.This is how I made it – Heat oil in a pan,add cumin seeds ,onion and sauté until translucent.Add mashed potatoes and peas.Add Chili,Curry powder,sugar and salt, cook for 2mins.Garnish with Cilantro and set it aside.

Dust the surface of the dough with flour.Using a rolling pin,roll the dough into a 1/8” thick round.Cover half of the dough with the filling. Using a pastry brush,wet the ends of the dough with water.Fold the bare side of the dough over the potato mixture and seal the border by pinching it closed with your fingers.Brush the top with Ghee and sprinkle l’il curry powder.Cut three slits on top crust and place it in the preheated oven.Pour a cup of hot water into the broiler tray and quickly close the door.Bake for 25mins or until golden brown.Serve this with Indian Pickles and Yogurt.

Verdict:  A good bet to keep you fit.There is no compromise to the taste.You cant ask for anything more,if the taste is not compromised and the caloric value is low.Focaccia was more like a pizza which I liked the most.The crust is perfect.The next time I make this,I plan to roll it out much thinner to get a thin crust.Baking Aloo Paratha is something that I would never dreamt off.It was wonderful.I think one should have an acquired taste for wheat bread,not all prefer this. It is not the best bread I would personally like but just because it’s healthy I wouldn’t mind baking this often.Healthy Bread is the way to go!

Michelle,thanks so much!

Six more days for the Bake-a- Cake event,hurry up with your entries.You don’t want to miss the gift…what say?

I have reached a point in life where the idea of home  baked desserts is more appealing than the store  bought ones,this way I also have control over the ingredients I use. If I had to ever choose the best cake,Black Forest Cake would win the first place . The cake combines the soft texture  of chocolate cake with loads of cream. It is one of the most tender and moist cakes.

It’s a creation of the German’s.Originally called the “Schwarzwaelder Kirschtorte”.It typically consists of several layers of chocolate cake with whipped cream and cherries sandwiched between each layer.Whipped cream is also used for frosting,maraschino Cherries and Chocolate shavings are used for decoration.Traditionally,the Kirsch syrup(cherry liqueur)is added to this cake,I just ended up using lil bit of brandy.I believe in Europe the cake almost always contains Alcohol and would probably not be considered authentic without it.

Some cakes are so good looking that they can be decorated with endless possibilities. For added attention and extra flavor sprinkle grated chocolate generously on the cake.Looks matters the most,don’t they? A cake that tastes so fresh deserves a spectacular presentation….isn’t it? Here I present the famous Black Forest Cake.

Basic Chocolate Cake:

2 Cups – All Purpose Flour

10tbsp Butter( I used melted butter )

5  Large Eggs

1 Cup Milk (I have tried using buttermilk instead of milk)

1 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa powder

2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking soda

Salt  a pinch

1 tbsp Chocolate Extract or Vanilla Extract

1 ½ Cup Sugar

Filing:

8 oz Maraschino cherries (with the syrup and the stem)

A tbsp Brandy

A tbsp cornstarch

3tbsp sugar

½ tsp Vanilla extract

For the frosting:

1 pint heavy whipped cream

¼ Cup sugar

A tsp Vanilla extract

Decorating the cake:

Chocolate curls – a few(optional)

Grated chocolate – a cup

Cake -  Preheat oven at 350F . Line the bottoms of two 8-inch round pans with parchment paper circles. Grease and flour the pans.Sift  together flour,cocoa,baking powder ,salt and baking soda. In an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.Beat in the eggs and the extract. Mix in the flour alternating with 1/2 cup of milk. Pour into the prepared cake pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean,approximately e about 35mins. Cool the cake on rack. Unmold the cake and remove the parchment paper very carefully.Using a cake leveler or a serrated knife level the cake,this is very important whenever we make a layered cake. Most of the cake pans are about 2” in height. I got the perfect two inch height so I cut the cake horizontally into two,ending up with four round layers. You may even go ahead without cutting the cake and make a two layered cake.

Filling – Drain the cherries(reserve 5-6 cherries for decorating the cake) and reserve the syrup in a saucepan. Combine the brandy,sugar,Vanilla and brandy.Discard the stems of the cherries.Stirring constantly, add the cherries and cook over low heat until thickened.  Cool completely before use. I had chopped the cherries into two before cooking them.

Frosting –  Just before frosting , whip the cream, sugar and extract until it forms stiff peaks.This will be used for frosting as well as filling. Reserve ½ cup of whipped cream to decorate the cake.

Assembling the cake – Place one cake layer on a cake board/plate. Spread some whipped cream,topping it with some cherry filling.Place another cake layer and repeat the same until all cake layers are used.Frost the top and sides of the cake evenly.Using a knife or any flat spatula gently cover the cake with grated chocolate.Spoon the reserved frosting into a pastry bag fitted with any decorating tip of your choice and decorate the cake.Place the remaining cherries and chocolate curls on top of the cake.Enjoy!

Verdict - This was one of the best cakes I have ever made….super moist and rich.Perfect for chocolate lovers like me

This is off to Bake-a-Cake event hosted by me:)

Don’t miss to participate in Bake-a-Cake event and win a wonderful gift.Last date – 27th Feb’10.

We always need something luscious and sweet in our lives every now and then.Chocolates lifts my spirit and makes me happy.There is a reason for this – Chocolate contains a chemical called phenylethylalamine that naturally occurs in our brains and is responsible for controlling our moods.More about chocolate mentioned in my earlier post here.

I have been on and off from blogging,one or the other things keeps me busy.I was so very looking forward to participate in Meeta’s Monthly Mingle ( hosted by Jamie for this month)mainly coz it had my fav ingredient – CHOCOLATE.I baked some Austrian Bread Pudding with chocolate for the event today.Austrians are famous all around the world for their Apple Strudel. They also make a variety of puddings, cakes and tarts.My favorite has always been their puddings,you can find my Hazelnut Pudding which I had baked earlier. As far as I know,Austrian Bread Pudding does not contain chocolate. However, it surely added a different flavor to this traditional recipe giving it a complete new dimension.

Here is how I made it-

Black Seedless Raisins – 3 tbsp(I used organic)

Rum – 3tbsp

3tbsp Butter

5-6 slices of old white bread or bite sizes of challah

1 Apple, peeled cored and sliced

3 tbsp Sugar

1/2 tsp All spice powder and grounded nutmeg

2 egg yolks,beaten

Semisweet Chocolate chips/pieces – ½ Cup

½ Cup milk( I used whole milk)

½ Cup Heavy cream + 2tbsp to melt chocolate

Chocolate Extract – ½ tsp(You can substitute Vanilla Extract)

2 tbsp Sliced Almonds for garnishing

Method: Soak the raisins in rum overnight. Melt chocolate with 2 tbsp of heavy cream in the microwave. Separately add Cream,Milk,Sugar and the spices to the beaten egg yolk.Add this mixture to the melted chocolate and stir to remove any lumps. Meanwhile preheat oven at 375F.

Remove the crust from the bread and generously apply butter and cut into small pieces. Spread them in one layer on a greased pan (I used an 8” oval pan).Sprinkle the apple and raisins (drain the liquid before using).Place another layer of the bread slices on top of it. Gently pour the prepared liquid all over the bread,sprinkle the drained rum and sliced almonds and bake for 30-35 min, until the top is browned.

Serve warm with Whipped cream/Icecream.

Verdict: You don’t have to go to Austria to taste this, its so simple to make at home:) Instead of rum I have also tried using chocolate milk(mixed a spoonful of drinking chocolate with milk),plain milk can also be a good option.Few bread slices on the top and the sides were crunchy making it all the more yummy,this is the best thing i like about it.Its surely a perfect twist to a traditional recipe.

This is off to Meeta’s Monthly Mingle hosted by Jamie of Life’s a feast. Thanks Jamie for choosing the perfect theme:)