Category Archives: Cakes

They say “time is what prevents everything from happening”.Well I blame it to “time” too.Of late I have been taking too many breaks,have been too very busy with things. Cooking,Baking,Reading,Blogging and everything interesting has taken a back seat. I somehow managed to force myself and participate in most of the Daring Baker’s Challenges. Now that I am back ,I hope to stick on for long this time onwards.

“Baking” just happened to me. I have spent several years cooking,but when I did bake I saw it as a diversion,a good change ,something I enjoyed the most,a great way to experiment and create new things. I love to cook but very soon discovered that I loved baking more:). And to write and share all my experiences……….. happened this blog!.

To get started on a sweet note,I baked a Zuchini – Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Crunch Glaze yesterday.Olive oil is something I have never used for baking pastries. I always felt that the smell of EVOO might over power any recipe. But this one proved me wrong, this cake was one of the most moistest ( if this word even exists:-D) cake I have had,doesn’t need much preparation and can be baked in no time. These days its my goal to create/bake things in smaller quantities just enough to please the two of us at home. Hence,I reduced the original recipe into half. I am particularly very fond of almond flour as it gives a lovely aroma and density to the cake. This is arguably one of the best cakes I’ve ever baked!

Adapted from “Dolce Italiano” by Gina Palma

ZUCHINI – OLIVE OIL CAKE WITH LEON CRUNCH GLAZE

Makes 1 small cake ( approximately 4-5 servings).The original recipe called in for a 10 cup Bundt cake,I used a small one( I am guessing its a 5 cup bundt pan)

FOR THE CAKE

½ cup walnut pieces

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 large eggs

¾ cup + 2 tablespoon sugar

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 ¼ cup grated zucchini(finely grated)

FOR THE LEMON GLAZE:

1/8 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice( about ½ of a large lemon)

1/6 cup granulated sugar

½ cup confectioner’s sugar

TO MAKE THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease the Bundt pan using a nonstick cooking spray. Place walnuts in a baking sheet and toast them until golden brown,7-9 minutes. Cool the and finely ground them in a food processor. Set aside.

Sift the flour,baking powder,baking soda,salt and all the spices into a medium bowl.In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the eggs,sugar,olive oil on medium speed until light and fluffy about 3 minutes,beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the dry ingredients all at once on low speed until they are thoroughly combined,then switch the mixer to medium speed and mix for 30 seconds. Beat in the zucchini and walnuts on low speed until they are completely incorporated,scraping the sides of the bowl. Pour the batter onto the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes,rotating the pan half way through baking to ensure even baking. The cake is done when an skewer inserted comes out clean and the cake has begun to pull away from the sides of the pan.

While the cake is baking ,prepare the glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together all the three ingredients and whisk together until the glaze is completely smooth.

Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack. Using the pastry brish brush the glaze over the entire surface of the warm cake..Allow the cake to cool completely and the glaze to dry completely. Transfer to a serving plate and if desired lightly dust confectioner’s sugar. Any left over cake can be wrapped in a plastic wrap and served the following day. We wiped it the same day:)

Verdict : As mentioned earlier this is one of the finest cakes ,very moist and flavorful. No one can eat just once. I will surely bake this whenever I have zucchini in my pantry. Loved it!

Yay,For once I made this challenge well ahead of time!!!

Brillat Savarin said - “The discovery of a new dish does more for human happiness than the discovery of new star”. I was glad to participate in DBC this time, as I discovered the two new words “Extremet” and “Jaconde”.

I like to explore new stuffs and enjoy baking at home. But to be honest, if it was not for DBC, I wouldn’t have dreamt of making such beautiful desserts all from scratch. Coming to this months post – “The January 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Astheroshe of the blog accro. She chose to challenge everyone to make a Biscuit Joconde Imprime to wrap around an Entremets dessert.”

Joconde imprime /entremets - A Joconde imprime (French Baking term) is a decorative design baked into a light sponge cake providing an elegant finish to desserts/torts/entremets/ formed in ring molds. A Joconde batter is used because it bakes into a moist, flexible cake. The cake batter may be tinted or marbleized for a further decorative effect.

This Joconde/spongecake requires attentive baking so that it remains flexible to easily conform to the molds. If under baked it will stick to the baking mat. It over baked it will dry out and crack. Once cooled, the sponge may be cut into strips to line any shape ring mold.

Entremets (French baking term)- an ornate dessert with many different layers of cake and pastry creams in a mold, usually served cold. Think Trifle in a mold vs. a glass bowl.A joconde imprime is the outside cake wrapper of the Entremets dessert.

From the moment, I saw the challenge updated in the site,my hands were itchy and I knew that I had to get started with it. For the filling,I was contemplating between a chocolate mousse and a cheesecake. Mousse is something I make quite often so tried out something simple to please the man in the house:) –  “No Bake – Raspberry Pineapple Cheesecake”.

Joconde Sponge

YIELD: Two ½ size sheet pans or a 13” x 18” (33 x 46 cm) jelly roll pan

BISCUIT JACONDE IMPRIME & EXTREMET
Ingredients:

¾ cup almond flour/meal ( *You can also use hazelnut flour, just omit the butter )
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners’ (icing) sugar
¼ cup cake flour
3 large eggs
3 large egg whites
2½ teaspoons white granulated sugar or superfine (caster) sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted ( I did not use this)

Directions:

1. In a clean mixing bowl whip the egg whites and white granulated sugar to firm, glossy peeks. Reserve in a separate clean bowl to use later.
2. Sift almond flour, confectioner’s sugar, cake flour. (This is something that takes a lot of time)
3. On medium speed, add the eggs a little at a time. Mix well after each addition. Mix until smooth and light. (If using a stand mixer use blade attachment. If hand held a whisk attachment is fine, or by hand. )
4. Fold in one third reserved whipped egg whites to almond mixture to lighten the batter. Fold in remaining whipped egg whites. Do not over mix.
5. Fold in melted butter if using.
6. Reserve batter to be used later.

Patterned Joconde-Décor Paste

YIELD: Two ½ size sheet pans or a 13” x 18” (33 x 46 cm) jelly roll pan
Ingredients
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups plus1½ tablespoons Confectioners’ (icing) sugar
7 large egg whites
1¾ cup cake flour
Food coloring gel, paste or liquid

COCOA Décor Paste Variation: Reduce cake flour to 6 oz. Add 2 oz cocoa powder. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together before adding to creamed mixture. This is what I used.

Directions:

1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy ( I used a stand mixer with blade)
2. Gradually add egg whites. Beat continuously.
3. Fold in sifted flour.
4. Tint batter with coloring to desired color,if you are not making the cocoa variation.

Preparing the Joconde- How to make the pattern:

1. Spread a thin even layer of décor paste approximately 1/4 inch (5 millimeter) thick onto silicone baking mat with a spatula, or flat knife.( I used parchment paper). Place it on an upside down baking sheet. The upside down sheet makes spreading easier with no lip from the pan.
2. Pattern the décor paste –I used an angled spatula and ran it all over the thin layer forming zig zag pattern.
3. Slide the baking sheet with paste into the freezer. Freeze hard. Approx 15 minutes.
4. Remove from freezer. Quickly pour the Joconde batter over the design. Spread evenly to completely cover the pattern of the Décor paste.

Baking -

1. Bake at 475ºF /250ºC until the joconde bounces back when slightly pressed, approx. 15 minutes.( mine actually took just 8 mins). You can bake it as is on the upside down pan. Yes, it is a very quick bake, so watch carefully.
2. Cool. Do not leave too long, or you will have difficulty removing it from mat.
3. Flip cooled cake on to a powdered sugared parchment paper. Remove silpat. Cake should be right side up, and pattern showing! (The powdered sugar helps the cake from sticking when cutting.)

Preparing the mold for Entremets:

I used a 9 “spring-form pan.Start with a large piece of parchment paper laid on a very flat baking sheet. Then a large piece of cling wrap over the parchment paper. Place a spring form pan ring, with the base removed, over the cling wrap and pull the cling wrap tightly up on the outside of the mold. Line the inside of the ring with a curled piece of parchment paper overlapping top edge by ½ inch. CUT the parchment paper to the TOP OF THE MOLD. It will be easier to smooth the top of the cake.

Preparing the Jaconde for molding:

1. Trim the cake of any dark crispy edges. You should have a nice rectangle shape.
2. Decide how thick you want your “Joconde wrapper”. Traditionally, it is ½ the height of your mold. This is done so more layers of the plated dessert can be shown. However, you can make it the full height.
3. Once your height is measured, then you can cut the cake into equal strips, of height and length. (Use a very sharp paring knife and ruler.)

1. Make sure your strips are cut cleanly and ends are cut perfectly straight. Press the cake strips inside of the mold, decorative side facing out. Once wrapped inside the mold, overlap your ends slightly. You want your Joconde to fit very tightly pressed up to the sides of the mold. Then gently push and press the ends to meet together to make a seamless cake. The cake is very flexible so you can push it into place. You can use more than one piece to “wrap “your mold, if one cut piece is not long enough. I used the leftover pieces of the jaconde for my base.
2. The mold is done, and ready to fill.

Entremet- Filling Options: The variation allowed in the entire challenge was the filling. I made a “ No Bake – Raspberry Cheesecake” with the addition of l’il Pineapple, which was adapted from here. I did tweak the recipe a li’l to suit our tastebuds:)

No Bake – Raspberry Pineapple Cheesecake

Ingredients:

24 oz Cream Cheese ( 3 packs) at room temperature

12 oz Whipped Cream

6tbsp Granulated Sugar

16 oz Raspberries ( Reserve 8 oz separately for decoration)

4 oz Crushed Pineapple( drained)

a tsp of Vanilla Extract

Using a stand mixer,whip the cream along with the sugar until thick. Add the cream cheese and stir for another 2 mins. Add the Raspberries,Pineapple and vanilla extract. ( I know adding Pineapple is something weird but I love anything with Pineapple,it definitely tasted good).Mix well.

Take the prepared mold,press the leftover pieces of the Jaconde to the bottom and form a thin layer. Fill in the Cheesecake mixture. Slit the raspberries vertically into two and arrange it on top of the cake. Refrigerate until set.( it took abt 4hrs for me).

Verdict : This is one of the best DBC that I have ever participated. It was wonderful to bake something totally unheard of. The outer Layer ie., the Jaconde remained soft and moist even after a week.The Raspberry Cheesecake was just perfect. Overall it has been a fantastic challenge and a great experience….i loved it!!!

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.
<
strong>-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

SWISS SWIRL ICE CREAM CAKE
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.

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.

Its about a month since I kickstarted “Bake-a-Cake” event.Given the short notice, I was pleasantly surprised to see good responses to this event.Each cake had a story to tell,it was different,elegant and enticing. However, the underlying meaning conveyed the same sentiments,Cake baked with love for their Valentine’s.Here is the round up of all the entries in the order that I received.

Valentine’s Day Cake by Cakelaw of Laws of the Kitchen (Australia)

Red Velvet Cake by Lily of Dolce e Salata from Oxford,UK

Grace by Kris Ngoei of  Bake in Paris from Bangkok, Thailand.

White Chocolate Valentine’s Gateau by Divya Kudua of Easy Cooking from Chennai,India

Eggless Orange Cake by LK of Palate Desires from Ohio

Chocolate Heart Cake by Sermi Hafiz of As you Like it from Doha,Qatar

Red Velvet Cake Roll by Deeba of Passionate About Baking from North India

Carrot Cake by Nisha of Look who’s cooking too from London,UK

Chocolate Blackout Cake by Nachiketa of The Variable from New Delhi, India

Chocolate Pancakes by Kelsey of  Apple a Day from Phoenix,Arizona

NewYork Style Cheesecake by Vaishali Sharma(Bhutani) of Adding Zest to your Cooking from Austin,TX

Black Forest Cake by Sayantani of A Homemaker’s Diary from India

Chocolate Fudge Cake by Aqua of Served with Love from Singapore

Black Forest Cake(Indian Style) by Smitha of Smitha’s Spicy Flavors from Nashua,NH

As announced earlier , I went about selecting a random winner.And the winner is Smitha of Smitha’s Spicy Flavors Congratulations you’ve won the Perfect Desserts : 55 recipe cards by the editors of Good Housekeeping.

Smitha,I will reach out to you for further information.Thanks all for taking time to participate  in this event!