Strawberry Mini Cup Cakes

      A recent indulgence in our local farmer's market led to a strawberry overstocked refrigerator at our place.  I decided to try a new recipe to make bite size desserts to bring to a friend's place.

Local Farmers Market 

Though there were unending options available,  I stuck to a very basic and easy recipe and made these mini cupcakes with butter cream frosting and they turned out to be really moist and tender. The mixing method was a little different ; the butter was cut into small pieces and then mixed with other dry ingredients to create a sandy texture. The recipe I found called for vanilla frosting but I added a strawberry to add onto the flavor .

Yields : 24 mini cupcakes
Prep Time : 15 mins for cake ;15 mins for frosting
Bake Time : 25 mins

 

Ingredients for Strawberry Cupcakes:

Butter cut into small pieces

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 tbsp butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup strawberry puree (~1 cup whole, fresh berries )

 Method :

•  Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 24 cup mini muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease.
•  In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and pulse to combine. Add cold butter and pulse until it is cut into the flour mixture and no piece larger than a small pea remains.
• Add in egg and strawberry puree and pulse until batter comes together.
• Divide batter into prepared muffin cups.
• Bake for 12-14 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and tops spring back when lightly pressed.
• For full size cupcakes, bake for 17-20 minutes.
• Turn cupcakes out onto a wire rack to cool. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

  

  Make sure to always cool cakes before frosting

 Ingredients for Strawberry Buttercream frosting:

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 -2 medium sized strawberries
• 1 1/2 tbsp milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups confectioners’ sugar

 Method :

• Beat together butter, milk and vanilla extract until well combined.
•  Gradually blend in the confectioners’ sugar until buttercream  is thick, fluffy and spreadable.  

Enjoy Baking and sharing !!!


Ajanta from Walnut Creek

Berry Berry Berry Lemony cake

This winter has been the longest, by far. We're seeing hard freeze days here in the south in March. That's way too cold for tropical creatures like me. I love the summer months, primarily because of the wide variety of fruits that hit the market - including all the yummy berries, lemons and of course, mangoes! :)

One of the few days when Houston weather was nicer, I saw some wonderful berries in the local market. I knew I had to buy them the moment I set my eyes on them. It was probably my attempt to feel that warm summer days are here again! One of my friends has the sweetest tooth I know. She loves cakes with fruit in them, so I decided to bake one with lots of berries for her birthday. It turned out to be 'Berry Berry Berry Lemony'! Based on a recipe by smittenkitchen, here it goes: 

Ingredients:

Cake

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed.
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
Zest of 1 lemon (I used a zester, but a small cheese grater works well, too)
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 cups mixed berries, rinsed and dried (I used blackberries, raspberries and blueberries)

Glaze

2 cups powdered or confections’ sugar Juice of 1 lemon 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, very soft.

Method:

·    Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 10-cup Bundt pan with softened butter and set aside. I used my favorite Fleur-de-Lis bundt, for added pizzazz.

·    In a medium bowl, whisk or sift 2 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside. I used my newly acquired flour sifter.

·    In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest until fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. It is crucial that the butter is at room temperature, so the butter and sugar fluff up nicely.

·    Now, with the mixer on a low speed, add eggs one at a time. Beat in vanilla extract.

·    Add 1/3 flour mixture to batter, beating until just combined, followed by half the buttermilk, another 1/3 of the flour mixture, the remaining buttermilk and remaining flour mixture. It is important to start and end with the flour mixture. Don’t forget to scrape the sides of the bowl from time to time.

·    In a small bowl, toss the berries with 2 tablespoons of flour and gently fold the berries into the cake batter. The batter will be very thick.

The batter is very thick

·    Spread cake batter in the prepared baking pan and spread the top smooth. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes. The cake is done as soon as a tester comes out clean of batter.

·    Set cake pan on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes, before inverting the cake onto a serving platter. I find that taking the cake out before it cools completely helps unmold a Bundt cake easily. Cool completely.

·    Once cooled completely, prepare the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, lemon juice and butter until smooth and thick, almost like crepe batter. Spread carefully over top of cake, letting it trickle down the sides.

·    Serve at once or keep it covered at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. I garnished the cake with some more berries with the help of my friend’s 3 year old! 

Glazed Berry Berry Berry Lemony cake

Berry Berry Berry Lemony cake

Bon Appétit!

Hetal from Houston

Orange pound cake with chocolate chips

Orange pound cake with chocolate chips

My Dad was a Boy Scout, and is very proud of his Boy Scout experiences. He never misses an opportunity to use the 'reef knot' or the 'clove hitch' in his day-to-day life. Once he made 'potato curry' in one of his camping trips, and apparently won the best cook title - we have heard this story a zillion times. Only recently did I find out that my Baa had measured all the spices and salt for him, and all he did was boil the potatoes and dump the spices!! So much for being the 'best cook' in the camp. 
His box of scout woggles, scarves and badges is definitely one of his prized possessions :) He spent one full afternoon explaining to his 6 and 8yr old daughters why the Scouts and Guides logo was the Fluer de Lis. I dont remember the story but was surely thrilled to learn a French word! :) It was a big deal for an 8yr old! :) 

Last week, I made an Orange Pound cake with chocolate chips for his birthday in my Fluer De Lis bundt pan. :) I was looking for the perfect recipe for my newest bundt pan, and my most reliable recipe source a.k.a Ajanta came to my rescue. It is a Barefoot Contessa recipe that turned out just perfect! I think the zest and the freshly squeezed orange juice add to the depth of flavour. Here it goes -

Serves: 10-12 persons
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 45 minutes -1 hour


Ingredients:

For the cake
1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
4 organic extra-large eggs at room temperature
1/4 cup grated orange zest (I zested about 4 large oranges)
2 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (From the oranges already zested- I find it easier to zest an orange before the juice is squeezed out)
3/4 cup buttermilk at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups good semisweet chocolate chunks ( I used chocolate chips, instead)

Orange syrup
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Ganache
8 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan very well.
2. In a large bowl, whip the butter and sugar with an electric mixer for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time. Then fold in the orange zest.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients - 3 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a measuring cup, combine the orange juice, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the creamed butter, beginning and ending with the flour. 
4. In a small bowl, toss the chocolate chips with 2 tablespoons flour and fold them to the batter. Tossing the chocolate chips in flour prevents them from sinking to the bottom.
5. Pour into the pan, smooth the top, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, make the orange syrup. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, cook the sugar with the orange juice until the sugar dissolves. Remove the cake from the pan, set it on a rack over a tray, and spoon the orange syrup over the cake. Allow the cake to cool completely. Tip: It is important to remove the cake from the pan at the specified time. Letting it cool in the pan may result in a tasty disaster :(
7. For the ganache, melt the chocolate, heavy cream, and coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over the top of the cake. I didn't make the ganache, but it would surely make the cake more decadent! :)

Bon Apetit!

Hetal from Houston

Jhat-pat Lapsi

Jhat-pat Lapsi

Lapsi is probably my favorite traditionally Gujarati dish. It is almost like a 'halva' made of broken wheat. Typically made on auspicious days, such as New Year or during festivals, Lapsi is an integral part of the 'Nived' spread. My mom always makes Lapsi for our New Year lunch. We eat Lapsi with a simple potato curry. I know, I know, it sounds weird - but it is a delicious combination. My sister and I eat Lapsi by the bowl! Mom often had to whip up a big bowl for us when we returned from school. This is her 'jhat-pat' Lapsi recipe. Her it goes.

Serves: 2-3 persons
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 8-10 minutes

Ingredients
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup suji/ semolina
3-4 tbsp melted ghee
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup gur/ jaggery
1/4 cup sugar

Method

• In a medium bowl, mix the whole wheat flour, semolina and 3 tbsp ghee well, till it resembles a 'crumble'. Set it aside.

Whole wheat- Semolina 'crumble'

• In a thick bottomed pan or a non-stick pan, bring 3/4 cup water to a boil. Add sugar and jaggery. Continue to simmer on low heat till the jaggery is completely dissolved.

Simmering jaggery-sugar syrup

• Sprinkle the wheat flour-semolina crumble gently into the simmering jaggery-sugar syrup. Cover and let it simmer for about 8-10 minutes on low heat. Do not stir. It is done when a wooden spoon or spatula comes out clean. The consistency should be like a halva or upma.

Crumble sprinkled into jaggery syrup

• Add 1 tbsp melted ghee and serve hot - as a main course Gujarati meal with curried potatoes or as a simple dessert.

Delicious Lapsi

Bon Apetit!

Hetal from Houston

Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread or Muffins

Banana Nut muffins

One of my friends has been experiencing an insatiable craving for bananas. She was telling me about it over the phone, and almost immediately I wanted to bake her some banana bread. My cousin sent me this old recipe from the Southern Living magazine long time ago - it was the perfect opportunity to put it to test. 

The recipe makes 2 loaves of banana bread or 24 muffins. I made 24 mini muffins and 12 muffins. Here it goes.



Preparation time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 25 minutes for muffins; 1 hour for loaves.
Cool time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 pack (8oz.) cream cheese, low fat, room temperature
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (The original recipe called for 3 cups all purpose flour)
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 medium very ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup walnuts, cashews etc. (The original recipe called for pecans)

Method

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare the loaf pans or muffin tins. I used paper liners for both the muffins and mini muffins.
• In a large bowl, blend softened butter and cream cheese until well mixed. Add sugar and beat with an electric beater till light and fluffy. 
• Add the eggs one at a time and whip till incorporated. 
• Add the flour and blend till completely incorporated. It will be a thick batter. 
• Now add the baking soda, baking powder, salt and vanilla extract.
• Fold in mashed banana and 2/3 cup nuts. Pour into muffin tins or loaf pans. 
• Sprinkle remaining nuts on the batter.
• Bake muffins for 25 minutes or until done. The loaf takes about 1 hour. Cool completely on wire racks. 

Bon Apetit!
Hetal from Houston

Beetroot Halva

As a child I relished the sweet taste of steamed beets and loved the magenta hue much more! It was my 'lipstick' - would often pester Mom or Baa to cut a slice of beetroot such that I could hold it between my little fingers like a real 'lipstick' and paint my face all over. :)
I know now that beetroots are a wonderful source of potassium, magnesium, folic acid and iron as well as vitamins A, B6 and C.
I made a super simple beetroot halva for some friends after a Biryani dinner. Enjoy it with little less guilt, coz also good for you! ;) Here it goes.


Serves: 6-8 persons
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cook time: 30 mins


Ingredients
3 large beetroots, grated (about 3 cups)
14 oz. sweetened low fat condensed milk
1 tsp cardamom seeds, crushed
1 tbsp clarified butter/ ghee
1/2 cup chopped nuts (cashews, almonds, pistachios etc)
1/2 cup raisins


Method

• Heat a large thick bottomed skillet, add ghee. Once warm, add cardamom seeds to infuse the aromatic flavor of the cardamom throughout the halva.
• Add grated beetroots and saute till softened.

Grated beetroots sautéed in ghee

• Add condensed milk and stir occasionally till the beets cook completely and turn slightly glossy - about 25-30 minutes. Most of the moisture would have evaporated by then. Note - The halva will thicken further as it cools.
• Fold in the raisins and nuts. 
• Garnish with nuts and serve. It can be served hot or chilled. 

Beetroot Halva

Notes: Condensed milk can be substituted by milk and sugar to taste. To make it richer, cashew paste or  khoya could also be added. 


Bon Apetit!

Hetal from Houston

Dark Chocolate & Blackberry Cake

It was a lovely, still cool saturday morning when I baked a dark chocolate cake to bring to a potluck at a friend's place. I paired it with blackberries -both preserved and fresh. It turned out to be a moist chocolate cake with a hint of blackberry. Everyone at the potluck loved it - even those who dont dig chocolate cakes. I was delighted, to say the least. Here it goes.

Serves: 10-12
Preparation time: 15 minutes

Bake time -35 minutes

Ingredients
3/4 cup dark cocoa (I used dutch processed)
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
3 large cage-free eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus more for greasing pans
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
1 tsp instant coffee
1 cup blackberry preserve or jam
1 cup fresh blackberries for topping/ decoration

Method

• Preheat oven to 350F. Grease two 9-inch cake pans and line with parchment paper. Avoid using pans with removable bottoms, since the batter is very thin - it might leak into the oven. Set aside. 
• Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk, eggs, oil, and vanilla and whisk to combine. If you dont have buttermilk, you can substitute it with 1 tsp vinegar added to a cup of skimmed milk and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then proceed with the recipe. 
• Stir instant coffee into the boiling water and whisk this into the batter until incorporated. The batter will be thin, so gently pour the batter into prepared pans.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the middle rack of the oven or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Remove the parchment. Cool completely. Leave the cake at room temperature for an hour if you wish to frost it with ganache immediately.

Blackberry preserve spread

NOTE: You can make this cake the day before serving, sandwich it with blackberry preserve, and keep it covered in the fridge.

Chocolate Ganache
1 cup heavy cream
10 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped fine or chocolate chips.

Blackberry preserve sandwiched between two layers

• Set a heat proof bowl over a pot of boiling water (It works like a double boiler). Add chocolate chunks/chips to the bowl. 
• As the chocolate begins to melt, whisk in the cream until well incorporated. Stir gently - avoid beating the mixture for a bubble free glossy finish. Set aside for 20 to 30 minutes to thicken to a spreadable consistency. Alternatively, refrigerate it for 10-15 minutes to hasten the thickening process.

Assembly

• Place one cake layer on plate/ cake stand. My cakes had risen a lot, and I had to trim off the top so  I could stack them evenly. In hind sight - I think I should have trimmed them further.
• Spread 1 cup blackberry preserve. Sandwich the other cake layer on top. 
• Ice the cake using a metal spatula. If the ganache is still thin, you can gently drizzle it to cover the cake. If you have baked ahead - allow the cake to come to room temperature before icing with the ganache.



Ready to go

• Garnish with blackberries and serve. I garnished it once we reached our friend's place, and were ready to eat dessert.

Note- This cake can be made using any jam or preserve of your choice. Garnish with the same fruit. Raspberries or strawberries would add a splash of color as well. :)

This recipe is based on Serena Bass' Cheating Chocolate Cake

Dark Chocolate Blackberry Cake

Bon Apetit!

Hetal from Houston

Zebra cake

It was my kid sister's birthday, and a perfect reason for me to try out the wild and funky zebra cake that was all over Pinterest. I read many recipes like here and here, and even sat through a couple of youtube videos. Wishing my lil sis a super duper birthday again, here is my take on the zebra cake. 

Serves: 8-10 persons

Preparation time: 20-25 minutes

Cook time: 35-40 minutes

Slice of Zebra cake

Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
3 tsp Dark Cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
11/3 cup milk (I used 1%)+ 1 tbsp
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 9-inch spring form cake pan with a circle of parchment paper. Grease/ spray the bottom and sides of the pan with oil/ butter and flour.
• In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, vanilla, vegetable oil.  In a medium bowl, sieve the dry ingredients. Pour into wet ingredients and whisk to combine.  
• Divide the batter into two equal parts in two separate bowls. Set aside one of the bowls.
• Sift cocoa powder into the other batter and blend until incorporated. If the batter gets thicker, add about tbsp of milk to get runnier consistency.

Pour batter alternately to form concentric circles

• Slowly pour 1/3 cup of vanilla batter into the center of the pan and let it spread slightly on its own. Now pour 1/3 cup dark chocolate batter in the center of the vanilla. Notice that the chocolate batter pushes the vanilla batter out, and then gradually spreads creating lovely concentric circles of batter. Repeat this procedure till all batter is poured into the pan.

Just before getting baked

• Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the cake is done and a toothpick inserted to the center of the cake comes out clean. I left mine in the oven for a couple minutes longer, so it had a gaping crack on the top :(
• Let the cake cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes. Gently flip the cake and peel the parchment paper.  Flip back onto a cooling rack and let cool completely.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

Fresh out of the oven

P.S. While I usually prefer baking from scratch, box mixes are a great way to experiment. Any white or yellow cake mix would work along with 3 tbsp of dark cocoa and 1/4 tsp salt.


Bon Apetit!
Hetal from Houston

Red Velvet Cake

Some of us do not need any reason to celebrate … It comes way too naturally ;) This time, however, it was a very special one as we were spending Ronny’s (Hetal’s better half)  milestone birthday in Amherst! A celebration together in our favorite town after a long time… It also happened to be another close friend’s birthday. Needless to say, we pounced upon the opportunity to bake a cake. Hetal’s cousin had baked a red velvet cake for her daughter’s first birthday and of course it was exactly what we were looking for - ‘Tried, tested and tasted to be the best of its kind'!  We followed the recipe almost entirely, except that we added more cocoa powder. It made the red colour darker, almost a shade of maroon. 

Ingredients
Vegetable oil for the pans
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder (We added 4-5 tsps.)
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring (1 ounce)
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting, recipe follows
Crushed pecans, for garnish              

Directions   

Cake batter poured into greased pans

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour 3 (9 by 1 1/2-inch round) cake pans.  We used a disposable pan set. Its easier to assemble the when all three pans are of the exact same size.          
• In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder). In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.
• Gradually blend the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.
• Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. We used a cup measure to help measure evenly.
• Place the pans in the preheated oven evenly spaced apart. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through the cooking, until the cake pulls away from the side of the pans, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes. The time we took was exactly 30 minutes, though it may vary with ovens.

Baked cake layers

• Remove the cakes from the oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen them from the sides of the pans. One at a time, invert the cakes onto a plate and then re-invert them onto a cooling rack, rounded-sides up. Let cool completely.

• Frost the cake. Place 1 layer, rounded-side down. Using a palette knife or offset spatula spread some of the cream cheese frosting over the top of the cake. (Spread enough frosting to make a 1/4 to 1/2-inch layer.) Carefully set another layer on top, rounded-side down, and repeat. Top with the remaining layer and cover the entire cake with the remaining frosting.

Assembling the cake

• Sprinkle the top and/or sides with the pecans. We didn't dry roast the pecans, but would like to do so in the future.

• 

  Completely frosted cake

  
  

Pecans on the frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 pound cream cheese, softened
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (We used lesser sugar - about 2 cups)
2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Mix the cream cheese,sugar and butter with a mixer on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the vanilla, raise the speed to high and mix briefly until fluffy (scrape down the bowl occasionally). Store in the refrigerator until somewhat stiff, before using. May be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days.
• Yield: Enough to frost a 3 layer (9-inch) cake.
• Refrigerate frosted cake for 2 hours.

Bon apetit!

Hetal & Ajanta - both from Amherst :)

Red Velvet Cake

Layers of red velvety goodness :)