Eggless Black Forest Cake

-->

BLACK FOREST CAKE

-->

Black forest cake is a popular German dessert. . Black forest cake is mouth watering cake that Icannot resist the first time Itry. Well, if you try to do it at home, you could save a lot on ingredients plus you enjoy eating this as dessert. Thus I decided to go on a quest to make a cake Black forest cake Called Schwarzwälder kirschtorte in German, which means Black Forest Cherry Torte (torte is the German word for cake). It is a chocolate layer cake with Kirsch, whipped cream, sour cherries and chocolate curls. - The origin of this cake in unknown, but historians believes it originated in the late 16th century in the Black Forest Region (Der Schwarzwald in German) located in the state of Baden-Württemberg. This region is known for its sour cherries and Kirsch or Kirschwasser (a double distilled, clear cherry brandy made from the sour Morello cherry). Refer the site for this recepie Here and Here.I Learn to make Black forest cake by following this easy recipe.from one of the books I have which is also an eggless recipe.

-->

My History of preparing Black forest cake went with so many disasters My Kids Like cake. So when surfing for cake recipe I was attracted by Black Forest cake and refer my baking book and I thought to prepare and started with ingredients Due to load shedding.. ….Lights off! waited for 2 hrs then I prepared the mixture and kept in the oven within 5 min again power went off. This time I was very much upset. I don’t know wht to do after 1 hr. the current came back . To make matters worse, I got a crack at the top of the cake, baked cake it was broken..i have already said I can cook for more than 40 persons alone. But baking ..? , I decided to give it a try. To go on a quest to make another cake after some tweaking, sweating and praying, yes I did, I have finally came up with a cake. Resulted in a disastrous not-fully-risen cake. To make matters worse, , I got again small crack at the top of the cake, I sliced the cake into two, and put the cracked slice face down at the bottom instead and top with the other better looking slice. How would this affect the cake I’m not sure though, but if any of you do, please let me know. Anyhow, it solved the ugly part, but somehow it still lacked the lustre of a cake.

-->

After some head cracking, I decided to do a ‘ganache’ for the cake. But of course, this would mean I need whipping cream again. much to my horror my hubby dear think of this milk and he started heating it curdlesThen again my son brought whipped cream from the shop, I had finally came up with a cake. I found the cake a bit tough, due to poorly risen, this recipe is a keeper for sure and a new addition to my baking gamut. I will be making this again. I recommend this recipe and it is definitely worth taking all the effort.

-->

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour - 2 cups

Baking Powder - 1 teaspoon

Baking Soda - 2 teaspoons

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - 3/4 cup

Sugar - 2 cups

Milk - 1 cup

Butter- 1/2 cup

Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon

Dairy Milk Chocolate -125gms

Fresh whipped cream -250 gms
Cherries Syrup- 1 /2 cup

Cherries-10

-->

Method:

Place a thick bottomed pan on very low flame and melt butter in it.

Remove from the flame and let the butter cool.

Sift Maida, cocoa powder, baking powder, cooking soda and salt together.

Make sure there are no lumps in the mixture.

Grease a baking tray with little butter. Dust it with Maida and keep it aside.

In another bowl beat butter then add slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture while beating well in one direction. Keep beating until the entire dry mixture is fully incorporated.

Now add the milk slowly and beat for a minute.

Pour the mixture into the greased pan. You do not have to spread the mixture using a spoon, if the mixture is of the right consistency.

Place in the centre of the pre-heated oven 180 degreeand bake for 15 to 20 minutes. The temperature and baking time can vary from oven to oven. Hence, test the cake  to see if it is done.or until a wooden tooth pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

When it is done, let it cool and then slit it horizontally into two. Whip the cream till light and fluffy.

Sandwich the two layers of cake with whipped cream and designed cherries. Top with whipped cream and cherries.

Grate dairy milk chocolate bar and sprinkle over the cake. Serve it chilled.

To Make the Cherry syrup: In a small saucepan, stir together water and granulated sugar over low heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot

 

Assembling the cake: Cake should be completely cool before applying the frosting. When ready to assemble, brush 3 tbsp Cherry syrup onto the top of each cake layer and spread about 1 ½ cups whipped cream evenly over the first cake layer and arrange the cherries (the ones saved from the syrup) in an even layer over the whipped cream and press gently to level the filling. Now place the second cake layer and frost the entire cake, sides and tops, with the remaining whipped cream. Note: To be on the safer side, I applied a very thin layer in the beginning to lock in all the crumbs and immediately after that final frosting was applied. If still few crumbs are visible, use a toothpick to remove those crumbs. Decorate the top with chocolate shaving and fresh cherries. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.

Pathiya Thogayal

Pathiya Thogayal or Mango Ginger Thogyal:

Pathiyam means food and diet control. Each food has its own diet restrictions. The sort of diet to be restricted or added depends on various factors.

Tamil cuisine is known for its aromatic, flavourful and sometimes spicy food.Thogayal is a Tamil word for Chutney. Thogayal is common in most South Indian households specially when you need something tasty and need it fast. I used to prepare thogayal of different kinds… thogayal with dals, coconut, vegetables like pumpkin, peerkangai ( ridgegourd ), brinjal, karuveplai(curry leaves), coriander etc,. These recipes create an unique blend of spices, that makes the food very appetizing, nutritious and wholesome.,. Curryleaves, Ginger, mango, Chillies, coconut etc add the zest for this thogayal.

Curry Leaves: The botanical name for karuvepilai is Murraya koenigi. he leaves are small, pointed and in clusters, giving of a strong aroma faintly reminding one of citrus and anise. The aroma is delightful when added to curries and while frying spices, and lends that extra something to south Indian dishes. The leaves, bark and the root of the plant are used in indigenous medicine as a tonic, stomachic, stimulant and carminative. The leaves taken with pepper early in the morning in empty stomach reduces blood sugar. An infusion of the roasted leaves is used to stop vomiting. The dry leaves are ingredient for many herbal medicines. The juice of the root is taken to relieve pain associated with kidney.

Pirandai Edible Stemmed Vine( Cissus quadrangula) Uses:Medicinal Properties and Uses: Pirandai (Tamil)is mainly used to heal bone fractures. It is one of the very frequently used herb by traditional bone setters of India. It is also used for piles, asthma, digestive troubles, cough, and loss of appetite.Salt of pirandai can be used to cure ulcer.Contains Calcium: ideal for children and women.

Ginger :Ginger comes from the root of the ginger plant. It is valued throughout the world as a spice used in cooking and baking. It also may have some medicinal value. The traditional uses of ginger include treatment of ailments involving the large intestine and colon, nausea, indigestion, paralysis of the tongue, morning sickness, vomiting, hot flashes, menstrual cramps and gas. ginger is used to prevent motion sickness, two to four grams daily is most effective.

Mango:contains essential vitamins and dietary minerals. The antioxidant vitamins A, C and E.

Ingredients:

RawMango-1

Coconut-1 cup( grated)

Ginger-1piece

(Edible Stemmed Vine) Pirandai- 1 piece( lightly Roasted)

Curry Leaves(Karuveppilai handful)

Tamarind-lemon size

Red chilli- 3 to 4

Salt as per taste

Channa dal-1 tsp

Urad dal -1 tsp

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Oil- 2 tsp

Warm water as required (approx 1/4 cup)

Method:

1. Heat 1 tsp oil in a small pan and stir-fry the sliced pirandaifor 2-3 minutes, till the slices start to soften. Remove from the pan and set aside.

2. Heat the second tsp of oil in the same pan and fry the red chillies, channadal and curry leaves till the dal turns golden. Remove the chillies and set aside.

3. Grind the fried chillies, coconut, tamarind, Mango. Coconut, ginger, pirandai curry leaves together, using only as much water as required to make thick but finely ground mixture.

4. When all the ingredients are ground up properly, add the rest of the tempering (the mustard seedsand urad dal) along with salt to taste and grind for another 20 seconds, so that the dal shredded but not completely amalgamated.

5. Serve as a side dish with idli, dosa, curd rice , , or eat it mixed with ghee and steamed rice with any vegetable dish.

Pineapple Jam Cookies & Microwave Brownies

Pineapple Jam Cookies & Microwave Brownies

When I searching for baking recepies I came across this pineapplejam cookies/tarts. I was very much impressed and decided to prepare this cookies. I was very excited and started preparing to make some pineapple tarts. Pineapple tarts take lots of hours to make as there is the cooking of pineapple jam (which can take hours) and preparation of pastry followed by baking. Making these pineapple tarts needs some patience, especially with the pineapple filling.Pineapple tarts have a nice buttery smell pastry which melts in the mouth. I modified a bit. I started with this recipe as a base and made my own modifications, which ultimately inspired a “Wow!” Pretty simple to make and the cookies came out very good especially when hot from the oven.

Pineapple jam

Pineapple jam makes a great spread for toast, biscuits, pancakes or other jams. It’s good on everything!

Ingredients:

250 gms -Pineapple

250 gms -Sugar

1/4 tsp pineapple essence

2-cups water

pineapple jam:

Method:

Cook the pineapple pieces with water on a low fire until tender and 1 cup water is left.when cooked smash it nicely.

Make sugar syrup of thread consistence then add cooked over low heat until it caramelises and dries up somewhat.

To test whether the jam is done, pour some jam on a dry plate. Allow it to cool and tilt the plate. If the jam is ready, it will fall in flakes.

When the jam is done, Add essence, cook until setting point is reached. When the jam cools, Pour into a jar and close the mouth of the bottle .

Ingredients

250 gm-plain flour

50 gm-milk powder

150 gm-Butter

1/4 tsp- salt

100 gm- icing sugar

1tsp-vanilla essence

Pineapple Tart:

(1) Cream butter and icing sugar till creamy but not till oily.

(2) Add in vanilla essence, salt, flour and milk powder.

(3) Mix till a dough is formed. Chill in the fridge for 30 mins. If dough is still too soft to be rolled out a this point, add in a little more plain flour and knead lightly into a pliable dough.

(4) Once the dough is not so sticky, take a bit into your hand and flatten it.

(5) Place a small ball of pineapple jam on top. Pinch some dough and roll into thin strips. Place on top of jam into a criss cross style.

(6) Brush cookies with egg polish/or butter and bake for about 15 mins or till cookie turns into golden brown.

(7) Leave to cool on and store in air-tight cookie containers.

Microwave Brownies:

I have taken this recepie from Asha.Asha When seeing ur Brownies I was sooo tempted to make it.. I would love to have those brownies first. They looks fabulous and delicious.I prepared it last night itself..cooked in the oven.It takes 5 min for me. I made small modification instead of choco chips I used nuts and I added small choclate bar and no eggs. Asha..has beautifully explained step by step process on her blog. Click here to view the ingredients.My kids enjoyed this brownies..Thank you Asha for your wonderful recepie:)