Raspberry Cake with Fresh Cream and Mascapone Frosting

This one was my Anniversary Cake. I had warned my husband against buying a readymade cake , cause he always lands up buying the monotonous Black Forest , from the local cake shop. And, even though I love the cake, I wouldnt like having just the regular one , on a special occassion like this one!
Besides , occassions give me a reason to bake and for a self confessed bakeholic , thats a new challenge and a delight.
Planning for the cake was done well in advance. With my pantry stocked with the necessary ingredients..Here I was Apron Tied , and armed with all my baking tools.

I had ordered French Whipping cream pack from Foodesto.com , and raspberry preserve and Mascapone cheese too! Since Mascapone cheese is synonymous to Tiramisu , I wanted to break the myth , and this cake did exactly that.
The best part of the cake, was the frosting I must say! I had trouble Icing my cake , and  the icing did not hold as much as my professional whipping cream would. But I kept refrigerating my icing and cake , whilst frosting. And that worked well for me.
And beware, if you are planning on serving it for dessert, cause this one goes quiet heavy , I mean not the texture, but on your appetite. Its the rich full cream and cheese frosting that makes it quiet heavy.
So better serve smaller portions in the beginning!

Ingredients:
1 PlainVanilla Sponge Cake ( Or make your own ,using the recipes below)
Sponge Cake (with eggs)
Eggless Sponge Cake

1 1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream ( I used the tetrapack from Elle and Wire)
3/4 Cup Icing Sugar
3 tbsp Mascapone Cheese
1/2 Cup Raspberry Preserve or Canned Raspberry Topping
1/2 Cup Warm water with 3 tsp Sugar
2 tbsp Readymade glaze , or use Corn syrup from the Canned topping ( Mother Maid Raspberry Topping or Filling)


In a bowl mix the heavy whipping cream and sugar and beat using electric beater till fluffy.
Now add the mascaspone and whip until soft peaks form.
Refeigerate until further use.

Trim the sponge cake , till even .

Cut horizontally into two equal slices.
Drizzle warm sugar syrup over the base slice to moisten it.
Now apply raspberry preserve  or the raspberry topping generously over the cake.

Spread some of the whipped cream mixture evenly over the cake.
Now , place the remaining slice over this.
Drizzle sugar syrup and apply preserve over it.

Now ice or frost the cake generously on all sides , till its evenly covered.
Refrigerate for 10 mins to let the frosting hold.
Heat the readymade glaze , till just runny.
Mix some of the preserve into it and whisk till smooth.
Fill it in a piping bag and decorate the cake.Or fill the canned topping in the piping bag to decorate.
Similarly, pipe the remaining whipped cream mix into a piping bag with star nozzle and pipe on top of the cake.

Refrigerate for atleast 15 - 20 mins.





The cake was finally cut by my toddler , hence lil messed up icing thats been licked!



Strawberry Sweetheart / Strawberry Cream Cake

February is synonymous with Valentine's Day or rather Valentine's Month for me! First half of the month goes in anticipation and planning for The Day! And rest half goes in cherishing the sweet moments!
And for a bakeholic like me , its yet another chance to don my apron and let my bakeholism take over!

I remember I had made this one last month , during sankranti festival , especially for my Sis In Law , who has a weakness for strawberries and anything thats Pink! And when she did see this special treat , that was made as a surprise for her , she was like"Aww so suweet ..Pink Heart!"
My day was done!

I plan to bake this treat again for both my Valentines...my spouse and my kiddo , whos the sole reason I Bake Bake n Bake!

Ingredients:

For the Cake:
11/4 Cup All purpose flour or Maida
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1 Cup Castor Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla essence
3/4 Cup Butter
2 Eggs ( Or use 2 tsp Egg replacer powder dissolved in 4 tbsp water)
( Per egg use 11/2 tsp egg replacer dissolved in 2 tbsp water)
1/2 Cup Milk ( More milk is required if using egg replacer)

For Icing:
1 Cup Professional Whipping cream
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Strawberry Preserve or Jam
2 tbsp Strawberry crush
1/2 Cup Readymade Glaze

1/2 Cup Water+2 tbsp Sugar mixture for moistening the cake.


Preheat oven at 180 deg.C for 10 mins.
Grease the baking tin (i used heart shaped tin) with butter and lightly dust with maida or flour.

In a bowl, cream together butter and sugar using electric beater till light n fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time and beat together till mixed. ( Add egg replacer mixture at this stage itself)
Add vanilla essence and mix.
Sieve together flour and baking powder and baking soda .
Alternatey add flour and milk into the egg mixture , starting and ending with flour , till a ribbon consistency batter is formed.

Pour the batter in baking tin and bake in preheated oven 180 deg.C , for about 25- 30 mins, or till skewer inserted at the center comes out clean.

Cool the cake and demould.

Whip the cream with sugar till stiff peaks form.

Cut the cake horizontally into two slices.

Drizzle some of the water sugar mixture over the base slice just to moisten it , but take care not to make it too soggy.
Now apply strawberry jam or preserve ,gently over the base slice.

Spread whipping cream over it and even out on into a uniform layer.
Now place the top layer over it and drizzle sugar water mix over it.
Apply jam or preserve over it and top with whipping cream,covering the entire cake , uniformly and seamlessly , using an icing spatula.
Put some whipping cream in a piping bag with star nozzle and pipe it along the edges of the cake.

Mix the glaze icing with the strawberry crush in a vessel and heat it on a low flame , till the glaze icing just becomes runny , but not boiling.

Cool the glaze to room temperature, stirring continously , and pour over the cake.
Cool the cake in refrigerator for atleast 10 mins before serving.

This is our entry for events
http://www.simplytadka.com/2013/02/foodabulous-fest-celebrate-valentine.html





And


at
http://cuisinedelights.blogspot.in/2013/01/announcement-of-this-months-spotlight.html

http://riappyayan.blogspot.in/2012/01/announcement-of-my-event-spotlight.html


AND


hosted at
http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2013/01/sweet-luv-2013-event-announcement-cj-4.html

 

Pinacolada Cake / Pineapple and Coconut Rum Cake

After the cake-o-mania during christmas and new year , I took a brief break from baking!
But hey!Its february already , and guess what? Valentine's day fever is already up. With the streets going red with lots of stuffed hearts, baloons , ribbons..And cake shops , luring everyone with Valentine Themed cakes, and chocolates! And if it was just about going overboard...we have valentine special episodes in our daily soaps too !!
With all this happening around, how can I stay away from gearing up for making something for my lil Valentine...my Kiddo ..and of course all you" NamakShamak Ites"!

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

1 1/2 Cup Maida/All purpose flour
1 Cup Castor Sugar
3/4 Cup Butter
2 Eggs
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Baking soda
1/2 Cup Pineapple juice
1/4 Cup Thick Coconut milk
2 tbsp Malibu/Coconut Rum

For Icing and Decoration:

1/2 Cup Whipping cream
3 tbsp Icing sugar
2 tbsp Coconut cream

2-3 Canned or fresh Pineapple rings
5-6 Canned or candied cherries
2 tbsp Dessicated Coconut


Beat together butter and sugar till fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and continue beating till light.

Sift together flour and baking powder and baking soda. Grease and dust the baking tin and set aside.
Preheat oven at 180 deg.C for 10 mins.

Mix together 1/4 cup pineapple juice and 1/4 cup coconut milk.
Fold in the sifted flour to the egg mixture alternately with the pineapple and coconut milk mix, till you get a smooth batter of ribbon consistency.
Pour into the baking tin and bake in preheated oven for 20 - 30 mins , or till a skewer or knife inserted at the center of the cake comes out clean.

I baked my cake in a loaf tin , to get nice square pastry pieces , when cut.

Whip together cream , coconut cream and sugar till stiff peaks form.
Freeze till further use.

Cool the cake and demould.
Cut horizontally into 2-3 slices.
Line the baking loaf tin with cling wrap.
Place the first cake slice at the base and drizzle some of the remaining pineapple juice to moisten it.
Layer it with whipped cream.
Place the scond slice of cake over the cream.Drizzle some pineapple juice and top with whip cream.
Repeat for the last slice as well.
Cover and refrigerate for 15 mins.
Pull out the cling wrap with the cake from the tin.
Peel off the cling wrap from the cake.
Top the cake with pineapple pieces and cherries.
Stick dessicated coconut on the sides of the cake and sprinkle on top.

Cut into pieces and serve.

This is our entry for


http://www.simplytadka.com/2013/02/foodabulous-fest-celebrate-valentine.html


and

Cooking with Love - Spouse hosted at

http://h4hemh4help.blogspot.in/2013/01/jan13-cwl-spouse.html

 

New Year's Toy Cake / Fondant Cake

So finally...ends 2012....
Ya...we had our shares of ups and downs, highs and lows but such is life....Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi..

This is my tribute to the year that was 2012 and a sweet welcome to the year that will be 2013!!!

The highlight of this cake is the fondant..nothing elaborate, just a sugary sweet icing on a plain vanilla sponge cake.

I made this cake and my son was like, it looks like a toy! A nice colourful box, so cute that I feel bad to cut it! And I said, its equally yummy , you cut it or leave me to do the honours and the eating!
Such was the joyful note that we would begin our new year!

Ingredients:

1               Vanilla Sponge Cake

http://namakshamak.blogspot.com/2012/12/light-sponge-cake.html




500gms    Icing Sugar
2 tbs         Liquid Glucose
1               Eggwhite
2 tsp         Blueberry jam
a few drops of pink colour
stars and silver balls for decoration

Method:

Beat the egg white and the liquid glucose nicely, now add the icing sugar little by little and knead it. Keep adding the icing sugar till it forms a dough. Cover with a cling wrap and keep it in the fridge for 10 mins.

Cut the cake horizontally in two parts. Apply the jam on both the parts. This is to ensure that the crumbs do not stick to the fondant and give it a messy look. Now assemble both the parts. Apply the jam on the top part of the cake.

Remove the fondant from the fridge. Roll a roti of the fondant dusting it with a little cornflour. Its should be about 1/2 an inch in thickness. Carefully cover the cake with the fondant and cut off the excess using a pizza cutter.

Take another ball of the fondant and add a little pink colour to it and knead it. Use a little cornflour if it becomes sticky. Roll a 1/2 inch roti and carefully place this one on top of the white fondant. Roll another white fondant roti and cut with star shaped cookies cutters. Place them on the cake by using very little water. 

Decorate the cake with pink colour fondant balls. The stars can be decorated with small silver balls and sparkles.

This is our entry for

Kid's Delight-Desserts

Christmas Cake / Fruit Rum Cake

Merry Christmas!!!! 

As kids we had a church next to our house and I still remember the hustle bustle during the Christmas period....the midnight mass, the beautifully dressed ladies...and ofcourse the sweets.....Hmmmm nostalgia!!!

Every year without fail our neighbours (the Lobos) used to send a big plate of christmas sweets over to our place...and we used to wait anxiously for the same. Each of us sisters had a favourite...mine was the yummy christmas cake!!!

I have tried to recreate the recipe but with a twist. I have added a little caramel to give it a little color and smoothness...



Ingredients:

1/2 cup        Mixed fruit peels (use tutty frutty if not available)
1/2 cup        Mixed nuts (apricots, walnuts, almonds)
1 cup           Rum (soak the peels and nuts in the rum and keep in the fridge for atleast 
                    3 days)

for the caramel (optional)

1/2 cup       Sugar
2 tsp           Water

 













Heat the sugar in a heavy bottomed pan till it melts and changes color to deep golden. Now add the water and keep stirring till the caramel melts. Cool and keep aside.

for the cake

1 cup        Flour (maida) (I used self raising flour)
1 cup        Sugar (use less if using caramel)
1 cup        Butter
3              Eggs
1 tsp         Vanilla essence
2 tsp         Mixed spices (grind together 1 inch of cinnamon, small piece nutmeg, 2 cloves,
                powdered ginger)

1 cup       Mixed peels and nuts soaked in the rum



Method:

Whip the eggs together till frothy.

Cream the sugar and butter and gradually add the eggs. Dont worry if it curdels..

Add the spice mix, the vanilla essence, the caramel and mix again. Now gradually add the flour little by little till fully incorporated. Just fold it do not whip.

Drain the rum from the peels and keep the rum aside.

Just dust the peels with a little flour so that they dont settle at the bottom of the cake tin. Now gently add the peels and nuts to the cake batter and fold. Add about 2 tbs of rum and mix.

Dust the cake tin and pour in the batter. Bake at 180 degrees for 30 mins or till done i.e. the toothpick when inserted in the center of the cake come clean.

Decorate with colored peels and left over soaked nuts.

 

This is our entry for Christmas recipes hosted at
http://www.zestysouthindiankitchen.com/2012/12/favorite-recipes-event-christmas-recipes.html
 and
Cook eat delicious desserts at
http://spicyfoood.blogspot.in/2012/11/cookeatdeliciousdesserts-event.html
CookEatDelicious.com

Cookies and cakes for xmas at
http://myeasytocookrecipes.blogspot.in/2010/12/cookies-and-cakes-for-xmas.html

This is our entry for
My Culinary Creations: Cookies And cakes For Xmas

Golden Butter Cake

Apart from ofcourse my "bakeholism", my son is the only motive for me to bake a cake. And as you know, these toddlers need variety and taste! I must say ,my little one is the best critic for whatever I cook!
Children have a very sharp sense of smell and taste..Perhaps that explains their fuss about food , and their unique choices. This was well demonstrated by my toddler a few days ago ,when we had been out on a vacation at Himachal , and decided to carry cakes and biscuits for snacking on the way.
I had already baked a regular sponge for him. But by the time it was time to leave,we were left with a few pieces, after my in laws happily feasted on those! My mother in law and I decided to replace those with a similar cake bought from the local bakery. And they seamlessly merged with the ones I made. But when the time came for Ayush , my fussy little one, he selectively ate only the pieces i baked ,leaving behind the ones bought from bakery! It was indeed a compliment , my son unknowingly gave me!
Keeping in mind his choosy side and his exceptional tasting skills, I decided to make this rich Butter Cake ..I richer version of a regular vanilla cake.. though.a bit dense, but moist and yummily buttery!

Ingredients:

1Cup + 1 tbsp All purpose flour / Maida
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter ( I sourced it from www.foodesto.com , its difficult to get unsalted butter here, the site offered gourmet butter,imported and a good brand too.)
3/4 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
3/4 Cup Milk

Sift together flour and baking powder and keep aside.

 

 

Grease the baking tin and lightly dust with flour.
Preheat oven at 180 deg C.

Beat softened butter with sugar till light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla essence and beat for 1-2 mins.

 

 

Add the sifted flour to it ,alternately with the milk,beating continuously to form a smooth batter.

Pour this batter in the cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for 25-35 mins ,or till the knife inserted at the center comes out clean and the cake when touched at the center springs back.

Cool and demould.

I have frosted the cake with strawberry flavoured buttercream frosting.

Strawberry Buttercream frosting:
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
1/2 Cup Icing sugar
Strawberry Essence+Rose colour or Strawberry crush
Whole strawberry for garnish(optional)

Beat all the ingredients ,except the garnish ,till light and fluffy.
Spread evenly over cooled cake and garnish with whole strawberry.