Chocolate Cupcakes

These chocolate cupcakes are a dedication to all chocolate lovers. The cupcakes are soo moist and light. The texture, the appearance and the taste of the cupcake is absolutely divine. They are really easy to make and quite addictive too. Trust me, you can't eat just one. The original recipe is of a Chocolate Cake. Once, I had leftover batter and tried making these cupcakes with them. And since then, I haven't tried it any other way. I prefer not to change anything even with it's simple appearance.

Ingredients:-

• 1 cup levelled all purpose flour (maida)
• 1 cup sugar (powdered)
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup boiling water 
• ¼ cup refined oil
• ⅓ cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 egg

Method:-

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. 
• Line cupcake moulds with paper liners.
• Sieve together maida, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
• Add powdered sugar to this and mix well.
• Add egg, milk, oil and vanilla essence.
• Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
• Now add boiling water and stir well.
• The batter will be thin.
• Pour the batter in the cupcake moulds till ¾ full.
• Bake at 180 degrees Celcius for 30-35 minutes or until done.
• Cool completely on a wire rack.

Notes:-

• If you like your cupcake to be more sweet, you can add 1½ cup sugar instead of 1 cup.
• For simple icing:- double boil 100 grams milk chocolate with ¼ cup butter. Cool and use.
• If you are icing the cupcake, do not increase sugar.
• For the eggless version, just add ½ cup buttermilk instead of egg

Happy Cooking!!

Sending this to :- Vardhini's Bake Fest # 25

 

7.11.13 - +Joerg Sterner tried this Chocolate cupcakes... Thanks +Joerg Sterner for sharing your feedback... God bless.. 

Spooky Witches' Fingers - Home Baker's Challenge # 6

October is the month of Halloween and for the first time in my life I have made something creepy as this. This month's challenge for Home Bakers Challenge was announced by Nalini's Kitchen . She gave us four choices for Halloween  - chocolate glazed pumpkin cookies, spooky witch fingers, Halloween whoopie pies and ghostly cupcakes. 

I was really excited to make these unique and creative spooky witch fingers. They were quite simple, easy and delicious to make for such a realistic and impressive outcome. These spooky witch fingers, according to my husband were hilarious but a little more horrid at the same time. My son loved these frightful cookies especially when I was taking the pics - the whole dramatic blood and all.

On this note, I hope everyone has a scary (but safe) Halloween this year!

Ingredients:-

• 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 cup butter (at room temperature)
• 1 cup icing sugar 
• ¾ cup whole almonds
• 1 egg  
• 1 tsp almond extract 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract  
• 1 tsp baking powder  
• 1 tsp salt 

Method:-  

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.  
• Line your cookie sheet with a parchment paper. 
• Combine butter, sugar, egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl and beat well.
• Gradually add flour, baking pdr, and salt. Beat well to form a soft dough.
• Wrap in a cling film and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Remove dough from refrigerator and scoop 1 heaped teaspoon at a time.
• Roll the dough into a thin finger-shaped cookie. 
• Press one almond into one end of each cookie to give the appearance of a long fingernail. 
• Squeeze cookie near the tip and again near the center of each to give the impression of knuckles. You can also cut into the dough with a sharp knife at the same points to help give a more finger-like appearance. 
• Arrange the shaped cookies on the baking sheets.  
• Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 20-25 minutes or until the cookies are slightly golden in color.

Notes:-

• For the eggless version use the same dough for Thumbprint Cookies  just omit the strawberry crush. 
• If the almonds keep falling after you've baked them, Just add little jam and stick the almonds back to the fingers.

Happy Baking!!
 
Sending this to :- Sharanya's Let's Celebrate Halloween Event 

 5.11.13 - +Joerg Sterner  tried the spooky witches fingers I made for October Home baker's challenge... Thanks Joerg for sharing your feedback... God bless..  

Creme Caramel / Caramel Custard

My son is having vacation from school and I'm trying to spend the maximum time with him nowadays. We both have manged to have structured a daily routine for both of us so that we can have our everyday run smoothly and less chaotic with lots of fun activities too.

I always feared making caramel and kept postponing this recipe for a very long time. But overcame the fear once I tried this dessert This is our family favorite dessert now which is made very often at home as its quite simple to make with all the ingredients usually available in most of our kitchens. It is very easy to make too - just have a little patience and be careful to not over-cook it. I just love the rich, silky and glossy form the custard turns out into after being baked in a water bath. As for the caramel, I do not like it dark as a little dark brown gives a slight bitter taste of caramel which I do not like at all., but you may choose to brown the caramel as per your taste and liking. You can make it for your weekend desserts or any special occasions.

Ingredients:-

• 8 eggs
• 1 ltr milk
• 10 tbsp fine sugar
• 6 tbsp sugar (for caramel)
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• few drops of yellow color

Method:-

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
• Melt sugar in a saucepan on slow flame. Cook stirring continuously till sugar dissolves and a light golden colour is obtained. Pour it into ramekins / baking dish or a bundt pan immediately and give it a whirl so that caramel is coated on the bottom and sides of the dish well. Keep aside.
• In a mixing bowl, add eggs, fine sugar, vanilla essence, and yellow colour. Beat well.
• Add to it milk and beat again.
• Strain the mixture in another bowl.
• Carefully pour this strained mix over the caramel.
• Place the baking dish into a larger baking pan filled with water halfway.
• Bake it at 180 degrees Celsius for 50 minutes to an hour.
• When it is done. Remove and cool.
• Chill in a refrigerator for atleast 12 hours.
• Loosen the edges, overturn and serve.

Notes:-

•  You can also steam it instead in a pressure cooker filled with water. Just make sure the container fits in the cooker well. Seal the container with foil and cover with a tight lid. Make sure no water enters the dish when the water boils. Once you hear the whistle, reduce heat and cook on slow flame for 15-20 minutes.
• Be careful that water should not dry while baking or steaming.
• Do not grease the mould / dish or else the custard will stick to it and break while overturning.
• There will be lots of caramel syrup when you overturn the dish.

Happy Baking!!

Sending this to:- Foodabulous Fest Event organised by SimplyTADKA & Rafeeda's Announcement Page and Shruti’s ‘Sweet Celebration’ Event and Pramitha love cooking celebrating 1st blog anniversary page and Srivalli's Kid's Delight Potluck Party and Amrita's Party Event  

Spinach Cheddar Muffins - Home Baker's Challenge # 5

This month's challenge for Home Bakers Challenge was announced by Shama Of Easy 2 Cook Recipes. She gave us six choices - vegetable muffins, banana coconut crumps, banana nut muffins, honey drizzled semolina cake, pumpkin coffee cake and spinach cheddar muffins.

I always wanted to bake a savory muffin. But somehow kept delaying it. This seemed like a perfect opportunity to do so. And I was really excited to try the spinach cheddar muffins.

I love the taste of spinach, color, flavor and nutritional value. These are very simple to bake muffins which are quite tasty and healthy too. I made slight changes to the original recipe as it was very mild and also because I used fresh spinach instead of frozen. I made these muffins on a Sunday morning for breakfast and immediately fell in love with these delicious muffins. My hubby declared that I should these muffins at least once a month. 

Ingredients:-

• 2 eggs
• 1 onion (finely chopped) 
• 1¼ cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup spinach (finely chopped) 
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp baking pdr
• 1 tsp red chilli pdr  
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt

Method:-

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease the muffin cups.
• Heat butter in a wok and add onion. Saute for a minute. Add spinach and cook till water evaporates. Keep aside to cool.
• Sieve altogether flour, red chilli pdr, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Keep aside.
• In a mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add milk and flour alternately and keep on beating.
• Add cheddar cheese and spinach and beat until evenly blended.  
• Spoon about 2 tablespoons into each muffin cup. 
• Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 25 - 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

 Notes:-

• You may use ½ cup frozen spinach (thawed, drained and squeezed dry) 
• You may also use cottage cheese instead of cheddar cheese or half cottage and half cheddar cheese as you like.

Happy Baking!!! 

Rainbow Swirl Classic Bread - Home Baker's Challenge # 4

This month's challenge for Home Bakers Challenge was announced by Manjula of Desi Fiesta. She chose bread for this month's challenge with four choices – Rainbow swirl classic bread, monkey bread, chocolate marble Asian bread and Anadama bread.

I love Rainbows.. And so does my son.. I chose a bread that would definitely brighten everyone’s day with its Rainbow colors.. I thought it would be an incredible idea to have fun making this bread along with my son. . My son was soo excited  choosing and deciding the colors I should use..  Believe me, it was absolutely a WOW moment when I sliced the bread. My son loved it and insisted to take some for his school snacks in the form of sandwich :D

Ingredients:- 

• 3½ cups all purpose flour
• 1¼ cups warm water
• 2 tbsp butter (at room temperature) 
• 1¼tsp yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt 

Method:-

• In bowl take warm water and add sugar and yeast. Stir them and let them sit for 15- 30 mins till they form frothy bubbles on top.
• Add 2 cups of flour mix it with a wooden spoon and let it sit for 10 mins.
• After 10 min mix it with wooden spoon and add another ½ cup of flour mix well also add salt. 
• Gradually add the remaining flour and mix the dough well.
• Add butter in the dough and incorporate them by kneading well for 5-6 minutes. After 5-6 minutes of kneading it becomes nice and elastic. 
• Now grease a bowl and and keep the dough covered with a cling wrap for first proofing for about 30 mins. 
• After 30 minutes the dough is nicely raised punch it and give it a knead . Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. 
• Divide dough into 6 or 7 equal pieces place each piece in a small bowl and cover with a tea towel. 
• Remove one piece from a bowl and place it on a plastic cutting board (or any surface you're willing to cover with food coloring). Add several drops of food coloring as per your liking.
• Using gloves to prevent your hands from getting dyed, begin to knead the food coloring into the dough, adding more food coloring until it is fully incorporated. This takes some time; just be patient and it will come together!
• Shape dough into a ball and return to its bowl. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough, dye each dough with different color (red + blue makes purple), being sure to wash your hands/gloves and your work surface between each color.
• Cover bowls with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1½ to 2 hours.
• When dough is risen, punch down all the colourful doughs. Remove red dough and roll out on a lightly floured surface into an 8-by-4-inch rectangle. Roll out yellow piece of dough into an 8-by-4-inch rectangle and place directly on top of red dough. Repeat with green, then blue, then purple doughs until you have a stack of 8-by-4-inch rectangles. 
• Roll up dough tightly from the short end into a loaf. Place loaf in a lightly greased 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 375- 400°F. Uncover dough and bake until browned on top and a thermometer inserted in the bottom center reads 190°, about 30 minutes or until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
• Keep aside till cool.

Notes:-

• While you dye if you feel the dough is difficult to handle then you can dust some flour and incorporate the colors to the dough.
• Dyeing may take little time and you have to knead the dough till dough is fully dyed and no part of dough is un- colored it takes some time. 

 Happy Baking!!!