Basic Sponge Cake (for the beginners) & a Tip

 This time, thought of sharing the basic recipe of Sponge Cake which is used as a base for many other recipes lik Pound cake tiramisu. Hope it would help the beginners. This tastes similar to Muttappola (Kumsu) which is common in Malabar region. We used to bake Muttappola in pressure cookers in low flame, back in home. Only a slight difference is there between these two recipes. We use cardamom for flavoring Kumsu.

Ingredients

Makes one 9-inch-square cake

• Unsalted butter, for pan
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 1/2 cup cornstarch/cornflour
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt

 1.Heat oven to 350 degrees/170C.Butter a 9-inch-square baking pan. Line pan with parchment paper, and butter again.
Flour the pan, and set aside.

2.In a small bowl, sift together flour and cornstarch; set aside.

3.In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg yolks, vanilla, and 1/2 cup sugar on high speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes.

4.Transfer the egg-yolk mixture to a large bowl. Wash and dry the mixer bowl and the whisk attachment.

5.Combine egg whites and salt in the mixer bowl, and beat on medium speed until whites hold soft peaks, about 1 1/2 minutes.

6.With mixer running, slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Continue beating until stiff and glossy, about 1 minute

7.Fold the egg-white mixture into the egg-yolk mixture.

8.In three additions, fold the reserved flour mixture into this new mixture.

9.Transfer the batter to prepared pan, and smooth the top with an offset spatula.

10.Bake until a cake tester inserted into middle comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes (took 35mts for me). Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool; turn out cake, and wrap it in plastic wrap until ready to use. The tester came out clean n the pic; bt had to bake 3 mts more to brown it on the top.

 

How To Cut a Wax paper perfectly for your Round Cake tin easily

I don't know how many of you may know this...bt thot to share for those who are beginners in baking field.

1. Cut a square shaped wax paper. Fold into half .

2.Fold again into a square.

3. Now, fold into a triangle as shown in the picture.

4.Now, fold from one edge of the triangle to the other to form another triangle.

5.Keep the pointed edge in the center of the base of your cake tin  & cut from the edge of the base in curves.

Unfold the paper; you will get a perfect circle wax paper for your cake tin.

Linking this to Anyone can Cook event

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Devil's Food Cake

This recipe was bookmarked by me since months, but didn't try it seeing the size of the cake;was waiting for quite a few people who would help me finishing it off :)) It was on this Eid,that I had the guts to try it.. I made this & the very next day I left ma home for Turkey for a few days. My mom went on serving this for all the guests during Eid and when I came back, I could find a piece of it in the freezer which was kept for me .Believe me, it was that big!! So I may warn you, don't try as it is. Make it half or quarter-sized!!

The famous chef Alain Roby had made this & entered in Guinness Record for the tallest cake ever;that's why it's named as the Devil's Food Cake.It was 6 ft tall.

Photographed by: Jeeju (Shefeek MTP)

Ingredients:(Serves 20)

• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for baking pan
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 cup boiling water
• 6 ounces/170g unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 4 cups sugar
• 10 large eggs
• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 24 ounces /680.5 gsemisweet chocolate
• 12 raspberries, for garnish (optional)
• Mint leaves, for garnish (optional)
• Whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 10-by-3-inch round cake pans; set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together baking soda and boiling water; add melted unsweetened chocolate and stir to combine. Set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

With the mixer on low, add flour and 6 tablespoons cocoa powder; mix until combined. Slowly add buttermilk; mix until combined. Add chocolate mixture and vanilla; mix until well combined.

Divide mixture evenly between prepared cake pans. Transfer to oven and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer cake pans to racks and let cool completely in pans.

Meanwhile, heat heavy cream and semisweet chocolate in a medium saucepan over medium heat until chocolate has melted and mixture is well combined. Let frosting cool until creamy in texture.

Run a knife around the edges of cake pans and invert cakes onto wire racks. Slice each cooled cake horizontally into three even layers. Set one layer on a rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Pour some of the frosting over the first layer, smoothing with a spatula. Add a second layer and repeat process. Repeat process with remaining layers and frosting; smooth frosting over top and sides.

Place remaining 6 tablespoons cocoa powder in a fine-mesh sieve; dust cake evenly with cocoa powder. Let cool completely before serving. Garnish with raspberries, mint, and whipped cream, if desired.

This post is going to the Suma's Anniwersary Event

Pound Cake Tiramisu

It has been a while that i've posted something.Was bsy with eid chores, school re-opening; xams...uff...nw  settled down a bit... I was not here for a few days in between;went to Istanbul (Turkey) for a few days during Eid holidays. It was a nice place. It's the largest city in Turkey and second largest Metropolitan area in Europe by population. It's culinary culture includes a wide variety of tastes like Doners(shawarma in a different bread) which is served with Ayran (buttermilk) and Simit. Simit is one of the most traditional & common types of Turkish food.One can find simit at every hour of the day in bakeries and shops which sell baked flour goods. You also might encounter simit merchants with their glass pane wagons, walking along the city's bustling streets.You can have a luk at the picture at the end of ths page.

Now, coming to the recipe, it s so easy & yummy that anyone can make it . It's another version of Tiramisu. Pound cake is used instead of Saviordi biscuits. Being a great fan of Martha Stewart, ths recipe found its own way to ma kitchen.You can use any cakes here; I used Marbled Butter Cake.

Ingredients: (serves 8) ((I've made in 2 same dishes seen n ths picture with the same measurement))


U can use water instead of rum..


1 cup heavy cream
4 ounces bar cream cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup strong coffee or espresso, room temperature
1 loaf pound cake,preferably marbled, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1/4 cup shaved semisweet chocolate
Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting

Method: 


In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream, cream cheese, and confectioners' sugar until combined. In a small bowl, combine coffee and rum/water.


In a 2-quart baking dish, lay half the cake slices in a single layer, trimming to fit. Brush with half the coffee mixture. Top with half the cream mixture and half the chocolate. Repeat. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hrs before serving.Dust top with cocoa powder while serving. 






Pictures : Simit

Tiramisu Cup Cake

Whenever browsing for some new recipes, i used to 'stop by' when i see the words tiramisu, cappuccino or coffee. As a hard core coffee lover, i always prefer its flavor in all my desserts; when it comes to tiramisu with saviordi biscuits, sponge cake tiramisu, tiramisu cup cakes or cappuccino cup cakes;all these are my all time favourites.

 For coffee syrup:


Water 1/5 cup (abt 40-50ml)...(used water instead of marsala in the original recipe)
Coffee 1/3 cup (80ml) can reduce the intensity if u don't want strong flavor
Sugar 1/4 cup (60ml)

Mix all these in hot water till dissolved & then let it cool


For Mascarpone frosting:

Mascarpone cheese 8 oz (227 gm approx.)
Heavy cream 1 cup (240ml)
Confectioner's sugar or Powdered sugar 1/2 cup (120ml)...

With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk heavy cream until stiff peaks form (be careful not to overbeat, or cream will be grainy). In another bowl, whisk together mascarpone and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture until completely incorporated. Use immediately.

Tiramisu Cup Cake


Ingredients: (Makes 18 large or 36 mini muffins)


White Flour   1 1/4 cup or 300ml
Baking powder  3/4 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Milk 1/4 cup
Vanilla bean-1, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped & reserved or Vanilla essence 1 tsp
Unsalted Butter 4 tbsp
3 large whole eggs+ 3 egg yolks, room temperature
Sugar 1 cup or 240 ml
Coffee syrup
Mascarpone Frosting
Cocoa powder for dusting


Method:
1.Preheat oven to 170 C (for mini cup cakes). Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. 


2.Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. 


3.Heat milk and vanilla-bean pod and seeds( or vanilla essence) in a small saucepan over medium heat just until bubbles appear around the edge. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter until melted, and let stand 15 minutes. Strain milk mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, and discard vanilla-bean pod. 


2.With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk together whole eggs, yolks, and sugar. 


3.Set mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water, and whisk by hand until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm, about 6 minutes. Remove bowl from heat. With an electric mixer on high speed, whisk until mixture is fluffy, pale yellow, and thick enough to hold a ribbon on the surface for several seconds when whisk is lifted.


4.Gently but thoroughly fold flour mixture into the egg mixture in three batches; stir 1/2 cup batter into the strained milk mixture to thicken, then fold milk mixture into the remaining batter until just combined


5.Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until centers are completely set and edges are light golden brown, about 13 to 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

6.To finish, brush tops of cupcakes evenly with coffee  syrup; repeat; if u need strong coffee flavour; until all syrup has been used; otherwise brushing once is enough. Allow cupcakes to absorb liquid 30 minutes. Dollop or top frosting shapelessly onto cupcakes; refrigerate up to overnight in airtight containers. Dust generously with cocoa powder just before serving.

NB: u can use cream cheese as well...i don't know why...bt i lik cream cheese mre than mascarpone for frosting...may be becos of the salty taste of that...Cream cheese frosting will be a bit runny..won't set like mascarpone..

Sending this to Suma's Anniwersary Event

Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cake

Now this was my first ever experiment on cakes. I had no idea of baking at that time. I remember when this recipe was shown on Martha Stewart's show, my mom rang me up to switch on the tv ;but by the time the show was over ...still i could see a glance of this mousse cake & also her web address. So just browsed & found the recipe. Baked soon & the result was fantastic. I was a bit lazy & so greedy that i couldn't wait to prepare cake in separate ramekins & layer mousses. I just took a cake dish,baked in it & layered mousses in that dish all together; and u know wat?? i didn't prepare the mousse also...went to LULU, bought 2 types of mousses & layered over the cake.. The taste was awesome!! Since then, for 2-3 yrs, i have been making this more often ;this time, prepared mousses too; & finally, fed up of that...Now decided to bake this after 3 long years & that too as instructed by Martha...separate ramekins, layer mousses......hihi

First, we have to prepare 2 different chocolate mousses; one with bitter-sweet chocolate & the other with milk chocolate. The recipes given in her website is so clear that i didn't make much changes to it.

Individual Chcolate Mousse

Ingredients

Makes enough for 8 cakes

• 1 2/3 cups or 400 ml heavy cream
• 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 1/4 cup or 60 ml sugar
• 1/4 cup or 60 ml light corn syrup
• 7 ounces or 200 gms approx. bittersweet chocolate, melted
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• Salt

Method:

1.Put heavy cream into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 3 1/2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; refrigerate 1 hour

2.   Put 4 egg yolks into the clean bowl of the mixer fitted with the clean whisk attachment; beat on high speed until pale and frothy, 4 to 5 minutes. 

3.Meanwhile, bring 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons corn syrup, and 2 tablespoons water to a rolling boil in a small, heavy saucepan over high heat. Cook until clear, large bubbles form, about 1 minute. 

4.Reduce mixer speed to medium-low. Carefully pour hot syrup down side of bowl. Raise speed to medium-high. Mix until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in bittersweet chocolate, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and a pinch of salt with a rubber spatula.

5.Add one-third of bittersweet-chocolate mixture to whipped cream; whisk to combine. Add remaining bittersweet-chocolate mixture, whisking until completely combined. Press through a large-mesh sieve into a large bowl; discard any solids. 

6.Repeat entire recipe, substituting milk chocolate for the bittersweet.

So now u have 2 different mousses with you. You can proceed to make the cakes.U can prepare this in ramekins or even in your muffin tray..Just trim it after unmoulding...

The cake:

In this recipe, the cake layer is not of that relevance. That just acts as the base for the 2 mousses.

Ingredients

Makes 8

• Vegetable-oil cooking spray
• 2/3 cup or 160 ml all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup  or 80 ml unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder. u can use chocolate milk powder also if u don't want the bitter taste of chocolate.
• 2/3 cup or 160 ml sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1/4 cup or 60 ml whole milk
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Individual chocolate mousse
• 2 ounces or 56 gms approx.  solid semisweet chocolate( to garnish)

Method:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.(200 degree celcius). Place eight 6-ounce (3 1/2-inch diameter) ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet, and coat with cooking spray; set aside.

2.Stir flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Attach bowl to mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. 

3.Add egg, milk, oil, vanilla, and 1/4 cup water; mix on medium-low speed until smooth and combined, about 3 minutes.

4.Divide batter evenly among prepared ramekins. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. Run a knife around sides of cakes; unmold. Cakes can be refrigerated, wrapped in plastic, up to 1 day.

5.Trim each cake to 1 inch high. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 

6.Cut eight 10 3/4-by-4-inch strips of parchment paper. Wrap a parchment collar around base of each cake, keeping bottom flush with baking sheet. Secure each collar with tape; set aside.(jst have a look into the picture). But i had made a taller collar & later on had to trim it. 4 inch s enough.

7.Transfer bittersweet-chocolate mousse to a large pastry bag fitted with a large round tip . Pipe a 1-inch layer of mousse into each parchment collar. Refrigerate until mousse is set, about 20 minutes. Repeat with milk chocolate mousse, piping on top of the bittersweet chocolate mousse. Refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to overnight.Microwave semisweet chocolate until slightly warm but not melted, about 30 seconds. Scrape at a 45-degree angle with a vegetable peeler, forming curls. Before serving cakes, remove parchment collars, and garnish with chocolate curls.

Sending this entry to Taste Buds Choco Delite Event

Also to Suma's Anniwersary Event