3 Chip Brownie

There is something about Brownies. Whenever I see one in a shop I have to try it out. Whenever I see a new recipe I have to bake it. For someone who loves chocolate a brownie is the ultimate decadence.
I have often been asked what the difference is between a brownie and a chocolate cake. Both have flour, eggs and cocoa powder. The difference lies in the proportion which changes the texture. You might have noticed that brownies are denser and fudgier while cakes are lighter and spongier. Generally brownies have more cocoa powder or chocolate and cakes have more flour. The brownies are dense in the middle and tend to be heavy.
Since chocolate is a key component in brownies I decided to make most of it. Instead of just dark chocolate I used 3 kinds of chips- dark choc chips, white choco chips and butterscotch chips. This made the decadent brownie “decaden-ter”!! if you don’t have choco chips you can simply grate the two kinds of chocolates, melt them in a double boiler and add to the batter. Top with cashews if you want. I have added the cashews to the batter


Ingredients

100 gms dark chocolate chips
100 gms white chocolate chips
½ cup butterscothch chips
½ cup oil
½ cup butter
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup castor sugar
4 eggs, beaten
½ cup cashews, chopped

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Mix together sifted flour, baking powder and sugar.
Melt the dark choc chips with butter and oil on a double boiler. Whisk well and keep aside. After it cools down a bit add the beaten eggs and mix well. Fold in the flour mix, butterscotch chips and chopped cashews. Pour batter into a cake tin. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Muffins

I have a baking addiction. And I am not ashamed to admit it. There are times when I have to be away from home for a longish period of time. Circumstances!!!

There is no place like home and there is no better part of the home than my own kitchen with my gadgets and pots and pans. I can bake to my heart’s content there. But when I am away from my bakingdom I miss it sorely. I start getting these urges to have cakes and pastries. I go to bakeries and browse. I look at the goodies displayed and I realize I can make these easily and make them better too.

It is a catch 22 situation. I want them yet I feel so critical and judgmental about the shop bought cakes. Same is the case when I go to birthday parties. I look at the cakes and go “Huh!! I can bake better ones!!” Thank god I don’t say that aloud or I might stop getting invited to any more birthdays.

Not to stray from the topic..I was not able to bake at my mom’s place for about a month. Finally I made these simple chocolate muffins with the basic items available.

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

½ cup cocoa powder

1 ½ tsp baking powder

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

½ cup butter, melted

1/2 cup chopped chocolate, melted

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Beat together eggs and sugar till soft and fluffy. Add the melted butter and mix some more. Fold in half the flour mix and then half the milk. Fold in rest of flour and milk. Add the melted chocolate.

Pour into muffin cups. Bake for about 30 minutes. Check with a toothpick to see if the muffins are baked properly. 

Black and White Banana Loaf

Black and White Banana Loaf

Recipe source : Dorie Greenspan

I am going bananas again!!

I have lots of bananas lying in my pantry getting darker by the day. i have a whole range of food planned to take care of the bananas. The planning takes a long time to reach the execution stage. 

But today I finally made this Black and white banana loaf and it turned out awesommmee!!

The bananas are first mushed and then mixed with rum and lemon juice. It is then left for some time as the banana imbibes the two flavours. The nutmeg also has a very distinct taste in the cake. All in all an amazing recipe from Dorie Greenspan!

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp nutmeg powder

½ tsp salt

2 ripe bananas

Squirt of fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp dark rum

3 oz/85 gms dark chocolate, chopped

110 gms + 2 tbsp butter

2/3 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup sugar

4 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

½ cup milk

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Grease a loaf tin.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg powder.

Mash the bananas and mix with lemon juice and rum. Keep aside for some time. 

Melt the chocolate and 2 tbsp butter on a double boiler. Beat the 110 gms butter till smooth. Add the two sugars and beat till pale and glossy. Add the essence and mashed bananas and mix well. 

Add half the flour mix and then the milk. Now fold in the rest of the flour. 

The batter will look a bit curdled but it is fine. 

Pour into the loaf tin and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Check with a toothpick to see if the cake is ready.

Cocoa-Nana Bread

Cocoa-Nana Bread

Recipe source : Dorie Greenspan

This is an awesome cake. Since it is baked in a loaf tin you can call it a bread. The nomenclature doesn’t really matter because this is a super awesome dark as sin chocolaty cake.

 It is literally dark as sin, black as charcoal, midnight black!! You get the idea. In fact it was so dark in color that I had difficulty clicking a good picture. Honestly speaking the pictures do not do justice to the cake. It is tight yet crumbly. The top is cracked and creviced. The bread is soft and delicious.

Ingredients

2 cups flour

1 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

100 gms butter, room temperature

¾ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 ripe bananas, mashed

¾ cup buttermilk

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Line and grease a 9” loaf tin.

Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

Beat the butter till soft. Add the two sugars and beat again. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. 

Mix in the mashed bananas. 

Fold in the dry ingredients in three batches. 

Add the buttermilk till it is well incorporated. 

Now add the chopped chocolate.  

Pour the batter into the loaf tin and bake for 30 minutes. Cover the top with a foil and bake another 40 minutes. Total baking time is 70-75 minutes. Check with a toothpick to see if the cake is done. 

Mocha Banana Cupcakes

Mocha Banana Cupcakes

My son is going on a school picnic. Out came a long list of food he intends to carry. Cakes are something he loves to barter for other goodies. So much for my hard work. This time he had very precise instructions for the kind of cake he wanted. It should have chocolate, bananas and coffee. There should be no nuts, raisins or peanuts. So mommy dearest set to work!!

Ingredients

1 ½ cups flour

½ cup cocoa powder

1 ¼ tsp baking powder

4 tbsp coffee powder

1 cup sugar

¾ cup butter

4 tbsp milk

2 eggs

2 ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, coffee powder and baking powder.

Whip together sugar and butter till pale and light. 

Add the milk and whip some more. 

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the mashed bananas and mix. 

Now gently fold in the flour mix. 

Pour batter into cupcake liners and bake for 20 minutes. 

Eggless chocolate cake

Eggless Chocolate Cake

How many cakes have you baked in a day?

Well recently I had to bake 4 three tiered cakes and I ended up making 12 cakes for that. After the first 3 I started working on automation. Sieve, whip, bake!! And the simple recipe helped a lot. The cakes turned out awesome.

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups cake flour

¾ cup sugar

4 tbsp cocoa powder

½ cup boiling water

½ cup curd

¼ tsp baking soda

¾ tsp baking powder

½ cup oil

Line and grease a 9” cake tin. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

To make cake flour take regular flour, remove 2 tbsp flour and add 2 tbsp cornflour.

 Mix curd and baking soda and keep aside. Mix the cocoa powder and boiling water to a smooth paste. Bring to room temperature. Beat the oil and sugar together for 2 minutes. Add the curd mix and whip. 

Add the cocoa paste and mix well. 

Sieve together cake flour and baking powder. Add to the batter and fold gently. 

Bake for 25 minutes. Your cake is ready. 

This is a great cake for layering into celebration cakes.

Marbled Chocolate Crumble Cake

Marbled Chocolate Crumble Cake

Recipe source : Cake by Rachel Allen

Ever since I made the coconut streusel topping mocha cupcakes I had fallen in love with the idea of a streusel topping or a crumb topping. The cake is soft and moist underneath and the streusel topping is crumbly and buttery. What an awesome combination!!

I came across this recipe in Cake by Rachel Allen. It has two of my favorite things, a marble cake and a crumb topping. This was one cake I simply had to bake. And the fight that ensued over division of slices is a testimony to its awesomeness.

I have made few changes to the recipe wherein I have reduced the amount of butter and increased the amount of milk. Also I have used half butter and half oil. I have reduced the crumble topping too.

Ingredients

225 gms butter( I have reduced the amount to 200 gms where I have used half butter and half oil)

225 gms castor sugar

4 eggs

11 tsp vanilla extract

225 gms plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

50 ml milk ( I have used 4 tbsp +2 tbsp milk)

25 gm cocoa powder

For the crumble topping( the amount I have used)

50 gms plain flour

20 gm castor sugar

20 gms chopped dark chocolate

25 gms cold butter

First make the crumble topping. Using your fingers mix together flour, sugar and butter till it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the chopped chocolate. Keep aside.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease a 9” springform tin.

Whip the butter and oil till it becomes smooth. Now add the 4 tbsp milk and sugar and cream till light and fluffy. 

Add the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla essence. 

Sift together the flour and baking powder and add to the egg mix. 

Whip at medium speed till it becomes a smooth batter with no lumps. 

Remove half the batter. Add cocoa powder and 2 tbsp milk to the other half and mix well. 

Now put the batter in the cake tin by placing alternating spoonful of the batter. Once all the batter is placed swirl it with a toothpick. 

Sprinkle the crumble topping on top. 

Bake for 50 minutes.

  

Chocolate bread

Chocolate bread

Recipe source : Rose levy Beranbaum

I love all things chocolate

What is there to hate

With each lick you wish you had more

And to share it is such a bore

They are sugary, sweet, gooey and delish

Every bite you take with relish!!

My ode to chocolate!! And these lines simply popped in my mind as I sank my teeth into the utterly moist and delish Chocolate bread. When you cut slices they seem like bread slices only darker. When you bite into them they taste like a piece of heaven.

While making the cake I felt the need to change few of the ingredients. For example the recipe calls for 3 tbsp boiling water to make a paste of the cocoa powder. However when I added the cocoa and water it was absolutely dry. I added more water to make a smooth paste.

Similarly I felt that the original requirement of 13 tbsp of butter was a bit too much. I used 7 tbsp butter and added 2 tbsp milk.

It is very nice to get recipes that have been tried before but I feel that it is more important to go with your gut feeling. So feel free to tweak recipes to suit your sensibilities.

Ingredients

3 tbsp + 1 ½ tsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp milk

½ cup boiling water

1 ½ tsp vanilla essence

3 large eggs

1 ¼ cups cake flour

¾ cup+ 2 tbsp sugar

¾ tsp baking powder

7 tbsp butter

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Line and grease a loaf tin.

Whisk together the cocoa powder and boiling water to make a smooth paste. Ensure there are no lumps. Bring it to room temperature and then add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla essence.

Sift together flour, baking powder. Add the sugar. Mix with a spatula. Now add the butter and half the chocolate mixture. Mix well. Add the other half of the chocolate mixture. Add the 2 tbsp milk to make the batter more pliable. Pour the batter into the loaf tin and bake for 40-50 minutes. Cut slices of the lovely dark chocolate bread and relish them. 

Eggless Date and Walnut Choco Mocha Tea Cake

Eggless Date and Walnut Choco Mocha Tea Cake

I love collecting muffins liners. I have a cupboard full of beautiful and decorative liners of all shapes and sizes. I open the cupboard once everyday and feel happy. Nowadays I look at my collection and then start thinking what to bake in them. What cake would best suit these beauties? Weird much??

So today I took out these rectangular cases. They are perfect for a birthday party because they look so festive. Unfortunately no birthdays or anniversaries are coming up. Where to use them? Then I thought they will work perfectly for high tea. So here are my little tea cakes in festive liners.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups flour

½ tsp baking powder

1 ½ cups sugar

½ cup cocoa powder

2 tbsp coffee powder

½ cup dates, chopped

¼ cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup yogurt

½ tsp baking soda

1 cup oil

¾ cup milk

Few almonds, slivered

Heat the milk. Add the cocoa powder and coffee powder and mix well so that no lumps remain.

Sift the flour and baking powder. Mix in the chopped walnuts and dates so that they are well coated in the flour. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom while baking.

Mix the yogurt and baking soda and keep aside.

Whisk together the oil and sugar. Add the milk-cocoa-coffee mix. Mix well. Now gently fold in the flour. Add the yogurt and mix.

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Pour the batter into square cases. Garnish with few slivered almonds.  Bake for 25- 30 minutes.

Amandine / Romanian Chocolate Sponge Cake

Amandine / Romanian Chocolate Sponge Cake

This Romanian Chocolate cake is called Amandine. It is light and fluffy with the use of 8 eggs. Infact it is so light that I had trouble cutting it into layers. 

The cake is layered with not ganache but a chocolate cream made with eggs and cocoa.

 When I first came across this cake I was intrigued by the different ways chocolate cakes are made and eaten in different parts of the globe. Each has its unique identity and taste.  Each is united with a love we all share for food. It is  global cuisine.

The icing and filling is a chocolate cream which can also be replaced by a simple chocolate ganache. However I would recommend going the extra mile and putting in a little bit of time and effort making this chocolate cream. Slow cooked beaten eggs in a double boiler make it ultra luscious and creamy.

I have always failed miserably at this method. My eggs would always curdle and make a royal mess. However this time things turned out perfect. The eggs were pale and creamy. The chocolate cream was silky and smooth.

I have adapted the recipe form Roxyskitchen.

Ingredients

For the cake

260 gm sugar

30 gm cocoa powder

150 gm flour

8 eggs

40 ml water

50 ml oil

Grease a large baking tray. 

Separate the egg whites and yolks.

Beat the egg whites and water till stiff peaks form. Add the sugar and beat some more.

Beat together the egg yolks and oil. 

Gently fold into the egg whites.

Sift together the flour and cocoa powder. Fold the flour mix into the egg whites. The flour, being heavier, will settle down into the bottom. Remember to scrape it well and incorporate the whole thing.

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for about 30 minutes. The cake will rise beautifully without any baking powder or baking soda because of the beaten egg whites.

Once the cake is done take it out and let it cool.

For the soaking syrup

2  cups water

1 cup sugar

4 tbsp coffee powder

Heat the water and sugar till the sugar dissolves. Add the coffee powder and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let it cool.

For the chocolate cream

4 eggs

20o gms sugar

100 gms cocoa powder

1 cup butter

Place the eggs and sugar on a double boiler and start whipping. The boiling water will slowly cook the eggs. You need to be patient and keep whipping on medium speed for 15-20 minutes. The eggs will become pale and frothy. 

Add the cocoa powder and mix well. The mixture will become very thick. Add the butter and keep mixing. The chocolate cream will now be of spreading consistency. If you feel it is still too thick then add some more butter.

Assembling the cake

Take the cake out of the tin and trim the sides. 

Slice the cake into two halves horizontally. Soak both halves with the soaking syrup.

 Spread a thick layer of chocolate cream on one layer and then place the other layer on top. 

Drizzle some soaking syrup on the top slice. 

Spread the chocolate cream on top. 

Cut into big pieces and garnish with sugar sprinkles.