Chocolate Cake Pops

Cake Pops - Cake on a stick

I read this from the net - Cake pops are a bite-sized piece of heaven.

Made this cake pops for one of my friends daughter's birthday...it's a chocolate cake dipped in milk chocolate, topped with sprinklers. Kids went crazy for cake pops, and many were having it for the first time. Moreover, I saw many Mamas and Papas enjoying it along with their kids.

I'm happy to get more orders for cake pops from other parents who attended this b'day party.

Chocolate Cake Pops - Birthday fav

Have you ever thought of cake pops for your kid's b'day? Maybe you should try it. I bet you would wonder how can anything this simple be so absolutely, totally delicious! They're all the rage – everybody's talking about cake pops.

Marina

P.S Learn to make fancy looking and gorgeous cake pops with one-to-one class. Contact me at 9379398865.

Chocolate Cupcake with Coconut Snow Ball

Chembu Fry

Chembu in fish curry masala

This curry is my mom's receipe which is made with Chembu/Arbi/Taro or Colocasia and it is so yummmy....this receipe is just as the Kerala cocount fish curry masala. We replace the fish with Chembu.

We make this at home during lenten season when we abstain from meat and fish. Trust me it taste just like the fish curry...

Zebra Cake

Zebra Cake

Zebra cake is nothing new for seasoned bakers, but for me it was. After doing a quick recipe search, I got the Zebra cake recipe.

Piece of Zebra Cake

Essentially zebra cake is same as chocolate marble cake. The only difference is the zebra skin pattern. In marble cake you get the design by making swirl patters in the batter.

Sliced Zebra Cake

After baking zebra, my Mom repeatedly refereed it as  Tiger cake. I corrected her, but she continued with the Tiger name. Well, I can't blame her, as it looked more like a Tiger than a Zebra.

Pickled Lime with Birdseye Chili

Ingredients:

• 10 Birdseye Chillie(Kanthari chilli in Malayalam)
• 6 Lime (Cut into small pieces)
• 1/2 cups white vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 2 tbsp salt
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 inch ginger, cut into 4 slices

Method

1. Bring the vinegar, salt and water to low boil and leave it to cool
2. Wash and wipe the lime and chili, cut the lime into small pieces.Add this to the bottle.
3. Now add ginger and garlic
4. Pour the water mixture over the jar leaving 1/4 inch head space. Seal and keep it for a week.
5. You can start using it after a week.

Enjoy the picked lime and chili 

Vegetable Pulao

Ingredients

• Ghee -185gms
• Onion-2
• Cauliflower - 60gms (broken into small florets)
• Potatoes     - 60gms ( finely diced)
• Beans   -60 gms (cut into 2 cm length)
• Peas     -60 gms
• Carrot  - 60gms(finely sliced)
• Ground Ginger and Garlic -1 tsp
• Ground Cardamon -1/2 tsp
• Bay leaf -1
• Cloves -4
• Pepper -2 tsp (crushed)
• Rice - 250gm (1 1/2 cup)
• Boiling water -4 cups

Method

1. Heat the ghee in a large vessel and saute the onions until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
2. Add cauliflower, potatoes, beans, peas and carrots to ghee, saute until tender, remove and set aside.
3. Saute ginger,garlic, cardamon, bay leaf, cloves and pepper for 1 minute.
4. Add the rice and fry for 2 minutes stirring all the time.
5. Add 4 cup of boiling water to the rice and cook till the rice is half cooked
6. Now add the vegetables, mix well then cover and cook in slow flame till it is done.
7. Serve with fried onions sprinkled on top

This can be served for 6 to 8 persons.

Kokum Juice

I came across kokum juice when I went to Goa, there kokum juice is given at all restaurants along with the thali meals. It really cools your body.

Have you soaked your fruits for Christmas Cakes?

If you are crazy for Christmas cake, then it's time for you to plan for Christmas cake. Unlike other cakes, for Christmas cake you need to soak the fruits for a six weeks before you bake.  The fruits needs to boozed in rum .

Christmas cake-mixing

Dried Fruit for Cake

• 200g raisins
• 100g Cherries chopped
• 200g Cashewnuts  Chopped
• 200g walnuts
• 175g dried figs, chopped
• 100g dates, chopped
• 25g Orange /Ginger peel
• The total of all the dried  fruits will be 1 kg, you can add whatever dried fruits you like.

Soak

200 ml Rum

cinnamon stick - 1

1. Mix the one kg of all the mixed dried fruit (walnuts, almonds, cashews,raisins, dates, cherry,candied peal), 
2. Chopped into small pieces and soak them in rum and cinnamon stick.
3. Put this mixture into an airtight container and keep it in your kitchen and not in the fridge
4. You need to mix it every day for the first week and for the other five days mix it once in a week.
5. After six weeks your fruits are ready for  bake

Enjoy baking your Christmas Cake.


Marina


N.B. To learn Christmas cake, get in touch with me for personlised call. Reach me at mennasdelight at [gmail dot com] or give a ring at 9379398865.

Crab Soup

Spicy Crab Soup

Ingredients

• Crab -150gms
• Onion – 1
• Ginger – 1 inch long
• Garlic – 3
• Whole Pepper – 3 tsp
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Crush all the above including the crab and put in the cooker with 4 cups of water.
2. After one whistle put the stove in slow flame for 30 minutes
3. Open the cooker and serve the soup to serving dish and garnish with coriander leaves.
4. Enjoy the crab soup.

Crab Soup Recipe

Get in touch with me to clear any doubts on crab recipe. Mail me at mennasdelight@gmail.com 

Pineapple Cheese Cake

This is Rachel Allen's Blueberry Cheese Cake recipe , I used her recipe to make this cheese cake but used pineapple instead of  Blueberry.

Here goes the recipe

Ingredients

75 g butter

175 g digestive biscuits

175 g Pineapple

450 g cream cheese

150 g powdered sugar

1 tsp pineapple essence

4 eggs

icing sugar  to dust

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 for 10mts.
2. Butter the sides and base of a 2 cake tin.
3. Place the biscuits into a food processor and grind to a rough breadcrumbs. Mix the crushed biscuits with the melted butter and press down into the base of the tin.
4.  Spread the chopped pineapple over the base and allow to chill in the fridge until needed.
5. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, pineapple essence and the eggs together in a large bowl until smooth and creamy.
6. Pour over the top of the pineapple  and then bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until pale golden .
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for about 10-15 minutes.
8. Run a knife around the edge to loosen it and carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin.
9.  Transfer to a serving plate. Sprinkle over a few pineapple, then dust with icing sugar.
10. Cut into slices to serve. This cheesecake is best eaten when it is at room temperature

Someone Like You

Here's a different post from the regular curry tainted posts. This song from Adele struck a chord in me, don't know where. I like the pure raw emotion in her voice. I hope you enjoy listening to it.

Marina

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Icing on the Top :)

Standing out of the baking tray

Red Velvet Cupcake - Velvetish isn't 

Enjoy your everyday life is better choices and with more variety. On the same lines, I tried something different with the cupcakes - Red Velvet Cupcake.

There are many different varieties or innovations you can try out. Just browse few cupcake stores for inspiration, use those ideas to create something novel.

In case you're new to cupcakes, I've cupcake classes for beginners or those who are not getting the chemistry of cupcakes right.

In one class ( 3hr), you can learn the basics of baking, (measuring, folding, tips, etc) and kick start a new hobby or pastime or just surprise your friends and family with your baking delights.

For details, class timing, availability, call me at # 93793 98865 to schedule your baking class.

Yours in baking,

Marina

Eggless Banana Cupcake

Looking to taste Appam and Stew in Bangalore?

Appam & Stew 

Are you looking for restaurants serving Appam and Chicken/Veg/Mutton Stew in Bangalore?

Here're the list of joints in Bangalore which serves Appam and stew.

1. Koshy's serves Appam with chicken and Veg Stew 
2. South Indies on 100ft Rd serves appam and Veg stew.
3. All the Empire restaurants serves Appam with Chicken and Veg stew
4. Coconut grove at church street 
5. Kaayal at Jeevan bheemanagar.
6. Ente Keralam at Ulsoor
7. Coastal Junction 80ft road, Indira Nagar serves Appam and Muttom Stew
8. Windsor Pub next to Kodava Samaj serves Appam and stew
9. Appam Corner at Kamnahallii 

If you're looking for homemade Appam and Stew in Bangalore, you can contact me at 9379398865. I don't prepare this before hand, so pls give me two days in advance to prepare the appam batter and for the fermenting process. I promise to do my best to make fluffy Appams and lip smacking stew you deserve.

If you have larger party order, contact me at # 9379398865 to enjoy traditional Appam and Stew or cutlet. I'm located Near Domlur BDA Complex. 

One-to-one baking and cooking class.

Get a sneak peek of what you can learn from one-to-one baking and cooking class.

Cakes and Bakes

1. Cupcakes (Vanilla, Strawberry, Orange marmalade, Chocolate and Choco chips) & Tea cake with Fudge icing
2. Cakes and Pastries: Black Forest cake, White Forest Cake and Pineapple Pastry
3. Exotic cakes-1: Truffle cake and Checkered Cake
4. Exotic cakes -2: Mocha cream gateaux, Walnut cake with American frosting
5. Exotic cakes -3: Apple cake and Strawberry/Mango torte
6. Exotic cakes 4: Death by chocolate, Coffee streusel cake and Banana bread
7. Chocolates 1:  15 types of fillings
8. Chocolates 2: Liquor and soft centered
9. Eggless Cakes: Cupcake, Death by chocolate, Chocolate cake, Carrot and Date cake.
10 Icing:  Gum paste, Fondant, butter cream, Itallian Meringue butter cream, lemon curd
11 Brownies: Crisp chocolate fudge, Ganache, Gooey cup cake, Fudge
10. Pineapple upside down cake
11. Christmas cake:  Rich plum cake and homemade wine
12. Dessert: caramel custard, fruit salad with custard, bread pudding,

Cooking Class

1. English dishes 1: English Breakfast, Fish and Chips, English Muffins and Hash Browns
2. English dishes 2: Pan Cakes, Cheese Mustard Scones, Apple Crepe
3. Kababs Thandoori: Chicken, Hariyali Kebab, Malai Tikka, Tangri Kebab, Fried Kabab and Seekh Kabab
4. South Indian Dosa:  Masala Dosa, Chutney, Idli, Vada, Sambar and Upma
5. Kerala Cuisine 1: Puttu and Kadala, Appam and Stew, fish molle, Iddiappam and potato curry
6. Kerala Cuisine 2: Kappa( Tapioca) and Meen(fish) curry and Meen pollichathu
7. Kerala Cuisine 3: Avial, Thoran, mezhakuparaty, pachadi, erriserry, pulliserry and sambar

8. Starters: Chicken wings, chicken lollipop, chicken/ fish/mutton /egg/veg cutlet
9. North Indian Special: Paneer, Aloo methi, gopi Manchurian, chole, Tadka Dal,
10 Andhra special: Hyderabadi Biriyani, Mirchi ka salan, Tomato chutney, Bhaigan Bagara
11.Chinese: Noodles, Mixed Fired rice, soya chilly chicken, grilled chicken wings

Apart from this list, I take customized cooking or baking class based on your preference. For more details on cooking/ cake baking class, please call at Ph # 93793 98865 (Marina) or email me at mennasdelight@gmail.com

So there, you have it.  I hope you will enjoy creating these wonderful mouth watering recipes for you, your family and your friends.

Boiled Egg Omelette

Boiled Egg Omelette

What can you prepare when you have a little notice? How can you impress your guests with simple, egg based recipe. If you're looking for ideas, then here's an egg based recipe you can make under 10 mins.

Well, this is just another variant of Omelette.


Ingredient:

• Boiled egg 3
• Egg 3
• Chopped spring Onion
• Green peas
• Pepper powder
• Chopped onion
• Salt to taste

Steps:

1. Beat egg and add all the ingredients and beat well except boiled egg
2. Take a tava and when it is hot pour the egg into the tava
3. When it is half cooked cut the boiled egg and spread on top of the batter.
4. Sprinkle pepper powder for more taste 
5. Cook till it is done...

Enjoy the boiled egg omelet with friends and family. Well, this is just a simple variant, maybe you can come with better ideas to improve Omlette. Pls share ideas in the comment box.

Thank you,

Marina

Strawberry Torte Cake

Strawberry Torte Cake

Here's another great desert, good for any occasion. Here's the picture of simple Strawberry Torte Cake I made for a birthday order.

Apart form cake baking orders, I also teach you to bake this light and fluffy looking cake. You can call me at  9379398865 for details.

Cup cake with frosting icing

Chocolate cupcake with frosting icing

Baking Ingredients In Trivandrum

Pack N Bake, Chalai Trivandrum

Way to Pack N Bake, Inside Chalai Market, Trivandrum

Are you looking for Cake/Chocolate making ingredients in Trivandrum?

Before I spotted this place in Trivandrum, I had searched, enquired with many folks in Trivandrum for any shop selling cake and chocolate making ingredients. Like many other baking ethusiats in Trivandrum, I too hit a dead end. Sad to say, even bakery owners in Trivandrum were tight lipped on shops selling baking ingredients. ( Is it their trade secret ). At last I got the clinching clue from my cousin's wife Rina Gomez. She said about Pack N Bake in Chalai.

Next I ventured out to Chalai, Trivandrum and rest in history.

I'm really happy to find this place "Pack N Bake" in Chali, Trivandrum. I know there are lot of folks like me hunting for a place to buy baking stuff in Trivandrum.

Pack N bake is located on the opposite side of Bata, the adjacent lane next to Jayachandra Book depot in Chalai.Till I found this place, I used to carry all the ingredients from Bangalore for my cake baking class and chocolate making class in Trivandrum

You will find these ingredients at Pack N Bake:

• Whipping Cream and Powder:whipping cream in 1 kg packs. 
• Whipping cream powder 
• Dark chocolate, White, Milk compound chocolate
• Chocolate Chips, piping bags, nozzles
• Sparkling sugar, colored vermicelli: In different colors.
• Instant yeast
• All Dry fruits
• Orange peel
• Clear Vanilla Essence and all type of essences
• Cake Gel
• Tinned Cherry, Blueberries,Litchis, Pears, Mango, Pineapple
• Paste colors
• Liquid Glucose
• Cream Of Tartar
• Samosa leaf

Baking Tray/ chocolate Moulds
You will find all the baking dish and chocolate making molds at Ibrahims, Chali or other imported trays at Style Plus, Trivandrum.

If you know any other shops in Trivandrum or in any part of Kerala selling baking related stuff, then pls share it in the comments box. Your suggestion can help many others.

I can also get you baking related material from Bangalore. I come every second Saturday to Trivandrum to teach baking.

Marina

Check this other shop at Trivandrum http://mennas-cooking.blogspot.in/2012/03/baking-ingredients-at-trivandrum.html

Pack N Bake -Phone #: 0471 2470444, Mobile #: 9895192522

Christmas cake baking classes

Rich Plum Xmas Cake

It's just 20 days for 2011 Xmas, the grant finale to this year. So, here's something that'll add richness to your Christmas / holiday season. If you're one of those who love to try something new this Christmas, then here's your chance to learn Xmas cake.

In my X-mas cake baking class, you'll learn the traditional Christian recipe. I'll run you through the basics of rich plum cake baking and you'll get hands-on opportunity to bake cake in my class.

Preparing for Xmas cake is a lot different from a usual tea cake or another cake. Lot of ingredients goes in to making rich and delicious plum cake.

After attending rich plum cake baking class, you'll enjoy baking these special Xmas cakes for this Christmas. There's nothing more personal and meaningful than gifting home made Xmas cakes to dear and near ones.

For details of Xmas cake making class contact me, Marina at # 9379398865. I'm put up close to Domlur, Bangalore. 

Teacake topped with fudge icing and strawberry

Teacake topped with chocolate fudge icing and strawberries...

Icecream cone cupcake with frosting

Made a cupcake on icecream cone. I used the batter on icecream cone instead of cupcake liners and did a frosting icing on top of it.

Enjoy this Icecream cone cup cake..

Tandoori Chicken

Grilled Tandoori Chicken without oil 

English Breakfast

English breakfast with baked beans, poached egg , mushroom and cherry tomatoes

Fish Mollee and Bol (Coconut flat bread)

Fish mollee brings back lot of childhood memories, those days when mom used to make them and we enjoy the dish along with this coconut flat bread.

We call the flat bread as bol in our place but not sure how it got that name.  But while searching I found that the similar type of  bread is made in Srilanka and they call it Pol roti.

If you want to make them or taste them in Bangalore, then get in touch with me - Marina  #9379398865

Onam Sadya in Bangalore

Chaya Kada - Ente Keralam

Ente Keralam

Ente Keralam at Ulsoor, Bangalore is offering onam sadya, if you are in Bangalore and looking for onam sadya then try this place.

The rate for the sadya is 350+tax and it includes 12 type of curries and 4 types of pickles and 4 types of payasam , you can have the Onam sadya till 11th Sept 2011

Recently they started the chaya kada (Tea stall) open between 4-6pm and for 59/- you get a chaya and snack.

Happy Onam,

Marina

P.S. Check out my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/mennascakebakingclassbangalore

Orange Marmalade Cupcakes

Orange Marmalade Cupcake with Icing

Orange marmalade cupcakes ready for delivery. I made this cupcake as per order. You too can order customised cupcake for any occasion. For details on icing, filling, you can contact me at mennasdelight@gmail.com or call me at 9369398865.

Marina

Assorted cupcakes

Perfect gift - Assorted Cupcakes

Give the perfect gift of the best cupcakes in town! Make a lasting impression by sending assorted cupcakes, beautifully arranged in dessert baskets. An unforgettable way to say thank you to your friends, dear ones and employees.( Free delivery around Indira Nagar - Bangalore)

Check out the assorted cupcakes with fudge icing and toppings. Get customised cupcakes for any occasion. Call at #9379398865 for orders.