The Moist Chocolate Cupcakes

These moist Chocolate Cupcakes will just melt in your mouth

Ingredients :

Chocolate cupcakes
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Flour - 1 cup.
Powdered Sugar - 1 cup.
Cocoa  powder - 6 tbsp.
Baking soda - 1 tsp.
salt - 1/2 tsp.
Egg - 1  large.
Buttermilk - 1/2 cup(1/4 cup milk + 1/4 cup curd).
Vegetable oil - 1/2 cup.
Vanilla essence - 3/4 tsp.
Hot water - 1/2 cup.









Chocolate Frosting
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Unsalted butter - 1/2 + 1/8 cups (room temperature).
semi-sweet chocolate chips - 1/2cup + 1/4cup
Cocoa powder - 1 1/2 tbsp.
Icing sugar- 2 1/2 cups.
Salt - a pinch.
Fresh cream - 2 to 2 1/2 tbsp.

Method
1.Preheat oven to 170 degree celsius & prepare cupcake pan with liners.
2.Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl & whisk together.Set aside.
3.In another bowl combine the egg,buttermilk,vegetable oil & vanilla essence using a whisk
4.Add the wet ingredients(step 3) to the dry ingredients(step 2) & mix until well combined.
5.Add the hot water very slowly like a thin stream,to the batter & mix until well combined.
Batter will be very very thin.
6.Fill the cupcake liners about half way & bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
7.Remove cupcakes from oven & allow to cool for 2 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.




Icing

1.To make the frosting,first melt the chocolate chips & keep it aside for cooling.
2.Beat the butter in a large bowl & mix until smooth.
3.Add the cooled chocolate & mix until well combined.
4.Add the cocoa powder & mix until well combined.
5.Add about half of icing sugar & 1 tablespoon of fresh cream & mix until well combined.
6.Add remaining icing sugar & salt & mix until smooth.
7.Add remaining fresh cream as need to get the right consistency of frosting.
8.Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes (1M  nozzle).







Enjoy the moist homemade chocolate cupcakes !!!!

 

Ultimate Caramel Cake

Caramel Cake

Cake
 •Butter – ½ cup unsalted (room temperature).
 •Sugar – 1 ¼ cups.
 •Eggs – 3 ½
 •Maida – 1 ½ cups.
 •Salt – ½ tsp.
 •Baking powder – ¼ tsp.
 •Baking soda – ¼ tsp.
 •Fresh cream – ½ cup, room temperature.
 •Vegetable oil – ¼ cup.
 •Vanilla extract – ½ tbsp.

Icing
•Unsalted butter – ¼ + 1/8 cup.
•Fresh cream – 1 cup.
•Sugar - 1 cup.
•Salt - a pinch.
•Vanilla extract – ½ tbsp.

Instructions - Cake
1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare cake pans with parchment paper and grease the sides.
2.Beat the butter for 2 minutes on high speed.
3.Add the sugar then beat for another 5 minutes, until pale yellow and fluffy.
4.Add the eggs one at a time, combining well after each addition.
5.Add the flour mixture in 2 batches and beat on low speed.
6.Add the salt, baking powder  baking soda and mix until well combined, careful not to over beat.

7.Add the fresh cream, oil , vanilla. Mix until combined well. The batter should be nice and silky.

8.Pour the batter into cake pan bake for 27-32 minutes (if 9 inch pan) or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs. Allow for cooling

Slice of Delight

Caramel Sauce
1.In a saucepan melt the milk, sugar, butter & salt in medium heat. Continue cooking until the butter begins to separate  creates yellow, oily film.(10-15 minutes)
2.Ingredients will come to slow boil forms bubbles on the surface. As you continue cooking the bubbles will get bigger. Stir occasionally as it all comes together.(30 minutes)
3.Continue to cook and stir occasionally to blend everything back together(Some white clumps will develop on the surface). Cook until mixture turns into a light golden caramel colour.
Colour will slowly deepen the caramel will bubble higher.
4.Reduce heat to low  ensure you don’t burn the caramel. Bubbling subsides to simmer as everything thickens. Caramel should coat the back of a spoon when done. Then remove from heat add in vanilla extract. Allow to cool thicken before layering the cake.

Indian Cooking Class at Trivandrum, Kerala

No matter where you are in the world, one thing is for certain, a country’s culture is very closely linked to its food.  You’ll see what spices are important to that country’s cuisine, and be able to taste fruits and vegetables that you may not have in your own country.

What better souvenir from your travels than learning how to make a tasty meal you can make time and time again this is what Tomas Holden from Chicago has to say today in the class.

Had a beautiful evening teaching about Indian spices and different types of Indian breads and curries  to Tomas who had come down for a short vacation to India, Srilanka and Maldives and he loves to learn the cuisines of different countries , what an experience he will be taking back home.

 Wishing him a happy learning vacation and looking forward to his Indian cooking 

Cinnamon raisin rolls

Cinnamon raisin rolls

• Flour – 250 grams + extra for  dusting
• Salt – ½ tsp.
• Sugar – 1 ½ tbsp.
• Dried yeast – ½ tsp.
• Egg – 1 lightly beaten.
• Lukewarm milk – 62 ml.
• Lukewarm water – 62 ml.
• Oil for brushing.

Filling
• Caster sugar – 50 grams.
• Demerara sugar – 2 tbsp.
• Ground cinnamon – ½ tsp.
• Butter – 42 gram , softened + extra for greasing.
• Raisins or sultanas – 30 grams.
• Chopped walnuts or pecans – 35 grams.

Method

1. Mix the flour, salt and sugar into a bowl and stir in the yeast. Make a well in the centre.
2. Beat the egg, milk and water together in a separate bowl until well blended. Add it to the well and stir into the flour mixture until a soft dough forms.
3. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead for 5-7 minutes, or until smooth and elastic till you find the gluten window
4. Brush a large bowl with oil, add the dough and turn to coat, to prevent a crust forming. Cover and leave to rise, in a warm place for 1 ½ - 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
5. Turn out and knead lightly to deflate.
6. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
7. Generously grease 12-hole muffin tins.
8. Roll the dough into a large rectangle slightly less than 5mm or ¼ inch thick. Cut vertically in half. Spread the butter over both the dough pieces. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the dough, then sprinkle with fruits and nuts.
9. Starting at one-long side, tightly roll each piece into a long loaf shape. Lay seam-side down and cut into a 2.5cm or 1 inch slices.
10. Arrange each slice in a muffin tin. Cover and leave to rise again in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.
11. Meanwhile, pre-heat oven to 200 degree Celsius or 400 degree Fahrenheit. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until puffed and golden. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Short Varkala Trip

When I think of sea I think sand in clothes, salty tongue, seafood, walk on the beach, sunrise or sunset. Sea touching my feet. Welcome to Varkala! Today we suddenly decided to take off from everything and have a one day getaway ! Making best out of my stay at Trivandrum. As we sit here gazing at the sea water and wondering about the beauty of this place. It's so different from other beaches since its from the cliff you watch the sea. We relaxed and waited for the lunch. No lunch or dinner is complete for Biju without fish served with rice. We ended our lovely day with sulimanni chai and lime juice, took the 5pm train and back to Trivandrum. Looking for many more one day take offs from the busy life to relate to nature and pause and enjoy the day.
#varkalacliff #varkalabeach #cafedelmarvarkala #beaches #keralafishcurrymeals #kerala