Espresso Ice Cream : Coffee lovers Delight

We came across this sinful sweet delicacy at one of our friends place when they invited us for dinner. I am talking about 'Coffee Lovers Delight' an icecream flavored with coffee with lots of almonds and choclate. We came to know that we can get this icecream at very famous icecream parlour known as 'Cold stone'. After that whenever we eat icecream outside we make sure that it should be only coffee lovers delight :) As soon as i saw this recipe on foodnetwork I knew i have to try this. And the result was very close to the original taste. We both simply Love it !!!
Here is the recipe :

Ingredients:
Half and Half: 3 cups
Egg Yolks: 6
Sugar: 2/3 cup
A pinch of salt
Coffee Liquer(recommended: Kahlua): 1 tbsp
Pure Vanilla Extract: 1 tsp
Ground espresso coffee beans: 2 1/2 tbsp ( i used instant coffee)
Roasted Almonds chopped: 1/4 cup( optional)
Chocolate chips : 1/4 cup(optional)

Method :

1. Heat the half-and-half until it forms bubbles around the edge of the pan and steam starts to rise
2. Meanwhile , in the bowl of an electric mixer beat the egg yolks, sugar, and salt until mixed.
3. Slowly add the hot half-and-half until combined
4. Wipe out the pan and pour the mixture back into the clean pan.
5. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 5 to 10 minutes, until it's thickened and the cream coats the back of the spoon.
6. Pour the cream through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl.
7. Add the ground espresso beans, coffee liqueur, and vanilla and refrigerate until completely chilled.
8. Pour the espresso cream into an ice-cream freezer and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions.
9. Mix in the chopped almonds and chocolate chip , spoon into a container, and allow to freeze for a few hours. Soften slightly before serving.

From your Kitchen to Mine : Orange Basundi

The day i saw this beautiful flavorful sweet on Nupur's blog 'One Hot Stove' I wanted to try this. And when few days back invited some guest over my place, I decided to make this sweet. The taste was so fresh with oranges contrasting with the richness of thickened milk. No wonder everybody liked and they were ready for second round of dessert after a heavy dinner :) . Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe Nupur.
So here is the recipe of so simple yet so delicious sweet which has become one of our favourites in the menu :

Ingredients :
Sweetened Condensed Milk : 1 Can
Milk ( 2 % or full fat ) : 5 Cups
Cardamom powder : 1 Tsp
Saffron : Few Strands
Oranges : Two

Method :

1.In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine sweetened condensed milk and milk.
2.Heat the mixture and bring it to a near-boil, then simmer gently, stirring frequently, until it reduces by a third or so ( say for an hour ).
3.Stir in cardamom powder and a few strands of saffron. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
4.Take two oranges and wash them well. Zest the oranges, then section them.
5.Stir in the orange segments and orange zest into the milk mixture and chill thoroughly before serving.
6.Rich and delicious dessert is ready to Enjoy !!!

Papa wale : Khoya Cooker laddu

Now I am sure you all might be thinking ki ' Laddu or cooker mein??'How is this possible, Right?? But I am going to share a recipe that I learnt from my father which is known for its simplicity and above all low calorific value.
At our home we used to make this laddu along with dal bati. This cooker laddu tastes as good as churma laddu with just 2 tablespoons of ghee.
Instead of praising it so much i should share the recipe with you so you can go ahead and try making it. Here is the recipe.

Ingredient:
Mawa/Khoya: 2 cups
Rawa/Sooji: 2 cups
Ghee/ Clarified Butter: 2 Tbsp
Powdered sugar:2 cups ( more if you like more sweet )
cardamom powder: 2 tsp
cashews : 7-10
Raisins : few

Method:

1. Grate the khoya and mix it with sooji using hands.
2. Put this mixture in a vessel which will go into the cooker. I used my cooker dabba for this purpose. Press the mixture with some small katori tightly in the vessel. Make sure that sooji and khoya are tightly pressed together . 3.Put some heavy weight on the vessel and keep it in the cooker.Put some water in the cooker and let it whistle 15 times on high heat. The count of whistle is really important. You can make out from the aroma that the khoya + sooji are getting roasted. 4.Now take out the vessel and turn it over on a big vessel. You can see the difference in the color of sooji/khoya mixture . 5. Crumble it using hand and then grind it in the grinder once it is cooled.

6. Add powdered sugar, Ghee, Cardamom powder, Cashews and raisins to the above mixture and shape them in laddu form. Delicious laddus are ready to satisfy your sweet tooth :)

Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream

Wow Wow Wow ...what a challenge it was for Daring Bakers!! First I thought this is the same as Opera cake ( which unfortunately didn't turn out good for me) and i was thinking twice shall i attempt this challenge or not ? Thank GOD i participated and the result was out of this world!! We were invited for a dinner party and i thought this cake would be a perfect party dessert. It turned out to be a great hit at the party. It was liked and appreciated by everyone present there!!
Here is the recipe :

Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream
From Great Cakes by Carol Walter

1 Filbert Gateau
1 recipe sugar syrup, flavored with dark rum
1 recipe Praline Buttercream
½ cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
1 recipe Apricot Glaze
1 recipe Ganache Glaze, prepared just before using
3 tablespoons filberts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Filbert Gateau
Because of the amount of nuts in the recipe, this preparation is different from a classic genoise.

1 ½ cups hazelnuts, toasted/skinned
2/3 cup cake flour, unsifted
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
7 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar, divided
¼ & ¾ cups
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. grated lemon rind
5 lg. egg whites
¼ cup warm, clarified butter (100 – 110 degrees)

Position rack in the lower 3rd of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10” X 2” inch round cake pan.

1. Using a food processor, process nuts, cake flour, and cornstarch for about 30 seconds. Then, pulse the mixture about 10 times to get a fine, powdery mixture. You’ll know the nuts are ready when they begin to gather together around the sides of the bowl. While you want to make sure there aren’t any large pieces, don’t over-process. Set aside.

2. Put the yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, and beat until thick and light in color, about 3-4 minutes on med-high speed. Slowly, add ¾ cup of sugar. It is best to do so by adding a tablespoon at a time, taking about 3 minutes for this step. When finished, the mixture should be ribbony. Blend in the vanilla and grated lemon rind. Remove and set aside.

3. Place egg whites in a large, clean bowl of the electric mixer with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed, until soft peaks. Increase to med-high speed and slowly add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar, over 15-20 seconds or so. Continue to beat for another ½ minute. Add the yolk mixture to the whites and whisk for 1 minute.

4. Pour the warm butter in a liquid measure cup (or a spouted container). * It must be a deep bottom bowl and work must be fast.* Put the nut meal in a mesh strainer (or use your hand – working quickly) and sprinkle it in about 2 tablespoons at a time – folding it carefully for about 40 folds. Be sure to exclude any large chunks/pieces of nuts. Again, work quickly and carefully as to not deflate the mixture. When all but about 2 Tbsp. of nut meal remain, quickly and steadily pour the warm butter over the batter. Then, with the remaining nut meal, fold the batter to incorporate, about 13 or so folds.

5. With a rubber spatula, transfer the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with the spatula or back of a spoon. **If collected butter remains at the bottom of the bowl, do not add it to the batter! It will impede the cake rising while baking. Tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. You’ll know the cake is done when it is springy to the touch and it separates itself from the side of the pan. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Invert onto a cake rack sprayed with nonstick coating, removing the pan. Cool the cake completely.

*If not using the cake right away, wrap thoroughly in plastic wrap, then in a plastic bag, then in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If freezing, wrap in foil, then the bag and use within 2-3 months.

Sugar Syrup
Makes 1 cup, good for one 10-inch cake – split into 3 layers

1 cup water
¼ cup sugar
2 Tbsp. dark rum or orange flavored liqueur

In a small, yet heavy saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add the liqueur. Cool slightly before using on the cake. *Can be made in advance.

Praline Buttercream

1 recipe Swiss Buttercream
1/3 cup praline paste
1 ½ - 2 Tbsp. Jamaican rum (optional)

Blend ½ cup buttercream into the paste, then add to the remaining buttercream. Whip briefly on med-low speed to combine. Blend in rum.

Swiss Buttercream

4 lg. egg whites
¾ cup sugar
1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly firm
1 ½ -2 Tbsp. Grand Marnier or liqueur of your choice
1 tsp. vanilla

Place the egg whites in a lg/ bowl of a electric mixer and beat with the whisk attachment until the whites are foamy and they begin to thicken (just before the soft peak stage). Set the bowl over a saucepan filled with about 2 inches of simmering water, making sure the bowl is not touching the water. Then, whisk in the sugar by adding 1-2 tablespoon of sugar at a time over a minutes time. Continue beating 2-3 minutes or until the whites are warm (about 120 degrees) and the sugar is dissolved. The mixture should look thick and like whipped marshmallows. Remove from pan and with either the paddle or whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and sugar on med-high until its a thick, cool meringue – about 5-7 minutes. *Do not overbeat*. Set aside.

Place the butter in a separate clean mixing bowl and, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter at medium speed for 40-60 seconds, or until smooth and creamy. *Do not overbeat or the butter will become toooooo soft.*

On med-low speed, blend the meringue into the butter, about 1-2 Tbsp. at a time, over 1 minute. Add the liqueur and vanilla and mix for 30-45 seconds longer, until thick and creamy.
Refrigerate 10-15 minutes before using.

Wait! My buttercream won’t come together! Reheat the buttercream briefly over simmering water for about 5 seconds, stirring with a wooden spoon. Be careful and do not overbeat. The mixture will look broken with some liquid at the bottom of the bowl. Return the bowl to the mixer and whip on medium speed just until the cream comes back together.

Wait! My buttercream is too soft! Chill the buttercream in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes and rewhip. If that doesn’t work, cream an additional 2-4 Tbsp. of butter in a small bowl– making sure the butter is not as soft as the original amount, so make sure is cool and smooth. On low speed, quickly add the creamed butter to the buttercream, 1 Tbsp. at a time.

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or can be frozen for up to 6 months. If freezing, store in 2 16-oz. plastic containers and thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for several hours.

Praline Paste

1 cup (4 ½ oz.) Hazelnuts, toasted/skinless
2/3 cup Sugar

Line a jelly roll pan with parchment and lightly butter.

Put the sugar in a heavy 10-inch skillet. Heat on low flame for about 10-20 min until the sugar melts around the edges. Do not stir the sugar. Swirl the pan if necessary to prevent the melted sugar from burning. Brush the sides of the pan with water to remove sugar crystals. If the sugar in the center does not melt, stir briefly. When the sugar is completely melted and caramel in color, remove from heat. Stir in the nuts with a wooden spoon and separate the clusters. Return to low heat and stir to coat the nuts on all sides. Cook until the mixture starts to bubble.

*Remember – extremely hot mixture.* Then onto the parchment lined sheet and spread as evenly as possible. As it cools, it will harden into brittle. Break the candied nuts into pieces and place them in the food processor. Pulse into a medium-fine crunch or process until the brittle turns into a powder. To make paste, process for several minutes. Store in an airtight container and store in a cook dry place. Do not refrigerate.

Apricot Glaze
Good for one 10-inch cake

2/3 cup thick apricot preserves
1 Tbsp. water

In a small, yet heavy saucepan, bring the water and preserves to a slow boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes. If the mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the saucepan, add water as needed.
Remove from heat and, using a strainer, press the mixture through the mesh and discard any remnants. With a pastry brush, apply the glaze onto the cake while the cake is still warm. If the glaze is too thick, thin to a preferred consistency with drops of water.

Ganache Glaze
Makes about 1 cup, enough to cover the top and sides of a 9 or 10 inch layer or tube cake

6 oz. (good) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, like Lindt
6 oz. (¾ cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. light corn syrup
1 Tbsp. Grand Marnier, Cointreay, or dark Jamaican rum (optional)
¾ tsp. vanilla
½ - 1 tsp. hot water, if needed

Blend vanilla and liqueur/rum together and set aside.

Break the chocolate into 1-inch pieces and place in the basket of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer into a medium sized bowl and set aside.

Heat the cream and corn syrup in a saucepan, on low, until it reached a gentle boil. Once to the gently boil, immediately and carefully pour over the chocolate. Leave it alone for one minute, then slowly stir and mix the chocolate and cream together until the chocolate is melted and incorporated into the cream. Carefully blend in vanilla mixture. If the surface seems oily, add ½ - 1 tsp hot water. The glaze will thicken, but should still be pourable. If it doesn’t thicken, refrigerate for about 5 minutes, but make sure it doesn’t get too cold!

Assembling Cake
Cut a cardboard disk slightly smaller than the cake. Divide the cake into 3 layers and place the first layer top-side down on the disk. Using a pastry brush, moisten the layer with 3-4 Tbsp. of warm sugar syrup. Measure out 1 cup of praline buttercream and set aside.

Spread the bottom layer with a ¼-inch thickness of the remaining buttercream. Cover with ½ of the whipped cream, leaving ¼-inch border around the edge of the cake. Place the middle layer over the first, brush with sugar syrup, spreading with buttercream. Cover with the remaining whipped cream.

Moisten the cut side of the third layer with additional sugar syrup and place cut side down on the cake. Gently, press the sides of the cake to align the layers. Refrigerate to chill for at least 30 minutes.

Lift the cake by sliding your palm under the cardboard. Holding a serrated or very sharp night with an 8-ich blade held parallel to the sides of the cake, trim the sides so that they are perfectly straight. Cut a slight bevel at the top to help the glaze drip over the edge. Brush the top and sides of the cake with warm apricot glaze, sealing the cut areas completely. Chill while you prepare the ganache.

Place a rack over a large shallow pan to catch the ganache drippings. Remove the gateau from the refrigerator and put it the rack. With a metal spatula in hand, and holding the saucepan about 10 inches above the cake, pour the ganache onto the cake’s center. Move the spatula over the top of the ganache about 4 times to get a smooth and mirror-like appearance. The ganache should cover the top and run down the sides of the cake. When the ganache has been poured and is coating the cake, lift one side of the rack and bang it once on the counter to help spread the ganache evenly and break any air bubbles. (Work fast before setting starts.) Patch any bare spots on the sides with a smaller spatula, but do not touch the top after the “bang”. Let the cake stand at least 15 minutes to set after glazing.

To garnish the cake, fit a 12 – 14-inch pastry bag with a #114 large leaf tip. Fill the bag with the reserved praline cream. Stating ½ inch from the outer edge of the cake, position the pastry tube at a 90 degree angle with the top almost touching the top of the cake. Apply pressure to the pastry bag, moving it slightly toward the center of the cake. As the buttercream flows on the cake, reverse the movement backward toward the edge of the cake and finish by pulling the bag again to the center. Stop applying pressure and press the bag downward, then quickly pull the tip up to break the flow of frosting. Repeat, making 12 leaves evenly spaced around the surface of the cake.

Make a second row of leaves on the top of the first row, moving the pastry bag about ¾ inch closer to the center. The leaves should overlap. Make a 3rd row, moving closer and closer to the center. Add a 4th row if you have the room. But, leave a 2-inch space in the center for a chopped filbert garnish. Refrigerate uncovered for 3-4 hours to allow the cake to set. Remove the cake from the refrigerator at least 3 hours before serving.

Leftover cake can be covered with foil and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. What I did and problems faced :
1. I didn't use Liqueur. Rest i follow the recipe completely.
2. The butter cream came together very well in the very first time. Though i kept the butter cream in refrigerator before using it, it became very thin while decorating. But the taste was awesome so no issues.

Though it took time for me to complete this challenge and it was quite messy, but the end result was worth all the work done. Yummy yummy yummy !!!

Daring Bakers Challenge and Opera Cake !!

Opera Cake, frankly speaking never heard this name before oops ... But this is what daring bakers challenge is all about, trying your hands on new things. So here I am posting my opera cake.
The challenge was hosted by four lovely ladies Lis, Ivonne, Fran and Shea , according to them it's an extremely elegant and polished French dessert that is believed to have been created around the beginning of the 1900s. Many people credit a gentleman by the name of Louis Clichy with inventing the cake and that's why it's sometimes referred to as Clichy Cake. It is is made up (usually) of five components: a joconde (a cake layer), a syrup (to wet the joconde), a buttercream (to fill some of the layers), a ganache or mousse (to top the final cake layer) and a glaze (to cover the final layer of cake or of ganache/mousse).
Traditionally, a joconde is flavoured with darker flavours such as chocolate or coffee. But in honour of the season (spring in our neck of the woods) and as part of our decision to tie our posts in with the LiveSTRONG theme, we are making Opéra Cakes that are light in both colour and flavour. This means NO CHOCOLATE, COFFEE OR COCOA. But it does mean vanilla, coconut, lemon, almond or whatever other light flavours you can think of. It means NO DARK COLOURS when decorating your cake. But it does mean lots of white, cream, ivory, yellow, light blue, light pink, light green or whatever other light colours strike your fancy.

My Experience with opera cake :


I decided on doing an almond jaconde, an almond vanilla syrup, a vanilla buttercream, a white chocolate mousse and a white chocolate glaze. Also i Halfed the ingredients to make a smaller cake.
So I started off by making the sugar syrup. I used Almond and vanilla extract to flavor my syrup.

Making the Buttercream:
I followed the recipe of buttercream from Perfect Party cake. I Joined DB just last month so never tried the buttercream of party cake. I have taken the recipe for buttercream from fellow daring bakers blog. Buttercream was flavored with vanilla again.

Making the Joconde :
I didn’t have jam/ jelly roll pans. I have never made jam/ jelly rolls before.So I used two 8 X 8 inch pyrex square pan. But I had a tough time removing the parchment off the cakes. One cake almost came apart.

Making the Ganache/Mousse:
I went on making Ganache following the given recipe. But since we don't like white chocolate flavor i didn't like the mousse. Also the texture was not very smooth. Next time will use dark chocolate or coffee flavor.

Making the Glaze:
I followed the recipe given. I coloured the glaze in light green to give a bright look to the cake.

Assembling the cake :
I moistened my cake with the syrup first, then spread the buttercream on each layer and kept it in the fridge for 1 hour untill very firm. Spread the mousse refrigerated for 3 hours. The top was not very smooth this time. Then i prepared the glaze and spread it. Chilled the cake well before cutting.

Lessons Learnt:
1. I did all the parts in one day so was very tired at the end. And moreover i couldn'nt decorate the cake as planned .Can very well do in parts next time.
2. Also we found the flavors were not very strong. Need to add more flavors next time if at all i am going to make it again. Because this time it was pleasing to eyes but not very tasty.


Note : Can mail me on trivedi.divya@gmail.com for the recipe.
My other Daring Bakers entry
Cheesecake pops

Cheescake pops and my first Challenge

I am very excited to tell you that I have joined 'Daring Bakers' and I have completed my first challenge successfully. Hurray !!! For the ones who are thinking what is this 'Daring Baker' group all about, let me introduce you to this group. " They’re a group of over 400 bloggers across the world that each bake the same recipe each month, chosen by fellow members".
So our challenge was to make Cheesecake Pops, chosen by dear 'Deborah' and 'Elle'. As the ladies have said,' 'These cute little bites of cheesecake, held on a stick and dipped in chocolate and, if you like, decorations, are sure to make you smile. The cheesecake is New York style, the pops can be jazzed up with different toppings, and they are FUN…just right for a party. They are from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O’Connor.''
The following is the basic recipe that we had to follow...

Cheesecake Pops

Makes 30 – 40 Pops

Ingredients:

• 5 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 large eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• Boiling water as needed
• Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks
• 1 pound chocolate, finely chopped – you can use all one kind or half and half of dark, milk, or white (Alternately, you can use 1 pound of flavored coatings, also known as summer coating, confectionary coating or wafer chocolate – candy supply stores carry colors, as well as the three kinds of chocolate.)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
  

(Note: White chocolate is harder to use this way, but not impossible)
Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts, colored jimmies, crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars, dragees) - Optional

Method :

1. Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Set some water to boil.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.
3. Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.
4. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
5. When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.
6. When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.(Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth).
7. Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed.
8. Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.

What I did and Problems faced :
I followed the basic chesecake recipe, but halved it and baked the cheesecake in my eight inch pan. To make these cute lollipops I bake a cheesecake, create little balls from it and coat them in chocolate. It was all very straightforward but I found forming the balls quite messy and at times the cheesecake mixture came apart in my hands. I also found, as did several other Daring Bakers, that the cake took much longer to cook than specified –(60 mins and then also not brown on the top). Apart from this, I had fun decorating them...And it was a big hit in the party.

Coffee Lovers Delight : Espresso Cake

It was my Friend's Birthday and we had planned for a brunch party for her. While everyone was cooking something for lunch it was my turn to bake a cake for my dear friend.
After much thought, I decided to bake a coffee cake for her as coffee being my all time favorite flavor be it in Chocolate, Ice cream or Cake. My friend liked my black forest cake lately ( you can find the recipe here ) so i was thinking of baking the sponge cake in the same manner but this time with coffee flavor instead of chocolate. So I changed the recipe a little and it came out really great. It was an instant hit in the party and vanished in no time.
This is a must for serious coffee lovers and recommended for those who would like a change from chocolate. The Flavors are not too overpowering, but just very pleasing to the senses. So here is my recipe for Espresso cake.
Ingredients :

For the Sponge Cake :

• All Purpose flour : 2 cups
  
• Eggs : 4 Large
  
• Milk : 1/2 cup
  
• brewed & cooled espresso or coffee :1/4 cup
  
• Vanilla essence : 2 tsp
  
• Baking powder : 2 tsp
  
• Salt: 1/2 tsp
  
• Unsalted Butter: 1 cup (2 sticks ) room temperature
  
• Light Brown sugar: 2 cups packed
  
• Kahlua coffee liqueur : 2 tsp ( can use coffee essence )

Filling/topping :

• Heavy cream: 2 cups
• vanilla extract: 1/2 tsp
  
• Powdered sugar: 2 tbsp
  
• Kahlua coffee liqueur : 1 tsp
• coca powder: 1 tbsp for dusting
  
• Chocolate shavings
  

Method

For the Sponge:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Line 9 inch baking dish with parchment paper, butter and flour it. I used heart shape baking pan, halved the recipe and baked it two times to make layers.
   
3. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy, then add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
   
5. Add Vanilla, espresso coffee, milk and coffee liqueur at low speed until just combined.
6. Add flour mixture in batches at low speed until just combined.
7. Pour the mix in the baking dish ( if using two baking dish divide equally) and bake for 20-25 mins till tester comes clean. Cool completely and keep aside.
   
8. If using a single pan, Cut horizontally into 2 to 3 layers
   

filling :

1. Whip the heavy cream till it forms soft peaks. An electric beater does this job quickly. Fold in vanilla extract, powder sugar and Kahlua coffee liqueur .
2. Reserve half for topping.
3. Place the bottom most layer of the sponge on your serving platter, spread 1/2 of the whipped cream & sprinkle some grated dark chocolate over it.
4. If you have made more than 2 layers divide the filling equally.

Topping :

1. Spread the remaining whipped cream over the top and sides of the cake.
2. Dust with coca powder.
3. Sprinkle chocolate shavings at the bottom half sides of the cake.
4. Chill for a few hours, then serve!!

ENJOY !!!
PS: For border and writing purpose I used 4 oz softened, room temp cream cheese,1/8 c. softened butter,1/2 tsp vanilla,1/2 c. confectioners sugar,2 tbsp chocolate syrup.

First valentine day and black forest cake

It was our first valentine day celebration together after marriage and i was wondering how to make this day extra special. But my husband being a food lover i know what i need to do. I decided to bake something which he will love. And the first thing came into my mind is this black forest cake. I started searching for the recipe. The one constrain for me is i don't own a kitchen scale. So i needed the recipe with the measurement in cups not in weight. And finally i found one recipe, and beleive me it was very simple to follow. The only change i did in the recipe is with the cherry pie filling. Instead of using Maraschino cherry ( which is generally used in black forest recipe ) i made my own strawberry syrup. The final result was delicious and was appreciated by everyone whoever tasted it. And i know i m going to use this recipe very frequently in future so writing it down .
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
For Cake :
1/3 cup boiling water
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant-espresso powder
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cups packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs

For topping :
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp powder sugar

For filling :
I changed the filling by using frozen strawberries .Can use fresh if available .Though i bought the maraschino cherry bottle for the cake but we didn't like the taste of it .I think the preservatives were too strong .So thought of using strawberries instead of cherry and who doesn't love chocolate and strawberry combination
So here is what i used for the filling :
8 to 10 -Strawberries ( reserve few for decoration )
2-3 Tbls sugar (adjust according to the tartness of berries )
3/4 cup water

Method :
1. Make cake layers:
a) Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 8 inch square baking dish with parchment paper and butter and flour it.I used two 8 X 8 inch pans to make two separate cakes and then layer them .
b) Whisk together water, cocoa, and espresso powder until smooth, then whisk in milk and vanilla.
c) Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
d) Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy, then add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and cocoa mixture in batches, beginning and ending with flour and mixing at low speed until just combined.
e) Divide batter into two baking dishes equally , bake for 20-25 minutes till tester comes clean. Cool completely. Set aside.

2. Whip the heavy cream till it forms soft peaks. An electric beater does this job quickly. Fold in 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and 2 tbsp powder sugar and set aside.

3. Chop the strawberries in small pieces .Put the berries, water and sugar in a pan and boil it until thickens a little .set aside

4. Put the two cakes on a plate and spread the cherry mix on both along with the syrup .Keep it for 5 min so the cake gets moist .

5. To assemble, place the lower layer on a cake dish. Spread with 1/3 of the cream filling. Lay the top layer over this. Spread the top layer and sides of the cake with the rest of the cream mixture. Decorate with some cherries and sprinkle on the chocolate shavings liberally.

6. Chill for a few hours, then serve!. an awesome treat is waiting for you :)