.....From My Palate

Cakes

Orange Pistachios Marble Cake

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What you guys do on sunday morning, when Mr sunshine is taking a break and its raining outside? You don’t have any early commitments?  No deadlines and when other chores can wait??
A lazy Sunday mornings with a cup of ginger tea and a I-Pad to curl up with…after a while, browsing idly here and there, you jump from the couch with a thought, “how about baking a cake”?
How many of you agreeing with this thought?
It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do. There is no fun in doing nothing when you have nothing to do. Wasting time is merely an occupation then, and a most exhausting one. I read it somewhere and noted down at once as I really concur the opinion

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After browsing lot of fancy recipes, I decided on a simple marble cake. My little helper with a gleam in his eyes, pulled the chair in the middle of the kitchen, sit there ready, with a recipe in his hand. He helps me, reading all the instructions step by step and sometimes in mixing too. He is my major critique and a consumer of my goods.

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Orange Pistachios Marble Cake
Author: Bhawana
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups Maida(All Purpose Flour)
  • 3/4 cup Sugar
  • 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
  • 1 cup Thick Yogurt
  • 2 tbsp Cocoa Powder
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
  • 1/2 cup Milk
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 1 tsp Zest Of Orange
  • 2 tbsp Pistachios Powder
  • Few Sliced Pistachios
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F. Grease and flour the cake pan.
  2. Mix Yogurt, sugar and Salt.
  3. In another Bowl mix flour and pistachios powder.
  4. Add baking powder and baking soda, mix it gently, and allow to stand for 3 minutes, until you see bubbles on top.
  5. Add oil, vanilla essence and orange zest in the batter. And mix it well.
  6. Now add flour and milk alternately. Fold the batter very gently.
  7. Divide the batter in to half, mix cocoa powder in one half.
  8. Now pour both the batter alternately in the baking pan.
  9. Top it with little orange zest and pistachios slices.
  10. Bake it for 40 to 45 minutes until the cake tester inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
  11. Cool down the cake for 10 minutes.
  12. Cut it in to pieces and enjoy with tea or coffee.

Jab We Met….

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This month we celebrated 5Th year anniversary of Jab We Met…. yeah! we met 5 years back as strangers over a cup of Cappuccino. That’s what we ordered and spent some time talking and knowing each other. Coincidentally he was wearing shirt of my favourite color, and being fan of “Dil To Pagal Hai” I thought its a sign from above (ya! those days) and that color is everywhere in our home now.
We met as Strangers, Started as a Couple and now “Three” is a company.
On our Fifth Anniversary of Jab We Met I made Cappuccino (Tried ya, at home without Machine) just to relive our first meeting all over again.
I tried it for the first time ( we both are Tea Lovers – Adrak Ki Chai) and it comes out fairly good. But today I want to share much delayed recipe for-
PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE
For Caramel
  • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 6 pineapple rings/slices
  • 6 maraschino cherries ( I used 11)
For Cake
  • 2 cup All Purpose Flour/Maida
  • 2tsp Baking powder
  • 1/2tsp Salt
  • 1/2 cup Butter
  • 1 c Sugar (or less up to your taste)
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1tsp Vanilla essence
  • 1/2 cup Milk
Method
  • For Caramel–
  • Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a pan.
  • Add brown sugar and mix it very well.
  • When sugar starts caramelizing, pour it in to a greased cake pan.
  • Arrange pineapple and cherries according to the shape of the pan.
  • For Cake-
  • Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  • Sift flour, baking pd and salt.
  • Separate the yolk and white of eggs.
  • Beat yolk with Butter and Sugar until light and lemony yellow.
  • Add dry ingredients and vanilla essence.
  • Add milk mix it well.
  • Beat egg whites until stiff then fold into the egg yolk mixture.
  • Pour it on arranged pineapple and cherries.
  • Bake in preheated oven at 350F for up to 35 to 45 minutes.
  • Let the cake cool down for 10 min, and then raise the curtain by turning it upside down.
  • Cake is ready to serve.

Chocolate Cake For Chocolate Lovers

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Chocolate Cake

If you are looking for a good recipe for a chocolate cake, take my words This is the one.
The cake was real moist, dark and delicious. The only variation I did was 1 cup of sugar instead of 2. And I tried chocolate cherry icing for it.
I cut it in halves and filled one layer with whipped cream with chocolate syrup and sugar. Sprinkle chopped cherries over it, and cover it with the top layer of the cake.
I didn’t use much of cream on the top. I want to save the rich, moist, dark chocolaty taste.
Serve immediately else there are chances you get a empty platter later on……

Happy Birthday Mom…

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Fruit Nut Cake

Today is my Mom’s Birthday. And this cake is just for my Mom to make her special special day even more special. I love u Mom.

Fruit Nut Cake

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour(more for the pan and tutty fruity)
  • 1/2 cup Sugar
  • 3 Eggs
  • 1 Stick unsalted Butter
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
  • 1 cup crushed almonds and walnuts
  • 1/2 cup tutty fruity
  • 1/2 teacup Milk
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp Baking Pd

Method

  • Sieve the flour, baking pd and salt.
  • Cream the butter and sugar very well. When the mixture is light and creamy add eggs one at a time.
  • Add vanilla essence and finally fold in the flour and add milk when needed, until the mixture forms a dropping consistency.
  • Mix nuts and tutty fruity(mix it with tsp of maida before adding it to mixture).
  • Grease and dust bundt pan, and pour all the mixture in a pan and bake it in a hot oven at 375 until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 min.

  • When the cake is done, place the pan on a rack to cool for 5 min, Slice it and serve it with your favorite fruits.

  • Store it at room temprature for 2 days for enhanced flavor.

Happy Birthday Mom.