Eggless Pineapple Upside Down Cake

This recipe should have been posted longgg time back! Finally, one of my friends asked me I could choose between sharing this recipe or baking this cake over and over again ;) So here it goes...

Ingredients:

For Pineapple cake 

• 1/2 cup Butter
• 1can (400gms) Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 2.5 cups All purpose flour
• 2 tbsBaking Powder
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
• 1 cup milk
• chopped pineapple pieces

For Garnish

• 6 Pineapple Slices
• 1/2cup Dark Brown Sugar
• 1tsp Butter

• Red Cherries 

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350F.
• Lets start by greasing the pan with butter and sprinkle brown sugar all over the pan including the sides. Now place the pineapple slices in any decorative fashion depending on the sizes of the slices. Make sure you cut out the centre of the slices. I like to add more color by using some cherries as well to decorate :)
• Now, sift and mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. 
• Mix the butter (at room temperature), condensed milk and vanilla essence. Now add it to the dry mixture.
• Add 1/4 cup of the above mix followed by 1/4 cup milk and mix well. Continue this till all the flour is used up. Add the pineapple pieces now (make sure to add few and really small pieces)
• Pour the batter in the baking pan and ta...da....put it in the preheated oven.
• Now....waitttttt for it....its gona be legendarryyyyyy! ;)
• Check the cake after 30 mins by poking it with a knife! The knife should come out clean...It generally takes a little more than 30 mins.
• Let the cake cool for not more than 3-4 minutes else the pineapples will not come off the baking pan. It should come out well by just tapping on the pan when held upside down. The cherries can be added as a topping now if you prefer it fresh. Also the shape and color of the cherries is maintained if used later as a topping!

Eggless Cheese Cake

As one of my close friend was relocating to a new town , it was time to bid him goodbye with lots of sweet treats and wishes. Since he eats only eggless desserts, he had never eaten any commercial NewYork Style Cheesecake . So, I decided to make my own eggless cheesecake for him and it turned out great.

Ingredients (for 8 inch pan):

For Filling:

16 oz or 2 packs of fat free cream cheese

16 oz of fat free or low fat sour cream

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1/4 cup Almond Milk

1/4 cup + 2 Tbs all purpose flour

For Chocolate Swirl:

2 to 3 Pieces of chocolate 

1 tsp of butter

1 Tsp of sour cream 

1Tsp Milk

For Base:

16 Graham cracker

4 Tsp of milk/Almond milk

1tsp butter

Directions:
Pre heat the oven for 300 F
1) Mix all the base material , namely graham cracker , butter together and keep adding milk till it becomes slightly moist . Oil the 8 inch spring pan and press the crust mixture on the pan. Try to line on the sides as much as possible.
2) Keep inside the oven for 3 - 4 mins.
3) Then sprinkle the 1tsp sugar powder on the base material.
4) Remove from the oven and keep aside.

Cheesecake Filling:

All the above ingredients should be at the room temperature.

1) Start by beating cream cheese on low setting , until it becomes light and fluffy

2) Add the sugar and continue beating

3) Now add greek yogurt and Almond milk and keep beating the mixture until it becomes fluffy

4) When  sugar is mixed well with cream cheese add Flour , vanilla extract , and lemon juice

5) Add sour cream last and beat well.

6) Pour the mixture in the pan on the prepared base.

For Swirl:

1) Heat the butter , sour cream  and  milk till boiling point.

2) Add the pieces of chocolate to this mixture and keep stirring until the chocolate melts .

3) Cool the mixture till it is lukewarm so that it does not melt the cream cheese filling .

3) Now pour this chocolate ganache in the center of the cream cheese mixture .

4) Take a small knife and swirl the the mixture together. 

5) Do not try to smooth out the surface with a spoon as this will make it look messy.

Now place the pan in the oven and bake it for 55 mins on low heat (300 F). Switch off the oven when you see that the edges are set and center is still jiggly. Let the cake cool in the oven with the door left ajar.

Once the cake comes down to normal temperature cool it refrigerator for couple of hours.

And yehh! The moist soft cheesy cake is ready!!!

Gulabi gulab...a sweet to sweep ur sweetheart off her feet :)

This is inspired from recipe by Chef Vineet Bhatia.

This rosy dessert suits any occasion be it valentines, birthday, anniversary or just another happy day!

It has got that perfect flavor and tingling taste which will make you wanna eat more and more...

What you need:

2 packs of fat free cream cheese 

Gulkand - 3 tbsp

Rose syrup - 3 tbsp

Rose petals chopped - 1 flower

Gulab Jamun - 8 

Procedure:

Beat all the ingredients above except gulab jamuns with an electronic beater till smooth.

Take a baking dish preferably with a an openable rim like the one in the picture below.

Line the baking dish with gulab jamuns slit into half.

Pour the rosy mixture on top of it and smoothen the surface with back of a knife.

You can decorate it with rose syrup and/or rose petals.

Let it set in the fridge for about 5-6 hours.

After it is set, take a knife and warm it under hot water.

Use it to loosen the sides and then click open the rim of the baking dish.

And a delicious quick dessert is ready to woo your dear ones.

Capuccino Cheesecake

The perfect evening with coffee and cappuccino cheesecake :)

Ingredients:

For cake
16oz  Fat free Cream cheese
16 oz Sour cream light
5 eggs
1-1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup Flour
2 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp lemon juice
6-8 Tbs coffee
5-6 Tbs melted chocolate
1/8 -1/4 cup milk

For base:
 2 1/2 cups of finely crushed honey flavored Graham Cracker
1/4 cup of crushed Almonds
1 tsp coffee powder
2 tsp melted butter
1/8 -1/4 cup of milk



Recipe:

 Preheat oven to 325 F

1) Mix all the base material , namely graham cracker , almonds ,butter together and keep adding milk till it becomes slightly moist . Oil the 10 inch spring pan and press the crust mixture on the pan. Try to line on the sides as much as possible.

2) Then sprinkle the coffee powder on the base material using strainer, to avoid coffee chunks.

3) Keep inside the oven for 5 - 7 mins

4) Remove from the oven and keep aside


Cheesecake:

All the above ingredients should be at the room temperature.

1) Start by beating cream cheese on low setting , until it becomes light and fluffy

2) Add the sugar and continue beating

3) Now add one egg at a time and keep beating the mixture until it becomes fluffy

4) When eggs are mixed well with cream cheese add Flour , vanilla extract , and lemon juice

5) Add sour cream last and beat well.

For the Flavor:

1) In a different container, heat the 1/8 cup of milk and add chocolate chunks to it till you get the dark color and rich flavor of chocolate.
 2) Add 6-8 Tbs of coffee , and keep stirring, till you get the smooth brown color mixture , you can add more coffee if you like little more intense flavor of coffee in a cake.

Now add this mixture to our cheesecake mixture and beat for 1 min.

Pour the cream cheese mixture in the spring pan (which is lined by graham cracker crust) and keep inside the oven for 1 hour and 7 mins at 325 F

When the time is up , just switch off the oven and leave the oven door open for 1 hour. After that remove the cake and let it cool completely to room temperature till you refrigerate it for 24 hrs.
The wait is worth for the delicious mouth watering cheesecake with your coffee :)

P.S : Pics are coming soon. The cake was over before I could take the pics ;) have to make it again now :P

Till then have a cakekilicious time ;)

Bean Pancake -Stuffed with Corn,Cranberries and sprinkled cottage cheeese :)

Hmm...what can be more healthier than a bean pancake stuffed with veggies to start a bright sunny day.
And guess what? This recipe also passed the taste-test (I know the tongue twister ;)) of the gourmet food lover Hubby [:)] . So lets get started :)

Ingredients:

For Pancakes:

1 Cup Mung Beans (Green gram)
1tsp grated ginger
1 tsp cumin powder
4-5 Chillies
and Salt to taste


For Stuffing:
1 Cup Boiled Corn
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 -1/8 Cup finely chopped fresh cranberries
1/4 cup grated Cottage cheese (Paneer)
1 Tbsp Hot sauce.
1Tbs Sugar (To balance cranberries :))
1Tbs Chaat Masala (Or 1/2 Tbsp black pepper)
Salt to taste.

Procedure:
Soak beans overnight or for at least 6 hours.

Step 1: Grind the soaked beans with all the above mentioned ingredients in a food processor, till it becomes a fine paste (This won't be a smooth paste but little coarse). Add at least 1 cup of water in the  food processor and grind again. Now the consistency will be more like a batter than a paste.  

Step 2 : Put a flat pan on stove and wait till it gets heated up.
(If you try to make the pancakes on a cold pan, it will stick to the pan, so wait till it gets hot)

Step 3: Pour a cup of batter on hot pan, and spread with a ladle , in sweeping circular motions to  form a pancake of roughly 6 to 7 inches in diameter.

Step 4: Pour one or 2 drops of oil near  the border of the pancake.

Step 5: Leave it on the pan for couple of minutes to roast. Then check whether you can pick it up using a thin ladle. And if it is not sticking to the pan any more then just turn the pancake on other side.
And leave for few minutes. Then remove it from the pan.

The trick is to wipe the pan clean after you remove every pancake with a mildly wet paper towel. (Warning: Be careful not to burn your hand while following this trick )

For Stuffing.
Just boil the corn. And mix all the above ingredients and mix it well.

Now stuff the Pancakes with this mixture and Tadaaaaaa..Healthy tasty breakfast is ready...in few minutes :)

You can do any stuffing as you like.
Try this out  and let us know of any creative stuffings you used  :)
Till then happy eating :)

Make your diwali sweeter...Halwa trifle

Festive season is here in full swing. It is time of colors, lights and SWEETS. Here is our bit to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Halwa trifle!! 

What will you need:

Carrot Halwa:

5  - Medium sized carrots

2  cups- Milk

1/2 cup Khoya/Mawa

1/2 cup Sugar 

1 tsp elaichi powder  

1 tbsp ghee

Doodhi Halwa

1 - Medium size Doodhi/Lauki/Bottle gourd

2 cups Milk

1/2 cup Khoya/Mawa

3/4 cup Sugar

1 tsp elaichi powder

1 tbsp ghee

Beetroot Halwa

3 Medium sized Beets

2 cups milk

1/2 cup khoya/mawa

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp elaichi powder

1 tbsp ghee

Genral stuff:

Mixed dryfruits for decoration

How to make it?

For each of the halwa, the procedure is same

1. Heat some ghee in a pan

2. Add the grated carrots/Doodhi/Beetroot and fry for about 4-5 mins

3. Add the milk and let it cook till all the milk evaporates

4. Add the mawa and sugar and again keep stirring intermittently till al the liquid evaporates

5. Sprinkle with elaichi powder and your halwa is ready!!!

Thats it!!

Now for the trifle take a glass serving bowl or pie baking dish

Add the 1st layer of carrot halwa, spread it out evenly

Add the 2nd layer of Doodhi halwa and 3rd layer of Beetroot halwa

Decoration:

Soak almonds in water for a while remove the peel split into half and arrange it in flower like pattern show above.

Get as creative as you can!!

Courtesy: Surekha Dongargaonkar 

Eggless Rasgulla Black Forest Cake

Our special thanks to Pankaj Master Chef India Season 1 Winner
We have tweaked her recipe a bit to come up with this wonderful cake!

For Cake:
2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 cup Cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup yogurt
11/2 cup Reduced Fat Milk
2 tbsBaking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Vanilla Essence

For Icing/Decoration:
470 ml Heavy Whipping Cream
1/2 cup Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla essence
Chocolate bar for chocolate shavings and chocolate powder
Cantaloupe/Honey Dew

Procedure:
Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. (make sure you sift them to avoid lumps).
Now mix butter and yogurt in a separate bowl and whisk it thoroughly.
Now add the dry mixture and milk little by little alternating them, beginning and ending with the dry mixture.
Mix all the ingredients well!
Make sure you have preheated the oven to 350 F.
Grease the cake pan well with butter or oil.
Sprinkle some flour to just dust the surface well. This helps while removing the cake from the pan.
Pour the cake mixture in the pan.
Now you are all set to put it in the oven :)
And the WAIT begins....

If you are impatient, you can start preparing for the icing ;)

For Rasgullas:
We used ready made Haldirams Rasgullas.
But we will put up a separate blog for Rasgullas...so watch out!

For Icing:
Whisk heavy cream and sugar nicely till it gets the consistency of whipped cream!
Add a little essence just to get rid of the smell of the cream ;)

For Decoration:

Prepare chocolate shavings using a vegetable peeler.

Grate some chocolate to use it as chocolate powder.

Scoop out the melon like icecream scoops using a scooper and then cut into halves.

It can be done using a spoon as well :)

Just insert the spoon a little deep to get a good height for the scoop. Run the spoon through in a circle and there you have a lovely scoop similar to your half rasgulla :)

Your wait should be almost over...check the cake after 35 minutes.
You can test it by inserting a  toothpick at the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is baked perfectly!
Now let the cake cool well...very important!
Once its cooled well, remove it from the baking pan onto your serving plate. It is very difficult to move the completed cake with icing and rasgulla layer.

Now slit the cake horizontally into two layers.
Use a knife dipped in water to make sure the cake does not crumble or develop cracks.
Sprinkle some sugar syrup of rasgullas on top of the bottom layer and bottom of the top layer to make it moist.
Squeeze the rasgullas a bit ensuring they dont crumble or are extremely juicy!
Now cut the rasgullas into halves and start placing them all over the bottom layer :)
Dont start having the rasgullas as it is...They will taste yummier in the cake!

Now apply some icing cream that was prepared on top of  the rasgullas to glue them to both the layers of the cake.
Carefully place the other layer of the cake over the rasgullas.

Wowww....you are almost there :)

Now apply the remaining cream on the top of the cake carefully completing each stroke.
Use a butter knife for this, its very easy
Now spread the chocolate shaving leaving the circumference. We will use that to place the melon.
Sprinkle chocolate powder/grated chocolate along the side.
Now place those half scooped melons along the circumference.

Yipppiieee!! We are done :)

We love to hear about your experience baking the cake and how much did it titillate your taste buds!