Red Velvet with Butter Cream Frosting

This moist cocoa cake has an alluring deep red hue, sharply contrasted by a white buttercream frosting... too tempting to ignore :)

Ingredients (makes 12 large muffins)
1 cup soy milk
1 tsp white vinegar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup powder sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup olive oil (or any vegetable oil)
2 tbsp red food colouring
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract

For Frosting
1 cup unsalted butter softened (not melted) Ideal texture should be like ice cream.
3-4 cups powdered sugar, SIFTED
1/4 tsp table salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
up to 4 tbsp milk or cream

For Frosting
Beat butter for a few minutes in a mixer.
Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and turn your mixer on the lowest speed, until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter.
Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and 2 tablespoons of milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes.
If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add remaining sugar.
If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add remaining milk 1 tablespoons at a time.

Refrigerate till you need it.

For Red Velvet
Preheat oven to 180˚C & line muffin pans with liners.
Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl & mix.
Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar & set aside to curdle.
Add the oil, food colouring, Vanilla extract & almond extract to the curdled soy milk. Whisk well to combine.
Gently fold dry ingredients into wet, mixing until large lumps disappear.
Do not over mix, or your cupcakes will turn out gummy - small lumps are okay.
Fill cupcake liners about three-quarters full as these cupcakes will rise fairly high.
Place in hot oven and bake 18-20 minutes until done, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool cupcakes in the pan for five minutes, & then transfer to a cooling rack or surface to cool completely.
Do the frosting and enjoy :)

Tips

* You can avoid Red colour completely (then it will not be Red Velvet, but will taste same).
* You can add apple cider vinegar in place of white vinegar.
* If you have chocolate extract then add 1 tsp along with vanilla & almond.
* Don't increase the amount of almond extract (in any recipe), as it can make your cake bitter.
* Icing/frosting should be cold when you apply.
* Never apply frosting on a hot cake.

Herbed Bread Rolls

This recipe is taken from the site divinetaste.com. I used fresh herbs instead of dried. If you don't have access to fresh herbs then use dried but half the quantity given here.

Ingredients (makes 18)
1 tsp dried yeast
1 1/4 cup warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp fresh oregano
1 tsp fresh rosemary
sesame seeds for topping

Method
Lightly oil a baking dish or tray

In a small bowl, mix the yeast, a little of the warm water & sugar and leave undisturbed until frothy. Mix in the oil and herbs after the yeast turns frothy.

Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeast mixture. Add most of the water, reserving a little and make a soft but non sticky dough.

Allow the dough to rest in a an oiled bowl for about an hour or until approximately double in size.

Knock down the dough & divide into 18 equal sized pieces. Shape them into round balls on a floured surface and arrange them in the 10” round baking dish, keeping in mind that the balls are going to double in size.

Allow the dough to rise again for 30 minutes. Brush with water using a pastry brush, sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake in a pre heated oven at 220˚ C for about 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped.

Dunk it in butter or virgin olive oil, dip it into hot soup or simply eat it as it is :)

Tips
You can make it with only maida.
I used multigrain aata (flour) instead of wheat flour.
Always check expiry date of yeast before using, old yeast will not give you good results.

Cake Pops

Fluffy, moist little cake pops! Yum! So easy and pretty quick to make!

Ingredients (makes 12 pieces)
1 cup Chocolate Cake crumbs
Chocolate Frosting (amount depends on moistness of cake)
1/2 cup melted white chocolate
cake pop sticks (I was out of it so used toothpick instead)
sprinkles

For Chocolate Frosting

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

For Chocolate Frosting

Mix together. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Add vanilla. Cool partially, and then beat for few minutes or until spreadable consistency.

How to Proceed
Crumble the cake until it resembles fine crumbs.
Add in frosting a little bit at a time until cake is moist and can hold a ball shape, yet still slightly crumbly.
Use your hands to incorporate the frosting into the cake crumbs.
Roll the mixture into small tight balls and place on a plate.
Melt white chocolate in the microwave or double boiler.
Dip the tip of the cake pop sticks into the white chocolate and insert into the cake balls about half-way.
Freeze for about 20 minutes.
Remove cake balls from freezer.
Dip cake balls carefully into the chocolate until covered.
Let the excess chocolate drip off. Swirl and tap gently if needed.
Add the sprinkles while the chocolate is still wet. It will harden quickly.
Stick the decorated cake pop into a Styrofoam block or a thermacoal to finish setting.
Place into the freezer to speed up setting time.
Cover with a clear treat bag & ribbon for gift giving, if desired.
Store in a single layer, in an airtight container.
Enjoy!

Tips
Can use any left over cake for crumbs.
If your cake has icing then remove it before making crumbs.
Use that icing in place of frosting, if needed.
If the cake is already too moist, you won't need to add frosting.
I used brownie crumbs to make these pops, and I didn't add frosting.
You can use a mini ice cream scoop to scoop out balls of cake mixture.
To keep your cake pops from falling off the stick, put them in the freezer for about 10 minutes so they are super chilled.
If using toothpicks, make sure that your cake balls are not very big.
You can use dark chocolate for dipping or can use both.
Use your imagination for decorating the pops :)

Fruit Punch

Punch is the term for a wide assortment of drinks, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice. The drink was introduced from India to England in the early seventeenth century; from there its use spread to other countries. Punch is typically served at parties in large, wide bowls, known as punch bowl.

The word punch is a loanword from Hindi panch (meaning five) and the drink was originally made with five ingredients: alcohol, sugar, lemon, water, and tea or spices. The original drink was named paantsch.

Ingredients (makes 3 glasses)

2 cups of mixed fruits (apple, pear, grapes, plums, peaches, papaya, kiwi)

Juice of 2 oranges

Few ice cubes

Water as required

Some fruit slices to garnish

Method

Blend orange juice and fruits in a blender.

Add water only if required. Chill for some time.

Add ice cubes in glass. Pour punch & garnish with fruits.

Serve chilled :)

Tips

Colour of drink depends on fruits you are using.

To make it more interesting, you can add syrups like orange squash or khus syrup or any other, use your imagination :), but please remember to add just one syrup.

My Eggless Tiramisu

Italian cooking is never complete without a mention of this famed dessert. Tira-mi-su, which means ‘pick me up’, was so named because its ingredients are all mood boosters! And will pick you up even on your gloomiest day :).
My Tiramisu is result of a failed attempt to roll the cake to make a Swiss Roll. When my cake broke into two, I just whipped some cream & mixed some soaking syrup & turned it into Tiramisu :). And the result was so good that I will be making it again & again :)

Ingredients
½ tin condensed milk
1 ¼ cups plain maida
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ cup melted butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
75 ml water

For Soaking Syrup
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp coffee powder

For Coffee Cream 
1 cup whipped cream
1/2 cup powder sugar (according to taste)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp instant coffee powder

For Garnish
1/2 tsp drinking chocolate to sprinkle
Few chocolate pieces

Method
Take 7” by 11” rectangular tin & grease it.
Put a butter paper & apply butter again over it. Your tin is ready. Keep aside.
Sieve flour, baking powder, baking soda & cocoa powder together.
Mix condensed milk, melted butter & essence together.
Add flour & mix well. Add about 75 ml of water & beat well.
Now pour in the tin & Bake in hot oven at 200◦C for 10 minutes.
Then reduce the temperature to 150◦C and bake for another 10 minutes.
The cake is ready when it leaves the side and springy to touch.

For Soaking Syrup
Mix everything and keep aside.

For Coffee Cream
Mix sugar, whipped cream, coffee & vanilla & keep refrigerated till needed.

How To Proceed
Divide cake into two equal parts.
Brush both parts with soaking syrup (finish whole syrup).
Spread half coffee cream on one half of the cake and then put other Half of the cake on it.
Apply remaining coffee cream on top part & sprinkle cocoa powder.
Garnish with chocolate pieces & refrigerate for some time.
Cut the slices & enjoy !!

Tips
*I am not using any Kahlúa (Mexican coffee-flavored rum-based liqueur) in this recipe but if you want you can use that instead of soaking syrup.
*Tiramisu also has cheese in it but I avoided that too, if you want then you can add 1/2 cup cream cheese with whipped cream ( add little more sugar in that case).
*Here I made just two layers but this can be made till 4 layers, depending upon how thick you want your tiramisu :)
*I applied thin layer of cream (to avoid that extra fat), but you can use more cream (it will taste much better).