The Perfect Brownies for a Lovely Sunday Evening

Perfect Chocolate Brownies

Hii..
Can you believe it I am actually blogging after a gap of a year..My goodness really its been toooooo long..Well what kept me busy..Apart from work and the usual things, planning an amazing trip to Europe last year was one of the High Points of the previous year..It was a gorgeous vacation to Norway, Denmark, Belgium and our family favorite Switzerland. Europe has always been my love..Why ..There is something so different about it..From Old Cities and Architecture to some beautiful landscapes, it has it all. And ofcourse the Food, always makes me smile.
Since I am a foodie I have to just have to mention about this Papiroen Street Food Market in Copenhagen..Its something I have never experienced before..Its a huge area next to a canal with hundreds of people gorging on some amazing food from all over the world (there must be around 200 food stalls)..It is a mind blowing experience and if your are a foodie and happen to visit Copenhagen then this place is NOT to be missed!!!

Now coming back to the Brownies..Initially I wasn't a huge fan of brownies..the primary reason being I mostly found them too dry and also I am not fond of walnuts. Then one fine day 'Theobroma' happened and I found the perfect brownies that I always wanted, they were gooey and moist with a crust, simply perfect.
Since then I had this great urge to try baking a brownie myself. And so I jumped to my favorite website 'Joy of Baking' and grabbed the easiest Brownie recipe available. And Boy o Boy it turned out so so good. Gooey, Moist with a thin crust..a 10/10.. It is an extremely simple recipe with nothing much to do. We don't even need an electric/hand mixer. A simple whisk will do the job.
Note: I have not added any walnuts but you are most welcome to do so


PLAIN CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Makes: 16 pieces of 2X2 inches brownies

Ingredients

Ingredients

150 grams semisweet chocolate chopped

1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 tablespoons (15 grams) cocoa powder

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs

3/4 cup (95 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Butter (or spray with a nonstick cooking spray) an 8 inch (20 cm) square pan, and line the bottom of the pan with parchment or wax paper.

Preparing the Baking pan

2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a large stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water.

Melting the Chocolate and Butter

3. Remove from heat and stir in the cocoa powder and sugar.

Adding the Sugar and Cocoa Powder

4. Next, whisk in the vanilla extract and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. Finally, stir in the flour and salt

Mixing the Eggs and Flour

6. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a little batter and a few moist clumps clinging to it. Do not over bake.

Pre-Baking and Post-Baking

7. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Cut into square pieces. Remove the pieces individually from the Pan. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

The Perfect Brownies

Thanks for Reading!!!

Valentine's Day Special - Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Hiii...
So its Valentine's day again and this time its a Sunday.. This day celebrates 'Love' so I think on this day each one of us should do the things we love with the person we love..Yes I know its getting too lovey-dovey here!!
Well since 'Red' is the color of Love, there is nothing more perfect than surprising your loved one/ones with a gorgeous and delicious 'RED VELVET CAKE' with some equally mouth watering 'Cream Cheese Frosting' .
Without wasting any further time and I will jump to the recipe.. (I have adopted this from my favourite Stephenie's Joy of Baking)

RED VELVET CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Makes: A two layer 9 inches Cake

Ingredients

Red Velvet Cake:

2 1/2 cups (250 grams) sifted cake flour (I made my own cake flour - one cup sifted cake flour (100 grams) can be substituted with 3/4 cup (85 grams) sifted all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (15 grams) cornstarch.)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons (15 grams) regular or Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk

2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream Cheese Frosting:

100 grams cream cheese, room temperature

100 grams of Mascarpone cheese, room temperature (If you cannot find Mascarpone then just double the amount of Cream Cheese)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

70 grams  confectioners' (icing or powdered) sugar, sifted

200ml cups cold heavy whipping cream


Procedure

1. In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.

Cake Batter Preparations

2. In bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

3. In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

Red Food Coloring

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter two - 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Set aside.

Batter ready for baking

5. In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter. (I baked 1 cake at a time, so I took half of the required vinegar and half of the required baking soda and mixed it and folded it quickly to half the batter, once one of the cakes were baked I did this step for the rest of the batter. If your oven can hold both cakes together then you can do this step once for the entire batter)

6. Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.

Cooling off the Cake

7. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan. Once the cakes have completely cooled, wrap in plastic and place the cake layers in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or overnight). (This is done to make filling and frosting the cakes easier.)

Whipping the cream

8. Cream Cheese Frosting: In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and mascarpone cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and beat until smooth.

Starting with Frosting

9. In another bowl, take the heavy cream and place the bowl over a ice bath and whip until peaks. Fold this cream with the cheese mixture. Add more sugar or cream as needed to get the right consistency.

Frosting the cake completely

10. Assemble: Place one of the cake layers, top of the cake facing down, onto your serving platter. Spread the cake layer with a layer of frosting.  Place another layer of cake on top of the frosting. Frost the top and sides of the cake. Can garnish the cake with cake crumbles or chocolate shavings (I used Chocolate Shavings). Serve!

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and garnished with Chocolate Shavings

Wishing all of you a very very HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! Keep Loving!

Welcoming 2016 with Mini Lemon Tarts

MINI LEMON TARTS

Hii..
Yes it is the beginning of the new year so it gives me yet another reason to start the year with something sweet and tangy, just the way I want my whole year to be..fun adventurous and happy!! Lemon flavoured desserts have always been a favourite with me n N and it was high time I tried my hand at something lemony and fresh.. So on New Year's eve I decided that I will be baking the family favourite 'Mini Lemon Tarts' (or Tartlets as some call it).
This is a two step dessert, the first step being preparing the Lemon Filling / Lemon Curd and the second being baking the mini-Tarts. If you have guests coming over this can be made a day or two early and refrigerated. I made the Lemon filling/curd the previous day and kept it in the fridge.
For this recipe I totally relied on Stephanie's Joy of Baking!!

MINI LEMON TARTS
Makes: Around 25 Tart-lets

Ingredients

Lemon Filling/Curd

3 large eggs

180 grams (3/4th Cup Sugar plus 2 tablespoons) granulated white sugar

1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons) (do not use the bottled lemon juice)

4 tablespoons (60 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tablespoon (4 grams) finely shredded lemon zest

Tart Shells

10 tablespoons (140 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups (260 grams) all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Almond flour - 3 tablespoons

Procedure
Lemon Filling/Curd
1.In a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until blended.

2. Cook, stirring constantly (to prevent it from curdling), until the mixture becomes thick (like sour cream or a hollandaise sauce (This will take approximately 7-8 minutes)

3. Remove from heat and immediately pour through a fine strainer to remove any lumps.

4. Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk into the mixture until the butter has melted. Add the lemon zest and let cool.

5. Cover immediately (so a skin doesn't form) and refrigerate for up to a week. The lemon curd will continue to thicken as it cools.

Tart Shells

1. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about two  minutes).

2.Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat just until incorporated.

4. Divide the pastry in half and then roll each half between two sheets of parchment or wax paper until it is about 1/8 inch  thick. As you roll, periodically check the top and bottom sheets of parchment and smooth out any wrinkles.

5. Place the pastry on a baking sheet (along with the parchment paper) and place in the refrigerator until firm (about 1-2 hours).

6. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease your miniature tart shell cups.

7. Once your pastry has chilled, remove one portion from the refrigerator and peel off the top piece of parchment paper. Using about a 2 1/2 inch (6 cm) cookie cutter, cut out rounds of pastry and gently press them into the tart shell cups.

8. With a fork prick some holes into the pastry in the cups.

9. Bake for about 11 - 12 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

10. Once cooled, sprinkle some almond flour/meal inside the shells .

11. Fill the shells with around 1.5 teaspoons of the Lemon Filling/Curd.

12. Refrigerate for a couple of hours. Serve chilled!

Wishing you A VERY VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Hope you have a joyous 2016!!

Happy New Year

Thanks for reading!! Ciao Ciao!!

A No-Bake Nutella Cheesecake

No-Bake Nutella Cheesecake

Hii..
Who doesn't love a Cheesecake..Its something which can make you smile even on a bad day..Well personally I prefer the No-bake ones to the baked ones..Simply cause I find the flavours and texture more endearing..I usually keep making cheesecakes for some special occasions..But I fine day I was really craving for one so even though there was no special reason I made one and OMG was I happy or was I happy!!
Well I didnot use Cream Cheese here and simply substituted it with some ingredients like cottage cheese, fresh cream and condensed milk (since these were readily available).
I was also craving for some hazelnut chocolate so I decided to incorporate that flavour in the Cheesecake itself. So here goes my Nutella Cheesecake

NO-BAKE NUTELLA CHEESECAKE (EGGLESS)}

Ingredients

Ingredients

For the base
Biscuits - 25-30 digestive biscuits  (or any chocolate biscuit)
Butter - 80 gms

For the cheesecake layer
Paneer (Cottage Cheese) - 200 gms
Condensed milk - 1 tin (400 ml) I used milkmaid
Fresh cream - 200 ml (I used Amul fresh cream)
Nutella Jar - 350 gms
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Gelatin - 2 tbsp
Water - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1/4 tsp

Method

Preparation
1. Butter the bottom and sides of an 8 inch springform pan.
2. If you don't have a springform pan, use your normal cake pan or a tart pan. Line the regular cake pan with a clingfilm or aluminium foil. Line the bottom and sides together without cutting the clingfilm so that you can easily lift the cheesecake out when it's set.
3. Add the gelatin to half cup of water and mix. Set aside for 5 minutes to bloom. Microwave for 30 seconds or heat it in a saucepan for 30 seconds and let it cool. it will become a clear solution. Let it cool.

Preparing the Base

FOR THE BASE
1. Take the largest jar of your blender and add crumbled biscuits in it and process to a fine powder and transfer to a bowl.
2. Melt the butter and add it to the biscuit powder and mix well.
3. Transfer this biscuit mixture to the base of the pan and press well. Refrigerate it until we finish the next step.

Preparing the Cheesecake Layer

FOR THE CHEESECAKE
1. Grate or chop the paneer and add it to a blender. Add the condensed milk and fresh cream and blend till smooth.
2. Now add the vanilla extract, and salt. Blend again.
3. Add the entire Nutella spread and blend again till it's smooth and creamy.
4. Transfer to a bowl. Add the cooled gelatin and mix well.
5. Bring the springform pan from the refrigerator and pour the chocolate mixture over the biscuit base layer.
6. Tap once to remove the air bubbles. Cover and refrigerate until set.
7. Let it set for atleast 4 hours. (I did it overnight)
8. Remove the springform pan slowly and decorate as you wish.

Enjoy

There is always time for a slice of Chocolate Cake

Rich Chocolate Cake covered with Chocolate Ganache

Hiii..
Writing again after a Two Month long hiatus..A lot of interesting things happened in these two months.. The highlight ofcourse being a fantastic trip to Ladakh (India) with my family...What Do I say about Ladakh..Its really difficult to put in words what I felt there..The snow peaked mountains, the grasslands, the people, the rivers, everything was breathtaking!! Such places always remind me of the beauty of nature and how extraordinary our planet is!

The Beautiful Ladakh

But a nice vacation always means coming back to a lot of pending work..And that is what happened when I got back..
Well now that things are kind of back to normal, my hunger pangs tend to set in and what better way to satisfy our tummies than Baking a Rich Dense Chocolate cake covered with mouth-watering Chocolate Ganache.(Who doesn't love a Chocolate Cake anyway)
Most of us have this habit of walking towards the fridge every hour and opening it thinking something new would have suddenly appeared into the refrigerator out of nowhere. Well I am no different, if not every hour but I do this atleast 10 times a day and sometimes it is indeed helpful.

Ingredients

Last evening I noticed some left over Unsalted Butter. What now, well I ll do what I love the most and that is 'BAKE'. I weighed the butter and it was about 90gms so I had to find a recipe which would fit this. After browsing through a few recipes I found one which would be just ideal for this much butter and that is a Quick Rich Chocolate Cake and well why not cover it up with some Ganache. I followed the Chocolate Cake recipe from 'Joy of Baking' and Taaadaaa the Cake was ready in a jiffy. The only precondition was the Cake covered with Ganache needed a few hours to Set properly so I had to resist myself for the night. But Yes the first thing I had in the morning was a slice of Cake.

Note: This is an extremely simple recipe without any requirement for a stand/hand mixer. This is a dense cake adding to the richness of chocolate

Mixing the Dry Ingredients

RICH CHOCOLATE CAKE COVERED WITH CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Makes: An Eight Inch Cake

Ingredients
Chocolate Cake:1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

1/4 cup (25 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed), sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup (75 grams) unsalted butter, melted

1 cup (240 ml) warm water

1 tablespoon lemon juice (or vinegar)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Frosting:
6 ounces (170 grams) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy cream (35% butterfat)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature

Preparing the Cake Pan for the final Cake Mix

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.
2. In an bowl stir together (with a whisk) the flour, sugar, sifted cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Add the melted butter, water, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. With a fork/whisk, mix all the ingredients together until well blended.
4. Prepare the cake pan by greasing it with butter and then flouring it. }
5. Pour the cake mixture into the pan.
6. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
7. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

The Freshly Baked Cake

FROSTING with GANACHE :
8. Place the chopped chocolate, cream, and butter in a heatproof bowl.
9. Place over a saucepan of simmering water and melt until smooth.
10. Remove from heat and let stand at room temperature until it is of pouring consistency.
11. Place the wire rack (with the cake) on a plate covered with wax paper. Then pour the frosting over the cooled cake so that the extra ganache drips down.
12. Keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours or preferably overnight

Preparing the Ganache

Pouring the Ganache

Important Points:
1. Before pouring the ganache make sure the cake has cooled down (you can also chill it in the fridge)
2. When you prepare the ganache initially it will be thin, as you keep it to cool down it will thicken, but take care that the ganache shoould not be extra thick and should remain in its pouring consistency
3. The extra ganache can be used to make chocolate truffles (though we just gobbled it up before that hehe)

Thanks for reading..Keep Calm and Eat some Chocolate Cake!!

Chocolate Cake Fan Forever