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Posts Tagged ‘frosting’

The Ulimate Baileys Cake

Posted in desserts, tagged , , , , , on April 29, 2013 | 8 Comments »

Sometimes, just sometimes, when you bake something, you know baking fairies are hovering around you in your kitchen.


There’s a magical feeling in the air. Everything works just the way it’s supposed to.


You’ll find yourself smiling.


And you’ll know because the cake will bake evenly, and to just the right degree – firm, yet soft.


The frosting will almost whip itself up into a fluffy bowl of creamy, delicious goodness.


And when you cut a slice and taste it, you’ll know you’ve been given special baking blessings.


This is what happened with this wonderful cake.


Baileys cake 1


Look how the yummy whipped frosting peeps out so sweetly.


Baileys cake 2


The cake itself was buttery and soft, with a hint of cinnamon and chocolate. The frosting, loaded with Baileys was sweet and so decadent.


Baileys cake 3


And look, just look at this slice.


Baileys cake 4


Come to Momma.


Baileys cake 5


If you love Baileys, you will love this. It’s an explosion of subtle flavours in your mouth- sometimes coffee, sometimes sugary, sometimes chocolaty.


Baileys cake 6


It’s really quite simple to make too! Give it a whirl and see :)


The Ulimate Baileys Cake


Largely adapted from: Irish Genealogy Toolkit


Prep time: 25 mins
Cook time: 45-50 mins
Serves: 10


Ingredients:


For the cake


100 g butter, softened, plus a little extra for greasing
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 heaped tsp cocoa powder
175 g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
200 caster sugar
2 eggs, separated
120 ml Baileys (any flavour)
a big handful of chocolate chips


For the frosting


75 g butter, softened
175 g icing sugar, plus a little more if needed
2 tbsp Baileys


For the icing top


100 g icing sugar
2 tsp Baileys, plus a little more if needed


Method:


For the cake


1. Preheat the oven to 180º C and grease a 6 inch round tin (with a removable base) with butter. Sift together the the salt, cinnamon, cocoa powder, flour, and baking powder. Set aside.
2. Whisk the butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the egg yolks and mix well again. Now add the flour mixture and the Baileys alternately, in small quantities, mixing well until you have a smooth batter.
3. Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Mix one spoon of the stiff whites into the batter and stir vigorously. Then add the rest of the egg whites and fold into the batter very gently.
4. Pour the batter into the greased tin and bake for 45-50 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. Once cool, remove and leave on a wire rack, before slicing in half horizontally.


For the frosting


Whisk together all the ingredients, adding a little more sugar if you like it stiffer. Set aside.


For the icing top


Mix together the ingredients until you have a sludgy icing mixture. Set aside.


To assemble


1. Place the bottom layer of the cake on a serving plate. Spread the frosting evenly over this layer, and cover with the top layer.
2. Pour the icing over the top layer, and immediately scatter over the chocolate chips. Cut into slices and serve.


Thank you my baking fairies. Please make my house your home :)


Baileys cake 7


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30-second healthy yogurt frosting

Posted in desserts, healthy, tagged , , , , on March 28, 2013 | 6 Comments »

It’s beginning to get hot in Delhi. We’re creeping towards shorts and flip-flop weather. The sunglasses are out and sunscreen is being slathered on. And iced tea is desirable again.


My most favourite summer ingredient has to be yogurt. You can eat it in/with anything and be refreshed by its wonderful cool freshness.


Curd rice. Yum.
Lassi. Oh yes.
Raita. So good.
Frosting. Wait whaaaa?


Cupcakes 1


You heard right, baby. Yogurt frosting. That’s where it’s at.


Here’s what happened. I had to make cupcakes for my gym friends. I knew super-rich wouldn’t cut it. It had to be healthy.


So I pulled out some thick yogurt and played around with it.


Yogurt frosting


The result? A beautiful, light, airy, not-too-sweet, healthy frosting, that went perfectly with my mini chocolate cupcakes!


The best part? It was done in 30 seconds. No joke.


Now you can lick the frosting bowl clean guilt-free :)


Cupcakes 2


30-second healthy yogurt frosting


Prep time: 30 secs
Makes: enough to frost 40 mini or 20 regular cupcakes


Ingredients:


200 g thick yogurt
50 g icing sugar, sifted, plus more if needed
1 tsp vanilla powder or vanilla extract
a few drops of food colour, optional


Method:


1. Mix the yogurt and icing sugar together until there are no lumps. Add the vanilla and stir again. You can add any food colour of your choice and mix till you have an even colour.
2. If you like your frosting quite stiff, mix in a little more sugar and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up. If you like it looser, slather onto cupcakes immediately and enjoy!


If you’re in India, and love frozen yogurt, you’d be interested to know that Chef at Large, one of the best online food networks (my favourite one anyway!) just announced the results of the 2013 Indian Frozen Yogurt Market survey. Some really interesting results came up, including the fact that most consumers feel taste is more important than health, and Cocoberry is the most preferred yogurt brand in India (it is kinda awesome- I love it too!). For more details on the survey, check out: http://chefatlarge.in/surveys/yogurt


Here’s a look at the cupcake box I packed. The purple ones are regular buttercream (for those who aren’t health freaks) and the pretty pink ones are yogurt :)


Cupcake box 2


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It’s-all-about-the-(coffee)-frosting cake

Posted in desserts, family, tagged , , , on October 19, 2012 | 12 Comments »

You know when you’re having one of those days.


Crawling out of bed requires superhuman strength.


Your hair decides to play a cruel joke on you.


You pull out a shirt to wear and discover a button is missing.


Usually more awful things compound your already miserable day.


Things like paper cuts, annoying emails, vegetarian lunches, and people with too much attitude and too little intelligence.


It often leaves me wondering:



Sometimes I lose it and do a Dory:



Then I call my mom and she doesn’t answer the phone. Then I call my dad and he doesn’t answer. Then I call my brother and he doesn’t answer.


And I’m all like:



Then they all call back and I yell and then I feel sad because the truth is I really miss them :(


I realise I’m being very specific here, but you get the general feeling don’t ya?


When you’re feeling like that, this cake is what you need.



There is a scientific reason behind it: the proportion of the frosting to the cake is directly proportional to the good feelings you will get once it’s in your belly. And this cake is all about the frosting, baby.



Now we could just eat the frosting. And although that sounds soo wrong and soooo right at the same time, we will do the adult thing and smear it over some cake before sticking our face in it. Okay?



Look at this piece. Come to Momma.



More frosting than cake. That is my new motto. It’s a good one, wouldn’t you say?
Have a super super weekend, my darlins!


It’s-all-about-the-(coffee)-frosting cake


Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Serves: 8


Ingredients:


For the cake


80 g plain flour, sifted
40 g cocoa powder, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
120 g caster sugar, sifted
120 g butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
4 tbsp milk
2 tbsp coffee powder
1 tsp vanilla extract


For the frosting


120 g butter, at room temperature
150 g icing sugar, sifted, plus more if needed
2-3 tsps coffee powder dissolved in 2 tsp warm water
edible sprinkles (optional)


Method:


For the cake


1. Preheat the oven to 180º C. Line a 9-inch square tin with baking parchment and grease lightly.
2. Mix the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and sugar in a bowl. Then add the butter, eggs, and milk, and stir well till you have smooth, glossy batter.
3. Add the coffee powder and vanilla extract and give it another mix.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for about 25 minutes or until the cake moves away slightly from the sides of the tin. Remove from the oven and let it cool a little in the tin. Then remove from the tin, peel off the parchment, and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.


For the frosting


1. For the best frosting evaaaaa, mix the butter, icing sugar, and coffee together. Depending on how stiff you want it, add more icing sugar and continue to mix well until you have your desired consistency. I like it quite gooey and fabulous as you can see :P
2. Smear this delicious stuff over the cooled cake and decorate with edible sprinkles, if you want. (Also, lick the bowl clean. Go ahead, I won’t tell. :D )



Feel better, don’t ya? :D



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Cuteness a.k.a Mini chocolate cupcakes

Posted in desserts, friends, tagged , , , , on July 27, 2012 | 3 Comments »

Miniature versions of things are adorable. Don’t you think?


Like tiny animals? Or small bottles? Little books and teeny-weeny envelopes?


If you like the full-sized version of a particular thing, chances are you’ll go awww when you see the miniature version.


I’ll give you an example. You like regular sized cupcakes?


Then you’ll love these! :)



Such cute little things, no?


These mini chocolate cupcakes are so pretty, it’s hard to eat them. Perfect for those sudden sweet cravings, and just the right non-guilt inducing size, these babies are delicious.



Make them for special friends like I do. Or make a secret batch just for yourself. (Like I do too :P )



Mini chocolate cupcakes


Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 10-12 mins
Makes: 15-18 (depending on how small your liners are)


Ingredients:


40 g plain flour, sifted
20 g cocoa powder, sifted
60 g caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
60 g butter (melted and cooled)
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract


For the icing


60 g butter, at room temperature
60 g icing sugar, plus a bit more if needed
2 tsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
food colour of your choice (optional)
sprinkles of your choice (optional)


Method:


For the mini cupcakes


1. Preheat the oven to 180º C. Mix the flour, cocoa, sugar, and baking powder together in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the butter, egg, milk and vanilla. Stir well until everything is combined and you have a glossy, smooth batter.
2. Line a cupcake tray with mini cupcake liners. (I use one 12-holed tray and one 6-holed tray.) Carefully spoon the batter into each liner. Fill each one about two-thirds full.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.


For the frosting


1. With an electric whisk, mix the butter and sugar together with the milk and vanilla. Add a few drops of your chosen food colour and mix again.
2. The frosting should be soft and creamy with no lumps. If you plan to pipe with a paper bag, you will need to add more icing sugar to make the frosting stiffer. If you choose to just spoon the frosting onto the cupcakes like I did, it’s nice to have a softer frosting.
3. Pipe or top a little frosting onto each of the cooled mini cupcakes. Decorate with sprinkles.




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Dark chocolate and peanut butter cake

Posted in desserts, family, tagged , , , , on July 4, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Do all mothers think their children will never get fat?


This must be the case because my mother just got me this:



It’s a one kilo jar of peanut butter!


Let’s stare at it in disbelief for a minute longer, shall we?



*disbelief* turns to *complete glee* :D


My mind’s been whirling with peanut butter recipe ideas, but I got off the merry-go-round at Dark chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting station.



This cake is delicious by itself- it’s incredibly fluffy and soft and not too sweet. Like your grandmother. Add the peanut butter frosting, and watch it transform into something wicked and sexy. Like _____. (Fill in whoever floats your boat. I’d say Hugh Jackman :P )



The frosting still tastes and feels like peanut butter. It has all the gooey, stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth goodness that we love about peanut butter.


Fun way to start the peanut butter celebrations! Don’t you think?



Thanks Mom :)


Dark chocolate and peanut butter cake


Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Serves: 12


Ingredients:


150 g plain flour, sifted
90 g cocoa powder, sifted
240 g finely ground sugar, sifted
2 tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp coffee powder
240 g butter, salted is fine, but melted and cooled (plus a bit more for greasing)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
50 ml cream


For the peanut butter frosting


150 g peanut butter
150 ml cream


Method:


For the cake


1. Preheat the oven to 180º C. Line the base of a 9-inch round cake tin with parchment and grease the base and sides. Mix the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, and coffee in a large bowl. Add the butter, vanilla, and the eggs (one at time) and mix everything together well. Stir in the cream vigorously.
2. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
3. Remove and leave on a wire rack to cool before removing from the tin.


For the peanut butter frosting


1. With an electric mixer, mix the crap out of the peanut butter and cream! You’re done! :)


To assemble- Gently slice the cake horizontally in half. Slather on half the frosting and top with the top half of the cake. Spread the remaining frosting over the top of the cake. Serve! (This cake tastes best at room temperature.)



Also, have you guys checked out this fun contest that ITC is running? All you have to do is upload a picture of you having a fun moment at any of the ITC hotels and you could win a 2 night/3 day stay at any ITC hotel of your choice! Pretty cool, right? I’m entering of course. If you want to, click here.



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How to make a Rainbow cake

Posted in desserts, family, holiday, tagged , , , , on November 2, 2011 | 12 Comments »

“Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue,
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true.”

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Sometimes you just need to go all out.

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Pull out all stops.

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Make something beautiful.

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Rainbow Cake

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Six gorgeous layers.

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Covered in silken soft buttercream.

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Studded with bright candy.

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This cake took me 2 days to make. (I made the layers a day before.)

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And it was my first attempt at Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

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But can I just say, when you go into something with all your heart, chances are it won’t let you down.

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It didn’t :)

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Rainbow cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting

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Prep time: 5 mins per cake layer, and 5 mins for the buttercream
Cook time: 20 mins per cake layer (plus cooling), and 30 mins for the buttercream
Serves: 15-20

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Ingredients:

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For a single layer of the cake (Multiply into 6, for all the total amounts)

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60 g plain flour, sifted

60 g butter, melted and cooled, plus more for greasing

60 g castor sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

assorted food colours and decorations

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For the Buttercream

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10 egg whites

200 g icing sugar

200 g granulated sugar

550 g butter, softened and at room temperature

2 tsp vanilla essence

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Method:

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For the cake

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  1. Preheat the oven to 180º C. Grease an 8-inch round cake tin. If you’re lucky enough to have more than one in the same size, you can do more than one layer at a time. If not, make one layer at a time, like me :) It really helps if you bake the cake layers a day before.
  2. In a mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients, followed by the wet and incorporate well. Add the colour slowly, deciding how dark or light you want it. (The colours darken slightly on baking.) Mix well.
  3. Pour into the cake tin, and bake for about 20 minutes until firm to the touch. Remove from the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.
  4. If you’re making one layer at a time, do this 5 more times. Don’t give up! :)
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For the Swiss meringue buttercream

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(Please look at Whisk Kid’s recipe and tips. It really helped me.)

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1. Gently mix the egg whites and both the sugars in a bowl. Then place the bowl on a double boiler with simmering water. Whisk well until all the sugar melts, and you have a frothy mixture (about 5 mins). Make sure the double boiler doesn’t get too hot. Keep taking it off the heat and putting it back on so that you have control over the temperature. You don’t want scrambled eggs!

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2. Once well whisked, take the bowl off the heat and beat with an electric beater until you have quite stiff peaks. This is essentially a meringue mixture, and it should be glossy and white.

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3. Now once you’re at this stage, slowly add the butter, once small piece at a time, and beat well. Don’t add the next piece of butter until the previous one has been fully incorporated. Beat until all the butter is incorporated.

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4. Add the vanilla essence next and beat a bit more, until you have a thick and luscious mixture. The texture should look heavy, but taste light and lovely.

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5. Use this to frost in between the cooled cake layers and all over the exterior of the cake. Decorate as you please :)

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