Dark Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Icing & Decorated with Fondant (Pradeep's Birthday Cake)

Even when you have had enough of each other, as a couple, there are certain things you wish to celebrate together - your wedding anniversary, birthdays and so on. Yesterday was Pradeep's birthday and after 4 years of our married life, this was the first time we were together to celebrate his birthday! Sounds weird  but, yes, duty first! Since this birthday was special, I baked a simple cake for him. To say the least, the result totally exceeded my expectations and the birthday boy enjoyed every bite of it!

First I thought to make a simple vanilla cake with chocolate icing. Then I felt that is way too simple and I wanted to try a fondant decoration, which apparently was my first try! Although I could drape it well, we both found it too sweet for our palate. Now coming to the cake, I suddenly remembered the dark chocolate bar I bought in my last shopping and chucked the vanilla idea. So dark chocolate cake it was; adorned with cream cheese icing and fondant decoration. Simple yet good enough for a first fondant trial!

Making the cake and the icing was pretty simple - barely takes about 30 minutes for the preparation and another 40-45 minutes for making. And this one again is a keeper; just as moist and fluffy it should be! Recipe is adapted from here.

Ingredients:

For the Cake

Dark chocolate - 100 gram

Salted butter - 125 gram

Water - 155 ml

Instant coffee powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Cocoa powder - 1 1/2 tablespoon

Relish sugar - 6 tablespoon

Vanilla essence - 1/2 teaspoon

Egg - 1 medium

Flour - 125 gram

Baking powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Baking soda - 1/2 teaspoon

For the Icing

Cream cheese - 8 tablespoon, softened

Salter butter - 50 gram, softened

Vanilla extract - 1/4 teaspoon

Relish sugar - 12 tablespoon

For the Fondant

Plain fondant - 1 cup

Chocolate colour - 1 teaspoon

Red colour - 1/2 teaspoon

Preparation:

For the Cake

1. In a sauce pan, melt together first 6 ingredients in low heat and stirring to ensure lumps are gone. Switch off when chocolate and butter are melted. Transfer to a bowl and let it cool.

2. Sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda.

3. Once cool enough, add the egg to the chocolate mixture and beat using electric mixer in medium speed. 

4. Add the vanilla essence, followed by flour mix portion by portion, making sure to beat after every addition to combine well.

5. Preheat oven at 160 degree Celsius. Line a square baking pan with butter paper.

6. Transfer the batter into the baking pan and bake in over for 40-45 minutes. Once done let it cool.

For the Icing

7. In a mixing bowl, cream together cheese and butter until pale. To this add the vanilla essence and sugar. Beat together until well combined.

8. Refrigerate the icing mixture for a few hours until it takes a spreadable consistency. Spread thick layer of icing over the cake. Refrigerate again to set.

For the Fondant

9. Knead together fondant dough (saving a small ball) along with chocolate coloring nicely into a roll-able consistency and until the color spreads evenly. 

10. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough evenly into 1/4 inch sheet spreading about double the diameter of the cake. 

11. Once the icing is set remove the cake from refrigerator. Rather than lifting the fondant sheet using hand, drape it on the rolling pin and carefully transfer to the top of the cake.

12. Drape the fondant to fit the cake. Using a smoothing sheet, rub the top, edges and define the corners. Cut of excess dough from the edges.

13. Add red coloring to the small ball size fondant dough you saved and knead that too into a shape-able consistency. Shape it into a bow or whatever shape you would want to and fix it on top of the fondant you just applied.

14. Refrigerate the cake for a few hours for the fondant to set or until ready to cut! 

Enjoy! :-)

Chemmeen Biryani a.k.a Kerala Prawns Biryani

One of the advantages of living in the coastal band of India is fresh seafood at cheapest price. For hardcore seafood lovers like me, this is also the factor that gives us the courage to bear and live through the perennial humid summers of South. And the situation gets even better when you do not have to slog much going to mid-week and Sunday markets to buy your portion but all you got to do is to step out of your kitchen door to buy your pick from the fish lady. Ah, how convenient it is!

Well, the lady here comes every Tuesday and Friday and she comes loaded with prawns and other seafood varieties. For this reason, by now I must have tried making prawns biryani some 4-5 times. Yesterday I wanted Pradeep to buy coconut on his way back home for making cherupayar curry and as soon as he reached home he asked me in a very (cute) excited way "Why did you want me to buy coconut? Are you cooking prawns". Unfortunately I had to let him down yesterday but offered him prawns biryani today for lunch. I have kept my word and now hungry and waiting for him to show up.

This recipe is adapted from here and I have twisted it to suit our taste preference. As mentioned already, I must have made this almost 4-5 times, and every time it tasted different but tasty. But there was one day I remember preparing it just for me and I am still trying to figure out what change I made that day, because it tasted just out of the world. I will have to keep perfecting this till the time I come across, may be you can call it a blunder, I committed the other day. :-)

Ingredients:

For the Rice

Basmati rice - 1 cup, washed, soaked for 15 minutes and drained

Ghee/oil - 2 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Juice  of 1/2 a lime (large)

Water - 2 cups

For the Prawns Masala

Prawns - 1/2 Kg, size as you prefer, cleaned, and de-veined, marinated at least 1 hour with salt, ginger, garlic and green chili mix along with chili powder and 2 tablespoons of curd

Whole spices - 1 teaspoon, mix of cardamom, cloves, cinamon, whole pepper and cumin seeds

Onion - 1, medium, thinly sliced

Curd - 3 tablespoon

Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon

Coriander leaves - a few springs

Mint leaves - a few springs

Pepper powder - 1 teaspoon

Oil - 2 tablespoon

Biryani masala - 1 tablespoon

For Garnishing

Onion - 1 small, thinly sliced

You may also add cashews and fried grapes (I personally do not prefer these in my rice)

Preparation

1. In a deep wide mouthed pan, heat oil and add whole spices. To this add the marinated prawns and shallow fry it until cooked. Keep aside.

2. In the same pan, add ghee and add the drained rice. Fry in medium heat for 3-5 min. Add 2 cups of water, and salt, cover tight and cook until 80% done.

3. While the rice is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pressure cooker. Add the sliced onion (for prawns masala) and fry until almost brown. Add coriander powder and pepper powder, followed by shallow fried prawns and curd; cook for 5 minutes. Add the herbs (coriander and mint leaves), mix well to combine. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.

4. When the rice is 80% done, layer rice and the prawns masala in the pressure cooker (you can do this is a steamer too). Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon biryani masala after the first layer and the other 1/2 tablespoon as a topping to the final layer. Squeeze the lime juice over it. Cover and cook in medium heat for  5-8 minutes. Remove from heat.

5. Open a few minutes before serving. For garnishing, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan and fry onions until crisp and brown. Spread this over the rice.

6. You may serve this with some meat gravy or raita. I personally enjoy biryani (of all variety) with some tasty pickle. :-)

Indian Tricolour Rice - Best January 26th Recipe Cook & Click Contest Entry for iFood.tv

By now I have repeated it many times that I do one of the coolest jobs - working for a food website and that too by operating from home! (I definitely cannot ask for more)

So recently my website arranged a cook and click contest for celebrating Indian Republic Day and this was my entry for the contest.

My humble attempt at using Indian Flag colors in a dish. Please find the recipe for Indian Tricolour Rice here. 

Velvet Cake with Cheese Spread Frosting (Pre-Valentine's Day Therapy)

Valentine's day is a beautiful concept; a day reserved to rediscover your love! But the day doesn't really mean much to me or we never celebrate it, as everyday together is a treat filled with mix of feelings and that itself is a celebration :-) 

However, this time, three days prior to the day, I decided to give Pradeep a pre-valentine's day therapy! Wondering what it means? Well, my plan was simple, let him do what he enjoys like watching his favorite soaps together, cricket and yes, never to miss out good food! 

- Day 1, February 11th, 2013, I made him with Mushroom Lasagna with Creamy Sauce for dinner and it was my first attempt at lasagna. It tasted superb but I added only 3 layers to see how it comes out and it definitely can be perfected and hence did not put up the pic or the recipe. 
- Day 2, February 12th, 2013, was his simple comfort food day. Andhra Sambar, Kerala Fish Fry and Andhra Pickle with plain steamed rice. He totally ended up licking his fingers!
- Day 3, February 13th, 2013, was more like an event round up I would day :-) I made this wonderful cake with even wonderful frosting for him, which we managed to finish off within few hours of making it. I have named it Velvet Cake with Cheese Spread Frosting, because the red color did not come out that evident. And another thing that makes this cake very special - this is my first frosting attempt !

Ingredients:

For the Cake -

Egg - 1 whole

Relish sugar - 6 tablespoon

Dark chocolate chips - 1/2 cup (optional)

Dry Ingredients

All purpose flour - 1 1/4 cup

Baking soda - 1/4 teaspoon

Baking powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

Cocoa powder - 1 tablespoon (I believe this is what meddled with the color. Use 1/2 tablespoon and see)

Wet Ingredients

Olive oil - 180 ml

Buttermilk - 120 ml (in room temperature)

Red food colouring - 1 tablespoon

White vinegar - 1/2 teaspoon

Vanilla extract - 1/2 teaspoon

For the Frosting - 

Cheese spread (softened) - 6 tablespoon (the original recipe called for cream cheese, which I did not have)

Salted butter (softened) - 50 gram

Vanilla extract - 1/4 teaspoon

Relish Sugar - 12 tablespoon

Preparation:

For the Cake

1. Sift together the dry ingredients.

2. In big enough mixing bowl, beat together sugar and egg until page and creamy in medium speed. This will take about 10 minutes.

3. To this add the wet ingredients one by one, beating to combine after every addition.

4. Add the sifted flour mix, in parts, beating well to combine. If using chocolate chips, add 1/4 cup and fold in at this stage.

5. Pre-heat over at 180 degree celcius. Line a square baking dish with butter paper and careful pour the cake batter into it. Shake the dish to allow the batter to even out. You may sprinkle some dark chocolate over the batter.

6. Bake in the over for 20 minutes.

For the Frosting

7. In a mixing bowl, mix together cheese spread, butter and vanilla extra using electric beater until well combined and creamy. To this add the powdered sugar and beat again to combine.

8. When the cake is ready and cooled, carefully spread a thick layer of frosting over it. Sprinkle with leftover chocolate chips (if using)

9. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours and enjoy with your valentine! :-P

Chicken Salami Spinach Breakfast Frittata

Frittata has always been my favorite - probably it was one of those weird sounding foreign dishes I got right at the first go or because of the ease of preparing it. To those who are new to this name - it is nothing but a glorified version of omelet! Yes, that simple it is!

During our Singapore days I used to experiment quite a lot with frittatas; mainly because Pradeep had to leave only around 8 AM and that gave me ample time to think and act. After shifting to Vizag, I hardly cook breakfast; well I am not to be blamed here but his working hours. Anyway, it has been a while since I cooked this dish at home and  breakfast being the best time to serve this, last week I attempted one. Or it could be that I was just waiting for the right set of ingredients to make another glorified version of this omelet! 

Yes, it definitely had all my favorites and here goes the list.

Ingredients:

Eggs - 2 lightly beaten

Potato - 1 large, thinly sliced

Carrot - 1 small, finely chopped

Capsicum - 1 small, finely chopped

Plum tomato - 8-10, halved

Chicken salami - 15-20 slices, cooked as per instruction

Spinach -  1 cup, leaves alone

Milk - 100 ml

Cheddar cheese - 1/4 cup grated

Pepper - 1/2 tablespoon

Italian herbs - 1/2 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Olive oil - 3 tablespoon

Preparation:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wide mouthed deep pan and dry roast carrots and capsicum with a pinch of salt until cooked but tender. Keep aside.

2. In the same pan, add rest of the oil to coat and place the sliced potatoes neatly so as to cover the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over it. Let it fry in medium heat.

3. When the potatoes are browned, mix together milk and eggs, pour over it.  Put the dry roasted veggies. Cover and cook until 3/4th cooked.

5. Arrange the cooked salami to top the frittata. Sprinkle the spinach leaves and plum tomatoes. Cover and cook until done the egg mixture is done.

6. Sprinkle cheese, pepper powder and Italian herbs to finish. Switch off when cheese has melted

7. When cooled, slice the frittata (it will look more like pizza) and enjoy with ketchup! 

Fusilli Pasta Soup

Call it best of both worlds - I love fusilli pasta and he loves tomato soup! Such a warming soup for a cold night :-)

Well, it has been 17 days since I posted something new here! That would be the 2nd longest break, since I tried putting together this blog. A lot has been happening and of late, I have not been cooking much, mostly because I was unwell and yes, as they say - all is well that ends well! As long as I am back and determined to keep the blog going, I will cook and click.

Today Pradeep has an official party to attend (I envy him whenever he gets to attend a party without me, coz I so miss good food!). The party would get over around 9 and he was kind enough to mention that he would be totally stuffed by the time he gets back home and that he would prefer a light dinner! Anytime! :-) I am so happy when I do not have to do elaborate cooking. Now what would that be? Soup definitely, but with what? I had a bit of fusilli pasta lying in my kitchen cupboard; that will not suffice me for any main dish. So I went ahead with my search for pasta soups and as usual bumbed into one, which apparently is an Italian favorite, called Zuppa. Yes the name definitely sounds interesting and the ingredients list is a lot more interesting, in the sense, it just uses very basic stuff that an avergae cooking enthusiast will easily have in her kitchen cupboard. Although I did not have 2 ingredients what the original recipe suggested, I think I could pretty well manage a tasty soup out of what I had.

I have spoken about my love for fusilli pasta; do not know if I admire the shape more or the end product after I cook it. It's been a while since I promised Pradeep a tomato soup, and it so happens that now is the time! :-)

Ingredients:

Fusilli pasta - 1 Cup
Onion - 1 small, roughly chopped
Garlic - 6 cloves, roughly chopped
Dried chilies - 2, roughly chopped
Olive oil - 2 tablespoon
Tomatoes - 2 medium, pureed
Fresh cream - 1 tablespoon
Italian herbs - 2 tablespoon
Freshly ground pepper - 1/2 tablespoon or as per taste
Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. In a mortar or blender, coarsely grind together the onion, garlic and chilies. Keep aside.

2. In a wide mouthed pan, heat olive oil in medium flame. Saute the groud mixture, add the tomato puree, pasta and about 4 cups of water. Increase to high and let it boil.

3. Once pasta is cooked, lower the flame to low, add the fresh cream, stirring to ensure the soup doesn't boil further. Cook for another 5 min

4. Add salt, pepper and the herbs; mix well to combine.

5. Serve warm as it is or if you may wish with homemade croutons.