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! :-)

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

Healthy No Fuss Walnut Brownies

Healthy because it uses olive oil & no fuss because the batter ready in no time!

I feel this was the first greatest hit way back in 2010 when I first started baking. Pradeep likes brownies and he loves to pair it with vanilla ice cream. So once during my usual recipe hunt, I bumped into a real cool and easy recipe for walnut brownies. Since then it has been my go to recipe whenever we had to satiate out sweet tooth!

The best part of this recipe is that you need not beat the batter for a long time. Light hand mixing is all it requires! The original recipe calls for butter, however I have substituted olive oil for it. The recipe also had fudge topping, which I often skip when I make these black beauties often. It still has all purpose flour and sugar, so you can limit your portion intake.

Ingredients

All purpose flour - 1/2 Cup

Cocoa powder - 6 tablespoon

Brown sugar - 12 tablespoon

Walnuts - 1 Cup, slightly crushed

Eggs - 2, lightly beaten

Olive oil - 130-140 ml

Preparation

1. Preheat oven at 180 degree C.

2. Heat a sauce pan, mix together the oil and cocoa powder. Switch off when well mixed.

3. In a mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add in the sugar and beat with hands to combine. (this does not require vigorous beating, just light beating would do)

4. Add the cocoa mix and walnuts, blend in. 

5. Sieve in the flour and fold in, do not beat.

Cooking

6. Grease a baking pan and pour the batter in. Bake for about 25 minutes.

Serving

7. Let it cook completely. Cut into pieces and serve with ice cream or as it is.