Easter Cake Bake Event - Multigrain Coffee Cake with Chocolate Buttercream style Frosting

Probably now my facebook friends know about the Cake Bake Event at my office for which I donated a cake. The funds raised through selling the cake was given to charity. I was very happy baking this cake for such a good cause! The cake was very simple one - coffee cake - but as it was also announced that the best decorated cake will win a prize, I wanted to make it a bit more special with a frosting and some garnishings!

I was very happy that day for many reasons - 1. Mine was the only layered cake there   2. The cake was sold out - not a single piece left over    3. I got feedback from colleagues who came to my desk to say the cake tasted SO good... :) which was very encouraging...

Excuse me for the photos taken at my workdesk... I had literally no time for taking photos at home! Nevertheless I didnt want to miss capturing this cake after all the hard work... R helped me a lot in doing this.. he managed the dinner part the evening before and I had time to frost the cake and decorate it.

I wish I had a chance to take a photo of a slice! Never mind.. I can bake one again!!!

The frosting I used is a chocolate buttercream frosting but without the butter...!! I used ready-to-use Betty Crocker's chocolate buttercream frosting - made life a lot easier and guess what - it is a lot better than using actual butter as this is made with vegetable oil...

Since it was a cake bake event for Easter, I used mini chocolate easter eggs to decorate.

Here is how I made it

Ingredients:

Pillsbury 5 grain chapati flour - 1 cup

Wholegrain pastry flour - 1 cup

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Eggs - 2

Instant Coffee - 3 tsps (adjust based on your preference - I like strong flavors)

Dark brown sugar - 2 cups

Vegetable oil - 1/2 cup

70% less saturated fat butter - 1/2 cup

Method:

1. Prepare cake pans - I used two 9 inch round pans. Butter/oil the sides and line the base with parchment paper.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 deg C
3. Mix the coffee granules in hot water and let it cool.
4. Mix the flours, baking powder and keep aside.
5. Beat the eggs, sugar, butter and oil well.
6. Add Coffee and beat.
7. Once well beaten, mix the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder)
8. Divide the mixture into the 2 pans equally and bake them for about 30 mins or until the skewer comes out clean.
9. Let them cool completely before proceeding.

Decorating:

1. I applied Ina Garten's method to spread the icing AND making sure the plate remains clean when you finish the icing. Spread strips of parchment paper along the edges of the serving plate before you place the first cake on the plate.
2. Put the even side of the first cake down and spread some frosting on the top.
3. Cover it with the top side of the second cake (so that the even side faces up).
4. Now that you have the regular smooth side, spread the frosting nicely over the top, and then cover the sides.
5. Smoothen the frosting.
6. Finish the other decorations and then pull the parchment paper outwards - Leaves the sides of the plate neat and clean...

 

I enjoyed every bit of making this cake.. It tasted so good - I know it because I had baked a small loaf too using the same batter... Above all, we felt great that this cake was baked for a noble cause. 

Saffron Semolina Cake

This was my best experience. Baking this cake has been on my mind since many days... I have a big bag of very very fine semolina... making upma with that turns out like a lumpy porridge... the only options with that semolina are idlis or dosas... I thought I would try using it in a cake instead. Initially I was not very sure about the semolina getting cooked properly but eventually it all turned out into a yummy scrummy delicious cake.

As usual there is no butter in this recipe. I used sunflower oil (thought olive oil would not go with the flavour of saffron here) and a tablespoon of semi skimmed milk. I would love to experiment adding some  dry fruits (like dates, raisins etc) though but this time I just made it plain... believe me.. it tasted heavenly...

This cake had such a nice texture from the cooked semolina and a sweet aroma from the saffron. Since this was the first time I was making this cake I made a small quantity in a loaf pan but this would make a perfect breakfast if made in a square or even round cake tin.

I could not just stop taking photos of this lovely looking cake..

okay.. this is how I made the cake...

Ingredients

Very fine semolina - 1 cup
Wholewheat flour - 1/2 cup
Egg - 1
Sunflower Oil - 1/2 cup
Milk - 2 tbsps - warm
Saffron - 2 pinches
Baking Powder - 2 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 cup - Preferably white so that the color of saffron stands out

Method

1. Grease the loaf tin with little bit of oil.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 degC.
3. In the warm milk soak the saffron until the batter is ready.
4. In a large bowl whisk the egg, oil and sugar and beat them nicely.
5. Mix the semolina and flour in a separate bowl with the baking powder.
6. Once this is done, mash the saffron strands well in the milk and add the whole thing into the wet mixture.
7. Add the flours and mix well. If the consistency is too thick you could add some milk.
8. Pour the batter into the cake tin/loaf tin and bake it in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes (but do check it often). Mine got perfectly baked in 30 minutes. 
9. Test the cake with a knife or a skewer and remove it from the oven when done.
10. Release the ends with a knife, place the cake on a plate, let it cool down before you cut it. 

Enjoy every bite... :)

Hazelnut Mocha Cake

You must be wondering what is healthy in it!!! Well... read on to find out how! Healthy eating does not mean all soups and salads. Sometimes you also can satisfy your sweet tooth while taking care that it does not make you deviate from the healthy eating path :) This recipe does not need any butter.

This is a very easy-peasy cake and utterly delicious. Initially when I heard the name I thought this must be something very complex but I made things simple. This thought just flashed suddenly in my mind on one afternoon when putting my baby to sleep. When I checked my food cupboard I had everything that I needed. There was no reason to wait.

As usual I made this with wholewheat flour.. I used nutella (it has hazelnuts and chocolate) and instant coffee granules.. so there you go.. hazelnut mocha (coffee and chocolate) cake... It was so yummy and such a great accompaniment at tea-time or as a dessert after dinner.

Here is how I made the cake.

Ingredients

Wholewheat flour - 2 cups
Nutella - generous 2 tbsps
Muscavado Sugar - 1/2 cup - Nutella has all the subtle sweetness you need so you wont need that much sugar
Vegetable Oil - 1/2 cup
Eggs - 2
Instant Coffee granules - 4 tsp (dissolved in 1/2 cup hot water and cooled)
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Roasted chopped hazelnuts - Optional - 1/4 cup - I didn't have any in my cupboard but you could use it.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 deg C
Butter the cake tin and keep it ready.
In a large bowl beat the eggs well.
Add the sugar and oil and beat until they are well mixed.
Add the dissolved coffee and the nutella and beat again.
If you are using chopped hazelnuts add them to the wheatflour and mix them.
Now add the flour, baking powder to the egg mixture and mix them.

Tip the whole mixture into the cake tin and bake it for about 45 minutes. Check the cake with a tester or a clean dry knife for doneness.

Dig in...

A Warm Welcome with a blueberry cake...

Hi Everyone! Thanks for visiting my blog.

I look forward to a fabulous time here sharing a few of my culinary experiments inspired by other bloggers, TV programmes and personal eating out experiences.

I must confess that my knowledge in cooking is very very basic and it is only recently that I have started to get my hands wet in baking... Some of my close friends know what were the outcomes of a few of my cakes, cookies when I started baking.... but with time and with the mistakes I am learning

A very warm welcome with a cake I baked today! Blueberry cake... As the title of blog goes... a healthier version of the cake. I am very health conscious and I try to substitute healthier alternatives in any recipe to make it a bit guilt-free...

I dont have many gadgets in my kitchen except the basic things... but I dont think that stops me from doing what I want...

The cake came out really good... Though I was a bit worried that the batter was not that loose as I wanted it to be, the cake was so moist and perfectly cooked... may be because of the blueberries.. they burst and released the juices which kept the cake perfectly moist and yummy...

Here is how I made the cake:

Ingredients

Wholewheat flour - 2 cups
Blueberries - 100 grams
Eggs - 2
Baking Powder - 2 tsp
Caster Sugar - 1 cup (I like my cake not-too-sweet, You can put a half cup more if you like it sweeter)
Mixed seeds - Optional - a handful (I had a pack of mixed seeds and I used them up)
Butter - 1 tsp
Sunflower Oil - 1/2 cup
Orange Juice - a little

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 deg centigrade.

Break the eggs into a bix mixing bowl.
Beat them until the yolks break and everything is mixed and light yellow in colour.
Add the sugar and beat well.
Add the butter and give another round of whisking. You will find small bits of butter but dont worry they all sort themselves out in the oven.
Now add the oil, orange juice and mix.

Mix the baking powder to the flour nicely.
Add the blueberries and seeds to the flour.
Add everything to the wet mixture.
Give a final mix thoroughly and tranfer the contents into a buttered cake tin.

Bake the cake for 40 - 45 minutes or until the cake tester comes out clean.

Best made at tea time to see the cake disappear in minutes.