Sponge Cake ( with step-wise pictures)

Sponge Cake ( with step-wise pictures)

Its the basic cake. It has a well aerated structure similar to sea sponge. Hence the name. Recipe is quite simple. It just includes the basic baking ingredients. This is the best cake for beginners to start with.

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour.   - 1cup
Baking Powder.      - 2 tsp

Others:

Sugar.                    - 1 cup
Cold Milk.               -1/4 cup
Egg.                      - 2
Butter.                   -1 tbsp
Vannila essence.    - 1/2 tsp

Procedure:

Sieve all dry ingredients together. . Powder sugar.  Separate yolks in eggs.

Take a bowl. Add white yolk. Whisk for some time. When it becomes fluffy add half of the sugar. Continue whisking for 3-4 minutes till it become very fluffy.

Take another bowl.. add yellow yolk.. whisk it. After some time add remaining sugar.. continue till the sugar gets dissolved. .

Now add 1/3 rd of white mix to the yellow
mix followed by flour. Mix it well with spatula. . Don't overbeat.. just rotate your hand.

Repeat the above process for another 2 times.
Add cold milk and vannila essence. Stir the batter.

Add butter to the corner of the bowl and mix it

Preheat oven to 180 degree celsius.

Apply butter to cake pan. Dust it with flour. Remove the excess., add batter to pan. Bake it for 25-30 minutes. 

And your cake is ready!!!

Quick Tips:

1. The fluffiness of the cake depends on the time you beat egg.. so beat it well
2. Eggs should be in room temperature. . So take  the egg out from fridge atleast before 30 minutes.
3. And the bowl and the blender should be very clean. It shouldn't have any butter or fat. Otherwise egg white won't fluff.

Can serve the cake topped with Dusting Sugar, Jam or even with Icing.. The plain cake itself is very tasty.Here is a picture of cake served with dusting sugar.

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Heart shaped Red Velvet Cake With Cheese Cream Frosting ( Step wise pictures)

Heart shaped Red Velvet Cake With Chesse Cream Frosting 

( Step Wise Pictures)

I found this cake on a website. Was waiting for a long time to prepare this. Since its Valentine's day special prepared it in heart shape. I had only round pan, so Prepared the round cake first, then cut it in heart shape. .Used remaining crumbs over frosting. Have also included how to transfer round cake to a Heart cake.

Specialty of the cake is that red color and the texture because of Butter Milk. Just add correct quantity of  ingredients. That would be fine.

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour ( Maida)                                - 1 cup

Powdered Sugar                                                  - ¾ cup

Cocoa Powder                                                    -  Little less than ½ tbsp

Baking Soda                                                       - a pinch

Salt                                                                     - a pinch

Wet Ingredients:

Butter                                                                  - Little less than 1/3 cup

Butter Milk                                                         - Little less than 1/3 cup

Egg                                                                      -1

Vannila Essence                                                  - Little less than ½ tsp

Vinegar                                                                - Little less than ½ tbsp

Red Food Color                                                   - ¾ tbsp

For Frosting:

Cream Cheese                                                     - 200 gm

Butter                                                                  - Little less than 1/2 cup

Powdered sugar                                                  - 2 cups

Things Needed:

• Hand Blender
• Electric Oven
• Cake Pan

picture 1

picture 2

                                                         

                                                                         picture 3

Procedure:

For Sponge:

1. Sieve well maida, cocoa powder, salt n baking soda.
2. Mix cocoa powder and red color. Mix well so that there is no lumps. This is done for even distribution of red color in cake. keep it aside ( picture 1)
3. Beat butter in a deep pan. once it gets fluffy add sugar.
4. Beat in a egg.
5. Add vannila extract
6. To the above, add dry ingredients which we have sieved before in small quantities.
7. Add butter milk and Vinegar.  Beat it well. The batter will be thick only.. 
8. Grease the cake  pan.
9. Pour the batter and bake in the preheated convection oven for 180 degree celsius.. ( picture 2)
10. .Bake for 15 - 20 minutes  Insert a toothpick in the cake. If it comes out clearly (i.e no wet pieces of cake should come with it) , you can take the cake from oven.. Let it cool ( picture 3)
11. If you have heart shaped cake mould. then no problem. or else follow the link here
12. Place the cake in a plate. Cut the cake into layers horizontally. Rotating the plate while cutting helps in correct partitioning of cake.

For Frosting:

1. Beat cream cheese, butter and sugar together.
2. Keep the vessel in which you are going to whip the cream in a pot of ice and start whisking the cream.
3.  Keep on whisking till the whipping cream reaches its consistency. Whipping cream shouldn't fall down from the spoon in which you are taking it out. That is the consistency.

Assembling:

1. Take a plate in which you are going to serve cake. Add whipping cream to the center. Place the bottom sponge layer to it. This is done to prevent the cake from moving
2.  Spread a  ½ inch layer of  whipping cream to it.  ( picture 4)
3. Now the next layer, keep it upside down and then spread another  big dollop of  cream and then spread it on top as well on sides. Then make it smooth! ( picture 5)
4. Now sprinkle the crumbs from the left over cake. ( picture 6)
5. Refrigerate for some time.
6. Cake is ready to serve




picture 4






picture 5





picture 6

Black Forest Cake ( without egg, using Condensed Milk)

Black Forest Cake (Without Egg , using Condensed Milk)

Only Black Forest Cake comes to mind for a birthday party. Recently i made this cake for my husband's birthday. It involves three steps. Preparing the cake base, Preparing the whipped cream  and doing piping. Its little time consuming, but can do in a while for our dear ones. One more special thing about this cake is i am doing it eggless.

Ingredients:

For sponge  base:

Dry Ingredients: 

Maida ( All Purpose Flour)          - 1 cup

Cocoa Powder                               - 3 tbsp

Baking Powder                              - 1/2 tsp

Baking Soda                                   - 1/4 tsp

Wet Ingredients:

Condensed Milk                           - 1/2 cup

Butter                                            - Little less than 1/3 cup (or) Little more than 1/4 cup

Powdered Sugar                            - 1/4 cup

Vannila Extract                             - 1 tsp

Hot Milk                                         - As required

For Icing and Filling:

Whipping Cream                          - 550 -600 ml

Canned Red Cherries                    -  1/4 cup

Syrup from cherry tin                    - 1/2 cup

For Decoration:

Whole Red cherries                      - 8 - 10

Dark Chocolate Gratings              - As required

Alternative ingredients:

If you are in India, you would be facing problem finding canned cherries and whipping cream. I had the same problem then i ended up in finding alternatives. Sharing those with you. Click here for Canned Cherries. Click here for Whipping Cream.

Things Needed:

1.Convection Oven.
2.Cake Blender
3.Cake Pan

Method:

1. Sieve well maida, cocoa powder, baking powder n baking soda
2. Beat butter in a deep pan. once it gets fluffy add condensed milk.
3.  Once both get blended add powdered sugar.
4. Add vannila extract
5. To the above, add dry ingredients which we have sieved before in small quantities.
6. Atlast add hot milk.  The batter should be in dropping consistency. It should be like dosa batter and not as idli batter. so add milk as needed..
7. Grease the 6 " or 7 " pan.
8. Pour the batter and bake in the preheated convection oven for 180 degree celsius..
9. .Bake for 15 - 20 minutes  Insert a toothpick in the cake. If it comes out clearly (ie no wet pieces of cake should come with it) , you can take the cake from oven.. Let it cool
10. Place the cake in a plate. Cut the cake into three layers horizontally. Rotating the plate while cutting helps in correct partitioning of cake.
11. Grate the dark chocolate using a peeler and keep it aside.

Assembling:

1. Take a plate in which you are going to serve cake. Add whipping cream to the center. Place the bottom sponge layer to it. This is done to prevent the cake from moving
2. Spread 3-4 tbsp of sugar  syrup to it. Spread a good ½ inch layer of  whipping cream to it. Then some cherries. Now the middle layer, syrup, cream and cherries
3. Now the final layer, keep it upside down and then spread syrup!Take a big dollop of  cream and then spread it on top as well on sides. Then make it smooth! If crumbs are seen, do a crumb coat.
4. Keep the cake in freezer for 10 mins. 
5. Now add the remaining cream to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Pipe with circular motion on top which makes rosettes. ( you can even use ketchup bottle if you could not find piping bag in India)
6. Sprinkle chocolate shavings all over sides and top.
7. Place a cherry on the top of each rosette.
8. Cake is ready

A very lengthy procedure. But preparing a super duper cake for your dear ones, awesome feel it is!!

Chocolate Brownie

Chocolate Brownie

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:

Maida ( All purpose flour)           - 1 cup
Cocoa Powder                              - 1 cup
Baking Powder                             - 1 tsp
Baking Soda                                 - 1/2 tsp
Salt                                               - a pinch

Wet Ingredients:

Butter                                           - 1/2 cup
Condensed milk                           - 10 OZ
Yoghurt ( Sour Cream)                - 2 tbsp
Vannila extract                             - 1/2 tsp
Coffee powder                             - 1 tbsp
Hot water                                     - 1/2 cup
Chopped Nuts                              - 1/2 cup

Things Needed:

1.Convection Oven.
2.Cake Blender
3.Baking Pan

Method:

1. Sieve well maida, cocoa powder, baking powder n baking soda
2. Beat butter in a deep pan. once it gets fluffy add condensed milk.
3. Once both get blended add yoghurt
4. After some time add oil and keep on beating
5. Add vannila extract
6. To the above, add dry ingredients which we have sieved before in small quantities.
7. Add little hot water to coffee powder and mix it with the batter
7. Atlast add hot water. First add 1/4 th cup of water . The batter should be in dropping consistency. It should be like dosa batter and not as idli batter. so add remaining water as needed..
8. Grease the pan.
9. Pour the batter and bake in the preheated convection oven for 170 degree celsius..
10.Bake for 15 - 20 minutes  Insert a toothpick in the brownie. If it comes out clearly (ie no wet pieces of brownie should come with it) , you can take the muffin from oven.. Allow it to rest for some time and enjoy your freshly baked brownies..
11. Serve the Brownies topped with chopped nuts..


Quick Tip

Brownies taste better with ice cream.. So top the brownie with ice cream and add some Chocolate Syrup.  enjoy the best dessert in the world..