My friend says...

Only EYES can speak the TRUTH...neither the lips nor the mirror....The person who really loves you can see the pain in your eyes while everyone else will believe in your smile...

Liberation Party with Chocolate Blackout Cake

12th August was Shalvika's B'day and she decided to have a party on 15th August [India's Independence day] and gave it a theme of Liberation....

We planned the menu, decor, guest list and lots of other nitty gritty for the party. I offered to do the cake and dip as it was a holiday and how could a 'Foodus Bloggerus'.[ Click here to know what a 'Foodus Bloggerus' is.] like me let this pass.....

Happy Birthday Shalvika.......



The brief was chocolatey chocholate cake.........Hmmmm set my brains ticking........ Thought of the 'Chocolate Blackout Cake'.... warm moist n awesomely chocolatey.....

I had found this treasure at sundaynitedinner.com and just loved it. This time I made it without the pudding.

Had a really good time making the cake. Have made it once before for Babaji and then for Surbhi n Mohit in Hyderabad. So I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. Just that I've not posted cake before. It has a story of it's own...... Will do a separate post on that and how Deeba[yet again :-)] came to my rescue the first time I had done this cake.

Since I was baking for a party of 20 people, did 2 cakes.

Am glad to report, the cake was a hit. I loved it too. I can generally not eat what I cook on that day. I eat the dishes/cakes cook/bake, the next day. This cake was different, i stuffed myself on it after a couple of shots :-)




Chocolate Blackout Cake Recipe

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa (preferable Dutch processed)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup brewed coffee, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 dozen chocolate wafer cookies

Directions To make the cake:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Lightly butter 2 (8-inch) cake pans and line with parchment. Butter the parchment and flour pans, shaking out the excess.
• Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Reserve.
• In a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat eggs and sugar until thick and lemon-colored. Beat in vegetable oil.
• Alternately add dry ingredients with buttermilk, scraping the bowl once or twice.
• Add the coffee and vanilla to form a thin batter.
• Divide between prepared cake pans.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Invert onto cooling racks, peel off paper and cool completely.

I didn't follow the next teps for the cake this time. I used chocolate glaze instead.

• When cool, split each cake in half with a serrated slicing knife.
• Spread bottom layer with 1/4 of the reserved chocolate pudding.
• Repeat with remaining layers, ending with pudding on top.
• In a food processor, pulse the cookies into crumbs. Sprinkle on top of the cake.

Makes 12 servings
[Adapted from Sweet Stuff: Karen Barker's American Desserts]

Aa Raha paas ya door mein ja raha, Janu na mein hoon kahan pe ~ Ye Dooriyan, Love Aaj Kal

Aa Raha paas ya door mein ja raha,
Janu na mein hoon kahan pe

Ye Doorian ( Lyrics )
Movie: Love Aaj Kal
Music Director: Pritam Chakraborty
Singer(s): Mohit Chauhan
Lyricists: Irshad Kamil

Yeh doorian
Aaann….
Yeh doorian

Yeh doorian
In raho ki doorian
Nigahon ki doorian
Humraho ki doorian
Fanna ho sabhi doorian

Kyun koi paas hai, door hai
Kyun koi jaane na , koi yahan pe
Aa raha paas ya door mein
Ja raha janoo na mein hu kahan pe

Yeh doorian
In raho ki doorian
Nigahon ki doorian
Humraho ki doorian
Fanna ho sabhi doorian
Yeh doorian
Yeh doorian
Yeh doorian…aaaa.….

Kabhi hua yeh bhi, khali rahon pe bhi
Tu tha mere saath ,
Kabhi tujhe milke, lauta mere dil yeh
Khali khali haath
Yeh bhi huwa kabhi, jaise huwa abhi
Tujko sabhi mein paa liya

Tera mujhe kar jathi hai doorian
Satathi hai doorian
Tarsathi hai doorian
Fanna ho sabhi doorian

Kaha bhi na main ne, nahin jeena main ne
Tu jo na mila
Tujhe bhule se bhi, bola na mein yeh bhi
Chahu fasala
Bas fasala rahe banke kasak jo kahe
Ho aur chahat yeh jawan

Teri meri mit jani hai doorian
Begani hai doorian
Hat jani hai doorian
Fanna ho sabhi doorian

Kyun koi paas hai, door hai
Kyun koi jaane na , koi yahan pe
Aa raha paas ya door mein
Ja raha janoo na mein hu kahan pe

Yeh doorian
In raho ki doorian
Nigahon ki doorian
Humraho ki doorian
Fanna ho sabhi doorian
Yeh doorian yeh doorian yeh doorian…

Dede mujhe zindagi meri,Tenu dil da vasta ~ Ajj Din Chadheya, Love Aaj Kal

Manga jo mera hai, Jata kya tera hai
Mene kaun si, tujhse jannat manga li

Kaisa khuda hai tu,Bas naam ka hai tu
Rabba jo teri itni si bhi na chali
Chahiye Jo mujhe,Kar de tu mujhko ata

Jeeti rahi saltanat teri,Jeeti rahe ashiqui meri
Dede mujhe zindagi meri,Tenu dil da vasta

Ajj Din Chadheya ( Lyrics )
Movie: Love Aaj Kal
Music Director: Pritam Chakraborty
Singer(s): Rahat Fateh Ali Khan
Lyricists: Irshad Kamil

Ajj din Chadheya, Tere Rang Warga
Ajj din Chadheya, Tere Rang Warga

Phul sa hai khila Aaj din
Rabba mere din yeh na dhale
Woh jo mujhe khawab mein mile
Use tu lagede abb gale
Tenu Dil da Vasta

Rabba aaya dar de yaar de
SAra jahan chod chad ke

Mere sapne sawar de, Tennu dil da vasta

Ajj din Chadheya, Tere Rang Warga

Baksha gunaho ko
Sun ke duwao ko
Rabba Pyaar hai
Tune sab ko hi de diya

Meri bhi aahon ko
Sun le duwao ko
Mujhko woh dila mene jisko hai dil diya
Hoooo

Baksha gunaho ko
Sun ke duwao ko
Rabba Pyaar hai
Tune sab ko hi de diya

Meri bhi aahon ko
Sun le duwao ko
Mujhko woh dila mene jisko hai dil diya


Aasmaan pe aasmaan uske de itna Bata
Woh jo mujhko dekh ke hase
Pana chahun Raat din jise

Rabba mere naam kar use, Tenu Dil da Vasta

Ajj din Chadheya, Tere Rang Warga

Manga jo mera hai
Jata kya tera hai
Mene kaun si
tujhse jannat manga li

Kaisa khuda hai tu, Bas naam ka hai tu

Rabba jo teri itni si bhi na chali

Haaanaaa

Manga jo mera hai
Jata kya tera hai
Mene kaun si
tujhse jannat manga li

Kaisa khuda hai tu
Bas naam ka hai tu

Rabba jo teri itni si bhi na chali


Chahiye Jo mujhe
Kar de tu mujhko ata

Jeeti rahi saltanat teri
Jeeti rahe ashiqui meri

Dede mujhe zindagi meri
Tenu dil da vasta

Rabba mere din yeh na dhale
Woh jo mujhe khawab mein mile
Use tu lagede abb gale
Tenu Dil da Vasta

Rabba aaya dar de yaar de
SAra jahan chod chad ke


Mere sapne sawar de
Tennu dil da vasta

Ajj din Chadheya, Tere Rang Warga

Ajj din Chadheya, Tere Rang Warga

Ajj din Chadheya, Tere Rang Warga

din Chadheya

Tere Rang Warga

Ajj din Chadheya

Deeba's 2nd Blogiversary

I've never written a Blogiversary entry for myself or even celebrated the 50th or 100th post [even though I meant to....] Just didn't get around to doing it.....

I saw Deeba's article A WALK THROUGH THE STREETS OF OLD DELHI...& A 2ND BLOGIVERSARY GIVEAWAY!

She's celebrating 2 years of blogging.... and running a contest on the best comment.
Since I comment on most of her posts, this one warranted something special... started writing and then discovered that she deserved way more than a comment....

So here I am writing a post to wish her a HAPPY 2ND BLOGIVERSARY :-) Blog away girlie... Ure a joy to read....

So how did I meet her? I'm a part of the Delhi Blogger's society. When new member's join they sent a mail introducing themselves and their blog.

Deeba sent a mail sometime in August 08. Got interested in Deeba's URL http://passionateaboutbaking.blogspot.com now http://www.passionateaboutbaking.com. Clicked and entered a world of wonderful surprises and the most awesome stuff I could imagine.

The first post I read was "POPPY IN MY LIME COOKIES...COOKIES WITH ZEST!". They just blew me away. Her presentation was so immaculate.... I use to check her blog everyday.... :-)
Just check out a pic posted by her...

The next one was "MANGO MOUSSE CHEESECAKE TRIFLE...quite a yummy mouthful!" Mango is my favourite fruit :-) and when I saw it served so elegantly.... My heart skipped a beat....
Was totally addicted to the quips and quotes she puts in each post... :-)

She is a complete 'Foodus Bloggerus'. Click here to know what a 'Foodus Bloggerus' is.

Her yummy blog made me go back to the kitchen and try my hand at various things....I needed help one day, wrote to her and got an instant answer :-) We share phone numbers,from then on there was no looking back.....
Would call her whenever I needed help. she was always there for me at all sorts of odd hours.....

At first I tried some simple stuff You Can Kiss My Fingers. Slowly moved to more complicated stuff from her blog and started clicking pictures [no comparison to her awesome ones], did things like Mushroom Quiche with Daksayani and a Caramel Cake for Dipali's Anniversary which incidentally was a daring Baker's challenge.

We got talking sometime in October 08.

I was so excited.... to meet Deeba... Had been drooling all over her blog from so long and called her at odd hours for SOS advice about something or the other while baking....
She's fabulous.... gave me all the encouragement I ever needed.

Deeba and I - Passionately Variable

She graciously invited me over for lunch at her place Lunch at Deeba's, made a Zebra cake for them Zebra Cake for the Rajpals, We iced cupcakes together Cups of Magic ~ Vanilla Cupcakes @ Deeba's. It was such a nice day. Her kids are so wonderful.

Check out Deeba's account of the fun we had TRIFLE TALES...OF VISITING BLOGGERS & SWEET THINGS!

We exchanged notes on a non bake cheesecake recipe i had. Cheesecake ~ God's Way of Blessing Us, Deeba's is at STRAWBERRY REFRIGERATOR CHEESECAKE...Eggless

Some of her other goodies, I've made but still haven't published my experiences about [out of sheer laziness ;-) ]
CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY CAKE...Quite the Ultimate Combination!~ Made for babaji
COFFEE IN A TRIFLE....Simple & Impressive Dessert for coffee lovers! ~ Made for Mom n me.
COFFEE MOCHA GATEAU...& a hope for the future!~ Made for Gita Chachi's B'day
ESPRESSO CAKE...Can you smell the coffee??~ Made for Gita Chachi's B'day
ROLL BABY ROLL...The Daring Bakers make Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna [Didn't roll my own lasagne though ;-) ] ~ Made for babaji and some for home too when mamu n nani, nana were here.
ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS...STRAWBERRY CHOCOLATE SWISS ROLL~ Made for Shuchi, Anuj and Babu

Since the blogiversary post is about her visit to Chandni Chowk. Here are a few pictures of my visits to Dilli 6.









She's just way too wonderful. Haven't met many people who will part with the tricks of cooking with such an open heart... :-)

3 cheers to you and your blog.....