Celebration Tiramisu for Vivek*2

Both the Vivek's decide to have parties[Vivekji from Durbar for his promotion and Vivek from work for Diwali] and I offered to make dessert... What's it going to be..... Has to be Tiramisu cause that's what I've been tripping over for the last few days......

What's there in it not to repeat...... Loads of Coffee..... Loads of Rum in the form of Rum Soaked Raisins...... Topped with decadent Chocolate....

Luxurious Mascarpone cream..... Whipped into clouds of B-L-I-S-S.....
Make the luscious pastry using any of these recipes You Know.... It's For YOU, Tiramisu..., Chocolate Tiramisu ~ Amrita's Birthday, Cappuccino Tiramisu Cheesecake for Baking Queen ~ Deeba's Birthday. Make Chocolate Ganache.

What I have is a kitchen full of Vanilla Sponge, Coffee, Rum n Chocolate..... how can I resist myself from eating it all before completing the desserts.....

Super Congratulations are in order for Vivek ji for his promotion.....

Vivek[from office] loves his alcohol so upped the rum soaked raisin in his bowl n made a martini glass as decoration.

Vivek's wife Pushpanjali is such a gracious host who let me potter around in her kitchen.... :) Yashna n I had a blast making pasta while the others played cards... ;)
Verdict:
Vivek ji: Mummy aapka desert party ka oasis tha n u looked beautiful....

Vibha: Hey! N thanks to u for such awesome dessert man! It was perfectly done n u excelled yourself totally! Your being there made the party fun :)

Madame you have totally taken the cake this time! Ur dessert wuz simply purrfect, the rite sweetness, body, silkiness.. I ve bin pigging on it today n hv bi sittin n appreciating all day..

Sorry to put u on such a high, .) but both my sisters have totally freaked on ur dessert wch i call choc tiramisu, n they think its the best that they've ever eaten! Now that u r an established best in the field, i hv prasad on diwali. Do u want to do the dessert on totally professional basis? I thot better to ask u before i explore my next choices.. By the way, the food critic is also at work.. In ur dessert u ve to reduce the quantity of rum n spice it with little tini mini sugar n sm cinnamon. Rite now, the overpowering taste is taking away the sinful pleasure.. Which has to come subtly and gradually, not as a bolt in ur mouth..

The dessert was a major hit with gunjan n all the other darbaris who came yesterday.. Ran short.. Got polished off in 5 secs flat!

Swati Longia:
Thank you !! :* heaven on earth....

Triple Post for Banana Chocolate Upside Down Cake ~ Happy Mommy-to-be, Kids, Housewarming

Got an alert on facebook that David Lebovitz has posted a 'Banana Chocolate Upside Down Cake' reading thru it had me wanting to leave everything... run home and start making this cake instantly.... An added advantage was that the caramel was made from water and not butter.. :-)
Just before I left from work, Bhawna[a friend at work] called me to say that she's got me a gift... bless her soul... I love gift and nice surprises... even more....
First thing I did when as soon as I got home was rip open the gift pack...Can you imagine my delight when I saw 2 non stick baking pans with silicon handles.... Just the right shape for the Banana Chocolate Upside down cake, I have sitting in my head since the morning..... It was late when I got home... I put away the tins.... After dinner, one glance at them.... it seemed almost as though they were calling out softly to me in a ghostly voice.... 'Bake... Bake... Bake....' I just had to.... Got cracking in the kitchen...

Just after I took out the cake from the oven n put it on a wire rack to cool... was pleading with God.... pl pl pl let it come out clean and not stick to the bottom of the pan....... After it had cooled... I warmed the bottom a bit to make the caramel gooey so that the butter paper would peel off smoothly...... n that peeps was a stroke of a genius to me :-) It dropped out clean and I quickly peeled the butter paper off.... note, not without burning my fingers though....... Caramel is REALLY HOT people... pl use a pair of tongs or something..... Absolutely no contact with skin... unless u want to eat charred skin... Cutting out the gruesome....

The cake came out amazingly moist and perfectly in shape.... and turned upside down like a dream..... was dancing around the house with the plate totally excited n clapping my hands in glee.... Granddad just could fathom whats gotten into me....

That's Bhawana and her hub Vibhore. Bhawna's very selective about about the sweets she eats...She doesn't like chocolate... (can you imagine someone not liking chocolate but saving grace is that she likes it in the form of Brownies....) but I was told that her child must be introduced to Chocolate. Sure I will....
Banana Chocolate Upside Down Cake was my introduction of Chocolate to their baby.... She really enjoyed it... Vibhore smsed to say "Awesome! esp the choco droplets"
She sent some across to her sister n smsed me "Hi! Sent some cake to Cheena since she was drooling over d pics i'd smsed her. She says tell Nachi didi, it was awesome :-)"
You guys are just so sweet... You make spending long, hot hours in the kitchen worth it...

The next time thi was baked when we went for dinner to a cousin's place.... My contribution was Banana Chocolate Upside Down Cake and Sugar-Free Coffee Cheesecake. The girls couldn't wait for the adults to finish dinner before getting to the cake...... The girls were jumping up and down like excited jelly beans.... Whose Bithday is it? It's Nachi masi's birthday says her mom. Most obviously there was singing n cake cutting by the girls except it wasn't my birthday.... Didn't mind the kisses that i got from the girls on the pretext of my birthday.. :-)
The last time round, their mom had got the kissed n i got kisses from chocolate covered lips.. read the valentine story here.
This time round as well this cake didn't disappoint me..... Came out of the mould like magic.... Was appreciated by the kids and adults a lot.... How do I know? Everyone took second helpings... The girls wanted big pieces.... :-)

It was Julie and Vivek's House warming party..... Was going crazy thinking about what they would like.... He loves Pineapple Upside down cake and she loves Banoffee Pie... So it was best that I made Banana Chocolate Upside Down Cake, which would be liked by both... Had planned some Orange Cookies and made one for Princess too but alas, they burnt to cinders while I was on the phone making the evening program..... just didn't have the time to make another batch. It just has to be the cake then....

That's Julie, her mom, Pinakini[her sister, a total live wire] and Yashna[her niece].... The best part... they have a fabulously large kitchen.... amonst other awesome places in their castle.. ;-)

We had such a blast at the party.....
n why would you think the pool on the terrace would not be used by really HAPPY people to swim in and dunk others... n splash us dry people standing outside.....

Banana Chocolate Chip Upside-Down Cake Adapted from David Lebovitz's Recipe

One 8-inch (20 cm) square cake
When I originally developed this recipe, as mentioned, I was writing for a magazine that requested low-fat recipes, hence the single egg white. But if you're not all that concerned, simply add an additional egg, yolk and all, and reduce the sour cream by one tablespoon. If you live somewhere where sour cream isn't available, you can use buttermilk, plain whole milk yogurt, or fromage blanc. You'll notice that you can use either butter or water in the topping. If you're skeptical, I can honestly say that the non-butter version is really good. But for non-believers, go ahead and add a few tablespoons of butter instead.
Ingredients: For the topping:
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons (100 g) packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons water or butter; cubed, at room temperature
3-4 ripe medium bananas
a few drops of lemon juice


For the cake:
1 1/2 cups (210 g) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons (30 g) melted butter, salted or unsalted
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 cup (250 g) banana puree (about 2 bananas)
1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream, regular or low-fat
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (80 g) chocolate chips or chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

1. To make the topping, place the brown sugar and water or butter in an 8-inch (20 cm) square cake pan. Warm the pan directly on the stovetop over low heat, stirring until the sugar is thoroughly moistened.
If using water, simmer the mixture for about 45 seconds. If using butter, stir just until the sugar is moist and bubbling, then remove from heat. (It won't melt completely smooth, and there may be a few bare spots, which is normal.) Let cool to room temperature.
2. Peel and slice the bananas in 1/4-inch (1 cm) slices. Arrange them in slightly overlapping rows over the melted brown sugar. Sprinkle with a few drops of lemon juice.
3. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
4. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl, making sure there are no lumps. Mix in the granulated sugar.
5. In a small bowl, mix together the butter, egg, egg white, banana puree, sour cream, and vanilla.


6. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients until almost combined. Do not overmix. Gently fold in the chocolate pieces.
7. Scrape the batter into the pan over the bananas, then use a spatula to carefully spread the batter over the sliced fruit.
8. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the cake feels just set in the center when you touch it.
9. Cool the cake for about 20 minutes, then run a knife along the edges of the cake to help it release from the pan. Invert the cake onto a serving platter.

Serving: The cake is best served warm with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or by itself as a snack. If made an hour or so in advance, it can be inverted on the serving platter, and left with the cake pan over it, to keep it warm. Otherwise is can be rewarmed in a low over, covered with foil. Or enjoyed at room temperature.

This cake had me doing a monkey jig everytime... it's a Banana Chocolate Upside down cake after all.... ;-) The smokey flavour of the caramel is just divine..... It forces one to close their eyes with joy n go Hmmmmmm.....

This cake is a must try..... It's totally fabulous to sink your teeth into.... Turns the humble banana into something which is totally DIVINE....

They bore witness to all the craziness at Julie and Vivek's Housewarming party... Wishing the both of them all the best...

Happy Birthday Vivek ~ Pineapple Upside Down Cake LOADED with RUM :-)

Happy Birthday, Vivek..... :-)

He's one of the pillars at Infoedge and one of my earliest mentors at Infoedge..... He's old wine that's been aging on the rack for over 10 years.....3rd March 1999 is when he joined Infoedge....

Isn't that ancient in an era where people change jobs at the drop of a hat.... Well am headed in a similar direction cause I've known Vivek for the last 7 years that we've been at Infoedge. He's one of the hardest and smartest working people I've ever known and learnt so much from and he is now the Business head of Jeevansathi.com after having worked his way up the techie ladder all the way to the top. Read more about his achievements here....

Readers, Long posts are boring... long posts are not read by most people..... So on n So forth...... But this is not a commercial website... This is my blog and I write about people n stuff I like..... This guy I like and revere a lot.... Brace yourself for a long post cause Vivek deserves this and a lot more......
His birthday deserved something special... He requested for 'Pineapple Upside Down Cake' and that's exactly what he got.... the bonus being LOADED with rum... :-)

That's his family.... Pushpanjali [did a Banofee Pie for her] and their darling princess...... n we all know who he adores more.... ;-)

That's Vivek with his favorite muse Pushpanjali in a 'Jab-We-Met' moment... They make such a lovely couple....

Vivek has this patent pose where he hides behind Pushpanjali...... like... alllllllllll the time....

The camera is his passion.... his work with it is just amazing... view some here.
This fabulous picture of mine is labeled ....'Vivek ke camere ka kamal'.... this was taken in office to try out his new flash and like WOW!!!!!!! The 2 guys jumping is Puneet M and Puneet C when we had gone to Tunganath.... What a trip it was, read about it here.

On the way to Tunganath we stopped over at a Dhaba outside IIT-Roorkie to have their favorite bread omlette and had quite an encounter with an extremely abusive owner... The hill top posing at Deveria tal was really worth the trek we did.

We have a blast at the parties at Vivek's place..... His favorite sorts of parties are those which have.... Booze and Cards. We've even played with plastic glasses n match sticks as money..... read more about beginners luck here. How hard all of them tried to tech me 3 patti [flash] but no avail.. I just can't deal with this game......

We played at a height of 8500 ft in Bir billing... first thing in the morning...... The view was amazing.

That's Vivek's feet dangling while parasailing in Billing, himachal pradesh at 8500 ft..... Check out more pictures of this awesome trip here. The dedicated guy to work that he is..... all of us are enjoying n Vivek's on the phone with Darshan in office checking sales reports and site performance...... poor Darshan.... ;-)

Camp Fires are his specialty.....
who even collects his own firewood... :-)

He's a deeply grounded guy who loves nature.....
These shots are spread out over Tunnganath, Manali, Leh, Rohtang Pass and Bali.... Yes, he driven to all these places and more..... Driving and Hills are something he's very passionate about....

This is his favorite picture of nature.... clouds rolled in within minutes of a clear sky to create this mystical shot.....

Pictionary is something Vivek n I both love... We've played pictionary in office n had really fun times...... We've even played in the train in the wee hours of the morning when finally the lady next door had to shush us up n break up our party.....

Pushpanjali is a great sport for themed parties and ensure that Vivek's also following the code.... That's us at my Red n White Theme birthday party..... Pl note he's in a red n white check shirt under the black jacket... :-)

His office cabin is right next to the conference room... people keep borrowing chairs for meetings and never return them.... what's the solution... he's got a notice pasted on his cabin door.... 'You can't take chairs from my room'.... and yes we love pulling his leg on it...... all the diwali party presentations feature this very prominently.....

The foodie that he is...... We gathered for the Gastronomical Tour of Chandni Chowk.....

We ate and ate ate and ate ate and ate ate and ate ate and ate ate and ate .......... till we were gonna burst........

Sharing was the only way we would get to taste all that was on offer in Chandni Chowk..... That's Vivek, Pushpanjali, Hitesh and Shalab sharing 1 glass of Nimbu Soda [Lemon Squash]

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Ingredients

For Topping:

1/2 medium pineapple, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cored

3/4 stick unsalted butter

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

For Batter

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 to 3 ground cardamom seeds

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon dark rum [I used 4 caps full, which is why this cake was LOADED with rum :-)]

1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice

2 tablespoons dark rum for sprinkling over cake

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Make Topping:

Cut pineapple crosswise into 3/8-inch-thick pieces.

Arrange pineapple on top of sugar mixture in concentric circles, overlapping pieces slightly. in a dusted cake tin.

Melt butter in a pan.

Add brown sugar and simmer over moderate heat, stirring, 4 minutes till the sugar caramelises.

Remove from heat and pour over the arranged pineapples in the dusted tin.

Make Batter:

Sift together flour, cardamom, baking powder, and salt.

Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, then gradually beat in granulated sugar.

Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

Beat in vanilla and rum.

Add half of flour mixture and beat on low speed just until blended. [Better still just fold it in]

Beat in pineapple juice, then add remaining flour mixture, beating just until blended. (Batter may appear slightly curdled.) [Better still just fold it in]

Spoon batter over pineapple topping and spread evenly. Bake cake in middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Let cake stand in the tin 5 minutes. [wait it it's slightly warm and not completely cold else the caramel may stick to the pan and not invert evenly]

Invert a plate over tin and invert cake onto plate (keeping plate and tin firmly pressed together). Replace any pineapple stuck to bottom of skillet.

Sprinkle rum over cake and cool on plate on a rack.

Serve cake just warm or at room temperature.

Verdict: The caramel was awesome and the cake vanished in minutes.....

Happy Birthday, Vivek.