Chilli n Cherry in Chocolate Marquise on Lemon Meringue ~ Celebrating Sisters for Daring Baker Challenge

The Daring Baker's challenge is a group which I so love... It has a new technique, new plating and fabulous flavours every month... It always starts with cold feet, then psyching myself into collecting ingredients n thinking of flavours.... Then an entire weekend is spent in making the parts, putting it together, plating and finally the pictures..... In all of this there is support from the group from those who are done with it or have common questions.... and not to forget... driving mom up the wall while I work in the kitchen :)

This month's challenge was ideal as it's my sister's birthday and she's not big on sugary desserts yet enjoys her Cherries and Chocolate so my flavours were Chilli n Cherry in Chocolate Marquise with Lemon Meringue and Tequila Caramel Sauce. I must say, this Marquise is just fabulous... creamy and melt-in-your-mouth decadence.... The deep flavours of the Tequila Caramel Sauce went very well with the tang and zing of Chilli n Cherry in Chocolate Marquise.

Blog-checking lines: The May 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Emma ofCookCraftGrow and Jenny of Purple House Dirt. They chose to challenge everyone to make a Chocolate Marquise. The inspiration for this recipe comes from a dessert they prepared at a restaurant in Seattle.

My other sister Amrita, just got back from her holiday in Tahiti and got back Vanilla beans and Vanilla essence for me..... I just had to use it in my Daring Baker Challenge.

The Meringue recipe called for a Blowtorch and I didn't have one..... I called up a cousin of mine who deals in hardware equipment and he very sweetly had one sent over..... Armed with my new recipe... new ingredients... new tools... I forged ahead, only to be cowed down by the heat...... Delhi is just soooooo hot that anything in the desserts section would melt really quick.....

Chocolate Marquise

Servings: 6 2"x2" (5cmx5cm) cubes

Ingredients

3 large egg yolks at room temperature

1 large egg

2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons (40 ml) (40 grams/ 1½ oz) sugar

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon (2/3 fluid oz/ 20 ml.) water

Chocolate Base, barely warm (recipe follows)

½ cup (4 fluid oz./ 120 ml.) heavy cream

½ cup Dutch process cocoa powder (for rolling) (Note: We used extra brut, like Hershey's Special Dark. Make sure it's a Dutch processed cocoa, not a natural cocoa powder.)

Torched meringue (recipe follows)

Spiced almonds (recipe follows)

Cacao nibs (optional)

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the egg yolks and whole eggs. Whip on high speed until very thick and pale, about 10 - 15 minutes.

When the eggs are getting close to finishing, make a sugar syrup by combining the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring the syrup to a boil and then cook to softball stage (235F/115C). If you have a cake tester with a metal loop for a handle, the right stage for the syrup is reached when you can blow a bubble through the loop (as seen in the following pictures).

Blowing a sugar bubble Sugar bubble

With the mixer running on low speed, drizzle the sugar syrup into the fluffy eggs, trying to hit that magic spot between the mixing bowl and the whisk.

When all of the syrup has been added (do it fairly quickly), turn the mixer back on high and whip until the bowl is cool to the touch. This will take at least 10 minutes.

In a separate mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Set aside.

When the egg mixture has cooled, add the chocolate base to the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Try to get it as consistent as possible without losing all of the air you've whipped into the eggs. We used the stand mixer for this, and it took about 1 minute.

Fold 1/3 of the reserved whipped cream into the chocolate mixture to loosen it, and then fold in the remaining whipped cream.

Pour into the prepared pans and cover with plastic wrap (directly touching the mixture so it doesn't allow in any air).

Freeze until very firm, at least 2 - 4 hours (preferably 6 – 8 hours).

When you're ready to plate, remove the marquise from the freezer at least 15 minutes before serving. While it's still hard, remove it from the pan by pulling on the parchment 'handles' or by flipping it over onto another piece of parchment.

Cut it into cubes and roll the cubes in cocoa powder. These will start to melt almost immediately, so don't do this step until all of your other plating components (meringue, caramel, spiced nuts, cocoa nibs) are ready. The cubes need to sit in the fridge to slowly thaw so plating components can be done during that time. They don’t need to be ready before the cubes are rolled in the cocoa powder.

Plate with the torched meringue and drizzled caramel sauce, and toss spiced almonds and cocoa nibs around for garnish. You want to handle the cubes as little as possible because they get messy quickly and are difficult to move. However, you want to wait to serve them until they've softened completely. The soft pillows of chocolate are what make this dessert so unusual and when combined with the other elements, you'll get creamy and crunchy textures with cool, spicy, salty, bitter, and sweet sensations on your palate.

Chocolate Base

Servings: n/a - this is an ingredient for the chocolate marquise, not meant to be used separately

Ingredients

3 oz (85 grams/ 6 tablespoons) bittersweet chocolate (about 70% cocoa)

1/3 cup + 2 teaspoons (90 ml/3 fluid oz.) heavy cream

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/16 teaspoon cayenne

1 tablespoon (15 ml/ 1/2 fluid oz.) tequila

1 tablespoon (15 ml/ 1/2 fluid oz.) light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon/(less than 1/4 ounce) cocoa powder (we used extra brut, like Hershey's Special Dark, but any Dutch-processed cocoa would be fine. Do not substitute natural cocoa powder.)

dash freshly ground black pepper

1/4 oz unsalted butter (1/2 tablespoon/8 grams), softened

Directions:

1. Place the chocolate in a small mixing bowl.

2. In a double-boiler, warm the cream until it is hot to the touch (but is not boiling). Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate.

3. Allow it to sit for a minute or two before stirring. Stir until the chocolate is melted completely and is smooth throughout.

4. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

5. Set aside until cooled to room temperature. Do not refrigerate, as the base needs to be soft when added to the marquise mixture. If you make it the day before, you may need to warm it slightly. Whisk it until it is smooth again before using it in the marquise recipe.

Torched Meringue

Servings: Makes about 1 cup of meringue.

Ingredients

3 large egg whites

1/2 cup less 1 tablespoon (105 ml) (3½ oz or 100 gms) sugar

Splash of apple cider vinegar

1/8 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Combine the egg whites, sugar and vinegar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using your (clean, washed) hand, reach in the bowl and stir the three together, making sure the sugar is moistened evenly by the egg whites and they make a homogeneous liquid.

Over a saucepan of simmering water, warm the egg white mixture. Use one hand to stir the mixture continuously, feeling for grains of sugar in the egg whites. As the liquid heats up, the sugar will slowly dissolve and the egg whites will thicken. This step is complete when you don't feel any more sugar crystals in the liquid and it is uniformly warm, nearly hot.

Remove the mixing bowl from the saucepan and return it to the stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Whisk until you reach soft peaks. In the last 10 seconds of mixing, add the vanilla to the meringue and mix thoroughly.

When you're ready to plate the dessert, spoon the meringue onto a plate (or use a piping bag) and use a blowtorch to broil.

Tequila Caramel

Servings: Makes about 1/4 cup of caramel

Ingredients

1/4 cup (60 ml/2 fluid oz) (2 oz/55 gm) sugar

2 tablespoons (1 fluid oz./ 30 ml.) water

1/4 cup (2 fluid oz./ 60 ml.) heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 tablespoon tequila

Directions:

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and water on medium-high heat. Boil until the water completely evaporates and the sugar caramelizes to a dark mahogany color.

Working quickly, add the cream to the darkened caramel. It will bubble and pop vigorously, so add only as much cream as you can without overflowing the pot. Stir fast!

Return the pot to the stove on low heat and whisk gently to break up any hardened sugar. Add any remaining cream and continue stirring. Gradually, the hard sugar will dissolve and the caramel sauce will continue to darken. When the caramel has darkened to the point you want it, remove it from the heat. Add the salt and tequila and stir to combine. Set aside until ready to serve.

Happy Birthday Nivritti!!!!!

Cherry Chocolate Cake for my Dessert Soul Partner, Vibha

Celebrating a special birthday, my soul partner for desserts, Vibha. People dirty talk porn... we dirty talk D-e-s-s-e-r-t-s.... ;)

Her brief for this cake was Low Sugar, Chocolate, CHERRY for a party of 25 people. What I love about her is that she'll share her inputs and let me work with them and in most[that's me being modest... actually all] cases we hit a H-i-g-h N-o-t-e :)

Celebrations at her place always mean super-yummy-food, drastic drinks and fabulously fun filled times..... She had made a delicious Thai spread and her hubby fixed us our drinks[Oh yes, he ensured we were happy n high] Since I'm not driving these days due to my hurt foot, i could really pull out the plugs and have a blast :)

Cherry Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

Eggs - 4

Sugar - 1 cup

Oil - 1/2 cup

Flour - 1 1/2 cups

Vanilla Essence - 1/2 Teaspoon

Baking powder - 1/2 Teaspoon

Dark cocoa powder - 2 Tablespoon

Coffee Powder - 1 Tablespoon

Cinnamon - 1 Teaspoon freshly ground [2 teaspoons if used a packaged variety]

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.

2. Sift the dry ingredients and just mix together with a spoon to get an even mix.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs and sugar beat until creamy and light in colour.

4. Add vanilla extract and oil to the mixture.Mix to incorporate without loosing the fluff from the mixture.

5. Add the Flour, Baking powder, cocoa powder, coffee and cinnamon and incorporate with a light circular movement without losing the fluff. The color of the cocoa batter should be quite dark.

6. Pour in greased and floured the sides of the cake tin.

7. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes till the tester comes out clean

Assembly:

1. Slice the cake in half.

2. Brush both insides generously with brandy.

3. Spread the cherry preserve evenly.

4. Place the soaked cherries evenly arround the cake so that every slice would get some fruits in it.

5. Place the half back on the cake and refrigerate before decorating with ganache for atleast an hour.

Decoration with Chocolate Ganache:

1. While the cake is baking, put 200ml cream with the dark chocolate on simmer & continue to stir till the chocolate has melted. Take off from heat & allow to cool completely,[NEVER the freezer]. Give it a few stirs, this will thicken as it cools.

2. Spread the ganache over the top and sides of the cooled cake evenly. Refrigerate.

3. Use the white chocolate shavings to neaten the edges of the cake.

Tip: To moisten the cake you could pour come of the warm icing so that cake absorbs it and is moist without having resting time in the refrigerator.

We shared her Birthday with Ajita didi's mom..... The cake was Hogged :)))))))) She loved it...

That's Vibha's longtime friend from college , Hubby and kids
Verdict:

Vibha: Thank you my dear! The cake was simply the perfect one for me. really relished it! You made too much of an effort.

Your smile make it all the effort worthwhile, Dessert Soul Partner :)))))

Lombardian Food Festival at ItALIa, New Delhi ~ A Celebration With Friends

ItALIa, an authentic Italian cuisine restaurant invited us to their Lombardian Food festival. It’s on from the 21st Jan – 6th Feb 2011, It’s located on the 2nd floor, DLF Promenade, Vasant Kunj. A must visit for it’s food, ambience and service.

Lombardy lies in the North of Italy and is famous for its food, culture, fashion, joy for life and football. Culinary delights from this part of Italy are rich and mainly consist of rice, cheese and meats. Rice being popular in the region, is often found in soups as well as risotto, such as "Risotto alla Milanese". Regional cheeses include robiola, crescenza, taleggio, gorgonzola and grana padano (the plains of central and southern Lombardy allow intensive cattle-raising). Butter and cream are used freely. Single pot dishes, which take less work to prepare, are popular. In Bergamo, Brescia, and Valtellina, polenta is common. In Mantua festivals feature tortelli di zucca (ravioli with pumpkin filling) accompanied by melted butter and followed by turkey stuffed with chicken or other stewed meats.

Favorite dishes from this region are Risotto Milanese, Veal ossobucco, Cotoletta alla Milanese (veal cutlets), Cassoeula (pork and cabbage stew), Baked Polenta Gnocchi, Pasta Norma, Tortellini Bolognaise to name some, all of which we found at the festival.

We started with a bread basket while deciding our drinks, seated in the open air dining area. We had a few cocktails and our choice of wine was Canalleto Montepulciano.

The starting note hit a high with Polenta Frita(pan fried polenta cakes topped with pancetta and mozzarella) which was delicious, it’s crunch from the coarse cornmeal grain n evenly cooked patty topped with melted mozzarella cheese left us anticipating what the rest of the meal would be like. Then came the Insalata di Barbabietole e Formaggio Caprino(oven roasted beetroot and goat cheese salad with balsamic and aragula). None of us on the table are beetroot fans.... We were in a ‘bring-it-on’ mode, so we tasted some and were hooked.... It was absolutely amazing... We are now converts.... We love roasted beetroot... the salad dressing had a sweet caramel taste to it along with the balsamic vinegar..... This salad was a Winner for me.... our clean plates would have told the story back to the chef in the kitchen.

The next course was soup, Minestrone al risso was made well, my friends enjoyed it but somehow I was in a cheesy, indulgent mood and vegetables minus cheese just weren’t my calling. Since I asked for a cheesy evening my next was Pizza con Patate, pollo e gorgonzola(pizza with potatoes, chicken and gorgonzola cheese) This was a first for me, potatoes on pizza..... was enjoyable... The crust of the pizza was quite thin... as in really thin n wafer like..... someone’s working very hard in the Kitchen..... The potatoes n chicken put together have this way of comforting you with melted cheese like no other....
The only part of my meal which I didn’t quite enjoy as much was the Risotto ala Milanese(classic saffron risotto), Tortellini alla Bolognese(mince meat dumplings with parmesan cheese) and Ravioli de Zucca(pumpkin ravioli butter walnut sauce) Can’t put a finger on what wasn’t right with them, but all of us on the table weren’t very excited about these 3.


Can any post be complete without the POSER INC..... :) That’s Shuchi, Gauri and Radhika.


We met Rahul and his family at the festival who had come down from West Delhi and very happy with their evening at ItALIa. They felt the service was good, seating was comfortable and ambience was nice too. They liked the pizza and pasta they ordered but weren’t too happy with the chicken and named another outlet which they preferred for chicken. Another thing they mentioned which I would agree with is that the tables are a bit small for the seating, even we had to join 2 tables to seat 4 people. That’s Rahul with his clan of lovely ladies.

The next course was Cotoletta alla Milanese(breaded veal escalopes, spaghetti tomato basil sauce) and Gnocchi di Patate(potato dumplings with a mushroom sauce). This platter took our hearts (read stomachs) away.... The veal was coated just right and fried to perfection..... cooked just right... The spaghetti with chunky tomato sauce was a delight and refreshingly different from the saucy pastas served in most Italian joints. If the silence on a table with 4 ladies is anything to go by..... The chef must take this silence as a compliment.

Then came the Pangasio al forno(baked river sole with mustard potatoes and salsa verde) and Malfatti Ricotta e Spinaci(ricotta cheese and spinach malfatti). We all love our fish, mushrooms, cheese, and olives.... We would have loved to say this was the best but sadly the salt content was a bit high especially in the sole n mushrooms. As a result, we couldn’t enjoy our favourite flavours to the hilt. The ricotta cheese and spinach had me whistling the Popeye Whistle. Delicious ricotta and spinach gnocchi come from both Lombardia (called malfatti) and Casentino (Tuscany), the main difference being that gnocchi del casentino are cooked and served in a meat broth while malfatti is sprinkled with cheese. Malfatti, which translates to “badly-made” shape in Italian and this one was soft and smooth with melted cheese on top.

We didn’t even know what was going to hit us when the Polenta Pasticciata(polenta lasagna with lamb ragu and musrooms) and Ossobuco di vitello (veal shanks with parmesan herb rissoto and gremolota) were served.... They were superb... We loved them... The lamb ragu was a gastronomical delight. I would have to go back for these when I can enjoy their flavours on an empty stomach. The chef’s recommendation on the Ossobuco di vitello was spot on. The meat was cooked just right and the risotto was hitting just the right notes with me.....


While chatting with Chef Somopriyo Basu, we were informed that the cheese used in our meal (gorgonzola, taleggio, parmigiano reggiano) was all imported from Italy:
The goat cheese was imported from France. The spare ribs & sausages were imported from Holland. The tomatoes, pastas & arborio rice for risotto, extra virgin olive, balsamic vinegar borlotti beans, cannellini beans were from Italy.
He even bought out his block of parmigiano reggiano to show us how the original cheese makers pierced the cheese to ensure no fakes went around.

This dinner was so close to my birthday that my friends turned it into a celebration of sorts. Gauri of Backyard Baker baked an Almond Tosca... It’s something I hadn’t heard of... till she enlightened me about the classic Swedish cake. It was spongy and crunchy in the same bite.... A must bake. Thank you so much girls for the lovely thoughts, gifts and amazing evening.

A side of me which many of my friends know but not too many have captured..... am absolutely click-happy... most of what I eat is clicked.... More at ‘10 + 3 Things You Should Know About Food Bloggers’.

To be honest by this time we were stuffed with the delightful meal Chef Somopriyo Basu had put out for us and graciously informed us that Chef Anurudh Khanna, Executive Chef, The Park ,New Delhi helped & guided them in each step to make this festival a success. Then came the dessert which I was expecting to be Tiramisu but was pleasantly surprised with a Pannacotta alla Vaniglla e Lamponi [vanilla bean Pannacotta with raspberry sauce) which was creamy delight with refreshing raspberry sauce despite us being satiated with our huge meal.

The average price for meal for two: Rs.2500+taxes (without alcohol)

I would love to go back, this time to their private dining area and see what that has to offer.
Ps: One of us was a vegetarian and must say was very well provided for.

Special Birthday Party & Trip for Mom ~ Hyderabad Here We Come

A WONDERFUL MOTHER.

GOD made a wonderful mother,
A mother who never grows old;
He made her smile of the sunshine,
And He molded her heart of pure gold;
In her eyes He placed bright shining stars,
In her cheeks, fair roses you see;
God made a wonderful mother,
And He gave that dear mother to me.
~Pat O'Reilly~

We went to Hyderabad to naniji n nanaji's [my maternal grandparent's] place in Hyderabad to celebrate my mom's birthday. Naniji had made a special pudding to be cut at midnight for mom, Chocolate, Bread, Hung Curd, Low Fat, No added Sugar, Walnuts & SUPER SPECIAL LOVE...... does it get better......

Birthday's are always special and should be celebrated with special people......

This is exactly what we did... We got my dadaji[my paternal grandfather] to travel after a gap of 25 odd years especially to celebrate mom's birthday with naniji n nanaji.... He was amazed at how much Hyderabad has changed over these years[more in the next post]. Pl do check out the similar scarves I got for both nanaji n dadaji to wear at the party[Did I want rivalry on who got the better one if I selected different ones... nah :)]... aren't they looking cute * Super big :) *


The joy of sharing this special evening with friends was a completely exhilarating :)

That's the bunch of really close friends.... nah... family.... Ashok Uncle, Naniji, Nanaji, Parveez aunty, Mom, Savita aunty, dadaji and Nalladaru uncle......
Ps: Nivritti and Chetan, you were missed a lot.....
These are the only pictures I could manage as taking pictures wasn't allowed at the Sailing Club.

This is what Nani n I made for mom..... Strawberry jelly served with fresh Oranges, Chocolate Orange Sugarfree Brownies and Chocolate fudge from a friend[which we shared with all the guests as party favours :), I loved the christmasy packing we did :)] along with the Midnight Chocolate Pudding....... now.. now... ain't that quite a spread.....

My mum ♥ has made me laugh :))).....Wiped my tears .....Hugged me tight.....Watched me succeed.....Seen me fall.....Cheered me on.....Kept me going strong.....And.....Drove me a *little* crazy at times .....But mums are a promise from God that you will have a friend forever! I love u mom for all this and MORE.....

Happy Birthday Chocolate Tarts for Suma of Cakes and More

This is a very special post for my blogger friend, Suma of Cakes and More from Bangalore. She did an amazing guest post for me... Egg-less Coffee Walnut Cake Trifle. Her blog has turned 1.... Happy Birthday my dear friend.......

She's hosting a birthday event and also has a giveaway announcement, she calls it Bakeomania! What a cool name for this event. The give away is this wonderful book, which every baker would love to own 'The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum!'.
Since her blog is a vegetarian blog.... I had to rack my brains very hard at what can I bake without eggs... an eggless cake... nah... that's the first thought everyone will have........
Chocolate n Coffee at Suma's birthday event is essential cause I know she loves them both and since she's so careful with the look for her desserts.... mine had to look desirable too.....

So, My Chocolatey baked goodie is this Chocolate Ganache Tarts..... No eggs in the pastry shells, They are baked, There's hmmmmmmm goooooooeeeeeeey molten Chocolate n cream and some Coffee added for extra flavour to the Ganache........

As she says.... Three Cheers to home-baking and may the passionate home-bakers tribe increase!
Suma: Am certainly a +1 on your list, hope i get the book to keep up my crazy baking :)

Zesty Orange Sugarfree Brownies for Abhimanyu's Birthday Parshad

It was my brother Abhimanyu's birthday and also a Durbar day..... So.... So obviously I made the parshad... Most of the people who give up Sugar due to myriad reasons, crave chocolate cause most of the Sugarfree desserts available commercially are fruity, custardy or creamy....
Step in Nachiketa[pl allow me some immodesty :) ], after my success with Sugarfree Cherry Brownies... I made Sugarfree Orange Brownies :) I used Fresh orange juice and zest along with Splenda...

He's the quintessential Shy-Guy, who has young women swooning around him ;)
That's his mom, my chachi...the evergreen young lady of our house :)


Happy Birthday, Bro :)

Fruit in Baking ~ Monthly Mingle Hosted By Deeba

The minute I read Deeba's post where she's guest hosting Meeta's Monthly Mingle with the theme Fruits in Baking.... I just had to get cracking....... Also this month's her birthday.... So what better than making her something with fruits in it.... Brain Ticking... What is it that I make well with fruits? What fruits are easily available in the market.... Apples n Bananas... She's already done so much Apple that my Apple Crumble and Apple Pie was not a patch on the awesome stuff she does......

Ok so I could do Banana Upside down cake... I love it and so do others... But Deeba likes COFFEE
or maybe a Banoffee Pie which I haven't made for some time with a twist, will add coffee to it.....

Come 14th November....called her up to wish her n check what's a good time to drop by as her sister's in town n wish her with a surprise..... n guess what she pried out of me what the surprise was... and thank God she did.... She doesn't like Bananas....... WHACK...... idea smacked out...
Back to Square 1....... with hardly any time left till the evening....... Any good cake needs time....

Racked my brains again..... She likes COFFEE[Since it's Tiramisu month, it fits the coffee bill perfectly.... Then alarm bells ring to remind me that's what I made for her last year too... can't make the same thing again] Back to Square 1....... Yet Again......
Hmmmm so now I start thinking Cake... So there's COFFEE again[that's permanent on the Ingredient Checklist] n in spices she uses Cinnamon fairly regularly[brings out the flavour of coffee with brilliance, works well for me... added to Ingredient Checklist] and there is loads of Chocolate[added to Ingredient Checklist] always which her kids love.....
Hey!!!! where's the Fruit element??? I add Rum soaked raisins to the Ingredient Checklist cause they are my favourite.... and yes... Raisins are fruit cause they are dried grapes.....
So off I go to put together her cake with COFFEE, Cinnanon, Chocolate n Raisins.

Raisins are often known as nature's candy, they are counted amongst the most nutritious dried fruits in the whole world. They are cholesterol-free, low in sodium, high in fiber and totally fat-free. Apart from that, they contain a lot of vitamins and minerals, making their nutritional value very high. Raisins are the best source of quick energy, as they contain 70 percent pure fructose, which gets digested by the body easily and gives instant energy.[Source]

Nutritional Value of Raisins- [Source]
Given below is the amount of nutrients in 100 gm of raisins:
Total Carbohydrates - 79 gm
Dietary Fiber - 4 gm
Sugars - 59 gm
Protein - 3 gm
Vitamin C - 2.3 mg
Vitamin E - 0.12 mg
Vitamin K - 3.5 mcg
Thiamin - 0.106 mg
Riboflavin - 0.125 mg
Niacin - 0.766 mg
Vitamin B6 - 0.174 mg
Folate - 5 mcg
Calcium - 50 mg
Iron - 1.88 mg
Magnesium - 32 mg
Phosphorus - 101 mg
Potassium - 749 mg
Sodium - 11 mg
Zinc - 0.22 mg
Copper - 0.318 mg
Manganese - 0.299 mg
Selenium - 0.6 mcg

Health & Nutrition Benefits of Eating Raisins
1. Having antioxidant properties, raisins help keep the blood clean and flowing, by getting rid of all the impurities.
2. Raisins are believed to be good for bone density and have been associated with lower risk of osteoporosis in women.
3. The phytonutrients and olenolic acid present in raisins makes them beneficial for the health of teeth and gums.
4. Raisins are good for eyes and have been found to be helpful in prevention of macular degeneration.
5. Being high in calories, but not fats, raisins are a very good source of energy, especially for children and athlete.
6. Raisins are a good source of fiber and can help cure constipation. For the purpose, boil raisins in a saucepan of water, strain the liquid and drink it.
7. Studies claim that raisins contain additional nutritive compounds that can protect against heart disease and colon cancer.

So now I'm all ready and packed up to be delivered......

Coffee Chocolate Raisin Cake
Ingredients:
Eggs - 4
Sugar - 1 1/2 cup
Oil - 1/2 cup
Flour - 1 1/2 cups
Vanilla Essence - 1/2 Teaspoon
Baking powder - 1/2 Teaspoon
Dark cocoa powder - 2 Tablespoon
Coffee Powder - 3 Tablespoon
Cinnamon - 1 Teaspoon freshly ground [2 teaspoons if used a packaged variety]

For Ganache
Cooking Chocolate - 200gms
Cream - 200 gms [I use amul cream]
White chocolate shavings
confetti for the topping

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Sift the dry ingredients and just mix together with a spoon to get an even mix.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs and sugar beat until creamy and light in colour.
4. Add vanilla extract and oil to the mixture.Mix to incorporate without loosing the fluff from the mixture.
5. Add the Flour, Baking powder, cocoa powder, coffee and cinnamon and incorporate with a light circular movement without losing the fluff. The color of the cocoa batter should be quite dark.
6. Pour in greased and floured the sides of the cake tin. Mid way sprinkle soaked raisins[I'm very generous with them ;)] Pour in the rest of the batter evenly.
7. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes till the tester comes out clean

Decoration with Chocolate Ganache:
1. While the cake is baking, put 200ml cream with the dark chocolate on simmer & continue to stir till the chocolate has melted. Take off from heat & allow to cool completely,[NEVER the freezer]. Give it a few stirs, this will thicken as it cools.
2. Spread the ganache over the top and sides of the cooled cake evenly. Refrigerate.
3. Use the white chocolate shavings to neaten the edges of the cake.
Tip: To moisten the cake you could pour come of the warm icing so that cake absorbs it and is moist without having resting time in the refrigerator.

This Coffee, Chocolate Raisin Cake is my entry for the Monthly Mingle that Deeba is guest hosting for Meeta. If you are BAKING WITH FRUIT this month, do send it in to Monthly Mingle posted HERE. You have until the 22nd of November to get the entries in!

Daksayani was so excited about Deeba's Birthday that she sat down and made quite an elaborate garden on her card....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEEBA.... WISHING YOU 48 HAPPY HOURS IN A DAY, EVERYDAY......
:)

Sharing some more love....
Sending Deeba's birthday Coffee Chocolate Raisin Cake to 'The Chocolate Fest' Hosted by Madhuri at Cook Curry Nook.

‘The Chocolate Fest’ – Celebrating CCN’s 1st Anniversary

Be a part of 'The Chocolate Fest'. Let's levitate together in Chocolate Nirvana!

Mango Buttermilk Cake for Geetu's Birthday

Today is Geetika's birthday, my cousin sister...... Happy Birthday Sis :) We fondly call her Geetu...... We've had loads of fun growing up and at weddings of cousins....

She stays in Jaipur ans was visiting Delhi at the same time as my brother Chetan from Australia and Gautam was over from Mumbai....... We gave her a surprise by landing up at Kanika's(Geetu's sibling) place in Gurgaon at some 1am with a Mango Cake.

It was so much fun meeting up after 5-6 months... We catchup from where we left off..... All of us put together is a Mad-Mad-Mad party... :)

Poor Gautam had such a long day.... Up since 4 am and on his feet till 3am the next day and beyond cause he got locked out of his cousin's house where he was suppose to spend the night... It was hilarious..... We tried waking up Abhinav(Gautam's cousin) from the window and ended up waking his parents n the neighbours at some 3am.... still laughing at how funny it was....

Geetu's an extremely talented person who along with working with her dad also paints and makes candles..... A glimpse of her work...

I decided to make her a Mango Buttermilk Cake made out of real mango pulp and not any synthetic essence. This picture may look like I've done some photoshop work on it.... But believe me.... The mangoes were so luscious n pulpy that I didn't have to do any processing on the pictures... They are just-as-they-were-clicked.

Mango Buttermilk Cake
Adapted from Bright Morning Star

Mango Custard
[I halved the quantity of these to get 1 tin]

Ingredients:
5 yolks + 2 whole eggs
2 cups sugar [ d mangoes i used were pretty sweet, so if using tart mangoes you may need to decrease or increase as per taste]
75 grams salted + 50 unsalted,at room temperature [ you could use all unsalted butter and add a pinch of salt ]
3 cups mango puree with juice of 1 little lime.


1. Simmer a large pan of water

2. Place a glass/ steel bowl[that fits into the pan just right to make it a double boiler] with 1 cup of sugar and 100 gms of butter [ mix of both if using both]. Simmer whisking well till butter and sugar dissolves.

3. Whisk till sugar dissolves and cool a bit.

4. Add 5 well whisked egg yolks and 2 whole eggs to the puree and whisk away.

5. Add to the butter and sugar and whisk again and Keep the bowl back on the flame on the pan of simmering water.

6. Keep stirring till its real thick and sticks well to the spoon and it took me almost 2 hours for this quantity.
But you could keep it directly in the pan , instead of double boiler, but never let it boil , and let the flame be really low. Watch it carefully.

7. The consistency , will be thicker than that of Lemon curd, clings very thickly to the spoon.
Almost Custardy than liquidy and very wobbly , as if its set kinda.

How to check its Done?
What i did,and it quite worked ,is that, pop in a few little bowls in the freezer when u begin , and as and when u think its getting done, heap a nice Teaspoon full into the bowls and pop back in the freezer for a few seconds:-)
Well check the consistency and flav, and yeah u can add a bit more sugar if u want too ,too:-))

Mango Buttermilk Cake
[I halved the quantity of these to get 1 tin]

Ingredients:
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
4 1/2 cups sugar, plus 1/2 cup for sprinkling
4 large eggs [or 6 if u skip the mango curd]
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract [i used 3 whole vanilla beans]
Finely grated zest of 4 lemons (for lemon cake, but i do love what it did to the mango cake]
Juice of 1 lemon (for lemon cake-optional]
1.5 cups Buttermilk
1.5 cups Mango chunky mango bits with juice
[as i chopped a few mangoes, i had pieces from the cups and thick puree from the seeds]
3/4 cup mango curd



Mia's Notes
~~~this quantity makes quite a bit of cake, i halved it and still had lods of cake
~~~if making a few cuppys too, tip the tops with some mango Curd ...delicious!
~~~love the crust that forms atop with the sprinkled sugar:-)
~~~the original called for 6eggs but since i had mango curd ,i cut it down to 4:-))

Method:

1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter and flour two 10-inch round cake pans.
[I buttered a heart shaped cuppy cake too.[post coming up later for this one :) ]
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

2.In another bowl, cream the butter and 4 1/2 cups of sugar until fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Stir in the vanilla or scrape the vanilla seeds into the batter.
Add the lemon zest and juice and the cubed mango pieces and puree mash.

3.Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture, alternating with the buttermilk and mango curd.
Scrape batter into prepared cake pans.
A few cakes , were half filled, a mango slice/puree in between and then covered with batter again!

4.Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of the sugar on top of the batter or a mango slice if u want too or both! [I didn't do this as the mangoes were already very sweet]

Bake until set, when a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean (about 1 hour).

5.Let the cakes cool in their pans, and then invert them onto a rack.

Delicious and butterly so.....flavor sure develops the next day, as per Rashmi Aunty(Geetu's mom) who ate it in Jaipur the next day.

A buttery mango batter with a layer in between and topped with mango mango batter and some mango curd.
This wonderfully crumbly and textured cake is sure to make any Mango loving person go into raptures of delight....

Happy Birthday, Geetu..... All the best.....