Butter cake

Preparation Time : 15 minutes | Cooking Time : 45 minutes

Ingredients
Plain flour (Maida) – 1 1/2 cups
Baking powder – 3/4 tsp
Baking soda – 1/4 tsp
Salt – a pinch
Eggs - 3
Unsalted butter – 125 grams
Milk - 1/2 cup
Caster sugar – 1 1/4 cup
Vanilla essence – 1 tsp

Method
Preheat oven to 180 C for 10 minutes before baking. Grease a deep 8 inch round cake tin. Line base with baking paper, beat ingredients in a bowl on a low speed with electric mixer until just combined. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. The batter might look curdled but it is fine. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.

Bake the cake in the oven for 40 to 45 mins until the inserted skewer comes out clean. Let it cool for sometime and then turn it over a server plate. Do not cut until it is cooled down.

Courtesy: Maria Jose (mariasmenu)

Eggless Peanut Butter cookies

Preparation Time : 30 minutes | Cooking Time : 15 minutes

Ingredients
All purpose flour (Maida) – 1 ¼ cups
Baking powder – ½ teaspoon
Baking soda – ¾ teaspoon
Salt – ¼ teaspoon
Unsalted butter – ½ cup, soften at room temperature
Granulated white sugar – ½ cup
Light brown sugar– ½ cup
Peanut butter – ½ cup, (creamy)
Milk – ¼ cup

Method
Take maida, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl, mix it well and keep it aside. Now take butter in a large bowl and whisk it until it get smooth and creamy. Add both sugars and beat it again until creamy and fluffy.Now add peanut butter and milk and beat it again. Add the flour mixture beat it until smooth but ensure you do not over do it.



Preheat the oven to about 190 C. Line the baking tray with parchment paper (butter paper). Make tablespoon size balls from the batter and arrange them in the prepared sheet. Place them about 2 inches apart from each other. If required, using a fork, make crisscross patterns over the batter.

Bake them in the oven for about 13 to 15 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges. Let it cool for 5 minutes.

Note: I have used Demerara sugar for my recipe and that's the reason my cookies are darker.

Recipe courtesy: Kanan Patel (spiceupthecurry)

Eggless Chocolate Brownies with Yogurt

Christmas is just around the corner and the right time for baking. My boys are very fond of brownies, thought I'd start this festive season with brownies. I came across this recipe on the internet and prepared it today.

Click here for the recipe Eggless Chocolate Brownies with Yogurt

Thanks Aarathi for the recipe. You put in step by step pictures that made it all the more easier to prepare this dessert. Thank you once again. My family especially the kids loved the brownies.

My 100th post - Carrot halwa

Preperation time: 20 mins | Cooking time: 90 mins

I started my blog just as a past time when I came to Glasgow. But now its turned into a passion. My blog becomes a year old, 26th of this month. I am very happy to share my recipes to a global audience. It has been a learning experience for me too. My blogger friends feedback's have only helped me to do better. Thanks a lot to everyone.

In order to celebrate this milestone here is a very famous Indian dessert.

Ingredients
Carrots-1kg
Milk-1ltr
Cardamom powder-1/2tsp
Ghee-3tbsp
Raisins-2tbsp
Cashew nuts-2tbsp
Sugar-450grms

Method
Wash and grate the carrots.
Heat ghee in a non-stick heavy bottom vessel, fry the cashews and raisins. Keep them aside.
Add the grated carrots to the ghee and saute until all the water from the carrots evaporate. Add the milk. Cook on a low flame for 1 hour stirring occasionally. Add sugar, mix well and cook till the sugar has dissolved and all the milk has been absorbed. Add the cardamom powder, nuts and the raisins. Mix well.



Serve cold, hot or at room temperature.

Pineapple upside down cake.

I am not very comfortable when it comes to baking. But at the same time I try to make use of every opportunity that comes my way provided its simple :-).

This is one such simple cake recipe that was liked by all in my family. I hope it does the same for you as well.

Please find the recipe over here.

Chocolate fudge cake

I'm a novice when it comes to baking. But I had to start somewhere :-). It was my older son's birthday and thought it to be the right opportunity.

My older son loves the chocolate flavour and so I thought I'd bake this for his birthday. He wanted his favourite super hero Ben-10 on his cake.



I followed the recipe by Nigella Lawson.



Click here to find out how to make

Cabbage payasam and award

Preparation time: 20 mins | Cooking time: 90 mins

This might sound a little weird for some but yes it is true, cabbage can also be used to make payasams. When we were invited for lunch at our cousins place, the desert was served and she asked me to guess what it was. I couldn't tell but it tasted too good. When she revealed the secret I was very surprised. I tried the same trick to many of my guests and none of them could get it right. It is really worth the effort. Take it from me :-).

Ingredients
Cabbage-1/4 kg
Milk-1 1/2 litre
Condensed milk-100ml
Cardamom-2
Ghee-1tbsp

Method
Chop the cabbage and wash it with lukewarm water(3-4 times) until it loses its smell. Squeeze the water out and saute it in the ghee for about 5-10 mins. Keep it aside.

Now boil the milk in a thick bottomed vessel until it reduces to 3/4 the quantity. Add the cabbage and cook on slow flame till it is soft. Now add the condensed milk, mix well and cook for 10 mins. When it is slightly thick, add the cardamom powder and cook for 5 mins. You can serve it hot or cold(refrigerated) but it tastes good when it is cold.



Note: You can garnish with nuts & raisins. You can use sugar instead of condensed milk.

My fellow blogger Swarna has shared this award with me. Thank you.

Trifle pudding

This is not the original trifle recipe but I've made slight changes according to the available ingredients I had at home. This is definitely a treat for the kids.

Ingredients
Trifle sponges-4
Custard-1cup
Jam-1tbsp
Jelly-1cup (I used raspberry flavour)
Whipped cream to serve
Sugar (optional)
Glazed cherries for decoration

Method
Split the sponges in half then spread each half thinly with jam. Sandwich each half back together and cut into quarters. Place them at the base of a serving bowl. Add the jellies(cubed) and then pour some custard.



Whip the cream along with sugar (as per your taste) until slightly stiff. Spoon a little whipped cream on custard and decorate with cherries.

Note: I usually use sponge cake when I am short of trifle sponges and add fruits instead of jellies. You can make it as per your tastes.

Palada Pradhaman

Cooking time: 90 mins

Palada pradhaman is from our native Kerala. It is a famous payasam made from cooked flakes of rice, milk and sugar. This is served as a dessert after a sadhya (feast in malayalam). It is pretty easy to make but need a little patience for the milk to condense :-) My kids love the payasam and so, often visits my menu.

Ingredients
Rice ada-200gms
Whole milk-3ltrs
Sugar-500gms (can be varied as per taste)
Ghee-2tbsp
Cashew nuts-few
Raisins-few
Cardamom -3

Method
Cook the adas as per instructions on the packet. It may differ for each. I soaked it in hot water for 20 mins and then rinsed in cold water, so that they do not stick to each other. Keep it aside.

Now in a heavy bottom vessel, boil the milk until it reduces and gets a light pink colour. Now add the adas and cook on a slow flame for about 15 mins and then add the sugar, mix well and cook until the desired consistency.(It will get thicker when cold, so do not make it too thick). Add the powdered cardamom. Heat ghee in a pan, fry the cashews and raisins till golden and add to the payasam.



Note: If the adas are big, you can put it in a mixer and crush it a little.

Chocolate swirl cream cake

Preparation time: 25 mins | Cooking time: 60 mins

It was my younger son's birthday. He is very choosy when it comes to food. He likes cake but there are conditions behind it. :-) like...no icing, no fruits or nuts etc. I thought of taking the opportunity to make a cream topping cake. I didn't have any prior experience but then thought..."what the hell....there is always a first time :-)". The decorations are as per his liking. I only wrote his short name on the cake as I wasn't so sure I could write all of it, instead I used the 'happy birthday' candles. In the end result wasn't that bad as I thought. My son was very happy which is by far the greatest compliment. :-)

Ingredients
Self raising flour-300gms
Butter-300gms
Sugar-300gms
Eggs-6
Vanilla essence-2tsp
Baking powder-2tsp
Cocoa powder-2tsp
Canned pineapple-small tin
Heavy cream-300ml.

Method
Put the baking tin onto a sheet of greaseproof paper and draw around it. Cut out the shape and grease the tin with a little butter, then put the cut paper inside the tin. Grease the paper and set the oven to 180C/350F or gas mark 4. Sift the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add the butter, sugar and eggs to the bowl and mix until they are thick and creamy. Add the vanilla essence and mix well. Remove 6 tbsp of batter and place in a smaller bowl. Pour the remaining batter into the tin. Add the cocoa powder into the reserved batter and stir well with a fork. Drop the chocolate mixture in spoonfuls randomly onto the batter in the tin and using a knife swirl the chocolate mixture through the cake mix. Put the tin in the oven and bake the cake for 40-50 minutes. When the cake is cooked, take it out of the oven and leave it in the tin for 5 minutes. Turn the cake out and peel off the greaseproof paper, turn the cake over and leave it to cool.



Cut the cake in half horizontally. Drain pineapples and reserve the syrup. Beat cream in a bowl until stiff. Put the bottom cake layer on a board. Spoon the syrup over the layer (just to make it a little wet), spread the cream, now place the pineapple pieces to form a layer. Then place the other half on top. Spread a layer of whipped cream over top layer and the sides of the cake. Chill until ready to serve.

Note: Dip the knife in hot water at regular intervals while spreading the cream.

Carrot payasam (kheer)

Preparation time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 60 mins

Oct-Nov is a birthday season in my home. My elder son's birthday falls just a few days after my husbands. I had made a few special dishes and my son kept reminding me of his and the long list of items he wanted on his birthday. He is a payasam lover and I prepared his favourite.

Ingredients
Carrots(Big)-4
Milk-5 cups
Ghee-1 tbsp
Cashew nuts-10 to 15
Cardamom-2

Method
Boil 4 cups of milk in a heavy bottom vessel(preferably nonstick). Cook on slow flame stirring constantly till it reduces to 3/4 of the quantity. Grate 2 carrots, saute this in ghee until all the water from it evaporates. Now add this to the milk and cook until the carrot is soft.

In another vessel boil the remaining carrots & cashew nuts with 1 cup milk until done, cool it and grind it to a paste. Add this paste along with the milk to the above cooked carrot milk mixture and mix well. Now add sugar, cardamom powder and cook on slow flame until it blends well and is of semi-thick consistency.( Payasam well get thicker when it gets cool, so adjust the consistency accordingly). Tastes good when served cold.



Garnish with roasted cashew nuts and raisins.

Fruit surprise

Preparation time: 20 mins

This is a very simple one, a mixture of custard and fruits. I presented it in another way so that the kids would relish it.

Ingredients
Apple-1
Banana-1
Custard-1cup
Fresh cream-1/2cup
Sugar-1tsp

Method
Heat a sauce pan, add sugar, when it starts to melt add the chopped apple, toss it well, then add the sliced bananas, mix well and keep it aside.

Now mix the cream and the custard together. Beat well until it is thick and creamy.



To Serve
Add the fruits to the serving bowl, then top it with the custard mixture. It tastes best when it is chilled.

Cheese cake

Preparation time: 30 mins

October is a month of celebration for us. Three men of my family have their birthdays. I wanted to make a cheese cake since a long time and I thought my hubby's birthday would be the right occasion. He is anyway not very fond of payasam and other sweets.

Ingredients
Base
Biscuits(choose the one that easily crumbles)-200 gms
Butter-75gms

Topping
Cream cheese-450-500gms
Cream-210 ml
sugar-250gms
Gelatin-7 tsp

Method
Line a 17-18cm(7") sandwich tin with foil, ensuring that the foil overlaps the edges of the tin.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the crumbled biscuits, mix well.
Spread the crumb mixture over the base of the tin and press down with the back of a spoon. Chill in the fridge for 15 mins, until firm.

Topping
Add about 80ml of cold boiled water to gelatin. Let it sit for 1 hour. Then bring the gelatin to a boil, but do not keep boiling. Cool it. Beat the cheese with sugar. Add gelatin and mix well. Beat the cream separately.Combine the cheese with cream. Place this mixture over the biscuit base and smooth with the back of a spoon and place in the fridge for 3-4 hours.

Remove from the tin and peel away the foil. Keep refrigerated for not more than 2 days.



Decorations can vary as per taste. Here I've decorated with chocolate gratings and cherries.

Carrot delight

Preparation time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 30 mins

My kids are on vacation and that demands for more desserts. That's when I explored into my collection to get a quick and simple one.

Ingredients
Medium carrot(grated)-4
Milk-3cups
Ghee-2tbsp
Sugar-1/3cup
Custard powder-3tbsp
Dried fruits(almonds, pistas, raisins)-a few

Method
Mix the custard powder to one half of the milk and keep it aside.

Heat ghee in a sauce pan (preferably non-stick) and add the carrots. Saute until all the water evaporates. Add about 2tbsp sugar and stir until slightly caramelised. Now add the other half of the milk to this along with the dried fruits and cook on low flame. When the milk evaporates add the custard powder mixture into this and continue cooking on low flame stirring constantly. When it thickens add the remaining sugar and mix well.



It tastes best when served cold.

Sangeetha of Kothiyavanu has given me these sets of awards.....Thank you so much dear and it is a great encouragement for me.

Semiya Payasam

Cooking time: 45 min

In Kerala there are variety of payasams either made from coconut milk or milk. The ingredients range from rice, semiya (vermicelli), lentils, bananas, jackfruits, ada(flat pieces made from rice) etc.
Jaggery usually goes with coconut milk and sugar with milk. They have 2 distinct colours brown and white respectively. My kids call it simply brown & white payasam.

This dish does not suffice in my list frequently because my husband isn't very keen with sweet dishes but this is one of mine & my kids favourites. They prefer the white ones than the brown.

Ingredients
Semiya (vermicelli)-1cup
Whole milk-4cups
Water-1cup
Sugar-1cup
Green cardamom-3
Raisins-10
Cashew nuts-10
Ghee-3tbsp

Method
Heat a thick bottom vessel, add the ghee and fry the cashew nuts & raisins until the cashews are brown and raisins are fluffy. Keep it aside. Now in the same ghee, roast the semiya until golden brown. Add the boiled milk and water and cook on medium flame until the semiya is soft (this may take about 20-30 min). Stir in the sugar and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the powdered cardamom, cashew nuts and raisins and let it boil for about 5 minutes.

It can be relished hot or cold.



Note: I usually use whole milk to have a rich & creamy taste. You can vary the consistency of the payasam according to your liking. The consistency thickens as the payasam gets colder. (you may add diluted milk in this case).

Rava laddoo

Preperation time: 15 min | Cooking time: 25 min

My childhood memories during festival times like deepavali, pongal, ganesha chaturti etc are still very clear in my mind. We were living in a neighbourhood that was predominantly occupied by tamilians. When they celebrate their festivals we used to be a part of them. My grandmother used to make sweets for us during these times. This is one among them. I make this very often since it is one of my kids favourites.

Ingredients
Rava (semolina)-2cups
Sugar-2cups
Ghee-1/2cup
Cashew nuts
Raisins
Cardamom powder-1tsp
Milk

Method
Fry the cashews and raisins in ghee and keep it aside.
Roast the rava in the remaining ghee until it turns colour slightly. Add sugar and mix well. You can powder the sugar if the granules are too big. Now add the cardamom powder, cashew nuts and raisins and mix well. Sprinkle warm milk to this mixture, smear ghee over your palms and squeeze a handful between your fingers and palm to form small balls.



Note: You can store the laddoos for about 2 to 3 days in a cool dry place.