Dome Cake

Do you have any leftover sponge cake? Or, unsuccessful baked sponge cake? Give it a twist to a little treat for your guests. I don't have any leftover sponge cake so I purposely bake a plain and chocolate sponge cake to experiment the recipe. I didn't follow exactly from the recipe book but using my little baking knowledge to complete this dessert.

The texture turn out quite nice with the combination of sponge cake, custard, toasted almond, chopped dark chocolate and covered with melted chocolate for the coating. Then, let it stand nicely on top of a piece of cinnamon cookies. I didn't manage to make it as pretty as the picture from the book. I think I need more practice and patient for coating the cakes. Anyway, this is something special and definitely will make it for a party.
Recipe makes 10 pieces:

180g plain sponge cake
180g chocolate sponge cake
115g homemade custard
115g chopped dark chocolate
40g toasted almond nibbed
50g raisin soaked with brandy or rum
150g melted dark chocolate for coating

For the cinnamon cookies:
40g butter
36g caster sugar
12g eggs
76g plain flour
4g cinnamon powder

Methods:

1. For the cinnamon cookies, beat the caster sugar with butter then add in eggs. Fold in flour and cinnamon powder until a soft dough. Cling wrap the dough and let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Roll out the dough about 5mm and use a 6cm round cutter to cut out 10 pieces.
3. Place on a baking tray with baking paper attached and bake in the 180C preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.
4. Let is sit on the tray for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool down.
5. For the cake dome, use hand to break the sponge till a bread crumbs consistency.
6. Combine the custard, chopped chocolate, almond nibbed and raisin with the remaining brandy or rum.
7. Lightly press the mixture together to make the shape. Pour some melted dark chocolate to coat the cake.
8. Place it on a piece of cinnamon cookie and chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

No bake chocolate pinwheel

Everyone must be busy planning for the festival weekend. And most of you must have already started with the preparations of sweets and savories. Here is a quick, no cook, recipe to delight your kids. I made this when my niece was here for her summer holidays. As always, I clicked few pictures and forgot about it. When Srivalli announced the Kid's Delight event, I wanted to send this. I got the recipe from a TV show, where in they were showing some quick recipes which can be made by kids themselves.

You need

Marie biscuit - 1 pkt

Cocoa Powder - 2tblspn

Powdered sugar - 5 tblspn

Butter - 2 tblspn

Milk - 4 tblspn


Method

Powder the marie biscuits in the mixer grinder. Seive it to get fine powder. Else it will make rolling the dough difficult.  Mix in cocoa powder and 2 tblspn of sugar. Prepare a tight dough using milk. 

You can mix some coffe powder in the milk if you love the flavor of coffee in your cookies. Coffee and chocolate complement each other well.

For the filling

Beat butter and sugar until creamy. You can optinaly add some dessicated coconut or coarsely chopped nuts also.

Roll dough into a thick chappathi. Spread the filling evenly. Leave some space at the edges. Then roll from the longer end to form a log shape. Roll it tightly and seal the crack if any, as you roll. Cover the log in a butter paper or aluminium foil and refrigerate for 2 hours. Cut along the width to get beautiful pinwheel cookies.

It will be a great hit among the kid's if it is part of the birthday parties.

Deepawali Sweets - Mysorepak - Gram Flour Fudge

Deepawali Sweets - Mysorepak
Gram Flour Fudge

The mouth watering sweet which originated in the Maharaja’s kitchen at the Mysore Palace has become a very popular sweet by finding its way into the neighbouring states as well. They may be crunchy at some places, or soft as halwa in other places; they may be dripping with ghee in one kitchen, or bone dry at another. Whatever the texture may be, the charisma of Mysorepak never diminishes. Here is my version of Mysorepak picked up from my mother’s kitchen at Mysore.
INGREDIENTS:
Besan (Bengal gram flour)- 1 Cup
Sugar – 3 cups
Ghee – ¾ cup
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

METHOD:
1. Boil sugar with 3 cups of water, removing the scum which accumulates at the sides of the pan.
2. When the sugar syrup reaches the one string consistency (also called soft ball stage) blend in the turmeric powder.
3. Add the ghee and wait until it melts in the syrup giving out a pleasant aroma. 4. Add the besan gradually into the syrup stirring all the time.
5. Stir well so that no lumps are formed.
6. Keep stirring till the besan foams and starts to leave the sides of the pan.
7. You can see the sugar drying up leaving a coat around the wall of the pan.
8. At this stage remove from flame and pour it on a greased plate. 9. Gently shake the plate for even distribution, as the Mysorepak will not spread by itself and it will set instantaneously.
10. Mark with a sharp knife while still warm and cut the pieces after it cools.
Enjoy the Mysorepak as it melts in your mouth with its distinctive flavour.