Vanilla Chocolate Cake -Two In One

Last night, my friend T, who is in US now, called me to wish for the New Year. Every time she calls, we relive our childhood memories. Having lived in the same neighborhood and studied in the same school and college, we could talk about the good olden days for hours together. Even if we speak after a long gap of time, if we speak, its like starting from where we left last. T was more happy to tell me that her friend referred her my blog, without knowing about our friendship. She was thrilled to hear the praises heaped on me by her friend. T wanted to share that joy with me. Needless to say, she made my day. That's a big boost for me as a blogger. And also the fact that my blog helps many silent readers is indeed a thing of joy. Now coming to the post, during our telecon, T wanted me to share a cake recipe. So that comes as the last post of the year. This post is dedicated to our friendship and the virtual cake is for T and her family for the New Year.

Kajal's Chocomilk cake is in my to-be-tried list, ever since I saw it on her blog. I followed Kajal's recipe with slight modifications.

Ingredients
All purpose flour/Maida - 1 cup

Powdered sugar - 1 cup

Milk - 1 cup

Ghee - 3/4 cup

Baking powder - 1 tblspn

Cocoa powder - 1 tblspn

Vanilla essence - 1 tspn

Next time, I might try substituting 1/2 cup oil + 1/4 ghee.

Method

Beat powdered sugar and ghee for 10 minutes. Stir in milk and maida alternatively with out forming lumps.Add vanilla essence. Beat the mixture with a beater or hand till it is blended well. Transfer 3/4th of the batter to the greased cake tin. In the remaining batter stir in cocoa powder and mix till it is uniform. Bake it in a preheated oven at 180 C for 40 minutes.

My idea was to pour like how Kajal has done . That is forming the cocoa layer sandwiched between the plain ones. The shape of my cake tine and quantity of cocoa batter did not come along with my idea. Finally decided to make like a layered one. Go over to Kajal's to see the lovely step-by-step presentation.

I baked this cake to send as a gift for my friend. So I did not get to taste the cake. But from the tiny crumbs I got to taste, I felt it has come out well. I am yet to receive feedback from friend.

Here is Wishing all my friends a fabulous 2009 filled with more of happiness and less of worries.

Orangi Toli Gojju - Tangy Tamarind Gravy with Orange Peels

ORANGI TOLI GOJJU - a tangy tamarind gravy with orange peels

This dish is prepared using orange peels, tamarind and other spices, and seems to be simply bursting with flavours. As children we watched adults who were about to eat an orange, and waited impatiently to grab the peels before they got discarded. We just loved to collect the peels for mother, who prepared a lip smacking gojju out of it. The peels of the oranges known as ‘loose jacket’ or ‘Kamala orange’ are the best for preparing this gojju. Though the peels can be sun dried and stored for future use, I feel that waiting for the season and using them fresh captures the unique flavour.

Ingredients:
Peels of one orange chopped – ½ cup
Tamarind – 1 golf ball sized roll
Salt – 1 and 1/2 tsp
Sambar powder – 1and 1/2 tsps
Turmeric powder- 1 pinch
Jaggery – 2 tbsps
Green chillies( slit) – 2
Red chillies ( broken) – 3
Fresh ginger slivers – 1 tsp
Asafoetida – 1 pinch
Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
Fenugreek seeds – ½ tsp
Bengal gram dal – 1 tbsp
Curry leaves – a few
Gingili / Sesame seeds (roasted and powdered) – 2 tbsp
Gingili / Til oil – 3 tbsps
Rice flour ( for thickening) – 1tsp

Method:
1. Soak tamarind for 10 minutes, and then extract the juice and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.
3. When it splutters add fenugreek seeds and fry.
4. Add Bengal gram dal and roast till golden in colour.
5. Add asafoetida and red chillies.
6. Add green chillies and the fresh ginger slivers.
7. Now add the chopped orange peels and the curry leaves and sauté, then cover with a lid and cook in low flame.
8. After 2 minutes remove the lid and add turmeric powder and fry for a few seconds.
9. Add tamarind juice, salt, jaggery and sambar powder and boil the gojju until it emanates an aromatic flavour.
10. If you need it to be thicker add a paste of rice flour and water and simmer for a few minutes.
11. Finally add the roasted and powdered gingili (sesame) seeds and blend well.


Relish this tongue tingling tangy aromatic gojju with rice, rotis or any other tiffin.

Panettone

I made this Italian bread for Christmas breakfast to cheer up the Christmas atmosphere.

Recipe:

(A) 80g raisin / 80g apricot / 150g rum

(B) 200g bread flour / 30g honey / 3g yeast / 90g water / 20g apple puree

(C) 100g bread flour /20g sugar /1/2 tsp salt / 1 tsp rum / 30g eggs / 20g milk

(D) 80g unsalted butter

(E) 30g sugar powder / 50g plain flour / 5g milk powder / 40g unsalted butter

Methods:

1. Soak the ingredients (A) with rum for 5 hours or overnight. (If you don't fancy about liquor, replace it with orange juice)
2. Mix ingredients (B) at low speed using a dough hook mixer till everything just combine. Place the dough in a clean bow with cling wrap to sit for 3 hours.
3. Mix ingredients (C) with (B) and knead at low speed then turn to medium speed until it become a smooth dough.
4. Add in the butter and knead at low speed until the butter combine with the dough. Turn to medium speed continue the kneading process until it become a smooth and elastic dough.
5. Drain the ingredients (A) then add into (4) until the dough fill up with all the raisin and apricot.
6. Place the dough into a lightly grease bowl and cover with cling wrap to proof for 60 minutes.
7. While waiting for the dough, mix the ingredients (E) with finger tips until it become crumbly texture. Set aside and ready to use.
8. Divide the dough into 3 portions and round them into balls. Place each dough into the Panettone cases and proof for 60 minutes.
9. Egg wash the doughs and sprinkle over some crumble on the doughs. Bake at 180'C preheated oven for 25 minutes until golden brown.