Ria's Collection: WE TURNED ONE...It's time to celebrate! :)

Thursday, February 17, 2011

WE TURNED ONE...It's time to celebrate! :)

Valentine flowers
It was our 1st wedding anniversary on the 15th, yes, time sure flies! If you have been thinking that's the reason for my absence here, no,it was because our laptop battery and charger decided to die almost on the same day so we had to get it replaced.Now getting back to blogging is quite tough...I was slowly comfortably getting used to not typing a hundred words in one minute :)
First Anniversary Cake

I still remember the confusion and stress I went through on the same day last year when I iced our wedding cake! Ah, I think I should tell you all that story! I think I drove everyone around me crazy...I think sometimes I'm the 'Monica' (FRIENDS) types in my family. I can be really rude at times and give orders without even thinking what the other person might think or feel. When I look back at it, it was fun, for me :) It was Amma's dream that I bake/decorate my own wedding cake which later got into me and became my dream as well :) Amma and I baked the cake the previous day and kept the icing part for the big day. It's not that we didn't know it would drive us nuts but it was just a prevention from driving us nuttier! You see, I have a HUGE family of no less than 100 people (counting immediate family only ;)We had our engagement and wedding back to back (14th Feb and 15th Feb) so we had a houseFULL of people ALL the time. It included infants to 80 year olds. We didn't worry about anybody elder than 12 years, but it was the younger ones that we were scared of. Imagine your nephews and nieces licking off bits and pieces of the buttercream roses that you painstakingly piped out one by one ? :) Whatever it was, no matter how many told us...we (Amma & I) knew that I am going to do it, all by myself. People around me thought we were crazy, but we know the fun we had! I wouldn't have missed it for anything!! Given a chance, I would still do it :)
DSC_0202

If you were thinking what cake it was...it was Amma's Honey Soaked Date & Nut Cake.I decorated it with buttercream and piped roses in different shades of pink (I told ya I love pink!! ;) It did suffer some injuries while transportation but it was still in one piece :-D
Anniv.Cake

Coming to the present scenario, I was throughly confused as to what to bake for the BIG day! Whenever I logged into FB, I had 100's of questions to answer to about the same thing and I had absolutely no idea as to what it would be :-D It's because I can do things only in the last minute.I'd start planning maybe a month back but I know myself very well...in the end when the time approches I would do something very different from what I though I would do before! This time it was no different. I knew one thing for sure...I'd be baking a cake, a layered cake. That's it. I had no further idea as to what to do with that piece of cake or what flavour it would be.This thought haunted me since January. I think of it day and night. I breathe it day and night . I dream about it so much that I wake up feeling tensed! Anyhow,on the day I was supposed to be baking, I wrote down a recipe and started with it. But I couldn't go on...I wanted to do something of my own and I did. That's what you just saw above :-)
Do you feel like reading more about my wedding prep? Click here!
Anniv.Cake

Haven't I told you all that I love trying out different techniques? I actually search for them...I find that challenging.This is probably the only challenge that I go forward with without any hesitation, baking/cooking. Somehow I've always been able to produce a decent thing out of it.The anxiety that I go through when I cut through it is something I cannot explain using words...you should feel it for yourself :) It's FUN and I love it, totally!

Anniv.cake






CHECKERBOARD GATEAU
Recipe source for the sponge- Amma



Ingredients:
For the vanilla sponge:
3eggs
1/2c sugar
1/2 c flour minus 1 tbsp
1tbsp cornstarch/cornflour
1tsp vanilla extract

For the chocolate sponge:
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 c flour minus 3 tbsp
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1tbsp cornstarch/cornflour
1tsp vanilla extract

1 portion soaking syrup
11/2 heavy cream,whipped (If you wish,you can whip it up with some sugar to taste, too)

Method:
For the sponge (Vanilla & Chocolate)
Preheat the oven to 350F/180C
Butter and flour/line a 8' round cake tin with parchment paper.

Sift the dry ingredients together.Reserve.
Beat the eggs and sugar together till mousse like and almost tripled in volume. This will take about 10-12 mins of beating on high using an electric beater. DO NOT skimp on this as we are not using any leavening agents (baking powder/baking soda). Otherwise the cake WILL NOT rise.
Fold  the dry ingredients into the egg mixtures, carefully. The mixture will deflate a little,don't worry.
Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 28-30 mins or till the top is springy to touch and the skewer inserted comes out clean.
Cool in the tin for 10 mins and then invert it onto a rack and cool completely. 

To make the checkerboard pattern:


First of all, you need 2 round cakes, one dark and one light.
Instead of cutting it horizontally, this time you need to cut it vertically.

Imagine a cake having 2 more concentric circles in it .Cut accordingly. I used a round cookie cutter for the innermost circle and my saucepan lid for the middle circle as the template. So now, you have 3 rings out of one cake. Similarly do the same with the second cake.
Now, interchange the middle ring. While you do so, be careful and try to spread some whipped cream/jam/ganache so that the rings sticks together.Now you will be left with two black and white cakes.
Place one cake (with the interchanged rings) on the serving plate and soak it using half the soaking syrup.
Spread some whipped cream over it and place the second cake over it.
Spoon over the remaining soaking syrup over it.
Cover the top and sides with whipped cream and decorate as you desire.

This whole process is made so much easier if you happen to own a 'checkerboard pan' which I don't. I don't think I would want to because this method is really simple and with another tin, I will have to throw away some stuff to find a place for it in my cupboard!


Verdict: A very soft and spongy cake with perfect sweetness. We really loved it. I served it chilled which I feel is always better when it comes to gateaux.
We were away for the weekend so basically we gorged on all possible food,both junk and healthy.That way when I look at this cake I'm happy, it's butterless and  you wouldn't even miss it!

48 Comments:

Anu Nandu said...

Congratulations to the both of you! Beautiful cake to celebrate with. Enjoy many more decades of togetherness and of course as many cakes too!

Priya Suresh said...

Congrats to u both Ria, cake looks absolutely marvellous,a prefect cake to celebrate..

Unknown said...

Congrats Ria! And the cake really looks gorgeous!

My Kitchen Antics said...

i wish i was as passionate about cooking the way you are..
i just saw a similar cake presentation on BBC a while back and was wondering how complicated it is and there u come up with it..lovely..

Anna said...

Congratulations you two, here is wishing you many many many years of togetherness ahead !! I have always wondered how you managed to do your wedding cake on your own, on any other day it is totally understandable, but on one of the busiest days of your life,it baffles me beyond measure ! But you did it, it speaks volumes about you, and with such a fantastic start your life together is going to rock on. This cake looks lovely, who needs a checker board pan when there is talent and imagination !

HanaĆ¢ said...

Happy Anniversary! What a lovely cake. I like your technique for making the checkerboard without the special pan. I've made it a long time ago and didn't have the special pan either but because the batter wasn't runny, I could just pipe the different color batter into the pan in concentric circles. I looked at your other cakes on this blog and they all look very nice. Great job!
This is my first time here. Please feel free to check out my blog too. I do a lot of cakes too :o)

Rose /Magpie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

congrats..lovely cake..

Ushnish Ghosh said...

Dear Ria
Congratulations and many happy returns of the day..

amna said...

beautiful cake for the celebration! loved it :)

Unknown said...

hi Ria
Congrats to both of you....i lved the cake its so divine n beautiful. Hi i think i hav to start takin classes from you ( m not a great baking gal) n sad i had to buy cake on our anniversary. i love to make it next time.... help....

Alka said...

Hearty Congratulations to the lucky couple.
The cake looks awesome, and am sure it tasted great too.
And I dont think u r 'doing it at the end moment' kind of person.I still remember about ur Wedding website, wherein u had painstakingly planned every detail abt ur wedding, be it cards,cake, wedding saree etc.
Anyways enjoy the cake dear, and thnks for ur message.It was really sweet of u..me too wish u were in India ;-)

Divya Kudua said...

Lovely cake Ria..as expected!!Hope you had a great anniversary!!

Seema said...

Hey Ria,

Happy anniversary dear! The cake looks so pretty. The checkboard pattern has come out very well. If I'm not so demanding, can you please also give the steps to make those pretty pink roses?

Thanks,
Seema
amchi-bong-konnexion.blogspot.com
seemabbas.blogspot.com

chef and her kitchen said...

Congrats on d anniversary...lovely cake....beautifully done..I have also prepared this once..loved it totally

sanjeeta kk said...

Congrats to the lovely couple! What a wonderful treat on this very special day in your life. Love the creative frosting and the cakes on your blog, Ria. Great to have connected with you through our blogs. Many more fun filled days of togetherness in your life.
Cheers!!

Lite Bite

Anonymous said...

Ria, that sure is a gorgeous cake, will try baking it some day soon. Wishing you n Jobin all the happiness and joy in life. cheers !!!

Sarah said...

Congratulations Ria on completing a big milestone in your life.

Making ur own wedding cake seems daunting and a tension-filled experience. But u definitely are amazing to pull it off. I think I would have crumbled under all the tension and the fuss.

Unknown said...

Happy Anniversary Ria :)
Love chequerboard cakes...this ones real yummy!

Swapna said...

Beautiful Cake Ria!!! Once again Happy First Wedding Anniversary dear:).... You know what 2days back for hubby's birthday I also planned to bake a checkerboard cake fist but ended up with a layer cake...

Plateful said...

Happy Anniversary, Ria! Nice story. Your cake, its colours and the photographs look beautiful. I'm in awe of the frosting, great job!

Ramya said...

Hey Ria, wish u both a very happy anniversary:-)
Cake looks soo delectable..
Hats off to u 4 baking checker cake without the special pan..

Pavithra Elangovan said...

Congrats to both of you Ria.. Hope you had wonderful and very memorable day. The cake just looks awesome ..nice to read ur story and also the wedding cake. I came to know u and the first time I came to ur space, if I am not wrong it was during ur wedding time I think cos I was seeing your wedding pictures.. Time flies and its one yr now.. Enjoy many more decades of togetherness .. Wish you good luck !!!

notyet100 said...

congratulations,truly enjoyed reading ur post,.and the cake looks so deliicous...:-)
happy weekend

Srivalli said...

Congratulations Ria..cake looks awesome..

Unknown said...

Wonderful cake...and congrats!!

Finla said...

Congragulations to both of you. And I love that cake, looks so so beautiful.

Sunitha said...

Congratulations! A great story indeed about you decorating your own wedding cake. Fantastic!

Ann said...

Congratulations Ria - this was sucha lovely and colorful post. tahnks for taking the rest of us on your journey through life...and food...and CAKE!

Ammu said...

Belated Happy Anniversary Ria!The cake looks wonderful!

Unknown said...

Ria, wow, congrats dear on your 1st wedding anniversary. The cake is absolutely amazing and I cannot you did your own wedding cake.

And, guess what, even I got engaged on 14th Feb and got married on 15th Feb, so we share wedding anniversary date :)

Unknown said...

Ria, this is pure EYE-CANDY! Please just pass that piece of deliciousness to me - seriously! LOVE the cake and plan to make it for my own event next month which I hope you will participate in - And hearty congratulations on such a wonderfully successful first year- Look forward to having you delight us with many many more of your recipes

divya said...

Happy Anniversary Ria,The cake looks fantastic. Superb!!! :)

Unknown said...

Happy Anniversary Ria and Jobin. You two seem so happy together that you don't really need our good wishes, but giving them anyway :)

The cake looks amazing, I've seen a lot of people use this technique! Oh, I'm so glad you finally posted your wedding cake!!

City Share said...

Happy anniversary. What a beautiful cake! We had 2 wedding receptions and my husband made the cake for our second one. I can't imagine having made the cake for the day of our wedding. I'm impressed.

Unknown said...

Hi Ria

Your cakes are fabulous...you are doing amazing job on your blog.
If you could post step-by -step by pics, it will be of great help..for this cake - if we had pics for the concentric rings part it would have been superb!

Cheers
Divya.

Anzz said...

Congrads Ria.... The cake looks very elegant. Heres wishing you both many more years of happiness and love... and of course... baking such wonders..!!

Purnima said...

Ria..wow..the anniversary cake is special..checkered one..and loved the wedding cake too! Story is intriguing!(especially..going ahead with decorating, wt 100+ ppl at home, infants too)Kudos to u n ur mom, Happy 1st to you n Jobin..may the lovely couple that u are, be in blissful state for-ever!

Madame Sucre said...

happy anniversary Ria!! this is such a pretty cake!! wishing you the best! I do miss you ALOT on twitter..please come back!

sharada said...

have been a silent visitor to ur blog many a time...but now i need to wish not only for ur anniversary but for this blog which is just awesome wonderful great.
Happy anniversary!

Sanyukta Gour(Bayes) said...

congrats to the lovely n happening couple...cake looks mindblowing..hats off to ur creativity...

Christine @cookingcrusade.com said...

Ria, that cake is absolutely stunning! i am *dying* to know how you made your buttercream roses look so perfect.. i haven't seen any that look that good before... so beautiful! and congrats by the way!!
-Christine

Ria Mathew said...

Hello Everyone, thank you so much for stopping by and spending that 'extra' time to write down a comment. It makes me so happy!!

Seema ,C- I wasn't all that happy with this batch of roses. I used a different recipe as opposed to the one I used for our wedding cake. Once I get hold of it, I will do a tutorial.

Rejisha- I'm happy to help! Write to me!

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

Fabulous celebratory cake!

Seema said...

Hey Ria,

I made your Checkboard Gateau as you already know. Posted it today, below is the link. Thanks a lot for being an inspiration and for all the encouraging words in FB. It sure helps!!!

http://amchi-bong-konnexion.blogspot.com/2011/03/checkboard-gateau.html

Regards,
Seema
amchi-bong-konnexion.blogspot.com
seemabbas.blogspot.com

Zo-Ya said...

Hi Ria,
Tried the vanilla sponge cake from this recipe and it tasted nice! Loved the sponginess of the cake:)

Posted here
http://nokkethadoorathu.blogspot.com/2011/05/vanilla-sponge-cake.html

Cheers

kala asokan said...

Sooooooooo nice ur cake. Mine wad a disaster. Planning to perfect it again ;(

Hilda said...

It's a lovely cake Ria.. Hubby fell in love with it so much so that we didn't even allow it to set properly... the whole house smelt so good that as soon as i had layered it, we gobbled up more than half of it! Great work, Keep it going.. :)

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