2 INGREDIENT NO-MACHINE VANILLA ICE CREAM

Iam a person who likes to do things from scratch, especially cooking and baking. So if I have to deal with an ice cream machine to churn out some good ice cream, I think of the days I will have to face in India when I feel like making one. Same is the case with puff pastry sheets! I feel the need to make my own, thinking about the days back home. You can call me a bit obsessed...about thinking too much :)

So the other day, I bought a can of deliciousness. Sweetened Condensed Milk. I love that stuff and I remember eating a bowl full of it when I was little.Of course, I felt sick after that . I do the same even now. No, I don't eat bowl full of it, instead lick the tin clean, once the contents are poured out. And yes, I still feel sick because it can be a little too much. So I pick up my mango pickle and eat that. Then everything seems to find it's own balance.

I love reading the things written on food containers. The tin told me that it had some recipe behind it's wrapper and it did have one, this recipe. A recipe for a quick and easy ice cream. I wasn't very sure about the flavour combination it had so used my favourite choice of flavouring, Vanilla. I always use the real vanilla and stay away from imitation stuff because the real thing has so much flavour and the way it shines through the end product is amazing! Try it sometime. You will be amazed!

This ice cream, like I mentioned before has just 2 ingredients. That is if you don't count the flavouring as another ingredient.Then it becomes three.Whatever the name maybe, the method of making this ice cream and the time needed is hardly any! Of course, it needs some good time in the freezer to set up though. You can flavour it however you like. Cookie dough? Rippled Chocolate? Oreos? M & M's? You can use this for sandwiching cookies for making your own homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches! The possibilites are endless. You just have to start making it. Here's the recipe,for it.

2 INGREDIENT HOMEMADE VANILLA ICE CREAM

Ingredients:
2 cups heavy cream,chilled
1 tin (400g ) sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or any of your choice)

Method: In a large bowl, beat the chilled cream to stiff peaks. Fold in condensed milk and vanilla. Pour the entire batter into a 1 litre capacity bowl with lid and freeze for 6-8 hours until set. Enjoy!

It was surprisingly warm today, in Minneapolis. I hope we are done with the snow for this year. So when I tried photographing the ice cream, everything was melting really fast. I think I managed to do a good job and got some photographs before it became really soft.

So that day, when Jobin came home after work, I thought of taste testing it. I gave him a scoop of it and he was quite surprised. After relishing it he asked me if it was homemade and even before I could say anything he said,'Of course, it has to be!'. That's my husband. Now,our son.He was sitting on his Appa's lap and watching the whole thing...with his mouth very wide open, almost drooling. He got his share and demanded more. Since I made it at home, I knew exactly what went into it and how safe it was for my little Vaava to have it. So he still gets his share everytime after his meal and he enjoys it to the last drop!

RED VELVET CUPCAKES with MASCARPONE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

I 've been away for a good amount of time, from blogging and I must say it did me some good. It gave my mind some rest and also ample time to set up our house for my parent's visit :-) Yes, they are visiting us right now so my contribution to this food blog would be minimal. Appan,Amma & Jobin asks me every now and then about the future of my food blog if I left it at Kadumanga. Jobin even mentioned that he would give away all my props if I don't plan to continue food blogging :-) So here I am with the cupcakes Amma & I baked for our friend's baby shower recently. She loves cream cheese frosting so I chose to bake Red Velvet Cupcakes with Mascarpone Cream Cheese Frosting.

RED VELVET CUPCAKES
Recipe source: Joy of Baking
Yields 18 cupcakes

Ingredients:
2 1/2 c sifted cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 c buttermilk
2 tbsp liquid red food colour
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp baking soda

Method: Pre-heat the oven to 350 F /180 C and line your cupcake tins.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cocoa powder. Set aside.In a mug,mix buttermilk & red food colour.Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat butter for 2 mins. Add sugar and continue to beat for 3 mins.Add eggs one at a time and beat for a minute after each addition. Add flour and buttermilk alternately, starting and ending with flour.
Mix vinegar and baking soda together,which will fuzz violently. Pour it into the cake batter and fold it in. Pour the batter immediately in to the cupcake moulds and bake for 20-25 mins. Let cool completely before frosting.

MASCARPONE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Recipe source : Epicurious

Ingredients:
1 c unsalted butter,room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 c powdered sugar
8 oz mascarpone, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

Method: In a large bowl,on medium high, beat together butter, cream cheese & sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 mins.Add the mascarpone, salt & vanilla and beat until just combined. DO NOT beat any further as the frosting will curdle. Frost the cupcakes as desired.

I really hope she liked it as much as we enjoyed baking it for her :) The baby booties are handmade fondant cupcake toppers.

MOCHA BAVARIAN CHARLOTTE for a Wedding Anniversary!

May 30th 2012 marks the 30th year since my Appan & Amma got married and the least that I can do from here is to wish them many many many more together! :-)

This cake is a blend of many that I've posted on the blog. It has a lining of  Ladyfingers & layers of Simple Vanilla Sponge soaked with Simple Syrup which was filled with Mocha Bavarian Cream and later frosted with a Chocolate Ganache. 

QUICK & EASY COCONUT MACAROONS

One thing that I've found common between Appan and Jobin is their liking for the candybar, Bounty. I completely, wholeheartedly hate it...so does Amma and forget about Ritchie boy! I have no idea how people can relish it.At the same time, I am a big fan of Lamingtons and I must say it's only because of Jobin that I've started liking them and now I like them so much that I wait for his birthday every year so that I can make it.

I am also known for scraping the coconut topping from Puttu and the coconut stuffing from Idiappam. Nevetheless I like a good coconut macaroon! If that coconut macaroon is dipped in chocolate, it's even better! I found it funny that it almost tastes like Bounty but I hate Bounty! Ack! It's way too confusing! :-)

When I'm in a good mood or when we run out of our daily quota of a sweet bite, I ask Jobin what does he want me to make next. His standard answers include Jalebi, Bavarian Cream Torte,Coconut Macaroons, Madeleines, Boondi Ladoo & Kalakand. Recently he asked me why I haven't been baking French Macarons and my immediate reaction was,'Do you like it that much?' and he said,'Yes!'.

So I started saving up egg whites to make some French Macarons for him but in the end I though I'd surprise him and bake some coconut macaroons instead! The confused Gemini soul was torn between the French & the American treat so when he called home from work, I popped the question to him and all he said was,'You chose.' Alright! Macaroons it is! I need to make something new :-)

QUICK & EASY COCONUT MACAROONS
Recipe source:Taste of Home
Makes 15 nos.

Ingredients:
1 1/3 c dessicated/flaked unsweetened coconut
1/3 c sugar
2 tbsp flour
1/8 tsp salt
2 egg whites (no need to whisk or beat)
1/2 tsp vanilla

Method: Pre-heat the oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together coconut, sugar,flour & salt. Add the whites and vanilla to it and mix well. You will have a nice soft dough. Spoon them onto the baking sheet using a teaspoon and bake for 20 mins or until golden brown (I wanted little conical macaroons and hence the shape).Let them cool completely on a cooling rack and then ,store in airtight tins.

These were really really good! Crisp on the outside, soft, moist and slightly chewy in the centre. I don't think you can find an easier recipe than this...it's very simple to make! So the next time you have a guest on a short notice for tea/ coffee, you can whip up a batch of these and while they are baking in the oven you can go get ready to welcome your guest :-)

30 LAYERED NUTELLA CREPE CAKE, for my birthday boy!

Yes, you read it right! This little cake has 30 layers in it. 30 layers of soft melt-in-the-mouth French Crepes layered & coated with a nutella ganache. I came up with this idea after our trip to Vegas. We both kind of really really like Crepes, so why not make something with it for his Birthday! The number of layers has another implication to it, he just turned the big number!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOBIN!

I've never made a French crepe before but I've had a lot of good experience with Indian crepes/ Dosa's especially the finicky Neer Dosa. Therefore, I didn't have much doubts of me pulling these off.Alton Brown recipes are easy to follow and give exceptionally good results! Having tried his Homemade Chocolate & Boston Creme Doughnuts in the past and loving it, I didn't have to think twice before I went ahead with this one.



When I say that, I really mean it...they were so easy to make. Easy batter, easy flipping and tastes great on the palatte ! These crepes can be made ahead of time, which I usually never do but this time, I did try. It worked...like a charm! I doubled the quantity and it gave me 32 crepes, so the remaining 2 went straight into my belly while assembling the cake.

If you want to make a cake which is taller, you may need atleast 60-80 layers because crepes are really thin and even after stacking them up with the frosting in between, they don't grow much taller. It has it's own advantages, like seeing the jaws around you drop as everyone would be expecting a 2 or 3 layers inside it. Don't overdo the frosting as it would only make you feel heavy after eating it. Imagine 30 layers with thick frosting...no, you wouldn't want to imagine that!

30 LAYERED NUTELLA CREPE CAKE
Recipe for the crepes (with video) : Alton Brown
Recipe for the nutella ganace: My own

Ingredients:
For the crepes
2 large eggs
1 c flour
3/4 c milk
1/2 c water
3 tbsp butter, melted
2 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Method: Dump all the ingredients into a blender and whizz it for just 7-10 secs. Refrigerate the batter for 1 hour or upto 48 hours. Heat a small non stick skillet on medium high and butter the botton and sides. Pour 1/4 c of the batter into the centre of the pan and swirl to spread the batter evenly. Cook for 30 seconds and flip carefully. Cook for another 10 seconds. Remove the crepes and leave them to cool on a  chopping board. Once cooled, you can stack them up, cover with a clingfilm and store it the fridge for several days.

For the Nutella Ganache:
200g nutella
200g semi sweet chocolate
200g cream

Method: Combine all the ingredients together in a saucepan and cook over medium heat till the chocolate and nutella melts. Use it in between the crepes for stacking and also for cover the sides of the crepe cake.
Let the cake chill till needed and dust with cocoa just before serving.

When he got back home from work, I think he forgot about the 2nd cake. So when I told him,'There's something for you', his face lit up because he knew it was the other cake. The table was set out and the cake was cut while I sang for him.The minute he cut into it and pulled out a slice he said, 'WOW!'. Of course, the next question had to be,'Guess the no. of layers!'. Knowing me,he guess it right and after the first bite, I made him count all the layers just to tell myself that I'm not so predictable! :-)

AMMACHI'S ACHAPPAM

If only you could see me now! I cannot tell you how happy I am to have made this traditional snack at home. I am very excited because I've heard a lot of people saying that it's a palaharam/ traditional snack which is hard to find success in it's first attempt. I must say, I proved them all wrong. This was my very first attempt and I haven't stood next to anyone trying to learn it. All I had was my Grandmother's 'achu' / brass mould + self confidence + an age old recipe.

I vaguely remember Mamma frying the Achappams in her big old kitchen but I very very clearly remember eating them.The clearest of them all was when Mamma bought a huge tin full of her special Achappams to our house. That evening Babitha, my childhood friend came over to play and Amma gave her some Achappam to eat. She always had a big appetite (I hope she doesn't have the time to read this !) and would eat them very soon. Then, she would ask for more! I was a single child for 8.5 years so I didn't like the idea of sharing , a lot. I did share a share of those Achappams but when she asked for more, I clearly remember being disturbed :-)Anyway, the Achappams are long gone now but we are still thick pals.

Unfortunaltely none of us got hold of Mamma's recipe instead Amma has her twin sister, Daisy's mother-in-laws recipe.All of us fondly call her 'Ammachi'...to be specific...Kothamangalathile Ammachi. I remember eating Ammachi's achappams during our 1000 stop overs and sleep overs in Daisy Mummy's house. It used to be very thin, crisp, tender and yummy! I could easily eat a truck load of those because my stomach could never get filled with this light weight palaharam.

One evening, without any specific reasons, I felt like eating Achappams. So I went ahead and soaked my Mamma's acchu in oil, overnight.The next morning, I dialed Amma and got hold of that precious family recipe for this awesome palaharam. I am so glad I tried these because I can now proudly say, I can make Ammachi's Achappams at home! :-)

AMMACHI'S ACHAPPAM
Recipe source: Kothamagalathile Ammachi
Makes 100 achappams

Ingredients
4 c fresh rice flour*
1 c maida/flour
2 c coconut milk, medium thick
6 eggs, beaten
2 tsp black sesame seeds/cumin seeds
Salt to taste
Powdered sugar for dusting
Oil for deep frying

Method: In a large bowl, mix rice flour, maida & coconut milk together. It will be quite thick like Idli batter. Leave it aside for 2 hours. After 2 hours, add beaten eggs , seeds & salt. Mix well.Keep aside.

Heat about 4-5 inches of oil in a sauce pan on medium-high and while doing so, immerse the mould into it. Let it heat up along with the oil. To check if the oil is heated enough, add a drop of the batter into it and if it sizzle up right away, it's ready. Take the mould out of the hot oil and dip just 3/4 th of it into the batter, lift it up and then dip it into the oil. Hold it for a count of 5 and the shake the mould gently to release the achappam. If you are finding it a little difficult, use a skewer/thin knife to help it release. It will go smooth from the second one onwards. Fry till golden. You may or maynot have to adjust the heat depending on the colour of your fried goodies.

Drain on paper towels and when cooled, dust with powdered sugar.Munch away!

* I used Sona Masoori rice. I soaked 3c of rice in tap water for 1 hour,rinsed, spread it over a paper towel and let it dry for 45 mins. Then I powdered it very very fine in my mixie and it was sieved once before using. DO NOT use store bought roasted rice flour.
* A lot of recipes use sugar in the batter but we don't since we don't like the Achappams to turn dark.

Believe in yourself, be it in the kicthen or anywhere and you are bound to find success. That's all I did when I tried this out. When I was measuring and getting the things ready for it, I felt there was someone looking over my shoulders to make sure I was doing it right. I bet it was Mamma, my paternal grandmother. She was an interesting character,who lived to eat and cooked the most amazing Chinese food! Appan still complaints that Amma's fried rice is no where close to Mamma's even though Amma learnt it from her :-)

So go ahead and oil your Achappam mould right away and make these for your family or for yourself and enjoy!

TROPICAL MANGO PUDDING CAKE

The weather is so good right now in Minneapolis. It's perfectly warm during the day and cool during night.The Spring has sprung all over and we are enjoying this beautiful weather before Summer hits here. We get extreme temperatures so we are really not sure which season are we actually looking forward to! Anyhow, when I decided to make this dessert, I thought of sticking to one of my current favourite colours, Yellow!

So for the pudding cake, I stuck to mango as  it is definately the top choice at the moment for colour & taste and since I had a big can of puree with me, I did not see a reason why I shouldn't be using it! Plus, it's the best thing to use when you are not sure about the sweeteness of the mangoes you get in stores in Spring.That way you are sure to have a consistency for your recipes every time you need to make one!

This was meant to be a birthday cake for my relative who is also a grown up like us. So I made it less fancy and kept it simple. The cake was baked in a jiffy with the recipe that's engraved on my brain which is also the same recipe I used for the Mixed fruit Swiss Roll,Coffee - Chocolate Triangle Cake,Checkerboard Cake etc. The pudding hardly took any time to make and once it was layered up, I left them in the fridge to set. It's a quick cake - dessert if you have things handy.

I baked this cake having a totally different plan in mind but in the end, it was cut out into circles and got stuffed into my little cake rings. I love using cake rings because it gives you  your personal share of the dessert which clearly means...no sharing! It was a birthday gift  from Jobin 2 years ago and I've not been using it much as he would love me to. Mocha Marble Cheesecaklets were baked in it but other than that, none of them have appeared on the blog :-)

If you don't have the puree, you can always use the fresh ripe mangoes and puree them with sugar to taste. I usually use that but this time,like how I mentioned before I had a tin full of pulp with me which I bought a while back to make some Mango Lassi. Talk about that lassi,it's the most popular flavour in stores here and I love it!

TROPICAL MANGO PUDDING  CAKE
Recipe source for the cake : Amma
Ingredients for the cake:
1 c flour minus 2 tbsp
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 c sugar
5 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Method: Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F and line a jelly roll pan.
In a clean, dry bowl beat the sugar and eggs on high for 12 mins. Add the vanilla and beat for 10 secs. Fold in the flour and cornstarch, carefully without deflating it. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 15-18 mins or until the top is pale brown and is springy to touch.
As soon as it is out of the oven, loosen the sides if need be and invert the cake onto a kitchen towel which was sprinkled with some sugar before. Remove the parchment and let the cake cool.Brush the cake with some water just to moisten it. Cut out rounds to fit your small cake rings.

Ingredients for the Eggless Mango Pudding
My own recipe
1 1/2 c heavy whipping cream
1  c sweetened mango puree
4 tbsp sugar or to taste
1 tbsp gelatin dissolved in 3 tbsp water

Method: Whip the cream to stiff peaks along with sugar and then fold the puree in. Melt the gelatin, cool it for a minute and then fold  it into the pudding / mousse.

Assembly: Place a round of the moistened cake in the cake ring and pour some mousse over it, cover it with another piece of cake and repeat. The top layer should be the mousse.Decorate as you wish. Refrigerate till set, for about 4-5 hours. Serve cold.

After the circles were cut up, there were some odd shapes left behind. So Jobin & I slathered some pudding over it and popped them into our mouths. It was seriously yummy! Infact I do it all the time to know how the end product would taste like :-) Try this quick dessert for your next party and make sure you eat the scraps too!

MY LEMON YOGURT CAKE

Ibaked my very own cake,for the first time! When I say that, I mean, I didn't use anybody's recipe but my own proportions to bring it all together.Don't ask me how I got till there...it was a long bumpy ride on a very dull Thursday. Fortunately the end result was mind blowing that being sad the whole day didn't matter after all! All the thoughts, worries and confusions yielded in an awesome sauce lemony cake!
OK. I have to tell you that long story and I am not going to cut it short :-)

Last Thursday was quite eventful at home, on the lines of baking. I tried my hand at baking a piped cookie whose dough was just not pipe-able so I rolled them into small balls and baked it. It came out just OK and not so good as the recipe stated. It was a butter cookie and there was a lot of butter in it. I cannot waste butter even if I have to waste the rest of the ingredients. Yeah! I'm like that.

So after a so-so butter cookie, I thought I'll do something to get me going.It's been days since I've been longing to eat a lemon flavoured cake. The hunt was on for a good recipe but seriously, I couldn't get one. During our many e-mails throughout the day, Jobin mentioned he was going for out with his colleagues after work and will be late to get back home. I got that email right after that stupid cookie and when all my search for the perfect lemon cake came to a full stop.

I whined. I wrote back saying 'I'm sad.I want to eat a nice plain lemon cake.I cannot find any recipe.Tried baking a cookie. Flop aayi. Sad.' I mean, seriously...when there are so many food blogs and recipe websites, how is it that I cannot find one recipe which sounded good to me??? Most of them had some sort of a topping going over the hot cake and I didn't want that extra sugar going into our bodies, if I could help it. So I thought I'll compromise and start on with Amma's recipe for her famous cake. That was the beginning...just the beginning of everything!

I took out my brand new digital weighing scale that I was sent for a review and started off measuring butter and sugar. I dumped them into my Reddie to do it's work. Then I moved onto measuring the flour and I painstakingly realised that I was short on it! The butter and sugar was busy creaming up and I don't have enough flour! Ok, let's move onto Plan B...I shall make do with some wheat flour then. Hmph! Ok, now grab the eggs...and for some strange reason, I knew there were not  many eggs left in the fridge. Sadly,it was true.I looked back at my Reddie and couldn't even think of dumping that butter!

Seriously, that was not my day! I am usually very careful and pull out all the ingredients before I start baking and I have no clue what was going on with me that day! I was so let down that I couldn't get a simple cookie right and finally this cake too? Like I said before, the end result changed everything! :-)

RIA'S LEMON YOGURT CAKE
My own recipe

Ingredients:
180g unsalted butter, softened
240g sugar
3 whole eggs plus 1 egg yolk
Zest & ( 3 tbsp ) juice of  1 lime or lemon
200g maida/all purpose flour
40g whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
5 tbsp yogurt

Method: Pre-heat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F. Line a 9 inch baking tin.
In a bowl, whisk together flours, salt, baking powder & baking soda.In another large bowl, beat together butter and sugar till creamy,for 2 mins. Add the eggs one by one and beat for 30 secs after each addition. Add the lime juice and zest and beat for 30 secs. The mixture will curdle but it doesn't matter. Add the flour mix and beat to incorporate. Add the yogurt and beat on high for a minute or two. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 1 hour 10 mins. Your oven timings maybe different, so keep checking from 45 mins.

*Updated on 26/4/2020 - Over the years I revised the method for making the cake batter. Add all the ingredients into a bowl and beat it on high speed using a hand mixer for 2 minutes.

• My current oven bakes the cake in 45 minutes.
• You can use 4 whole eggs instead.
• You can use 240 grams of maida/ all purpose flour instead.
• My 1 cup flour measures 120 grams and 1 cup sugar 200 grams. 

I always dreamt about creating my own cake recipes and never did I even dream that it would be through an accident, a very careless accident! I've actually had a successful accident a while ago and it grabbed me 1st place at a competition too! So, no complaints with accidents! ;-) Don't worry, this cake wouldn't stick to the bottom of your pan as you saw in a photograph above, I was just piling up the crumbs into the tin after I got the cake out of it.

This cake was so so soft that I feared it would crumble in my hands when I unmoulded it. The lemon taste was spot on and the cake was so buttery & incredibly moist! I am so proud of myself ! :-) It really is a wonderful delicious lemon yogurt cake!

SHAHI FALOODA / ROYAL FALOODA

Finally we got our computer back and I'm hoping, really hoping to be regular from now on.Now, let's get talking about this super cool colourful favourite dessert of mine! Falooda, originally a Persian dessert,was introduced to us Indians during the Mughal rule. I've never been a fan of it until a few months back.It was Amma's forever favourite thing to eat in an Ice Cream Parlour.If not a Falooda, she would order a Fruit Salad with Ice Cream.I never understood what's so special about Falooda.

Falooda was a very commonly discussed subject in my house.The first time I remember seeing it was about 17 years ago, for my cousin sisters wedding reception. The Groom's family made it and it was for a huge crowd. Seeing all the ingredients then, I assumed it to be a very elaborate thing to make. I think I was one of the few people who didn't attempt tasting what they served that night.Little did I know what was in store for me!

17 years later...I am hooked onto this wonderful cold dessert! I've made this so so many times and I've never got enough of it. It has many layers and different textures.I'm sure, if you give this a try you would love it! This dessert can be made way ahead of time and assembled in the very last minute.

SHAHI FALOODA/ROYAL FALOODA
My own recipe

Things you'll need:
1 batch Vermicelli Kheer (recipe follows)
1 tbsp Tukmaria/Sabja seeds/Basil seeds {NOT Poppy seeds}
1 small packet jelly/jello, of your choice
Fruits of your choice,cut up
Rooh-Afza,a rose flavoured syrup
2 c cold milk
Sugar to taste
Vanilla Ice Cream

Method:
For the Vermicelli Kheer: In a pan,roast 1/2 c of vermicelli on low flame till pale golden brown.Increase the heat to medium,add 2 cups of milk and cook till the vermicelli is soft, stirring often. Add 1/4 c plus 2 tsp sugar and cook till the mixture is thickened slightly.Switch off the heat and let it cool. Chill till needed.
For the Rose Milk: To the 2 cups cold milk add Rooh-Afza and sugar to taste. Chill till needed.
For the Tukmaria: Soak the seeds in 1 c water for 10 mins. Drain and reserve.

Assembly: In a tall glass add 2 tsp of tukmaria followed by vermicelli,fruits and cut up jello. Pour some rose milk just to cover the assembly. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and serve immediately.

I love photographing what I cook, especially desserts as I get to eat it right after :-) Our friends had come over last night for a potluck and I served this for dessert. They loved it and so did we.I think I'm going to have another glass full of it once this post is published because these pictures are making me drool!