HONEY COMB CAKE...celebration time for 200,000 hits!

Before we move on to the post, I would like to re-name this cake from Chocolate Buttercream & Vanilla Bubble Cake to HONEYCOMB CAKE. The credit for the new name goes to 'Appan', my dad. He said the former name was very lengthy and asked me to re-name it :)

This cake was featured as the Recipe Post of the Day on Foodblogs.com! Thank you all very much!

Okay, now onto the post.

I was very happy for my blog when it had 100,000 hits (in 7 months time) on 10 June 2010.  Today, I am even more excited that my blog had another 100,000 hits in less than 2 1/2 months! What more should a blogger ask for?

Thank you all very very much for your valuable support!  I have done a special something for you all, today.

If you look beneath my header, you will see a tab called YOU & I. Do read it if time permits. That's one way that I could show my appreciation for you all.

Now onto the cake.Let's celebrate people! Instead of opening a bottle of bubbly, let's dive straight into this decadent 3- layered Bubble cake! So get your forks ready! I'll provide the paper napkin :-) and yes, the cake too! ;-)

HONEY COMB CAKE

Things you'll need:

Traditional Vanilla Cake

Chocolate Buttercream

Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Surprise element- Bubble Wrap

Traditional Vanilla Cake
Recipe source: The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook


Ingredients:
Unsalted Butter- 1c
Sugar-2c
Eggs-4 large,at room temp
All purpose flour-2 3/4 c
Baking powder-2 tsp
Milk-1 c
Vanilla Extract- 1 tsp

Method:

• Pre-heat the oven to 350F/180C
• In a large bowl, cream butter on medium speed till smooth, about 2 mins.
• Add sugar gradually and beat till fluffy ,about 3 mins.
• Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
• Combine flours , add in 4 parts , alternating with milk and vanilla, beating well after each addition.
• Pour into the prepared pan (I used a 9" round tin) and bake for 35-40 mins or till the inserted skewer comes out clean.
• Cool in tin for 10 mins, then invert it onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Chocolate Buttercream {EGGLESS}
Recipe source: The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook


Ingredients:
Unsalted butter- 1c, very soft & NOT melted.
Milk- 1 tbsp +1 tsp
Semi sweet chocolate- 6 oz, melted  & cooled to room temp
Vanilla extract- 1 tsp
Confectioner's sugar/Icing sugar- 1 1/4 c


Method:

• In a medium sized bowl, beat butter until creamy for about 3 mins.
• Add milk and beat until smooth for about 1 minute.
• Add the melted and cooled chocolate and beat well till everything is mixed well.
• Add in the vanilla extract and beat for 3 minutes.
• Gradually add in the sugar and beat until creamy and of desired consistency.

Bubble Wrap Decoration
Ingredients:
Semi sweet chocolate-10 oz

Method:

• Cut a template out of a fresh bubble wrap.
• Melt the chocolate and let it cool to room temp.
• Pour over the template and wait till the chocolate is half set.

Assembly:

• Cut the cooled cake in 3 layers, horizontally.
• Apply the buttercream in between the layers ,sides and on top.
• When the chocolate is half set, invert the bubble wrap over the cake and press it slightly.
• Leave the cake with the bubble wrap on in the freezer for 15 mins.
• Peel away the bubble wrap carefully.

Verdict: 
It was difficult for me to cut through the bubble layer. I actually did hear Jobin gasping when I cut through it. We both were admiring the bubble layer even while I was clicking the pictures,but when I had to slice it, our hearts broke.

But the moment we had a taste of the cake...we were least bothered about the bubble layer! :-)

CHOCOLATE & STRAWBERRY TRIFLE PUDDING

Maybe it's the sheer pleasure of digging into all the layers and trying to eat that whole thing in one shot ...I simply love layered desserts! I have been making quite a few in the last one year. Tiramisu Cake in a Cup, Vanilla Butter Cake with Creme Patissierie and Vanilla Strawberry Compote,Viennese Chocolate Genoise Sponge with Strawberry Mascarpone, Mocha Chocolate Mascarpone Verrine etc are some of them.

Desserts play an important part of my life & my meals. I think Jobin is also getting hooked to it.He asks for a dessert after every meal ( no! not after brekky though :-D  ).

A few days ago, I went shopping to the Mall of America and I found an adorable fridge magnet which said, 'Life is short, eat dessert first'. My heart didn't allow me to leave it behind, so now, it adorns my fridge. We already have plenty of magnets from all our trips, but this one has a special place though.I did  a re-positioning of my other magnets so that I can give this one special attention, everyday. It reminds me to eat dessert everyday ;-)

As far as the name of my blog goes, it's mostly collected recipes. Though these days I use books from the library too.This recipe is a perfect testimony of the reason and the name behind my blog. 

CHOCOLATE & STRAWBERRY TRIFLE PUDDING

Recipe's bloodline: My mom. My mom got it from her twin -sis , Daisy. Daisy got it from her husband's sister's daughter, Thresi Ramapuram.

Ingredients:

Sponge Cake- 1 (made using 3 eggs,1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar)

Custard powder-2 tbsp (vanilla flavoured)

Semi-sweet chocolate- 200g, chopped fine

Milk- 300 ml

Sugar-2 tbsp

Heavy cream/Fresh Cream- 300 ml

Fruits of your choice- 350 g, cut up into bite sized pieces.

Jam-4 tbsp ( I used Homemade Cherry & Pluot Jam)

Rum/Brandy/Medium Sherry/Any other soaking liquid- 6 tbsp ( I used rum and brandy)

Method:       

• Cut the sponge cake into small squares (size is upto you) and sandwich them together with jam. ( I slit the whole cake into 2, horizontally and sandwiched it with jam. Then I cut them into squares.)
• Line the bottom of a dish with the sandwiched sponge squares and sprinkle the soaking liquid over it.
• Spinkle 1/2 the quantity of prepared fruits over it and refrigerate it while you make the custard.
• In a heavy bottomed saucepan, mix together the custard powder, sugar and milk. Boil till thick.
• Add the chocolate and stir till blended and cooled.
• Pour over the fruit layer. Refrigerate it while you whip up the cream.
• Beat the cream to soft but firm peaks and spoon over the chocolate layer. You can sweeten the cream if you wish to.
• Decorate the top with the remaining fruits and chill it (well covered with a clingwrap) till you serve.

Verdict: I don't think I need to brag about how much we enjoyed digging into each layers. We enjoyed our first share (taste-testing or whatever that excuse maybe) in individual trifle glasses.The next day, we dug into the big bowl.

You can use any kind of fruits for this. My Amma uses mangoes, apples and pomegranates.        

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The winner of my postcard giveaway is comment no:8 Priya Yallapantula Mitharwal. Congratulations Priya!! I shall get in touch with you for details. 

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Thank you all for participating! I now know why you all come back to my blog! xo

CHOCOLATE FUDGE CUPCAKES

Talk about cravings! I get very specific cravings all the time! A few days ago I was craving for a homemade chocolate cake and this is what satisfied me! It really did satisfy the chocolate hungry girl in me!

I have read in many places that a girl should have a good chocolate cake recipe with her, just like a LBD. I would say, in my case, this chocolate cake would be my Lil' Black Dress! :-) The simplicity of this recipe and the amazing result it gives you, you can never go wrong. There was a frosting recipe for the cake and I didn't do it because I am trying to divide my butter intake in 2 cakes rather than in 1 :-)

I couldn't wait for the cupcakes to cool down, got Jobin also along with me. So, as soon as the tray popped out of the oven, we both gobbled up  one each. B.L.I.S.S.
Some of our friends ( I would say LUCKY!) dropped by that evening, so we shared some with them as well.I think my life has a new motto now...bake & share! :-)

CHOCOLATE FUDGE CUPCAKES
Recipe source : Alice Medrich



Ingredients:


Flour-1 c
Unsweetened cocoa powder-1/4 c + 2 tbsp
Baking soda-1/2 tsp
Salt-1/4 tsp (omit salt if you are using salted butter)
Unsalted butter- 1 stick/ 113 g
Brown sugar-1 1/4 c, packed
Eggs-2
Vanilla extract-1 tsp
Hot water- 1/2 c

Method:

• Pre-heat the oven to 180C /350F. Prepare your baking tin.
• In a heat proof bowl, melt butter and allow it to cool slightly.
• Add the sugar to it and mix it up using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon.
• Add in both the eggs & vanilla together and mix till combined.
• Dump in all the dry ingredients (no sifting needed unless cocoa is lumpy) and mix till flour is just incorporated.
• Add in the hot water and mix till everything blends in well.
• Pour into the baking tin and bake for 35-45 mins.
• Cool the cake in the tin for 10 mins and then demould it and let it cool completely.
• I baked them in my silicone cupcake moulds and this batter yielded 12 cupcakes.

Verdict: How can a chocolate cake get more simpler? It's a one bowl, mixer-free,easy clean up cake recipe! An absolute winner! Try it for yourself and see!

This is going to be my most fave chocolate cake until I find the next one! Usually my search for the perfect chocolate cake never ends, but after trying this one, I think I can rest my search! Phew!

MOCHA MARBLE CHEESECAKELETS.

We both are CRAZY about desserts and we love baking them and sharing it too! Is there something called as the baking soul-sisters? If so, maybe we are one of that :-)

So,When I recieved an email from Nachiketa asking if I could do a guest post for her as a part of her 200th post celebrations, I willingly accepted. I had to make something which we both haven't made before, and of course, it had to be a dessert!That evening I went to our library and went through the whole section of dessert books and finally picked up one. Then it was a task to choose from it. I know Nachiketa & myself has a soft spot for cheesecakes & coffee,especially Tiramisu Cheesecake, so cheesecake it was!

MOCHA MARBLE CHEESECAKELETS
Recipe adapted from A Year in Chocolate by Alice Medrich


Ingredients:
Crust:
Chocolate wafer crumbs/Oreo cookie crumbs-1 1/2 c ( I used Parle-G + 2 tbsp of cocoa powder)
Butter-6 tbsp, melted
Sugar-1/4 c
Coffee powder-1 1/2 tsp

Filling:
Milk chocolate-40 g
Coffee powder-3/4 tsp
Boiling water-1 1/2 tbsp
Cream cheese-650 g
Sugar-1/2 c
Vanilla extract-1 1/2 tsp
Eggs-2, at room temperature

To see rest of the post, hop over to her beautiful blog!

This is a guest post for Nachiketa of The Variable, Crazy Over Desserts - Nachiketa. You can also Catch her on facebook @ Crazy Over Desserts Join her page and leave a comment to become eligible for her special Giveaway prize.

Nachiketa, I wish you all the best  and may you have many many more! To another 200!

Wishing you all a very very happy Onam...

OF SOAKING FRUITS, MAKING WINE AND HOMEMADE JAM

Was that a weird title? Maybe yes, maybe no.

Let me tell you what I have been doing all these days, since last Thursday, since the last post of mine :-)

I have been trying to be proactive (what a change!) and preserve some fruits for:

1.Cake for which you might have to wait till December for the recipe :-/ . I you are impatient like me, you might have to be happy with my Ultra Moist Fruit Cake for the time being.

2.Jam

&

3.Wine : Uh-oh! Can't help but wait till December! :-/

The fruits that you see in the above picture are cherries and pluots. Pluots are a cross between plums and apricots. For me and Jobin, they tasted more like plums. So, it is tart and a bit sweet. They can be substitued with plums or apricots.

For this jam, you can use any fruits of your choice.

CHERRY- PLUOTS & GINGER JAM
I developed this recipe from the basic jam recipe shared by Helene on Facebook.




Ingredients:
Any fruits -1 kg, one variety or mixed. (I used a mix of cherry and pluots)
Sugar-0.5 kg
Ginger-a small piece, grated fine
Lemon juice- 1/2 to 1 tsp

Method:

• Peel (optional) and chop the fruits and transfer it to a heavy bottomed sauce pan .
• Add the sugar and mix well.
• Grate the ginger into it and mix.
• Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and then simmer on medium- low  for 1-1.5 hours or till the setting point *.
• Bottle it into clean jars.

* Setting point is exactly the stage at which you need to stop cooking your jam.To find out whether your jam has reached that stage, take a plate, leave it in the freezer for a while, pour a drop of the jam onto the chilled plate and touch it with your pointer finger and see if it's holding it's shape and not coming away with you as you pull away your finger.Start checking for the setting point after 1 hour of simmering.

Verdict:
I loved the addition of fresh ginger to it, it gets you back to reality when you lose yourselves in the sweetness of the fruits. A very simple recipe with endless possibilities!This recipe is a winner!