Coconut Cake ( Eggless)

My favorite coconut cake?

Probably the best coconut cake I’ve ever tasted is actually not coconut cake..we call it a "Khobra cake" ...the one which you get in New Poona Bakery, Pune. Plain sponge cake coated with jam and desicated coconut is what they call a " Khobra cake".
I made this by adding the desicated cocout in the cake mixture and not New Poona Bakery style.
It has distinctive flavor, the coconut gives wonderful texture to the cake which is usually not in regular spongy cakes.



for this you need:-
Refined Flour 1 cup
Desiccated coconut 1 cup
Butter 1/2 cup
Condensed milk 1 tube ( 170 ml)
Vanilla essence ½ tsp (optional)
Baking powder 2 1/2 tsp
Milk 1/2 cup


1. Pre-heat the oven at 180 0 c. Grease and dust the baking dish with butter and refied flour respectively. Sprinkle some desicated coconut as well to get brownish colour to the cake when you turn the cake upside down.
2. Mix 3/4 cup desiccated coconut, baking powder and sieved refined flour in a mixing bowl.
3. In another bowl beat butter, condensed milk along with essence (optional) till light.
4. To this gently add the flour mix, fold it gently, and take care while beating so as to avoid lumps.
5. Once the flour is mixed;  add milk to adjust the consistency and beat for another 2 minute.
6. Pour the prepared mix in the prepared baking dish. Bake the batter for approximately 25 minutes at 180 0 c .
7. Once done, remove, let it cool. Garnish it with the remaining desicated coconut for better taste and serve.

Masala Pav - Street Food

The other day; i said to Ketan that the worst part of staying abroad   ( especially in a country like Germany, where you hardly get any Indian food ; forget street food), he got angry with me. But this is the fact; that everytime you say ; you want to eat this and that......there is no option but to prepare it at home or just ignore that craving. Another hitch here is that; even if you prepare it at home; it may not get that street food wala taste.
Anyway I had this craving for Masala Pav from a long time ( the Masala pav that you get in the restaurant called Relax in Sahakarnagar,Pune is really amazingggggggggg.....mmmm...muh me pani aa gaya ); so i decided to prepare it at home and guess what; they turned out really tasty except the taste of pav, beacuse you don't get Pav here; so instead I used burger buns to prepare them....


you will need:-

4 ladi pavs / Buns ( i used burger Buns)
2 tbsp butter


for the masala:-
1 cup onions, finely chopped
1 cup tomatoes, finely chopped
¼ cup capsicum, finely chopped
2 tsp finely chopped ginger-garlic ( you can use the paste as well) 
1 tsp finely chopped green chilli  (optional)
a pinch turmeric powder 
2 tsp. Pav bhaji masala
1 1/2 tsp chilli powder
Sugar a pinch2 tbsp oil
salt to taste

To garnish:-
2 tbsp chopped coriander
lemon wedges


1. Heat oil in a pan, add onions and saute them.
2. Then add ginger garlic paste and fry well.
3. When the onions are cooked, add capsicum and cook till capsicum becomes little soft, then add tomatoes, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and pavbhaji masala and cook till the tomatoes become soft.
4. When the oil starts coming up, sprinkle coriander, mix it properly and switch off the gas.
5. At the time of serving, cut the bread into halves and lightly roast them with lots of butter. Heat the gravy once again and put it in the bread pieces. Garnish with some coriander, lemon wedge and little butter and serve immediately.

Choco Coconut Delights

The name itself makes my mouth water… I am one of those numerous people in this world who go weak in their knees at the first mention of the word ‘chocolate’.

 … well its so easy and quick to make these ladoos,  I bet every kid wouldn’t mind doing it on their own!

For this you Need:-

Chocolate, grated 1 cup

Condensed milk 2-3 tablespoons

Cashewnuts, crushed 1/4 cup

Desiccated coconut 2 1/2 cups

Almonds, coarsely ground 1/2 cup

This is how you do it:-

 

1. Melt grated chocolate in a Microwave oven  for one minute.

2. Take two cups of desiccated coconut in a bowl and keep the remaining in plate.

3.  Add almond powder and cashewnut  powder and mix.

4.  Take chocolate out of the microwave oven and whisk with a spoon till smooth.

5.  Add it to the desiccated coconut mixture. Add two tablespoons of condensed milk and mix well. 

6.  If required add one more tablespoon of condensed milk and mix. Shape into small laddoos. 

7.  Roll them in the remaining desiccated coconut and arrange on a plate. 

Pulao Masala

( This one is Specially for my Best friend.....Sheetal ) I don't know how many times I have told this recipe to her; but everytime she tell me to write it down and give it to her. So here's the recipe for you dear........... 

For this you need:- 
Coriander seeds 1/4 cup
Cumin seeds 1 tbsp.
Cloves 6-7
Cinnamon 2″ piece
Pepper 5-6
Bay Leaf 3-4

This is how you make Masala:- 
1. Just Dry roast all the ingredients separately for about 3-4 minutes each. Put them all together in blender and blend it coarsly.
2. Store this masala in a dry place.

Khandavi (Suralichi Wadi-as we call it in Marathi)

Well ...I dared to make it and I didn't find it hard at all expect when spreading the batter,you should do it quickly before batter gets cold and lumpy.If you have somebody to help you,that would be great.I cook alone,so such luck for me.I had to discard the last two spoonfuls.The rest came well as you can see and tasted so yummy. They make a wonderful snack.It's definitely worth the effort I say!    :-)


You will need:-

1 cup besan/gram flour

1 tsp salt

a pinch of turmeric

Small green chilly crushed

1 clove of garlic crushed ( I did not use )

1 cup buttermilk (sour )

1 cup water
1 tsp Sugar

For tadka:-

2-3 tbsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp Turmeric Powder

1 tsp Asafoetida
1 tsp Sesame seeds ( I did not use )

prepare this tadka and keep it ready beforehand.

For garnishing:-

Shredded coconut

Finely chopped Coriander/ cilantro

This is how you do it:-

1. Mix besan, salt, sugar, turmeric and crushed chilly.
2. Mix water, sour buttermilk and all the mixture in the step 1 . Mix everything well so that no lumps are formed.
3. After everything gets mixed up well, place the mixture in a Non-Stick pan on the heat. Keep the heat medium flame for 7-8 minutes .
4. Stir everything continuously to avoid any lump formation while it is on the heat. Continuous stiring is the key here.  
5. Cover it with the lid with very low heat for about a minute. Mix again and repeat 2-3 times.
6. Now its time to spread the dough. Keep the greased plates ready. 
7. Keeping the pan on the stove top, take a little part of dough and spread it on to the baking pan with your hands. Try to spread it evenly, and in thin layers.
8. Similarly spread the rest of the dough on to the plates while the dough is hot. Once the dough gets cold, you won't be able to spread the dough. It's critical to spread when it's hot.

9. Once you coat every plate with the dough it's time to make 2-inch wide vertical lines on the spreaded dough, so that you can roll the wadi's.

10. Sprinkle the coriander and  shredded coconut on to the plates before you start rolling the wadi's 
11. Arrange them all nicely and top them off with extra coriander and coconut. Finish it off with tadka that you made and kept ready beforehand.

   

Semolina Cake

It's a great Tea Time snack or even a lunch box treat for kids. Store it in the fridge  and warm it in the microwave for a few seconds every time you serve it. Tastes even better after a day or two.
The only hitch here is that the cake is made with semolina and not flour so it has a grainier texture than an ordinary cake. But believe me it tastes awesome. So do try it out.

For this you need :-
1/4 Cup wheat flour
1 Cup Semolina (Fine)
1/2 cup of cream ( I used 30 %)
1 cup of yogurt
1 cup of granulated sugar
1/4 cup of milk (I used 3.5%)
1 tbsp. baking powder
Almonds,raisins for crunchiness


This is how you do it :-
1. Mix the sugar and yogurt thoroughly so that the sugar completely dissolves.
2. Then add all the other ingredients to the yogurt. Add raisins into the batter and mix it well. Now let this batter stand for an hour. Keep it covered . This enables the semolina to soften completely before baking.
3. Meanwhile pre-heat the oven to 200 0 C and grease and dust the Baking Tray.
4. After one hour pour the batter into the prepared tray and sprinkle the sliced almonds all over the top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until it is golden in colour and a knife inserted comes out clean .

 

5.Wait for it to cool before slicing it. If it does not easily come off the tray do not force it out but slice it in the tray itself and remove the slices carefully with a knife.

Eggless Tutti Frutti Cake

Here's my bake for the past week...a Eggless Tutti Frutti Cake. This is something which I have made twice, and have since been wanting to bake again and again, and yet, every time, I would put the thought aside; because of the quantity of butter! Yet, it is such a delicious cake that I have to fight off my constant craving for it! 

Here is the list of ingredients I used:
1 Cup Maida / Refined Flour

170 ml Condensed Milk ( Milkmaid)
1/2 Cup melted butter
1 tsp. Vanilla essence ( optional)
2 tbsp. (yes tbsp.) Baking Powder
1/2 cup Milk
6-7 tbsp Tutti Frutti ( i used lemon and orange flavoured tutti frutti)


Here is how you make the batter:
1. Preheat the oven at 180 0 C.
2. Grease and dust baking dish with butter and refined flour respectively.
3. Sieve flour with baking powder 3 times ( for better air circulation). Keep Aside
4. Cream together butter and milkmaid. When it becomes light and soft; add vanilla essence ( optional).
5. Then add the sieved flour in the mixture and mix the batter properly in one direction. Add milk as per the requirement ( 1/2 cup milk is enough) to adjust the consistency of the batter.
6. Just before you transfer the batter into the baking mould; add tutti frutti and mix lightly. Pour Batter into the Baking dish, and bake it for about 35-40 mins at 180 0 C.
7. Test by pricking the cake with a clean Knife and if it comes out clean then the cake is done.
8.Let it cool before unmoulding and cutting.
Your eggless tutti frutti cake is ready.