Eggless Double Chocolate Muffins | How to Bake Eggless Double Chocolate Muffins from Scratch

This recipe for eggless double chocolate muffins has been long due. It has been sitting in my drafts for some months now. Since I have been somewhat occupied with a new project, this food blog of mine is suffering from some lack of attention. Half of the first month of the new year 2018 has elapsed and nothing had been posted here till now. I decided that I need to do the needful today and this recipe from my drafts has come to my rescue.

This recipe is a simple one and it is a healthy one as there has been no use of refined flour. I have used regular sugar, but you can go ahead and use brown sugar to make it even healthier and guilt-free. They go well with a cup of coffee. So, if you are planning a meet up with friends over coffee, this is one recipe you can try.

One Bowl Eggless Brownies

I had baked these brownies during the last weekend. It was a long weekend and hence a time for good food. I had been on a very plain diet for a long time due to my illness and now when I am feeling 100% fine, I wanted to indulge in my favorite thing - 'Chocolate'. What else is better than a brownie if you want something chocolate-y! Right, but I was not really in a mood to wash a sink full of utensils. That's when one bowl egg less brownies were born.

Long weekend also means some short trips, provided the weather is good. God must have heard my cribbing about the persistent bad weather and hence blessed us with a gorgeous sunny Saturday. We went for a day trip to Bray, a small seaside town in county Wicklow. Details about the trip will need another post but, I can't help sharing a picture of the day here.

Isn't it gorgeous?

Coming back to the brownie recipe, you will need:

One Bowl Eggless Brownies

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup AP Flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup sugar, powdered
1/4 cup sunflower oil
3/4 cup low fat yogurt
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/4 to 1/2 cup milk
3- 4 tbsp chopped nuts( Optional, I used hazelnuts)

Process:
1. In a large bowl shift the AP Flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk them till they are evenly mixed.
2. Preheat the oven at 180 C and grease and dust a 9x9 inch square pan.
3. Make a hole in the center of the flour mixture and add in the oil, yogurt, vanilla and half of the milk. Using a whisk or a spatula mix to form a spreadable batter. Add more milk if needed.
4. Pour the batter into the tin and spread it evenly. Bake it at 180 C for 35-40 mins. Cool it for 10 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy them warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

Linking it to ShowCase - Dessert

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Heartiest Christmas Wishes with Chocolate and Dates Cake (Eggless)

At the very outset my heartiest wishes to all who celebrates Christmas. Wish you a very merry and fun filled Christmas!

Whether you celebrate this festival or not, you can't miss the festivity in the air and of course good food is all a part of the festive spirit. As everybody, I can't miss the opportunity to indulge in something delicious and of course baking comes to my mind.

I made this cake for a small get together at a friend's place. I was received well by my friends and in fact my DH also gave a thumbs up to it even though he is not a very big dates fan. The taste of dates is very subtle and in this particular cake it helps to accentuate the chocolate flavour. This recipe actually comes from one of my friends. I have only experimented a little by adding cocoa to it. 

 

Without much ado let's hop to the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup minus 2 tbsp AP Flour

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 cup castor sugar

1/2 cup pitted dates(About 15-18 soaked in water for 2-3 hours or overnight).

1 tsp baking powder.

3/4 tsp baking soda.

1/4 cup melted butter.

1/4 cup water used for soaking dates.

1/2 cup milk.

Process:

1. Grease a 6'' square cake tin and preheat the oven at 180C.

2. Churn the dates along the water and milk to make a smooth paste.

3. Shift flour, baking powder, soda 2-3 times together so that it is well blended.

4. Cream in the sugar and butter till well incorporated and fluffy.

5. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients whisking all the time.

6. Whisk till the batter is smooth, around 2-3 minutes.

7. Pour into the pre greased tin and bake at 180 C for 20 mins and then lower the temperature to 160 C and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

8. Let it rest in the tin for 5-10 mins before turning it on a wire rack to cool.

9. Cool completely and slice. Serve.

Thank you for stopping by! Merry Christmas! Cheers!

Eggless Chocolate Microwave Mug Cake ~ For Blog Hop Wednesdays~ From Sin-A-mon

It's Wednesday and it is time for Blog Hop again. I am sure most of you are aware about this bi-monthly event. If not, then check this out.

This week I am assigned Monika's Blog Sin-A-Mon. I have been following her other blog for quite a time. She is a well known name in the blogging world with her interests ranging from food to books to social awareness. I chose a very simple yet indulgent recipe from her blog -Chocolate Mug Cake. I have tweaked the recipe to make it egg less and added vanilla instead of cinnamon. I have halved the original recipe to yield only one serving. The weather hasn't been great of late with grey clouds and cold days and occasional drizzle. The warm chocolate mug cake was perfect to lift spirits in an otherwise depressing climate.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp AP Flour

2 tbsp powdered sugar

1 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tbsp Nutella

11/2 tbsp milk

11/2 tbsp oil

11/2 tbsp yogurt

1/2 tsp baking powder

A pinch of baking soda

1/2 tsp vanilla essence.

 Process:

1. Mix all the ingredients and pour the batter into a large microwave safe mug. Mine was big and the batter came 1/3rd of its volume. If you choose a smaller one the batter may overflow while cooking.

2. Microwave it for 2 minutes. Let it sit in the microwave for 30 secs before taking it out. Its ready to eat! I had mine with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

Note:

1. The texture of the mug cake was brownie like. It is best to have it fresh from microwave.

Time to dig in!

Check what other bloggers are up with! Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Breakfast in a glass ~ Strawberry Banana Shake & Dates Mocha Shake

Shakes and smoothies are my ideal express breakfast. A few ingredients into the blender and whiz! Voila! Ready to drink :-)! There are times when you are in no mood to cook early morning and sometimes you are fed up of regular corn flakes or bread jam. For me 'Shakes' is the answer. Here are two of my favourite, of course for the second one you have to plan the night before. I do often ;-)

Strawberry Banana Shake:

Ingredients:

4 strawberries washed and hulled.
1/4th of an extra ripe banana peeled and chopped.
250ml low fat milk.
Sugar/Honey/Maple Syrup to taste.

Process:
Add all the ingredients into a blender and churn till smooth. Pour into glass and serve immediately.

Dates Mocha Shake:

Ingredients:
4 dates soaked overnight in less than 1/4 cup water.
1 tsp chocolate powder.
1/2 tsp instant coffe powder.
Sugar to taste.
250ml low fat milk

Process:

Add the dates along with the water in which it was soaked into the blender. Add all other ingredients. Churn till smooth. Pour into glass and serve immediately.

Linking it to Srivalli's Breakfast Mela

Sending the Strawberry Banana Shake to ToRview's Event Food Palette-Pink.

Cheers! Thank you for stopping by!

Celebration Chocolate Cake With Fudge Frosting (Eggless)

Chocolate has a special place in my heart. The very thought of it sets my mouth water and so when it comes to baking a special cake, a 'Chocolate Cake' comes to mind at the very first instant. I have made it quite many times and it has always been a hit. I love this recipe because it is eggless (it has to be) and infact vegan(with no butter or dairy product, I mean just the cake not the frosting). I am not vegan, so I didn't go all the way to make a vegan frosting.

This cake recipe was passed on by a friend and I had jotted it down in a paper.I don't where I kept it but I know its somewhere safe ;-). So, I googled for one and found this. It is a very easy recipe with no fancy ingredients, even beginners can try it. I made it for our 3rd marriage anniversary and needless to say, it was a hit!

Here is the recipe:

(Click here for the printable version)
Ingredients:

11/2 cup AP Flour.
1 cup sugar.
3 tbsp cocoa powder.
1 tsp baking soda.
1/2 tsp salt.
5 tbsp oil ( I use sunflower oil)
1 tsp vanilla extract.
1 tbsp white vinegar.
1 cup water.

Process:

1. Preheat the oven at 180 C and grease two 8 inch round sandwich tins.

2. In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients and shift so that it is well mixed and uniform. Make a hole in the centre.

3. Add the oil, vanilla extract and water and whisk it to combine it all. Add the vinegar and very quickly blend it lightly. Immediately pour the batter equally in the greased tins and bake in the preheated oven for 22-25 minutes.

4. To test if its done insert a skewer in the middle and if it comes out clean, cake is perfectly baked.

5. Take it out and run a knife through the sides of the cake and let it rest for 15 minutes to half an hour before taking it out of the tin.

6. Cool it completly before proceeding for the icing.

For the fudge frosting:

100 g milk chocolate (or dark chocolate or a combination of both)

1 cup icing sugar.
4 tbsp butter soft
5 tbsp milk or cream
1 tsp vanilla essence

Also required:

Sugar syrup made with a teaspoon of sugar and water

Process:

1.  Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Pour all the ingredients into a heat proof bowl and place it over a pan containing boiling water. Stir the ingredients as it melts. The bowl should not touch the water. Alternately, you can microwave the chopped chocolates till it melts.

2. Take it off gas once nicely melted and beat well. Once the cake is cooled completely, place one half upside down and brush it nicely with the sugar syrup. It will keep the cake moist.

3. Pour the freshly prepared icing and cover it quickly. Place the second half and pour rest of the icing working it quickly before it is cooled and starts settling.  With a warm palette knife smoothen it as quickly as possible.

For the decoration I used:

Grated chocolate, cocoa powder, chocolate hearts and chocolate lace border. That's a lot of chocolate I know but for a chocoholic like me its GREAT! :-) (huge grin)!!

For chocolate hearts, I made outlines of little hearts on a parchment/greaseproof paper and turned it upside down. In a handmade cone made from parchment paper or plastic, I filled melted chocolate and closed the other end. I cut a small peice of the pointed end off the cone and filled the heart oultines with melted chocolate and left them to set. Once set, I lifted them and kept them in refrigerator till needed for decoration.

I got the idea of lace border from here. Deeba's PAB is an inspiration for me and I am always awestruck by her pictures. This time the lace border was not that perfect, but I am sure it will be with practice.

Notes:

1. After adding the vinegar, do not beat the batter much or else it will not rise. You have to be real quick at this stage.

2. It can be baked in 1 large 8 inch line and then slit it in the middle. But, I prefer to bake it separately.

3. Greasing the cake tin properly before baking and letting the cake cool down before taking it out it is very important.

4. The cake tastes great with or without frosting. It can also be served warm (30 secs in microwave) with a scoop of vanilla icecream and chocolate sauce!

Here is a piece for you. ;-)!

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Wordless Wednesday - 3 years of togetherness

Eggless Chocolate Brownies

My first memories of having  brownies dates back to my college days. There was (in fact its still there) a restaurant in Guwahati named JBz which served sizzling 'Brownie with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce'. Oh Boy! Having that dessert all for myself was sheer indulgence! I used to savour each bite and even today when I think of it, it sets my mouth water!! But, in those times, I had never once thought of finding out how to make it, cooking was never my cup of tea! But neccesity is the mother of invention and now that I have developed a liking for baking, I keep trying new recipes.

This recipes comes from Nita Mehta's book which I borrowed from my elder sister on my last India visit. I had made it once for our girl's get together. But, that time I had baked it in an about less than 7" square cake tin and it puffed up and was more like a cake. Never the less it was tasty. Last week, I was in a mood of baking and tried these brownie again. This time in a 9'' square cake tin and they came out well. Moist and fudgy and it was great when combined with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.

Here comes the recipe:

Eggless Chocolate Brownies:
(Click here for the printable version)


Serves 12.
1¼ cups low fat milk
1 tbsp white vinegar.(Original recipe had 2 tbsp. See Notes)
1½ cups AP Flour.
¼ cup cocoa.
1 tsp soda- bi-carb.
1¼ cups sugar. (Original recipe had 1½ cup+2tbsp).
½ cup oil.
1 tsp vanilla essence.
2 tbsp crushed walnuts and chocolate sauce for decoration.

9 ” Square tin.

Process:

1. Grease the tin and dust it with flour. Preheat the oven at 160 C.
2. Boil milk and add vinegar. When the milk starts to curdle, keep it on fire for 30 seconds and take it off gas. Let it cool down completely.
3. Sift all the dry ingredients and keep the mixture in a mixing bowl.
4. To it add the paneer with whey and oil. Add essence and milk well with a wooden spoon till well combined.
5. Pour the batter in the prepared tin and sprinkle walnuts over it.

6. Bake at 160 C for 40 minutes. When done remove from oven and let it cool completely. Remove the brownie from the tin. Sprinkle powdered sugar over it. Cut into peices.

Warm it in microwave for 20 seconds and serve with ice cream, topped with chocolate sauce.

Notes:

1. A few days back, I was seeing Barefoot Contessa. Ina Garten was baking a Brownie and shared a tip. She asked to give a nice tap to the cake tin on the rack after baking it for 30 mins. It helps in releasing any air that might be formed because of the leavener and makes the brownie more fudgy. I will try this technique next time, I bake a brownie.

2. I have tried this recipe with both 1 tbsp and 2 tbsp Vinegar. First time when I had baked it, I used 2 tbsp of vinegar. On adding 1 tbsp vinegar to boiled milk, it curdled instantly.  But since the recipe called for another tbsp, I added it. Vinegar helps in leavening which makes it more cake like.So, next time I tried it with 1 tbsp only and got better results. I was more fudgy and moist. I will recommend using 1 tbsp vinegar only.

3. I reduced the sugar by 1/2 cup from what was given in the original recipe and it was perfect for me. Adjust sugar to your own liking and taste.

Enjoy!

Linking it to Champa's Bake Off , ToReview's Food Palette Series Brown and Divya's Brownie Event.