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!

Egg less Vanilla Cake (With Condensed Milk and Coke)

It has been a while since I shared a cake recipe here. I do bake often but not all get posted here. I had clicked these pictures quite a while back. Only now it is making its way to this space. When ever I have a cake craving, it is usually for chocolate cake or a brownie. But, DH loves plain vanilla cake. So, when ever he requests me for a cake, it is plain vanilla only. Anything else should come with an icing.

I make the plain vanilla cake in a couple of ways, sometimes with yogurt, sometimes with vinegar. But, my favorite way is with condensed milk. So, if I have condensed milk can at home, I go this way.
There are many recipes floating around the web for a cake with condensed milk. Even, I remember my mom making  cakes with condensed milk. I can say it is the most traditional way of making egg less cakes. For the liquid content of the cake, I like to use coke or soda water. It really makes a difference to the texture of the cake. However, it can be replaced by milk or water if you don't have aerated cold drink at hand.

Eggless Vanilla Cake (With condensed milk and coke)

11/2 cup AP Flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup soft butter
1 tin sweetened condensed milk (400gm)
2/3 cup coca cola at room temperature.
2 tsp vanilla extract

Butter and flour for greasing and dusting the pan

Process:

1. Preheat the oven at 180 C. Line a 9" square tin. Please note that baking time may vary if you choose a smaller or larger tin. So, adjust accordingly.

2. Shift the flour, baking powder and baking soda twice. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl whip the condensed milk and butter till the mixture is creamy.

4. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture in 2-3 parts. Keep stirring while adding flour mixture. Add the coke in the end and whisk for another 2 minutes. The batter will have a pouring consistency.

5. Pour the batter in the prepared tin and bake it in the preheated oven for 15 minutes at 180 C. Then lower the temperature to 160 C and bake for another 25- 30 minutes.

6. The cake is done when a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool for at least 15 minutes before turning the cake out of the tin. Slice and enjoy!

Notes:

1. Add the aerated drink at the end only and be fast in pouring it into the greased pan and get baking.

2. Aerated drink can be replaced by room temperature milk or water. But, I find aerated drink gives a lighter texture to the cake.

3. If you are using a smaller pan, it make take longer to bake it. Similarly, if using a larger pan, it will get baked quicker. So, adjust accordingly and keep an eye.

Linking it to Bake Fest #6. This event is the brain child of Vardhini.

Thank you for stopping by. Cheers!

Chocolate Cornets

For Egg less Bakes this month Gayathri chose this Chocolate Cornet recipe. The recipe had eggs and all bakers had to try out the egg less version. The cornet is made of bread dough and is filled with chocolate custard. For the dough, I substituted eggs with a mixture of yogurt and milk and for the chocolate custard I used corn flour.

These Chocolate Cornets will be great for kids. I filled four of them with chocolate custard and rest with a savoury samosa filling. However, I am giving the measurement of custard need for 12 cornets here. Baking them was fun. though it seemed a lengthy process as I had to make the cornet's molds from scratch.

Recipe Source:  CookingWith Dog

Ingredients:

Makes 12 Cornets:

For the dough:

300gm flour +1/4 cup flour for dusting

1 tbsp milk powder

2tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

7 gm Instant Yeast

140ml warm Water

2 tbsp yogurt

2 tbsp milk

30 gm butter

For The Chocolate Custard:

350 ml silk

¼ cup sugar

2 tbsp corn starch

3/8 cup chopped chocolate (I used a combination of dark and milk chocolate)

1 tsp vanilla extract

For The Cornet molds:

Please refer tothis video to check how to make them

For The Bread Cone:

Process:

1.  In a bowl, mix flour, salt, and milk powder. In lukewarm water add the sugar and then sprinkle yeast over it and let it sit for 5 minutes to rise.

2. Make a whole in the flour mixture and add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture. Add yogurt and milk and prepare soft dough.

3. Knead the dough for 5 minutes and then flatten it on the counter dusted with flour. Place the chopped pieces of butter in the middle and cover it with the dough.

4. The dough will be very sticky at this point, use extra flour and knead it for another 5-7minutes until the butter is well incorporated and the dough becomes soft and elastic.

5. Place the dough in a large greased bowl and cover with a plastic wrap.

6. Keep it in a warm place to rise till it is double in volume.

7. When well risen, punch the air out of it and divide it into 12 equal portions.

8. Roll each portion into a ball and keep it covered on the counter for 15 minutes.

9. Grease the cornet molds with butter

10. Flatter each ball and shape them into a long rope such that it is thin at edges and thicker in the middle.

11. Wrap it around the cornet molds. Start from the bottom to the top of the mold and then pinch the end of the rope to close it.

12. Place the prepared cornets on a greased tray and allow it to rise for 15-20minutess.

13. Preheat oven to 200C and bake the cornets for 10-12 minutes. When done place them on a wire rack to cool. Unmold the cornet and store cornets in an airtight box until needed.

Chocolate Custard: 

I prepared the custard in microwave.

Process:

1. Place the chopped chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat it in the microwave till it is melted. It will take 2 minutes.
2. Mix the corn starch, sugar in a large microwave safe bowl and add in the milk. Whisk to remove any lump. Microwave it for 2 minutes. Whisk again. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla essence. Whisk. Microwave it again for 3-5 minutes whisking after every 1 minute.
3. The custard is done the mixture comes thick and creamy. Time may vary from microwave to microwave. So, keep an eye on the process.

Assembling the Chocolate Cornets:

1. Fill the custard in a zip lock bag and make a small hole at one of the edges.

2. Place the tip inside the cornet and squeeze the bag to fill the cornet with the custard.

3. Repeat the same with other cornets. Serve with tea or coffee. Enjoy!

Linking it to Yeast Spotting

Eggless Coconut Cake

Egg less Bakes is a group started by Gayathri and for the first edition she chose a egg based coconut cake recipe. All the participants had to try out an egg less version and post it on their blog on a specified date. To know more about it and participate, check this.

I have made a lot of changes to the original recipe. I have halved the recipe and have substituted half of the flour with whole wheat flour, butter with oil and have used a combination of yogurt, baking soda and coconut milk to substitute the eggs. Lets hop to the recipe to see how I have made it.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup AP Flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp caster sugar
1/2 dessicated coconut
1/4 cup yogurt
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla essence

Process:

1. Preheat the oven at 175 C and grease and dust a 7" square pan.
2. In a large bowl sieve the flours, baking powder, baking soda.
3. Add sugar and dessicated coconut and whisk such that the mixture is uniform.
4. Make a hole at the centre of the mixture and add all the wet ingredients one by one and whisk till the batter is well incorporated. Do not over beat. The batter consistency is on the thicker side, yet of pouring consistency.
5. Bake it at 175 C for 35- 40 minutes till a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
6. When baked, let it sit over 15 minutes and then invert it on a wire rack. When it cools completely slice and serve.

The cake had a slight crust, but was soft inside. The coconut flavour was good although freshly grated coconut will give a more prominent flavour. All in all I am satisfied with the results as far as texture is concerned. But the cake was a little less sweet and the coconut flavour was not as prominent as I would have liked. So next time I make it I would like to use 1 cup of freshly grated coconut and increase the sugar to 3/4 cup.

Thanks 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!

Nan Khatai ~ The Indian Cookies ~ For Sweet Punch

For Sweet Punch this month, the bloggers were given the choice of baking anything of their choice. After some thought I decided to bake these Indian cookies, Nan Khatai

It is December already and in less than a month we will step into the new year.The air is festive and you can feel Christmas all around. What better time to share this easy cookie recipe. Bake these goodies to gift it to your friends and family.

Laced with cardamom and saffron, these little cookies are rich and have a melt in the mouth texture. The whole house will be filled with fragrant aroma as they are baked in your oven. Without much ado, lets hop on to the recipe:

Recipe Source: Joy of Cooking

Makes 35-40 pieces

Ingredients:

250 gm AP Flour( About 11/4 cup)
200gm ghee, clarified butter or use unsalted butter
110gm caster sugar
4-5 cardamom pod seeds finely powdered
A pinch of saffron, 6-7 strands.
2 tbsp gram flour
1/4 cup semolina
1/4 tsp baking powder.
Handful of nuts of your choice, chopped or pounded roughly(I found a few cashews and pistachios in my pestle and mortar)

Process:

1. In a large bowl add sugar and ghee and whisk till sugar is dissolved in the ghee and the mixture is light and fluffy.
2. In a separate bowl, add AP flour, gram flour, semolina, cardamom powder and baking powder and sieve it. Add saffron and nuts to the flour mixture. You could also punch these nuts on to the cookies but I like them inside.
3. Now add the flour mixture to the sugar and ghee mixture and stir. Use your hands to make a soft pliable dough.
4. Make 35-40 even golf sized balls and place them on two large prepared baking trays, keeping some space between them. Flatten them slightly with your fingers. You can also bake them in batches.
5. Bake them at 175 C for 12-15 minutes. Keep an eye on them as they may turn burn if over baked.
6. Once out of oven let them cool in the tray for 5-10 minutes or they will crumble.

When completely cooled store them in an airtight container. Enjoy them with a cup of tea or coffee.

Linking it to Suma's Cookie Fest, Kavi' Jingle all the way and Radhika's Let's Cook#10 Baked Goodies

Enjoy! Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Celebrating one year of 'Pages' with Eggless Black Forest Cake!

Time flies. It really does. Some times this realization hits me with a bang and makes me nervous as each seconds trickles away. On other occasions, it is a time to rejoice, to celebrate. Today's occasion falls in the later category. It is my blog's birthday! It was sometime in November last year I created this blog but, it was the 22nd of November when I wrote the first post. So that is the day for me.

So here are my wishes- 

Happy Birthday Blog! I am so glad I created you. 

Through you, I am able to show case to the world what I love to do,

Through you, I have come to know so many like me,

Who like to seek happiness in the simplest things,

Like sharing thoughts on books, food or everyday tales,

Through you I have discovered a new world. 

So, thank you dear blog and I hope we continue on this journey for years to come.

To celebrate this special occasion, I have something special to share today! Black Forest Cake! I had prepared it for by DH birthday, but didn't get to post it. Today is the perfect day to share this sinfully delicious cake. To know a little history of this German dish read THIS. This is off course not a very traditional recipe as it is tweaked to be made egg less. I have made it a couple of times and have  followed the recipe from a Nita Mehta's cook book.

Typically, Black Forest cake consists of several layers of chocolate cake, with whipped cream decorated cherries, and chocolate shavings. So first we need to prepare a chocolate cake.

Eggless Chocolate Cake:

Ingredients:

400gm condensed milk.
1 cup milk.
2 cup AP flour.
½ cup powdered sugar.
½ cup cocoa powder.
1 cup oil.
2 tsp baking powder.
1 tsp soda bicarbonate.
2 tsp vanilla essence.

Process:

1. Grease a 9 inch round baking tin and dust it nicely with flour. Preheat the oven at 175 C for 10-15 minutes.

2. Sieve flour, cocoa, baking powder and soda bi-carb together. Keep aside.

3. Beat oil, sugar and essence till well mixed. Add condensed milk and milk. Beat well till well incorporated.

4. To this mixture add flour mixture in 2-3 batches, mixing well all the time. Beat well for 4-5 minutes till the mixture is light and fluffy and of a soft dropping consistency. Add a few spoons of milk if needed.

5. Transfer the cake mixture to the prepare tin. Level it.

6. Bake it at 175 C for 50-55 minutes.

7. Insert a clean knife in the middle of the cake to check if it is done. If it comes out clean, switch off the oven and take the cake out. Remove from tin after 10-15 minutes, by inverting on the wire rack.

For the black forest cake we will need.

1 chocolate cake (From above).
150 gm glazed cherries.
1 tbsp rum (Gives the flavour, I encourage to use it or use rum essence).
2-3 tbsp sugar.
¼ cup water.

Cream Icing:

300ml double cream- chilled.
4 tbsp sugar or to taste.

Chocolate Decoration:

200 gm milk or semisweet chocolate, as per your taste.

Process:

1.   Chop the chocolate bar into small chunks and place them in a microwave safe bowl. Heat it in the microwave for 2 minutes in 4 steps of 30 seconds each. Stir every 30 seconds just to make sure chocolate doesn’t get burnt at the bottom and is evenly melted.

2.   Keep a parchment paper spread over a baking tray. Make sure it sticks to the tray, if needed use adhesive to make it stick. Spread the melted chocolate swiftly and evenly on the parchment paper. Let it rest for4-5 minutes is a relatively cool place so that the chocolate is firm enough to touch but not hard. Slice them into bars of equal sizes using a sharp knife. It is better to measure the height of the cake before spreading the chocolate and slicing it. Once sliced keep it in the fridge for 5-10 minutes till it is well set and gently take them off the parchment paper and store them in the fridge in an airtight container till needed.

Cream Icing and Assembling the cake:


Process:

1. Slice the chocolate cake evenly into 3 equal layers or more if you like. Place one half upside down on a flat plate.

2. Beat cream with sugar till the cream is thick and stands soft peaks. Keep it in the freeze till needed.

3. Dissolve sugar in water with rum. Thinly slice the cherries keeping aside 5-6 for decoration.

4. When the cake is completely cooled down, brush the sugar and rum syrup generously over the cake. The cake will soak it and will be moist. Spread a layer of cream over it evenly. Now spread a thin layer of sliced cherries.

5. Place the second layer of the cake. Brush with syrup generously and repeat the process of spreading cherries and then place the third and final layer and brush the syrup generously. Cover the whole of the cake with cream icing evenly.

6. Cover the cake sides with the prepared chocolate bars. Decorate the top with cream and cherries as desired.

7. Keep the cake in the freeze and take it out 15 minutes before serving

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!

Eggless Vanilla Cupcakes ~ Happy Birthday To Me!

The post title announces that it is a special day! Well, one's birthday is indeed special and I do not mind announcing it myself to the world.

I am on my India visit now and I am not really doing any blogging these days. To tell you the truth, I really do not feel like sitting in front of the computer when there is so many other things to do, friends and relatives to meet, shopping and 101 little things that time seems like flying. How ever, today is an exception. So, today I am sharing a very easy cupcake recipe. I have tried it a couple of times and I can tell you this much, this recipe is a keeper. With simple ingredients, it is so easy to make.

The best thing about cupcakes is that every body gets an individual cake and not just a piece of cake. Here I attempted to do the icing with double cream. However, it is as good without the icing. This is a basic recipe and you can add your own variations by adding choco chips, dried fruits, glace cherries etc.

Eggless Vanilla Cupcakes:

3/4 cup plain milk

11/2 tsp white vinegar

1 1/4 cups AP Flour

1 tsp baking powder.

1/2 tsp baking soda

 1/4 tsp salt.

3/4 cup powdered sugar.

1/4 cup oil.

11/2 tsp vanilla extract.

Yields 12.

Process:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, combine the milk and vinegar and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix to combine.

3. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, oil and vanilla. Stir in the milk mixture. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until smooth.

4. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared tin and bake for 20 minutes. The cupcakes are ready when a tooth pick inserted at the centre comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:

250 ml double cream.
1/4 cup icing sugar or more.
1 tsp vanilla extract
a few drops of food colour, optional.
Glace cherries, a few.

Process:

1. Add all the ingredients and whip it with a beater till it get stiff peaks.
2. Fill it in a icing bag and keep it in refrigerator for half an hour.
3. When the cupcakes have completely cooled, ice the cupcakes as you like. I used a star nozzle to make stars and swirls and with a few I made butterfly cupcakes.

These cupcakes were soft and moist. Try it once and I am sure you will make them again.

Thank you for stopping by. Cheers!

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!