Festival

Happy Easter – Egg cookies & Decorated eggs

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ezgif.com-gif-makerSun has started to smile saying good bye to winter. We are having occasional beautiful days in Belgium. Easter around the corners, beautiful fragrant narcissus dancing to the tunes of wind, one day while I was walking to home, I remember how every year without fail I used to get beautiful handmade eggs from my Godmother during easter. Pink being my favourite colour, she always made sure to make something pink for me. It instigated me to do something this year.

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Happy Diwali

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Though this space has been sleeping for a while, due to some technical difficulties but we are here to wish you all a very happy Diwali with most famous motichoor ladoo (store brought) from Coimbatore and water rangoli. May the twinkling lamps illuminate your lives with endless joy, eat loads of sweet, delicious food and if possible say no to crackers.

Happy New Year – Chocolate Kiwi – Mousse Cake

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Another year is coming to an end, and it has a been a glorious end, with me designated as Dr.Ananda Rajashekar. I’m yet to come back from state of elation. It was a beautiful experience, hard to describe in few words with a nervous start in the morning, then gradually getting engrossed in conveying my 6 yrs of research followed by hours of thoughtful discussion…. The day ended with great party with most dear people, cherished speech, gifts and their love…..A day I enjoyed the most and a day I would remember for life! Will write more in detail with pictures soon! 

Thought i’m still enjoying my holiday break feels fantastic to be back into delicious world of blogging. This cake was baked for my dear friends birthday. Since Kiwi is her fav fruit, the creation of this cake happened. I tried my hands on kiwi mousse, but  kiwi didn’t allow the mousse to set, so ended up with simple mascarpone,  fresh cream and kiwi, it worked wonders….birthday girl was happy! 


Here is glossy cake and me wishing you all a joyful and wish fulfilling New Year. Big shout thank you all you lovely people, for all your support and wishes for past months! 

                                                       Picture straight from birthday party!

Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
4 eggs
150 gram sugar
110 gram all purpose flour
50 ml of oil
1/4 tspn salt
1 1/4 tspn baking powder
1/4 tspn baking soda
2 1/2 tbspn cocoa powder
1 1/2 tspn vanilla extract 

Method
Preheat oven to 175 degree C.  Butter, flour and line the bottoms 18 cm round cake pan.
Combine flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and sieve to mix.
In a separate bowl, beat sugar and egg yolk until creamy, next add in vegetable oil. In a another separate bowl beat in white egg to soft peak. Very gently incorporate white egg and dry ingredients in parts to the sugar yolk mixture till well combined. After the cake batter is mixed well. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake it for about 35-40  minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Kiwi Mascarpone whipped cream:
250 gram mascarpone cheese
200 ml whipping cream
80 gram sugar (Depending on the sweetness)
1 tspn vanilla extra
3 ripen kiwi fruit, (de skin  and dice the fruit to small piece )
Combine sugar and cream and beat until single stiff peaks are formed. Soften mascarpone cheese and combine with whipped cream, whipping cream on low speed till soft peaks are formed, be careful not to over beat them.  Mix diced fruit to whipped cream. 
Chocolate Ganache
250ml Fresh cream
250gram Dark chocolate chopped (But I used milk chocolate)
30gram Butter
Bring the cream to boil in a sauce pan. Remove from heat and throw in the chocolate and let them rest for 2 minutes then add butter and let aside for about 5 to 10 minutes and very gently mix the chocolate till they become glossy and has good pouring consisting. If it too runny let them rest for a while for them to thicken.

Assembly
Start assembling the cake while waiting for the ganache 
Slice the cake into three layers,
Divide the cream in two portions
Place top layer of the cake at the bottom and spread one portion of the cream uniformly, try not to take cream to corners. Now place the middle layer of the cake give a very gentle press next spread the other portion of the cream. Now place top layer of the cake. Place the cake on the wire rack, pour the ganache on the cake and tap them a bit till it spread uniformly. Top it fresh fruit or anything you desire! 

Tamil New Year – Puran Poli / Obbattu

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Iniya Tamizh Puthaandu Nalvaazhthukkal Happy Tamil New Year. Sorry I have no idea about the significance and rituals, but it is all about new beginning!  Next time I visit India shalll try to dig into in elders brain to get into the roots, as of now all I remember is dad doing long pooja (prayer) and mum cooking all good food! As kids my sis being responsible helped mum in cooking and I was forced to help dad for prayer preparation and dad is a perfectionist, I will be assigned to do all the annoying work (you know 2nd assistant work). While all going on in full swing I usually sneak out to play with doggie, my mum not being happy used to say “stop playing and concentrate on God so that you could study well” Dang! I will be left speechless do the necessary.

Happy New Year – Chocolate Caramel Cake

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HAPPY NEW YEAR …Oh was that too loud being late since we are already in the new year? it doesn’t matter isn’t it? Hope you all partied hard, had fun and very warmly embraced new year.Myself and mum had a great new year eve. We were in fun filled Desi party, with enormous amount of food, fire crackers and gallons of fun. I made vindaloo chicken, spicy enough for the cold night and chocolate caramel cake for cake cutting ceremony. It was one of the longest parties (12 hrs) we talked, discussed, laughed, played games….and big hangover after that…:pAfter a day full of sleep I recovered. This year for the first time in my life I took a resolution, that was by hook or by crook I have to complete my PhD…..God are you listening? Fingers crossed.

Another unforeseen surprise was I bagged DMBLGiT’s originality award for my picture. It gave me a great motivation to start the year and brought the feel good atmosphere around me :D. With all goody goody thoughts around me one thing that struck my mind was “reflection”. I reflect the deeds I do, my soul reflect the thoughts I think and my reaction reflects the action I do. I’m going to keep a constant check of all these within myself to get a clear reflection of self and there by put a foot forward for a clear world. Possibly you will see that in my pictures in this post.

With the end of “just my thoughts” I wish you lovely people a blessed, glorious, successful, wealthy, healthy and cheerful happy new year.

I adapted the recipe from here. Made some mild modification. My addition was caramel cream layers to the cake.

Caramel Cream
35gram Castor sugar sifted
25gram Brown sugar
2tbsp Butter
3tbsp Milk
1/2tsp Vanilla extract
Method
In a saucepan, melt the butter, add in milk and brown sugar. When they start to melt take them away from heat. Very slowly whisk in sifted caster sugar until it is uniformly mixed. Let them cool for about 2 to three hours. It will become like a thick creamy texture.
(I made two batch of caramel cream)
Chocolate Ganache
250ml Fresh cream
250gram Dark chocolate chopped (But I used milk chocolate)
30gram Butter
Bring the cream to boil in a sauce pan. Remove from heat and throw in the chocolate and let them rest for 2 minutes then add butter and let aside for about 5 to 10 minutes and very gently mix the chocolate till they become glossy let them rest for about two hours they will gradually thicken up.

Ingredients
Chocolate Cake.
5 eggs
75gram Sugar
70gram All purpose flour
30gram Cocoa Powder ( I used organic)
40gram Cooking Dark Chocolate
50gram Butter
1/2 tsp of Baking powder (due to coldness I preferred to add some baking powder)
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

Method
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler till they are melted and let them aside to cool down.
Separate yolk and white part of the eggs.
Sieve cocoa powder, all purpose flour and baking powder
Beat butter and sugar until light and airy. Add egg yolk and beat until they become creamy and fluffy. Now add dry ingredients by three parts and very gently fold into the mixture. Now add the melted chocolate and fold in gently. Next beat the white egg until single peak is formed. Now fold in the egg white to the cake batter. Pour the cake batter into the 18cm prepared cake pan. Bake them in to preheated oven at 170C to about 25 to 30 minutes.

(I made two batches so that i could get four layers)

Assemble
I baked the cake the previous day so that they would cool down to room temperature. 
Very carefully halve the cakes. Select one good bottom part of the cake and let them aside to use it as a top layer.
Place one halve of the cake, then pour in one batch of caramel cake and spread uniformly. Then place next half (upper part) of the cake pour in chocolate ganache spread uniformly. Then again place next upper halve of the cake. Pour in next batch of caramel cream spread uniformly. Now place the good bottom part of cake. (Make sure bottom part of the cake is facing upwards this helps to get the uniform spread of ganache.)  Now generously spread the ganache and do any kind of decoration of your choice :)

For caramel basket check this dam good video :)