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Starwberry and Lime Cake!

2012-01-28T00:13:00.000+05:30

Hi!

Strawberry and Lime Cake!

Pandan Cake with Lemon Frosting

2011-12-09T20:01:00.007+05:30

Hi! We are going to celebrate Shweta's (Co-sister-in-law) birthday today. It is 3 days past (7th December), but a lot of outings and occassions couldn't allow me to bake a cake. Sorry Shweta!No Black Forest, Honey!
I have not done cake baking in quite a while. And the ideas came flowing like a waterfall. I voiced my choices to my huby, Dhaval and we decided Pandan with Lemon Frosting is a good whip! Having sorted out that, sleep naturally took me dreamland!
Today morning, after having served breakfast and packed lunch boxes for Dad and Dhaval, I got down to business!
Pandan is a plant grown in most homes in Far East and is a regular use in the kitchen for sweets and savories.
Pandan Cake reminds of my school days. Back at home in Kenya, during school days Dad used to bring
Company packed Pandan Swiss Roll with vanilla cream in the centre and its taste was just YUMM!! or so i thought until i baked my very own Pandan cake and layered it with Lemon Frosting!DOUBLE YUMM!! However Pandan Roll is long forgotten!
Pandan Cake turns out to very light and spongy. If eaten plain with milk, tastes good but with just a wee bit of frostiing it tastes WOW!

For Cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
200 gms condensed milk
75gms butter
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pandan essence
few drops green food colour
20ml water

For Frosting:
250 gms whipped cream, liquidized
few drops yellow food colour
1 tsp lemon essesnce
1tbsp lemon zest(rind)
For Decor:
1/2 cup chocolate shavings
10-15 maraschino cherries, chopped

1/2 cup sugar syrup for soaking cake
Direction:

1. Heat oven to 180°C. Grease and flour 9-inch round cake pan. Set aside.
2.Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda.
3.Cream butter and condensed milk for 2min.
4.Add pandan essence and green food color.
5.Add flour, baking soda and baking powder to the wet ingredients mix. The mix will be thick so add water to make the batter in a pouring consistency.
6. Pour batter in the greased pan and bake for 35mins.
7.After baked, cool completely.
Frosting:
1.Whip liquidized cream till soft peaks form. Add 1 tbsp of lemon zest.
2.Add yellow food color and lemon essence.
Method for Decor:
1.Halve cake and soak bottom part of cake with sugar syrup.
2.Apply thick layer of frosting on the bottom layer of cake. Throw halved cherries unevenly.
3.Soak upper half with sugar syrup and place on top other half frosted cake. Place in fridge for 1/2 hour.
4.Decorate rest of cake with the rest of frosting. Decor with chocolate shavings and remaining cherries.
5.Fridge cake for 2 hours to give a settled look.
6. Remove from fridge and EAT!EAT!EAT!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHWETA!!!
I tell you thats the best cake ever!!! Trust me you'll love it!

Onion Rings

2011-12-05T16:38:00.010+05:30

Todays lunch seemed a bit boring. Millet flour chapatis and 'baingan bharta'(Eggplant with loads of masalas). Too little for my liking! I was thinking of something that could be made in less than 20mins! Something crunchy! Onion Rings! Yummy! These have been my favorite since childhood. I could not make them the way they were served back at home in Kenya. But after a lot of hardwork I got them to be just the way I like them! Crunchy, not too oily and OMG they taste good.

You must be wondering onion rings are definately easy to make. You'll be surprised just as I was when they did not turn as expected just cause i used to add besan.
ingredients:

1 cup plain flour

2 Onions

1/2 tsp baking soda

1tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp coriander,finely chopped

pinch of turmeric

salt

oil for frying

Chat masala

directions:

*Peel onion. Slice onions thickly. Seperate rounds to rings. Keep aside.

*Keep oil for heating.

*In a bowl combine flour, baking soda, cumin seeds, coriander, turmeric and salt and slowly add water to make batter. (I like my onion rings to be thickly coated with the batter so i added little water).

*After batter is ready, dip onion rings and drop in frying pan. Deep fry till golden brown.

*Place paper towels on a plate to drain oil from the rings. Sprinkle chat masala on the hot onion rings.

*Serve with tomato ketchup, sour cream dip or sweet and sour sauce.
I always have room for sour dip in my refrigerator as i use it with a number of foods especially with onion rings and i often get cravings for onion rings. I love to have my onion rings with a sour dip.You tell me how your onion rings turned out to be. Goodluck!