Lemon and Raspberry Cake

Merry Christmas to all my readers.....Christmas this year was as much fun as always....Santa was very generous and gave us gifts, that we wished for...I got 3 baking books and I cannot be happier....I have been eyeing on those books for sometime and wondered how Santa knew about it... :-)....

I saw this beautiful cake on Lululu's blog and instantly fell in love with it...I knew that time, that this is going to be my Christmas cake ....It had such a festive touch....And moreover, this was my last chance to bring home a pint or two of fresh raspberries...In another 15 days, I'll be in the land of no raspberries and blueberries....The cake came out very soft and moist....So here is the recipe....

All you need is ( adapted from http://lululuathome.com )...This recipe will give you a two layer cake....

For the sponge

Eggs-3 ( separated )
Granulated sugar-1\2 cup
Vanilla extract-1\2 tsp
Lemon juice-1 and 1\2 tsp
Lemon zest-1 tbsp
All purpose flour-1\2 cup

For the soaking syrup

Granulated sugar-4 tbsp
Water-6 tbsp
Kahlua-3 tbsp ( or coffee granules dissolved in 3 tbsp water )

For the frosting

Whipping cream-1 and 1\2 cup
Confectioner's sugar-1\2 cup
Raspberry jam-2 tbsp ( or any other jam of your choice )

Method of preparation

For the sponge

Grease and line an 8 inch pan
Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees F ( 180 degrees C )
Whisk egg whites and 2 tbsp sugar in a bowl with your blender, till stiff peaks are formed
In another bowl, beat egg yolk and the remaining sugar, till fluffy ( approx 5 minutes )
Add vanilla extract, lemon juice and lemon zest to it
Whisk for another minute
Fold the flour in the egg yolk batter
Add half of the egg white to the egg yolk batter and fold it in the batter
Add the remaining egg white to the batter and fold till it is incorporated
Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes in the pan
Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack

For the soaking syrup

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and stir till sugar is dissolved

For the frosting

Whip the cream with sugar, till stiff peaks form

To assemble the cake

Cut the cake in half horizontally
Keep one layer on the serving platter
Brush with half of the soaking syrup
Spread 1 tbsp of jam on the cake
Spread 1 cup of whipped cream
Cover with another layer of cake
Brush with the remaining soaking syrup
Spread the remaining jam and cream and decorated the cake as you like

Mango Mousse Cake

I know , it may look a little weird to see a mango cake in the middle of the winters , but I can't resist this fruit , anytime of the year.....When the fruit starts disappearing from the markets in the end of summers, I make a lot of mango puree and freeze it, to use rest of the year.....And that's what I did this year as well....But who knew that plans will change and we'll have to go back to India so soon....This cake was in my to do list for a long time...And when I had a deadline to use all my puree in just a month, I made this cake....And I am so glad I did.....This is the most amazing dessert, I have ever eaten...Soft and spongy chocolate genoise, covered with a layer of OH-SO-MELT-IN-YOUR-MOUTH mango mousse ,wrapped with a chocolate collar...What else can you ask ....Do give this recipe a try...

All you need is

For the chocolate genoise

Clarified butter - 3 tbsp ( If not available, use normal butter )
All purpose flour-1\3 cup + 1 tbsp
Cocoa powder- 1\3 cup + 1 tbsp
Eggs-4 ( at room temperature )
Sugar-2\3 cup

For the soaking syrup

Sugar -1 tbsp
Water - 1 tbsp
Kahlua -1 tbsp ( or you can dissolve a tsp of coffee powder in a tbsp of water )

For the mango mousse

Gelatin powder -2 and 1\2 tsp
Water - 4 tbsp
Mango puree -250 gm ( I made my own puree, but you can buy it from any store )
Sugar -4  tbsp ( if using store bought puree, use a little less sugar  )
Fresh cream - 250 gm

For the mango jelly

Mango puree - 250 gm
Sugar-2 tbsp ( only if using homemade puree )
Gelatin- 1 tbsp
Water- 3 tbsp

Method of preparation

For the chocolate genoise

Grease and flour 3 , 6 inch springform pan
Line the pans with parchment paper
Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees
Sift all purpose flour and cocoa powder together
Add eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk to mix together
Keep the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk constantly , till the egg and sugar mixture is warm to touch
Make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water and water should not boil, just simmer
When the mixture is warm, remove the bowl from the pan and whisk with a blender till it triples in volume
Add 1\3 rd of the flour to the bowl and fold gently to incorporate it
Fold the rest of the flour in two more additions
Spoon, 1 cup of batter in the bowl which had melted butter and fold with a spatula
Fold this mixture in the remaining batter
Pour the batter in the prepared pans equally
Bake for 12-15 minutes, until a tooth pick comes out clean
Remove from the oven and let it cool in the pan completely
Remove from the pan
You can wrap this cake in a cling wrap and refrigerate it for 2 days or freeze for 3 months

For the soaking syrup

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside

For the mango mousse

Mix gelatin with water and stir well
Heat mango puree and sugar in a pan, just until warm
Add the gelatin and mix well, till it is completely dissolved
Remove from heat and cool
Whip the fresh cream till soft peak forms
Gently fold the cooled mango puree in the whipped cream

For the mango jelly


Mix gelatin with water and stir well
Heat mango puree ( and sugar ) in a pan, just until warm
Add the gelatin and mix well, till it is completely dissolved
Remove from heat and cool


Assembly

Keep the Genoise on the plate you want to serve it on
Cut a strip of parchment paper and wrap it around the cake
Secure the parchment paper with tape
Put the ring of the springform pan around it
Brush the cake with 1\3 rd of the soaking syrup
Pour 1\3 rd of the mango mousse over the cake and let it set in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours ( make the mousse just when you have to pour it )
Pour 1\3 rd of the mango jelly on top of the mango mousse ( make the jelly just when you have to pour it )
Let it set in refrigerator for 2 hours
Assemble the other 2 cakes in the same way
Remove the cake from the refrigerator and decorate as you want
Serve chilled

Mocha Mini Bundt Cakes with Chocolate Ganache glaze

I am a big coffee fan but not a chocolate lover....I cannot eat chocolate as such...But when it makes it's place in cakes and other dessert , where it's not very strong, I love it....This combination of coffee and chocolate is a hit....The cakes turned out very moist and soft and the ganache glaze was just right....These are very easy to make with no fancy equipment required and even a novice baker can bake these with confidence...So go ahead...Here is the recipe...

All you need is ( adapted from http://www.dulcedough.com )

For the mini bundt cakes

All purpose flour-1 and 1\2 cups
Unsweetened cocoa powder-1\3 cup
Baking soda-1 tsp
Salt-1\4 tsp
Eggs-2
Sugar-1 cup
Olive oil-1\2 cup
Brewed coffee-\12 cup ( you can also use 1 tsp coffee granules dissolved in 1\2 cup water )
White vinegar-2 tsp
Vanilla extract-2 tsp

For chocolate ganache

Milk chocolate-100 gm ( cut into small pieces )
Butter- 2 tbsp
Sugar- 1tbsp
Fresh cream- 1\2 cup

Method of preparation

For mini bundt cakes

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees F
Grease a mini bundt cake pan or line a cupcake pan
In a bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt
In another bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, olive oil, brewed coffee, vinegar and vanilla extract
Mix dry ingredients in to the wet ingredients and whisk till combined
Fill the batter in the pan, three fourth full
Bake for 18-20 minutes,until a toothpick comes out clean
Remove from the pan after 5 minutes and cool on a wire rack

For the chocolate ganache

Heat fresh cream ,sugar and butter in a pan
As soon it starts to boil , remove from heat and pour over chocolate
Whisk until chocolate is melted and there is no lump remaining
Pour over the mini cakes

Kashmiri dum aloo\ Baby potatoes in yogurt gravy

Potato is the most favorite vegetable in my household......Bhavye and Mohit loves it in any of it's avatar.... I made this Spicy Dum aloo curry sometime back and it was a hit...In fact I posted the recipe in my other blog Everyday musing....But since we really liked it, I thought to share it with my readers here as well.....We literally licked the serving bowl clean....

Dum aloo is a popular recipe from Kashmir....The baby potatoes are fried and then simmered in yogurt based gravy....You can skip frying the potatoes, and just boil and add to the gravy....But frying gives the potatoes a very nice texture.......So here is the recipe...

All you need is

Baby potatoes-500gms
Oil-3 tbsp and for frying
Onion-1 cup ( chopped )
Ginger garlic paste-1 tsp
Curd-1 and 1\2 cup ( whisked and at room temperature )
Kashmiri red chili powder-1 tsp
Turmeric powder-1\4 tsp
Cumin powder-1\2 tsp
Fennel powder-1 tbsp
Garam masala powder-1\2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method of preparation

Prick potatoes all over with a fork
Boil in salty water, until just done ( Don't over cook the potatoes.Just one whistle on high heat is good.Immediately open the pressure cooker.Otherwise, microwave on high for 10 minutes with salty water)
Peel the potatoes
Heat oil in a pan and fry the potatoes till golden brown
Keep aside
In a heavy bottom pan, add 3 tbsp oil
When the oil is hot, add chopped onions
Fry till golden brown
Add ginger garlic paste and fry for another 3-4 minutes
Whisk curd with red chili powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, salt and fennel powder
Remove the pan from heat and add the curd to the pan
Mix vigorously
Keep the pan on heat and add a cup of water
Bring to a boil
Add potatoes and cover the lid tightly
Cook for 10-15 minutes, until oil comes out
Add garam masala
Garnish with fresh coriander
Serve hot with Naan