Eggless Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache

For the final day of Bakeathon, I decided to save this double dose of chocolate cake, which was really a mix in the pan types, you need not worry about using too many vessels. After making it I know this is one of those cakes that I will be doing again. It was really very crumbly and had just the right sweetness, with the ganache, it made all the difference!

I actually loved the fact that this cake is that "mix in the pan", you simply mix in the dry and wet ingredients right in the pan before being baked. There are couple of things I loved about this cake, one being eggless and the other using lemon juice. We don't use so much of lemon juice, still you will have a slight taste of it when you are eating this. The final best part is using ganache for frosting. I have always been wanting to make ganache myself, never found the apt time. I enjoyed making it and would be doing a separate post.

The recipe is adapted from Joy of baking.

Chocolate "Mix in the pan" Cake

All purpose flour / Maida - 1 1/4 cups
Sugar, granulated - 1 cup
Cocoa powder - 1/4 cup
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp
Salt a pinch
Unsalted butter, melted - 1/4 cup
Warm water - 1 cup
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp

Chocolate Ganache for frosting - 1 cup

How to make the Eggless Chocolate Cake

Preheat oven to 185 * C

In an ungreased 8 inch (20 cm) cake pan, stir together the flour, sugar, sifted cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Add the melted butter, water, lemon juice. With a fork, mix all the ingredients together until well blended.

Bake in preheated oven for about 35 minutes. The cake is done, if a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

For Frosting:  Once the ganache is ready, with a spatula or knife spread the ganache over the cooked cake.

The cake had that delicious look and feel of the truffle cake that's normally sold over cake shops. Unfortunately I haven't actually tasted a truffle cake because of the eggs. And I have never really bothered to make it myself.

With the new year ringing in, I think it makes sense to plan out those recipes that I would surely want to make.

It's been a great month, with me baking so many dishes. Though I know I settled for easy ones, with mostly muffins and cookies, I really enjoyed myself. I would like to thank Champa for challenging us again and giving a schedule that was easy for me to follow. I would mostly surely try my hand at complex things going forward.

Here's a toast for the coming year and wish you see you again sharing the joy that food, invariably brings in.

I once again wish my readers a great year ahead!

Check out the bloggers doing the Bakeathon: Champa, Sumana Deepak, Priya Suresh, Veena Krishnakumar, Preeti Deo and Jayasri Ravi

Chocolate Brownie with Chocolate Fudge

Today was the last day of exam for the boys. They were so trilled at getting ten days off. It almost looks like as if going to school is such a core. Anyway we are getting ourselves ready to plan and see what best can be done to keep them occupied. Their vacation in their aunt's place got cancelled so they will have to find their own games at home. 

The third cake that I baked was the brownie with Chocolate fudge, and the best part was the batter was mix of wheat flour and all purpose flour. I adapted this from this recipe and even made chocolate fudge to make it look more attractive for the kids. 

 

Chocolate Brownie with Chocolate Fudge

Ingredients Needed

Whole Wheat Flour  -   1/2 cup
All purpose Flour - 1/2 cup
Sugar, powdered - 1 cup
Cocoa powder - 1/4 cup
Oil - 1/4 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Salt a pinch
Butter - 1 tbsp
Chocolate Fudge

How to bake:

Preheat oven to 185*C and grease a baking baking tray.

In a bowl, take both the flours, salt, baking powder, cocoa powder and mix it well with a fork.

Next add the milk, oil and add powdered sugar in it. Whisk all the ingredients well with a fork.

Finally add the butter and gently blend everything together. Make sure the batter is dropping consistency.

Pour the batter onto the greased baking tray . Tap down gently for the batter to settle down well.

Bake at 185 C for 15 - 17 mins, check if the cake is down with knife.

Remove from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack.

Once the brownie is done, you can pour the fudge over the cake.

Check out the bloggers doing the Bakeathon: Champa, Sumana, Priya Suresh, Preeti and Jayasri

Paneer Stuffed Buns | Homemade Paneer Buns

From there are certain things that jog your memory and take you down the memory lane, most of them would be linked with food. There is always something that reminds you of those days gone by and you get fonder for those each moment. Buns, especially savory ones have always been such favorite. When we visit the local bakery, I always look at the freshly baked buns and always wanted to bake at home.

Somehow when I started baking at home, I never got around clicking pictures. And this time again, I made the same dough as for homemade pizzas and wanted to bake these buns for Konda with some Paneer stuffing. There was so much commotion, what with both Konda and Peddu wanting the pizzas, while Chinnu was sulking for Maggi, I ended up with a messy dough, which wouldn't stay it's shape and then short of time, all resulted in me forgetting the vital thing. Brushing with butter and milk to get the golden crust on top. Albeit the lack of the final thing, I decided to go ahead sharing this as it surely didn't lack in taste.

I would surely bake these again with the final touch and change the pictures, hopefully sometime. Even when I was clicking them I was wondering what was missing, but if you can imagine a five minute break that you get between shots and mouth, you would understand my predicament. 

With the new year fast approaching, with kids exam started today, it's been a week to remember. The last few weeks of the year that's been so eventful in so many ways. As always so many memories, best of course would be one of these bakes.Since my hands were too messy, I was glad I had Konda to click a step by step pictures for me. She is very interested in photography and has the P&S that I am no longer using. I am waiting when she will get to handle bigger ones.

Step by Step Pictures

Paneer Stuffed Buns

Ingredients Needed:

For the Dough

All purpose flour / Maida - 3 cups
Dry Yeast - 1 tsp
Milk - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1 tsp
Salt a pinch
Olive Oil / Cooking Oil - 4 tbsp
Water to make the dough

For the Paneer Stuffing:

Onion - 1 medium
Paneer, crumbled - 1 cup
Roasted Chili flakes - 1 - 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Garlic, grated - 2 pods
Oil - 2 tsp

For the Final Brush

Milk - 1 tsp
Butter - 1 tsp

How to make the dough

Heat the milk to lukewarm, add the yeast along with sugar and keep it covered for 10 mins.

In a wide bowl, take the flour, salt and mix well. Then when the yeast has risen well, add to the flour and crumble well. Slowly add the water to knead into a soft pliable dough. Keep adding the oil in intervals, until you get a dough that doesn't stick to your hands.

Pat down well and keep it covered for an hour. Punch and knead again and let it rest for 2 hrs.

How to make the stuffing

Heat a pan with oil, add the grated garlic, saute well. Then add the finely chopped onions. Once they turn colour, crumble the paneer, add salt and chili flakes. Mix everything well.

How to make the Paneer stuffed Buns

Once the dough doubled it's original quantity, punch it down again and pinch out small balls. Flatten in the middle, place a spoonful of the stuffing and enclose wel.

In a greased baking tray or a foil covered tray, place the stuffed in buns. Let it rest for another 30 mins or so. By then the dough would again rise.

Bake in a pre heated oven at 185 C for 15 mins. Allow it on the wire rack for a while before serving this warm.

Check out the bloggers doing the Bakeathon: Champa, Sumana Deepak, Priya Suresh, Veena Krishnakumar, Preeti Deo and Jayasri Ravi

Eggless Carrot Cake Recipe 2 | How to bake Carrot Cake Eggless ~ Step by Step

Here's another version of Carrot Cake, eggless version. Completely different from what I have already baked. I was happy to note that I had baked it a year back n Christmas eve. So I must remember something unique has to be baked again this year round. I somehow like making new sentiments and following up with it.

The cake was having the right crumble, very mild yet sufficient sweetness not to require any frosting over it. In fact I think if I am to bake these as muffins, it would be a perfect breakfast. The original recipe used wheat flour, I simply baked with all purpose flour, wanting to experiment at a later stage. I saw my honey bottle still unused for a while, so I was glad that I ended up using it in these dishes.

After tasting this cake I realised why walnuts are always used in a brownie. The bitter aftertaste disappears after being baked and it gives a perfect nut taste. My only wee bit of concern was the final butter taste over the crust. Must see how to reduce that.

Exams are going to begin this week for the kids, so I have to prepare for the project work myself. I have given up asking why kids are given projects that makes the parent end up doing. I realized that this is part of educational system, wherein the parent is forced to remember and understand the hardship of studying and doing all this work. After so many years, we may have forgotten the perils of staying up late to complete a project. So why not go through it again, for our kids just to relive the horrors. I end up being so strung, thinking I forgot something in the process. Anyway hopefully they will completely taken the work soon. Meanwhile you can enjoy this cake.

I had selected this cake for being part of the Carrot Dishes that I was doing for Blogging Marathon this week. I decided I can afford to miss out a baked dish from Bake a thon!

Preparation Time : 15 mins
Baking Time : 15 mins at 185 C

Eggless Carrot Cake

Ingredients Needed:

All purpose flour - 1 cup
Carrots, grated - 1 cup
Powdered Sugar - 1/2 cup
Raisins - handful
Honey - 3 tsp
Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
Chopped walnuts - 1 tbsp
Water - 1/2 cup
Butter - 2 tbsp
Baking Soda - 1 tsp

How to bake Carrot Cake

Wash and grate the carrots.

In a bowl, take the butter and cream it along with sugar, then add the cinnamon powder.

Next goes the nuts and honey. Mix well. Finally add the carrots and the slowly add the flour.

After mixing everything, add the hot water to get the dropping consistency. Finally add the baking soda and gently fold everything in.

Pre heat the oven at 185 C and bake for 15 mins and let it stand for few mins.

As I said the cake had the prefect crumble and had just enough sweetness as not to overload you. I would surely be baking this again and would also want to try with wheat flour.
 
Check out the bloggers doing the Bakeathon: Champa, Sumana Deepak, Priya Suresh, Veena Krishnakumar, Preeti Deo and Jayasri Ravi