Cook N Bake

Dear Sowmi,
Ask for tutti frutti. Here we get in 100 gms pack.
Love,
Chithra.

 

Rich Chocolate Cake with eggs- a 40yr old recipe!

Maida - 250 gms

Baking powder - 2 ½ tsp

Cocoa - 50 gms

Butter - 180 gms

Powdered sugar - 180 gms

Eggs - 3

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Milk - to mix

Sieve maida, cocoa & baking powder.

Beat butter well & gradually add sugar, beating thoroughly.

Add eggs one by one beating after each addition.

Add essence.

Fold in flour mixture, adding just enough milk to get a dropping consistency.

Bake at 350 deg F for 45 mts- 1 hr till done.

You can use a big square tin (9” * 9”) or a round tin.

Test if it is cooked & remove.

Cool & invert.

 

Dear Raji,
If you have purchased an electric hand mixer , you will see 2 sets of 2 blades in each set. The one looking like a spiral is dough-kneader which is used for folding - that means, gently mixing without disturbing the aeration created already.You should not beat too much & if you do, the cake will become hard.Folding can be done by hand very gently also.
Love,
Chithra.

 

Dear Varloo,
Try kneading chappathi dough with the spiral blades! The chappathis will come super soft! I used to do with it or with atta kneader. But last week, I bough Philips Food Processor - not one with elaborate attachments.
This cake, with eggs, is real good, Varloo.
Love,
Chithra.

 

Custard Cream Biscuits – Do we not just love them ?

Blend to a soft dough:

Butter - 200 gms

Icing sugar - 60 gms

Self-rising Flour - 200 gms

Custard powder - 50 gms

Divide into 40 balls.

Flatten slightly & bake in greased trays in batches at 350 deg F.

Bake for 15-20 mts till pale golden brown.

Cream together:

Butter - 60 gms

Icing sugar - 120 gms

Vanilla essence - ½ tsp

Sandwich the cooled biscuits with this filling.

Makes 20 sandwich biscuits.

 

Re: Tips , tips , tips.

Dear "twinsmom",
Welcome back. Need I tell you, how much I missed you?
The essence of life is in trivial things & how we take it, Vidya! Please take your time & try out. My hugs & kisses to Mahi & Shaku.
Love,
Chithra.

 

Cake Lore!!

To beat - to introduce air into a mixture by repeated vigorous motion, using a wooden spoon, wire-whisk, fork or an electric beater.

To bind - to add a liquid, egg or melted fat to a dry mixture to hold it together.

To blend - to combine all ingredients thoroughly until very smooth and uniform.

To cream - to beat fat and sugar to incorporate air, break down the sugar crystals and soften the fat.

To fold in – to combine two mixtures very gently with a spoon or dough kneader gently, with an under-and-over motion, until thoroughly mixed. The air incorporated in the mixture should not be disturbed. While using the dough kneader blades, use it only at the first speed.

Unsalted fat or olive oil or refined oil should be used for greasing cake tins and lining papers.
Greased butter papers can be used to line tins to bake cakes which need a long time for cooking.
After cooling, loosen the edges all around with a palette knife.
It is advisable to transfer the cake to a wire mesh & wait till it cools thoroughly before cooling.
Cakes using rubbing in method:
This method is used for plain cakes with or without fruit. Here the fat is rubbed in the flour until no lumps remain and the mixture has the appearance of fine bread crumbs.
If using hands, use a large bowl and lift the hands well above your work, allowing the mixture to fall back – this helps to aerate it. The dough mixer can be used if you have an electric hand mixer.
The egg is then beaten lightly & added gradually with enough milk to give a dropping consistency. To test this, take a spoonful of the mixture and hold it over the bowl. It should drop from the spoon, by the time you have counted five slowly !
I shall post Plain Sultana Cake shortly.
Cakes using Creaming Method:
A very large no: of cakes are done by this method.
Butter should be soft. Butter & sugar are creamed very well using the whisking blades or with a wooden spatula. The mixture should be light & fluffy.
Break eggs into a small bowl, then add one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Too much egg added at a time may result in curdling the mixture; in this case sprinkle about 1 tbsp of the measured flour, before proceeding further.
Now, lot of air is incorporated in the creamed mixture. When adding the flour, care must be taken that it is added as gently as possible (without beating) either with dough kneader or by hand. The aeration should not be disturbed. To give a soft dropping consistency a little milk may be added. Rich chocolate cake is made by this method.

Cake Making Faults:
If a cake sinks in the middle, it may be due to:
1 – too much baking powder
2 – too many eggs or too little flour
3 – moving or shaking the cake in the oven or opening the oven door and admitting an inrush of cold air before it has set.

If a cake is heavy, it may be due to:
1 – beating after the flour has been added
2 - cooling in a draught

If the fruit in a cake sinks to the bottom, it may be due to:
1 – the fruit being added when it is moist
2 – under-baking
3 – too many eggs or too little flour

If the cake is dry & of an open texture, it may be due to too much of baking powder.

Too hot an oven makes a cake crack or have a thick crust (not cooked inside properly).

Too cool an oven fails to set the mixture sufficiently quickly; it may then rise & overflow the tin.

Always use fresh raising agents like baking powder, soda bicarb, yeast etc. Every two months, throw away the old stock & buy fresh.

Always sieve with flour.

Powder sugar at home for all cakes.

Brown sugar, where specified, adds to the flavour and colour.

Icing sugar must be stored in a fridge. Always sieve it before use to get fine texture in icings.

Butter is best and margarine is the best substitute.

Eggs, if used, must be fresh.

Dry fruits like cherries, tutti frutti are dusted with flour before adding. Chop raisins to remove seeds.

Use best quality flavourings and use sparingly.

Assemble all ingredients, before you start baking. Remove to preheat the oven to the desired temperature.
Weights should be exact to get good results.

Always level measuring cups with a knife.

To measure syrup or honey, use a warmed or greased spoon to prevent syrup adhering to the spoon.