Mango Cakes...why dint I think of it before

After my Cheese Cake disaster I decided to play it safe and make a simple mango cake. The recipe was really simple and I am sure can be used to make any type of fruit cake, just by using other types of fruit purees instead. I guess when the fruits are freshly available the cake will be more fun with real fruit pieces in it.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda (this was not in the original recipe, but I felt that only the baking powder is not always enough)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cardamom powder

1 1/2 cups mango puree

1/3 cup vegetable/sunflower oil

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Method:

1. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, Baking soda, and cardamom powder into a bowl and set aside.
2. Mix and beat together mango puree, oil, sugar, and vanilla essence
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a whisk just until you have a smooth batter. Do not overmix or overbeat.
4. Pour the lumpy batter in a baking pan lined with either butter paper or dusted with flour.
5. Smooth down the top with the back of a spoon or spatula or you will have a lumpy top.
6. Bake in a preheated 350⁰ F / 180⁰ C oven about 27 minutes or until a tester knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Tips:

Do not worry as the cake mixture tends to be lumpier than the normal cakes backed. But, it bakes just fine.
You can also make cup cakes using this recipe, I dint have the cupcake molds so I preferred making a cake.
Dust some Castor sugar on the cake and pour some reduced mango puree over the cake while serving... it tastes just blissful.

Cheesy story of the Cheese ckae

This being my first Cheese Cake, I was all excited and anxious...and when my anxiousness crosses paths with my attempts to try a new thing, they do fail :) So my first attempt to making the cheese cake was close to nothing more than making a different kind of shrikhand. Depressed, sad and too cowered to cry, I slept. I woke up in the morning like a solider who had lost the battle before it began. Nevertheless my mom like always nudged me and said that she would love to have more of the mango shrikhand she had yesterday and would like me to give it a try again. So I re-did the whole process and the outcome is in the photograph above. IT WORKED! So hoping it will work for you too, here is the receipe of a lovely mango cheese cake.
Ingredients:

Biscuit base

200gms Marie biscuits (1 packet); or digestives

2 tsps granular sugar

50 gms melted butter (add more if required)

Topping

400ms Curd Cheese (approx) – from 1kg of yogurt hung for 24 hours

250ml Cream (25% fat)

4-5 tbsps Castor sugar (to taste)

2 tbsp Gelatin

5 tbsp mango syrup (Put fresh mangos if you get them)

Decoration

1/2 cup Mango juice/syrup

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Method:

Biscuit base:

1. Run the granulated sugar & biscuits in the processor till fine crumbs for; or put into a thick bag & crush with a rolling pin.
2. Mix in melted butter, & press this mixture into the base of a spring form 8inch baking tin. Chill for 30 minutes.

• Tips to avoid disasters - For the Biscuit base, you may want to add more butter. As I noticed the first time that just 50 gms was not enough to bring the biscuit together.

Topping:

1. Sprinkle the gelatin on approx 1/4 cup of water, & then leave the bowl to stand in another bowl of hot water till the gelatin melts, & become a clear liquid. (about 10 minutes).
2. Mix and beat the curd cheese, mango syrup, and sugar till smooth.
3. Add the clear gelatin mix for a few seconds until mixed uniformly.
4. Whip the cream to soft peaks and fold into the above. Taste & adjust sugar if required.Take the biscuit case out of fridge, and pour the filling in it. Leave to set in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours.

Tips to avoid disasters like mine

• Make sure the quantity of gelatin is right. It is 2 table spoons not tea spoon. Do not be stingy or all you get is a big bowl of Shrikhand.
• If possible use a food processor or a hand mixer to mix the ingredients, unless you want to stronger shoulders and hand muscles. That’s my next big eccentric idea – Get-in shape while you bake!
• Ensure the cream is fresh. The cream I had used in the first one was not as fresh as I would have wanted. You can always use the option of Amul cream. (Believe me I do not get any money for this from Amul)
  

Decoration:

1. Heat the mango juice and the sugar in a hard-bottom pan (some words really sound funny) till it reduces and get a honey like glaze.
2. Add pieces of mango fruit if possible.
3. Once your cheese cake is set, pour this mixture gently over the cake and let it set for another 20 mins in the fridge.

• Tips to avoid disasters - ensure that you do not overcook the mixture, or may have mango candy instead :P

Notes to self - Adding a bit of custard powder would also help to bring the mixture to stand. But Such experiments can be postponed until later.

A classic Chocolate Cake (Mircowaved)

Classic Chocolate and Nuts cake

What better way to start baking than to indulge in one of the worlds most greatest delicacy...A chocolate and nuts cake.
My recipe is the most simplest and I have used it a hundred times in the past.

Ingredients:
1 cup - Refined Flour
1 cup - Castor sugar
1 1/2 cup - Milk
3/4 cup - Vegetable Oil
1 tsp - baking soda (fruit soda)
1 1/2 tbsp - Coco powder / Bournvita
1 cup - mixed nuts
1/2 - Raisins and dates
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Procedure:
1. Bring the milk to a boil after adding raisins and dates to it. Bring it to room temperature.
2. Sift flour, baking soda, and coco powder together.
3. Mix Castor Sugar, Oil, Vanilla essence, and Milk together.
4. Now add the flour + baking powder + coco powder to the above mixture.
5. Dust the nuts with a bit of the flour and add to the above cake mixture.
Tip: Make sure that you mix the ingredients only in one direction.

Microwave baking
5. Prepare your baking bowl, using butter and flour.
6. Pour the cake mixture in the bowl.
7. Now using the least power, bake the cake for 10 mins.
8. Check if the cake is baked by immersing a pointed knife. If the knife comes out clean, remove the cake as this means its done.

Note: While baking a lesser quantity, I prefer to bake it for 7 to 8 min and check.

I prefer to decorate this cake by dusting some Castor sugar and coco powder on it.

And why do you want to do this...

Why do I do anything... just cause I am little bit eccentric :) Don't worry I am recieving treatment for it :p
But in case of 20 eggles cakes there is a lot of thought and inspiration from Julie and Julia.
So then Why 20 cakes? - Cause I am not sure my eccentric behavior will last longer than that. Also, I won't find so many people to eat my cakes :D.
Why Eggless? Cause in my home the only thing an egg will be used for is to breed a new life. Brutality of killing the tiny being within it will not be tolerated.
Why Christmas? - Cause I just love Christmas. The moment December comes on the calender I start singing Christmas Carols. The other reason is that 25 Dec coincides with Rugvedi's (my niece) Birthday. The one person whom I love to bake cakes for, who loves cakes and enjoys them to the fullest.

So keeping my fingers crossed and hoping they turnout well...Happy Baking :)