Hershey's "Perfect Chocolate" Chocolate Cake

This is my first challenge in Baking Eggless Group, which is taken care by Gayathri. This month challenge is Hershey’s “Perfect Chocolate” Chocolate Cake suggested by Gayathri of Guju’s Kitchen. Take this opportunity to thank both Gayathri’s for accepting me in this group and also for suggesting wonderful chocolate cake.

Coming to today’s recipe, this is the first time I am trying an egg substitution. Before I start blogging I haven’t worried about this egg, we use to take egg almost all day so no worries for substitution. After starting this blog, most of my friend circle here are pure vegetarian they requested me to post few eggless recipe by the same time came to know about this group joined to explore something new.

Again I went to past story ok now back to recipe. I tried two versions for this same cake and both came well but taste wise I like this method.

Ingredients:

For Cake:

All purpose flour	1 cup
Baking powder	¾ tsp
Baking soda	¾ tsp
Salt	½ tsp
Cocoa powder	¼ + ⅛ cup
Sugar	1 cup
Milk	½ cup
Butter milk	½ cup
Boiling water	¼ cup
Vanilla extract	1 tsp
For Frosting:
Butter	½ cup
Cocoa powder	⅔ cup
Powdered sugar	3 cups
Milk	⅓ cup
Vanilla extract	1 tsp

 

 

Direction:

1. Grease an 8 inch cake pan. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well and set aside.
3. In another bowl mix all the liquid ingredients except boiling water, beat well until it blend well.
4. Add this liquid mixture to flour mixture, beat for couple minutes. Now add water and again mix well for another 2 minutes.
5. Pour this to prepared cake pan and bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.
6. Cool for another 10 minutes.

 

Frosting:

Beat butter and cocoa powder. Alternatively add sugar and milk, keep on beating until the consistency occurs. If needed add another teaspoon milk.

Decorate your cake as per taste and enjoy.

 

Note: For this ratio you will yield 15 cupcakes

Drumstick leaves in Dal

Drumstick leaves is one of the healthiest green, it goes good with dal. Drumstick leaves have a unique taste both bitter and sweetness. Kids will also like when it’s added with dal.

Ingredients:

Toor dal	½ cup
Drumstick leaves	2 cups
Onion chopped	⅓ cup
Garlic pods	3- 4
Green chili	2
Cumin seeds	2 tsp
Pepper	1 tsp
Mustard seeds	¾ tsp
Turmeric powder	½ tsp
Salt
Oil

 

 

Directions:

1. Clean the drumstick leaves and keep aside. Cook dal in pressure cooker for 2 whisles. Once it’s done mash it and keep aside. Powder cumin seeds and pepper and crush garlic with that powder.
2. Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds and sauté onion and green chilies when it turns soft add mashed dal and cumin seed mixture mix well and allow it to cook for 1 minute.
3. Add salt and turmeric powder if needed add some water in this stage; cook for another 3-4 minutes.
4. Now add drumstick leaves mix well and close the lid and allow it to cook for another 5 -6 minutes. Serve with hot rice with a teaspoon of ghee.

 

Sending to Dish it out – Lentils and Garlic and Vardhini’s page

 

Carrot Kheer

Hurry it’s my 100^th post. Yep I planned to post a sweet for my 100^th post, for our Friday get together I planned this carrot kheer in last minute. One of my friends also did the same and unfortunately we didn’t discuss about dessert. At last we end up with two carrot kheers with different versions, finally I finished it yesterday. Thought to post this yesterday but it was a long day for me and I was totally drained, with full energy blogging today. Coming back to the dessert it’s a simple and very quick dessert can be prepared in half an hour time.

Ingredients:

Milk	4 cups
Carrot	3 big
Condensed milk / Milkmaid	¼ cup
Sugar	¼ cup
Cardamom powder	½ tsp
Cashew nut	1 Tbsp
Raisins	1 Tbsp
Ghee	2 tsp

 

Direction:

1. Peel the carrot and cut into cubes and pressure cook for 1 whistle with little water (you can steam it for 10- 12 minutes too).
2. Allow it to cool and grind to paste. I got 1 cup thick pure.
3. Meantime boil the milk in heavy bottomed vessel and reduce to 3 cups. Now add the carrot pure, sugar and condensed milk and mix well.
4. Wait for it to boil once, roast cashew nut and raisin in ghee and add to kheer with cardamom powder.
5. Mix well and turn off the stove. Serve warm or cold.

Note:

Sugar will be mild, if your sweet toothed you might need more.

 

Baked Pasta

I tried this from Rak’s Kitchen, I planned this to post for Tried and tasted event but I was not able to finish before the deadline. I made this with few changes and it turned good.

Ingredients:

Pasta	1 ½ cup
Onion chopped	1 big
Tomato chopped	1 big
Carrot chopped	½ cup
Peas	¼ cup
Corn	¼ cup
Bell pepper	½ cup
Mozzarella cheese	1 cup + ½ cup
Bread crumbs	¼ cup + 1 Tbsp
Oil
Salt

 

Directions:

1. Cook pasta as per the direction and allow it to cool by adding few drops of oil.
2. Heat oil in a pan; add onion and green chili sauté for few minutes. Add tomato and cook until soft.
3. Now add vegetables and cook until soft (add enough salt for vegetables). Turn off the stove and allow it to cool.
4. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Meantime, combine cooked pasta, cheese and vegetable.
5. Grease an oven proof bowl and dust with bread crumbs, arrange the pasta vegetable mixture, cover that with remaining cheese.
6. Top with bread crumbs and drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on top of that.
7. Cook in preheated oven for 15 – 20 minutes or until the cheese melts.

 

Sharing to:Jagruti’s,

 

 

 

Cottage Cheese Balls

Cottage cheese is one of the protein rich foods, and tastes like curd. After long time I tried this cheese balls last week, we all loved it.

Ingredients:

Cottage Cheese	1 cup
Onion finely chopped	¼ cup
Green chili	2
Coriander chopped	few
Curry leaves chopped	few
Maida	1 Tbsp
Bread crumbs	½ cup
Salt	as per taste
Oil	For deep fry

 

Directions:

1. Using a muslin cloth squeeze the excess liquid from the cheese.
2. Now add onion, green chili, curry leaves, coriander and salt. Make small balls lemon size balls.
3. Mix maida with ¼ cup water without lumps. Dip the cheese balls in maida mixture and coat well in bread crumbs. Allow it to rest for 10 – 15 minutes.
4. Heat oil and deep fry the cheese balls one by one. Serve hot with any ketchup.

Note:

Deep fry for 30 – 40 sec. keep an eye when deep frying balls might break if you do long time.

If you feel its watery add 2 tablespoon of bread crumbs while making balls.

 

 

Sharing to: Jagruti’s, What is with my cuppa and Nupur's page

 

 

 

Pizza Dosa

Pizza is always an attracting food for kids. My kids love to eat cheese, when ever I make pizza or quesadilla before they start their meal they use to fill their tummy with cheese. One of my friend tried this just with cheese and olive, kids loved it. I thought of adding punch and more flavors. You can add any kind of topping but don’t forget to use pizza sauce it enhances the taste.

Ingredients:

Dosa Batter	1 cup
Pizza sauce	2 Tbsp
Olive	2 Tbsp
Green bell pepper	2 Tbsp
Onion	2 Tbsp
Jalapenos	few
Tomatoes	1 Tbsp
Mozzarella cheese	½ cup + 1 Tbsp
Oil
Salt

 

Directions:

1. Heat the tava, pour dosa batter don’t spread (do like big uttapam).
2. Drizzle pizza sauce all over and cover with cheese (a thick layer) reduce the flame to low, now top with vegetables and sprinkle a pinch of salt. Again sprinkle another hand full of cheese (don’t over as you done before).
3. Add few drops of oil to the sides, cover a lid and cook for 5 minutes or until the cheese melts. Keep an eye on bottom part of dosa it should not burn.

 

Note:

You want to be really fast while adding pizza sauce, cheese and topping or else the dosa might burn.

 

 

Sharing to: Jagruti’s,

 

 

 

Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin bread is today’s recipe from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book. When I first saw this name I thought it’s some thing new from our regular bread, but after reading the recipe found it, it’s a tea time snack. I was left with half a tin of pumpkin and thought it will be good to start my morning with a healthy food like this. I am a lazy person to prepare breakfast for myself, thought this will go perfect for me. Yep it’s complete filling, healthy Breakfast with a cup of milk or coffee. Hope this will help lot of people like me, will come back soon with more recipe like this.

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour	2 cups (8 oz)
Baking powder	½ tsp
Baking soda	1 tsp
Salt	½ tsp
Nutmeg powder	¼ tsp
Cinnamon powder	½ tsp
Brown sugar	1 cup (7 ½ oz)
White sugar	¼ cup
Butter	½ cup (4 oz)
Canned pumpkin	1 cup (9 oz)
Vanilla extract	1 tsp
Eggs	3
Raisins	¼ cup
Walnut	¾ cup
Chocolate chips	¼ cup

 

Direction:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 10×5 inch pan.
2. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices in a bowl.
3. Cream together the butter and sugar in another bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, stopping and scrapping the sides.
4. Beat in vanilla and pumpkin. Now add flour mixture, mix well until evenly moistened.
5. Stir in the nuts, raisins and chocolate chips.
6. Pour in the batter into prepared pan, and bake for 1 hour. Cool for 15 minutes and slice that to 12 pieces.

Note:

You can make this as muffins too.

For this recipe I used oz for measuring, I have read before when measuring in cups and scales always varies, that too when coming for flour for best result follow oz measuring.

 

 

Sharing to:  Dish it Out