Skip to main content

Crazy Busy Cake

One of those days when things are crazy and baking kind of brought me in a meditative state (without turning the kitchen upside down). Haven't tasted it yet, but feel fairly confident.

Cheated and got a pack of white cake mix. Here's what I did:
In a food processor, processed about 1/2 to 3/4 cups of hazelnuts. Added about half a cup of almond flour to it (whatever was remaining in the packet), and the cake mix, and whirled the food processor to mix. Added about 2-3 tbsp of melted butter, 1/4 cup of oil, 2 eggs and 1 cup of water (instructions on the pack with modifications) and processed again till the batter came together. Baked in two rectangular thin plans (I think 12 X 9 or something) at 350 for about 25 mins. Let the cakes cool. For ganache, used about a cup of semisweet chocolate chips, half a pint of heavy cream, and a tbsp of corn syrup. Heated in the microwave for about a minute, let stand for a few minutes, whisk to make a smooth ganache and then let it stand at room temp for about 10-15 mins. toast the remaining chopped hazelnuts (about 1/2 cup) in the oven for a couple of mins. Chop 3/4 bar of the ghirardeli semisweet finely. In another bowl, take a pint of heavy cream (2 cups), about 1/2 cup sugar, a dash of vanilla, a small dash of almond (be careful here), and whip till stiff peaks form. Set aside about half of the mixture. Fold in the hazelnuts and chopped chocolate in the cream. To assemble (I did it in a plastic container for easy transport), put down one cake layer. Spread the cream mixture, add another cake layer, pour the ganache. Let is set for a bit in the fridge. Using a piping bag, decorate with the whipped cream and some fresh raspberries. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Baghare Baingan

 I had been craving this for a while, and the recipe turned out great. Dry roast about 1/2 cup of peeled peanuts. Add about 1/4 cup or less of sesame seeds. Once roasted, set aside. Also roast about 3/4 cup of fresh (frozen) coconut, two-three de-seeded kashmiri chillies, and a handful of whole coriander seeds. Set the mixture aside. Wash and dry baingan, and make slits while still keeping the tops. Also peel and make wedges from a couple of potatoes. In a pan, heat some oil (you need more oil), add the baingan and the potatoes, and let them cook. Take the potatoes out once they are brown, but let the baingan cook until they are almost done (and wrinkly on top). Take them out and set them aside. Meanwhile, finely dice an onion. In the same pan, add mustard seeds, jeera, curry leaves, ginger garlic paste and chopped onion. Saute until the onion is lightly brown. In the meantime, make a paste from the dry ingredients (peanuts, etc.). Now add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and a bit o

Badam Puri

 Reminder of childhood diwalis... Soak a pinch of saffron in about 2-3 tbsp of milk for half an hour or so. Preheat oven to 350. Mix 2 cups almond flour (ideally freshly ground, but realistically, regular store bought), 1 cup sugar, a tbsp of milk powder (optional), 1 tsp of ground cardamom powder, and the soaked saffron + milk mixture. Start kneading a dough, and add milk a small tsp at a time (this dough needs very little milk, so be careful).  Knead a relatively hard dough (although, I'm not sure if this was the best texture. Next time I might try slightly softer). Divide in two, and roll into 1/2 in ch thick disk between two parchment paper sheets. Cut with a small cookie cutter, and bake for 8-10 minutes, rotating in between until light golden spots appear. I think I might have slightly under baked them, but next time..

Jalebi and Fafda

 Fafda:  200 gm Besan (I took about 12/3 cups) - sieve (do not skip) + 1/2 tsp each of salt, papad khar, ajwain + 1 tbsp oil. In one version, I mixed hing and papad khar in water, and added that to the dough. Make a semi-soft dough with water, and knead for about 4-5 minutes. Set aside for 10-15 mins. Heat oil in a kadhai, dip the whole dough in hot oil and knead. Repeat that process a few times, and then make small, oblong shape balls. On a wooden chopping board, push the fafda with the palm of your hand, and remove it with a very thin knife in the opposite direction. Then fry on low-medium heat. Sprinkle with blak salt and black pepper powder.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OODx6IrHoYo&t=202s Jalebi:  In a small pot, add 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup water and heat until sugar dissolves. Add saffron, and let it come to boil twice. Turn off the heat, and add some cardamom powder. Set aside. In a shallow pan, heat oil for about an inch or so, and add a tbsp of ghee. In a small bowl,