Chocoflan

This can be a quick yet delicious recipe for dessert when you are running short of time but still wants to make something truly splendid. I made it only once but it instantly became a family favourite. Please try it.

Ingredients

cake

1 (18 1/4 ounce) box chocolate cake mix, or (prepare as indicated on package)
3 eggs
3⁄4 vegetable oil
1 1⁄3 cups water, or

Flan

3 eggs
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla

Caramel Topping

1⁄2 cup brown sugar

DIRECTIONS

Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cake batter according to instructions on package. Do not bake, set aside.
Flan: In a blender, mix eggs, condensed milk, cream cheese and vanilla til smooth.
On a small pan over the stove top pour the 1/2 cup of brown sugar til it melts to make the caramel topping.
On a greased  pan pour the caramel to cover the bottom of the pan following pour prepared cake batter then on top of cake batter add flan mixture. It might seem everything is mixing together but once baked both will cook separately and it'll look beautiful. Bake 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove and cool. Place on a serving dish best when served cold.

Red Velvet Cake

I made this cake exclusively as a Valentines day special treat. It came out even better than expected and my husband said that it was my best ever home baked cakes. What more should I ask for!!

Ingredients

Vegetable oil for the pans
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon  vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour 3 cake pans.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In another large bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla.

Using a standing mixer, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and a smooth batter is formed.

Divide the cake batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Place the pans in the oven evenly spaced apart. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through the cooking, until the cake pulls away from the side of the pans, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Remove the cakes from the oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen them from the sides of the pans. One at a time, invert the cakes onto a plate and then re-invert them onto a cooling rack, rounded-sides up. Let cool completely. Enjoy.

Cinnamon hearts

This is a very easy but absolutely tasty tea time snack. Usually rolls are made with the same dough and filling. But for easy sake, I usually mix it together and bake it in cup cake moulds. The taste would be same as that of the rolls but the procedure is much easier.

Ingredients

Dough

2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
3⁄4 cup milk

Filling

4 tablespoons butter
1 cup brown sugar or 1 cup white sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon

Method

For the filling, in a small bowl combine softened butter, brown sugar and cinnamon to form a crumbly mixture.
In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Cut in softened butter (sometimes your hands are the best tools).
Stir in milk to form a soft dough. Now add the filling to this dough and knead well.The outcome would be a rough kind of uneven mixture. Take a ball out of it and set it firmly on a heart shaped cup cake mould and bake it for 20 minutes at 400 degree. Enjoy it for tea or breakfast.

Nankhatai

Nankhatai is an Indian short bread cookie that is very easy to be baked and tastes truly yummy. I had eaten it a lot during my childhood days when my dad used   to bring it for us from bakeries. They are usually made during the time of festivals. It is very crisp, yet so soft that the minute you put them in your mouth, they just melt away. It can be made and stored in airtight containers.

Ingredients

All purpose flour - 1 and 1/2 cup
Gram Flour - 1/2 cup
Semolina  - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 1 cup
Powdered Sugar - 1 cup
Cardamom powder- 1 tsp
Baking powder - 1 tsp

Instructions

Measure all the ingredients and keep them ready.
Sieve Maida, Besan and baking powder.
In bowl mix all the dry ingredients, maida, Besan ,Sooji and Baking powder.
To make the dough, in a big flat plate or bowl add powdered sugar and ghee and mix well for around 5 minutes.
Add the dry ingredients and elaichi powder to the ghee and sugar mixture and knead into soft dough.
Make small balls and flatten them by pressing them gently between your palms and place them on a greased baking tray. This recipe makes approximately 19-20 big sized cookies . It varies depending on the size you want to make.Preheat the oven at 200 degree C for 10 minutes.
Place the baking try in the oven at 180 degree C for 15 – 20 minutes.
Once they are out from the oven they will be soft, so avoid touching them.
Let them cool down completely after which  they are ready to serve.

Chocolate Microwave Cake in a Cup

This is a superb and super easy cake recipe. The highlight is that it takes only a maximum of 2 minutes to be baked with the least of efforts. It can be called as a Kids favourite recipe. So surprise your family with this easy cake. Please  note that the time needed will vary according to the temperature setting of your microwave.

Ingredients

5 tbsps All purpose flour
1.5 tbsp cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
¼ tsp baking soda
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp oil (I used olive oil)
2 tsp  Apple cidar vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 tbsp water
2 tbsp Milk

Instructions

In a microwave safe bowl or cup, add all the dry ingredients and mix. Now add all the wet ingredients and stir until evenly mixed.
Place it in your microwave and cook for 1 mins 30 seconds.
It will rise and it will be super fluffy and chocolatey. Enjoy!

Chocolate Avocado Muffins

This is a surprisingly tasty chocolate muffin recipe.There is an avocado in it, but it doesn’t taste like avocado at all,  it is only there for the texture. Avocado is used as a substitute for butter. This is dense, thick and a sweet muffin and hence can be considered as a regal breakfast dish.

Ingredients

1 ripe large avocado
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup cocoa powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup milk
¼ cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare muffin tin by putting liners in and spraying them with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, beat the avocado and sugar until as smooth as it will get. Its okay if there a few small chunks of avocado. They will mush in as you add the dry ingredients.
Add the vanilla and the eggs, mixing until well incorporated.
Mix the dry ingredients.
Alternate adding dry ingredients with the milk until they are well mixed. Do not over mix, but also make sure to smush up any remaining little specks of avocado. Mix in the mini chips.
The batter is pretty thick and dense. Fill the muffin cups about ⅔ full. I used an ice cream scoop to do it easily and cleanly.
Give the pan a good couple of taps on the counter to level them out a bit. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until set, a bit puffed and a toothpick comes out with some moist crumbs.
Let cool completely. These will store well covered on the counter, or freeze to keep them fresh longer.

Oven Roasted Cabbage

This is an easy hot salad recipe.It can be eaten as such as a snack or can be served as a side dish to adorn your dining table. It is too easy to be made and is primarily a kids salad recipe. So teach your kids to make this yummy dish and enjoy!

Ingredients

1 head purple cabbage
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons soya sauce

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 425°F.
Combine salt, lemon juice pepper, and sugar in small bowl. Set aside.
Brush a rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Arrange cabbage in single layer on baking sheet and brush with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with salt mixture.
Roast until cabbage is tender, 25 to 35 minutes.
Sprinkle hot cabbage with balsamic vinegar and soya sauce. Serve.

Chocolate Avocado Cookies

This is a much healthier version of a cookie. The name may not sound very appealing but in reality, it is just awesome and very much like any chocolate cookie. The avocado serves the purpose of butter without adding much flavour to the cookies. Try this.

Ingredients

3/4 cup avocado flesh (very ripe, but not brown)
½ cup  sugar
1 egg
½ cup dark cocoa powder
50 gm dark chocolate chunks
½ tsp. baking soda

Instructions

Preheat oven to 175°C / 350° F.
In a bowl using a hand mixer (or make everything in a food processor), mix together avocado and sugar until smooth. Add in the egg.
Mix in the cocoa powder and baking soda.
Stir in chocolate chunks.
Using two spoons place dollops of cookie dough in a baking sheet with parchment paper. The cookie won't spread as much as usual cookies when baking, so make sure to flatten them out a bit with the back of the spoon.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies don't stick as much to the paper as they did before baking.
Cool down. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Baked Chicken Strips

This is the easiest of all chicken starters and is very very tasty. It can be made in no time with the least of efforts. It may not have a visual appeal but it tastes awesome.Take a break and make your hubby do todays starter recipe.

Ingredients

1 Chicken breast piece sliced into thin strips
1/2 tsp chilly powder
1/2tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp pepper powder
1/4 tsp coriander powder
2 tbsp Curd
1/2 tbsp lemon juice

Method

To marinate the Chicken strips, mix curd+chillypowder+garam masala+chilly powder+ pepper powder coriander powder and lemon juice. Dip each chicken slice in the mix and marinate for half an hour. Then keep it in the microwave and bake for 5 minutes.(2.5 minutes one side and 2.5 minutes the other side). The timing depends on the heat of the microwave. Over heating makes it more crispy yet tasty. Serve hot.

Chocolate fudge brownies

The one thing that I can never resist is chocolate, whatever form it might be. I may be on an intense diet plan. But the mere mention of a chocolate is enough to leave all vows and pledges behind. Im sure that a majority of you will be like me. This is a rich chocolate recipe which  would definitely soothe the sweet cravings of all chocolate lovers. Make it as a special celebration treat for your loved ones.

Ingredients

1/2 cup  salted butter
250 gm coarsely chopped quality semi-sweet chocolate
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons  all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
You can add a pinch of salt if your butter is unsalted.
1 cup  semi-sweet chocolate chips

You can have an optional frosting too if you want.

Directions

Melt the butter and chopped chocolate in a medium saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, pour into a large mixing bowl, and allow to slightly cool for 10 minutes.
Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line the bottom and sides of a 9x9 inch square baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment, leaving an overhang on all sides. Set aside.
Whisk the granulated and brown sugars into the cooled chocolate/butter mixture. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Whisk in the vanilla. Gently fold in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Once combined, fold in the chocolate chips.
Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 35-36 minutes or until the brownies begin to pull away from the edges of the pan. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with only a few moist crumbs when the brownies are done.
Allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. Once cooled, lift the foil out of the pan and cut into squares.

For the optional frosting: sift together  confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder to assure there are no lumps. Set aside. With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy - about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sifted sugar/cocoa powder alternately with the heavy cream and vanilla. Beat on low speed after each addition. Once all added, beat on high speed until creamy and combined for at least 2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. Frost the brownies before or after cutting into squares, whichever you prefer. I did it after cutting into squares and laid one above the other with frosting in between to make a sandwich brownie.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Ive lost count of howmany times ive made chocolate cookies in my home. It is the favourite teatime snack of everyone and hence I make it very often. But this time, for a change I included some peanut butter too and the cookies turned out to be even better. Realized that baked Peanut butter has a more rich taste than how it is when it is spread on breads. Please try it out. This indeed is an awesome cookie recipe.

Ingredients

1 1⁄4 cups butter softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3⁄4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 cup peanut butter

Directions

Heat oven to 350°.
In large mixer bowl, mix butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.
Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually blend into creamed mixture. Stir in peanut butter.
Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-9 minutes. (Do not overbake; cookies will be soft. They will puff while baking and flatten while cooling.).
Cool slightly,  remove from cookie sheet onto wire rack. Cool completely.

Baked Fish

A fish fry is every non vegetarians' favourite dish. Mine too. But the only problem is the fact that it is fried in a lot of oil which is bad for health and diet. That is when I came across this healthy baked fish recipe. A no-oil, no-fail recipe and tasting almost like a fried fish. Easy to make. So try this recipe and eat fish without regrets.

Ingredients

2 tbs honey
Fish- 7-8 small pieces
1 tbs chilly powder
1/2 tbs pepper powder
1/2 tbs Coriander powder
1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tbs Tomato sauce and Salt as needed

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a small bowl, mix honey, tonato sauce, salt,masala powders and lemon juice. Spread the mixture over the fish pieces. Arrange in a medium baking dish.
Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until fish easily flakes with a fork.

Mango Cheese Cake

This is the ultimate dessert recipe for everyone with a sweet tooth. Easy melt-in-the-mouth dish that brings sheer ecstacy to everyone who tries it out. The same can be made with strawberries or blueberries or any other fruit but there is nothing that can outsmart the sweetness of a ripe juicy mango. Enjoy.

Ingredients

Crust
1 1/2 cups digestive biscuit crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Filling
3 large very ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted, coarsely chopped
3 packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs
Sliced peeled pitted mangoes

Direction

For crust:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly butter a  pan. Stir biscuit crumbs and sugar in medium bowl to blend. Add melted butter and stir until evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom (not sides) of prepared pan. Bake until crust is set, about 12 minutes. Cool completely. Maintain oven temperature.

For filling:
Puree mangoes in processor until smooth. Set aside 2 cups mango puree. Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in large bowl until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add 2 cups mango puree and beat until well blended. Pour filling over crust in pan.

Bake cake until set and puffed and golden around edges (center may move very slightly when pan is gently shaken), about 1 hour 25 minutes. Cool cake 1 hour. Refrigerate uncovered overnight. (You can also pour some slightly boiled mango puree over the filling after it is baked  and beforekeeping keeping it in the fridge overnight. I did it.) Run small knife between cake and sides of pan to loosen. Remove pan sides. Transfer cake to platter. Cut into wedges and serve with sliced mangoes.

Eggless Semolina Cake

This is a tasty kid-friendly recipe that you can give your toddler even. It is easy to be made with the ingredients easily available in your kitchen pantry. Can be eaten as a quick tea time snack too. Though it is simple to make, it has a unique taste and texture unlike the usual flour cakes.

Ingredients

1 cup suji/Rava/Semolina
1 cup curd
1 cup powdered sugar
4 tbsp ghee
1 tsp baking soda
Vanilla essence few drops
A handful of dry fruits chopped(raisins,cashew nuts,almonds,walnuts)

Method

Mix suji and powdered sugar in a bowl
Add curd and mix properly.
Now add ghee and mix.
Add baking soda and vanilla essence.
Mix all the ingredients well
Add dryfruits.
Pour the batter in a greased tin.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
Bake in the oven at 180deg.
Bake till the edges start to brown and a tooth pick comes clean.

Choco-Vanilla Butter Cookies

There is nothing like home made cookies with tea. And a choco-vanilla butter cookie is the tastiest option. The best part is that you can make the dough and store it in the refrigerator and use it when ever you feel like eating a warm baked cookie. It can also satisfy your sudden cravings for something sweet. I made a few colourful ones too just to amuse my baby who was waiting patiently beside me while I did the baking.

Ingredients

200grms butter (softened)
2/3 cup, 150 grms caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract/essence
1 egg
2 1/2 cups(375 grms) plain flour
1 1/2 tbsp cocoa Powder

Method

1.In a small bowl combine butter, egg,caster sugar and vanilla essence. Beat  till light and fluffy.
2.Mix in flour(sieved), mix to form a firm dough.
3. Divide the dough to two equal parts,to one part dough add cocoa powder and mix well,until well combined.Knead each piece of dough separately on a floured surface until smooth.
4. Cover both the doughs with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5.Take out the dough and roll it into shapes according to your creativity. You can arrange both the doughs alternatively to give it a great physical appearance.
6. Heat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 8-9 minutes.

Baked Potato with Butter and Lemon

I try to give potatoes in different forms to my baby, sometimes fried, sometimes mashed. This time i tried out a different version and he liked it very much. Though i made it exclusively for my baby, it ended up as a tea time snack today. The lemon, butter and spices mixture gives the potatoes a distinctive taste and a sip of hot tea after every bite added a punch to the burning taste of Potato. So I would reccommend it to be served with tea. A very easy recipe with the simplest of ingredients used. Try it.

Ingredients

1 large potato
1 tsp cooking oil
1 tablespoon salted butter
1/4  teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon paprika
1⁄2 teaspoon pepper
1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tsp Lemon juice

Directions

Wash potatoes, Peel it and cut into desired shape.
Place potato in a baking dish.
Mix the next 7 ingredients together and brush onto potatoes.
Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

Baked Tortilla chips

This is an easy to make snack for Kids. You can buy wheat or maize tortillas from the shop or you can make it yourself.  I made it myself by combining Wheat, some rice powder, very little all purpose flour,  salt and yogurt. A flour tortilla is a mexican staple dish.This chips varient from Tortilla is a delicious and healthy snack for kids as very little oil is used. Enjoy.

Ingredients

3 wheat  tortillas
Vegetable Oil
3 tablespoons lime juice 

1 teaspoon tomato sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin 

1 tablespoon Chilly flakes

1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon salt

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Cut each tortilla into 8 chip sized wedges and arrange the wedges in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
In a mister, combine the oil, Tomato sauce and lime juice. Mix well and spray each tortilla wedge until slightly moist.
Combine the cumin, chili powder and salt in a small bowl and sprinkle on the chips.
Bake for about 7 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for another 8 minutes or until the chips are crisp, but not too brown. Can be served as a tea time snack.

Fruit Bread

The idea of this fruit bread emerged literally out of the blue. I had made some homemade tutty fruity the day before and it was visibly and neatly kept on my kitchen shelf. Today i had plans of making bread for dinner and immediately i caught sight of my tutty fruity. Plans changed all of a sudden and within minutes, my tutty fruity bread was ready to be baked in the oven. It reminded me of the tea time snacks i used to have during my childhood days. My little boy  had great fun plucking out the tutty fruity from the bread slices and eating it first( just like how i used to do)

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp edible Yellow food colour
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup shredded apple
1 cup tuttifruity
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one loaf pan.
Mix flour, Food colour, baking powder, soda, salt, sugar, oil, eggs, apple, tuttifruity, and vanilla only until dry ingredients are moistened.
Bake in greased loaf pan at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 to 40 minutes.

Easy microwave marble cake pie

For all those who want to try your hand at baking for the first time,  pease try this easy microwave marble cake or marble cake pie. No professionalism needed, no baking expertise needed.  A perfect teatime snack which can be made without all the usual headaches like "will my crust be smooth, is it evenly cooked" etc etc. This one is exclusively for the new and amateur bakers out there.

Ingredients

2 eggs separated
160 ml milk
80 ml oil
300 ml cake flour
15 ml baking powder
Pinch of salt
150 ml powdered sugar
5 ml vanilla essence
15 ml sweetened cocoa mixed with 30 ml boiling water

Method

Spray and line a microwave ring tin.
In a dish add all the ingredients to except egg white and the cocoa mixture and mix well.
Whisk egg whites until soft peaks form and fold into cake batter.
Turn half the batter into prepared tin. add cocoa mixture and remaining batter in alternate pattern one after the other to the centre of the cake.
Place tin in microwave on high for 6 minutes, leave to stand in microwave for 10 minutes . Turn out on wire rack.
Allow to cool.

Vanilla Cupcake

 A very common cupcake recipe. Cup cakes are a good substitute for actual cakes when you dont want to bake it in bulk.  Heres a  tip from my first trial. Please make sure that you fill the cups only three quarters full. Otherwise it would spill over.  When I first poured the batter into the cups, threequarters looked very less and I filled it up a little more. The result was a mess. So be cautious. So get ready to enjoy these simple and yummy cupcakes.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup whole milk, at room temperature

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Beat the butter and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to medium low; beat in half of the flour mixture, then all of the milk, then the remaining flour mixture until just combined.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool, then remove the cupcakes to the rack to cool completely.