Cooking with Canola Oil - Paneer Koftas

Ooh how I love hosting friends and showing off my culinary skills (ahem) -- yes I do, I really really do :) all the dainty crockery clamoring for attention get their spot in the sun and the the hearth sees a buzz of activities . And then I cook some magic {if i say so myself} like these hot looking koftas

The koftas are paneer/cottage cheese balls ensconced in a potato shell and deep fried. To complement it, a red gravy spiced just right upped the ante. What made these koftas even more tastier was that they were deep fried in Canola Oil.  

Sometime back I received a mail from a representative of Dalmia Continental, asking me if I would be interested in reviewing a sample of their latest offering – Hudson Canola Oil. I jumped at the offer despite a hectic schedule and the reason was Canola. Having heard a lot of good things about the oil I was looking forward to use the same in my kitchen. Canola Oil, made from rapeseed plant or field mustard is a vegetable oil and seems to be catching people’s fancy in India. Already popular in the US, Canada and Australia this oil is good for the heart as it is low in saturated fats and high in mono unsaturated fats and omega 3 fatty acids.

This oil is especially good for cooking. 

Hudson Canola is brought to you by Dalmia Continental, owners of Leonardo Olive Oil. The best thing I loved about the oil is that there is no change in the original flavour of food. And as it has the highest smoking point compared to other oils it is relatively safer and healthier for deep frying. Indian food rocks with canola oil and fried stuff tastes delightful.  Though while deep frying these beauties we were distinctly reminded of the smell of mustard oil, the final product was devoid of any smell and was very tasty.

What's in it :-

For the Kofta :- {makes about 15 koftas}

Outer Cover---

• Potato - 3 (large) - boiled and peeled
• All Purpose Flour - 3 to 4 tbsp
• Corn Flour - 2 tbsp
• Canola Oil - 2 tbsp (for blending)

For the Paneer (Cottage Cheese) stuffing:- 

• Paneer - 200 grams (grated)
• Red Chilli Powder - 1 tbsp - to taste
• Salt - to taste
• Nigella Seeds - 1 tbsp
• Carom Seeds/Ajwain - 1 tbsp
• Coriander leaves - from a few sprigs - finely chopped
• Mint Leaves - from 2 to 3 sprigs - finely chopped
• Cashew nuts and Raisins - a fistful

For the red gravy :-

The paste----

• Onion - 4 large
• Tomato - 3 large
• Coriander leaves - leaves from a few sprigs
• Mint leaves - leaves from a  few sprigs

The Gravy ----

• Canola Oil - 1 tbsp
• Butter - 1 tbsp
• Ghee - 1 tbsp
• Saunf (Fennel Seeds) - 1 tsp
• Jeera (Cumin Seeds) - 1 tsp
• Kasoori Methi Leaves (Dried Fenugreek) - 1 tsp
• Milk - 250 ml
• Garam Masala Powder - 1 tbsp
• Dried Mango(Aamchur) Powder - 1 tsp
• Pav Baji Masala - 1 tsp
• Chole Masala - 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Paste from above

For Deep Frying

• Canola Oil - as required

Here's How :-

For the Outer Cover & the Paneer balls ----

Mash the boiled potatoes well and tip in the all purpose flour and corn flour. Mix well and finally add the oil to blend it in to a fine dough for the outer cover/shell of the kofta. 

The panner balls are a breezy preparation - just add all the ingredients mentioned in red in to a bowl and mix well. Take a small quantity of the mixture and shape it into a ball for the stuffing.

Take a small quantity of the potato dough and make a small depression in the middle. Place the paneer ball in it and shape it into a fine ball. Repeat till all the potato and paneer dough are finished. The koftas are ready to be dropped into a pan of simmering hot oil and fried till they are red hot and shiny crispy beauties.

For the gravy :-

Grind all the ingredients for the paste finely. In a pan add oil, butter and ghee. As it becomes warm, tip in fennel seeds, cumin seeds and the dried fenugreek leaves. Cook this for about 30 seconds and tip in 50% of the milk and allow it to boil. Tip in the ground paste and cook for a few minutes. Add the other spices and cook till the rawness evaporates. Finally add the remaining milk, let it cook and then season to taste.

Finally place the koftas in to a serving dish and liberally pour the gravy all over. Serve after a garnish of coriander leaves and/or cashew nuts. Needless to say the koftas with phulkas (or any other bread for that  matter of fact) was a stunning hit of the day. Let me leave you with one more click---

E.N.J.O.Y

Wheat Penne Salad

IPL fever is on everywhere and our home is no different. My 3 musketeers are crazy about this mega cricketing carnival; the weekends and especially Sundays are a hoot! The clock strikes 3 pm and the house turns in to a mini stadium of sorts - the couches are pulled forward, phones kept on mute and the mister along with his band of 2 minions is ready to enjoy the fun. While popcorn and a never ending pitcher of green tea is staple, last sunday saw a huge bowl of pasta salad. Do you know what I love about the IPL ? Besides the eat fest that ensues, Jumping Japhak is my only reason for enduring the IPL madness - the catchy tune is groovy and brings out the dancing shoes of yours truly :)

Coming to the salad, the star of the dish is definitely the wheat penne supported by the fruits in it - the luscious mangoes, the crisp apples and the red pearly pomegranates add to the zing. Besides, the slightly pungent taste of the onions and the succulent cottage cheese cubes ups the ante!

The recipe is no rocket science but the taste and flavor is bang on. Have to credit my HUBBY for making the Sunday TV session a lip smacking affair.

The health quotient is intact as the pasta in it is Penne and that too from Whole Durum wheat. You can use any other type of pasta like macaroni or fusilli.

What's in it :- 

Cottage Cheese, Fruits and Vegetables are cut into Macedoine.

• Ripe, Luscious Mangoes - 2  medium - peeled
• Pomegranate - Red pearls from 1 a medium fruit
• Cottage CHeese - 200 grams
• Apple - 1 large
• Onion - 1 large
• Penne - 300 grams (I used Whole Durum Wheat Penne)
• Green Pepper - 1 large
• Peanuts - two fistfuls or to taste
• Green Olives - a fistful - halved
• Black Olives - a fistful - halved
• Black Pepper Powder - to taste
• Salt - to taste
• Italian Seasonings - 1 tbsp crushed
• Mayonnaise - 3 to 4 tbsp (I used egg-less mayonnaise)

Here's How :-

In a big bowl add the cubed mangoes, apples, red pearls, cottage cheese, peanuts, olives, green pepper and the onion. Mix it and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. In the meanwhile, cook the pasta as per the instructions of the packet. The penne should not be overtly mushy, neither should it be al dente but just perfectly cooked.  Bring the nutty mix from the fridge and add the cooked pasta, black pepper powder, Italian seasoning and salt and mix well.

Finally tip in the mayonnaise and mix thoroughly so that it coats all the ingredients  evenly. Serve in big bowls along with toasted or garlic bread if you please.

Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup - Comfort in a mug

I am not a soup fan. But there are days when the hearty cheer of soups are welcome. The opportunity for getting lost in its warm comfort presented itself sometime back. And we downed this yummy mug of gentle soothing with much relish. 

The soup is a blend of simple and natural flavors.The roasted deliciousness of the veggies peps the whole affair.

What is not to like about the soup ? Red Peppers, tomatoes & garlic blend with onion to create a delish melange of yummy flavours.

The charred sweetness of the roasted red peppers and the pep the garlic adds to the soup makes it for one hearty digging. The recipe is adapted from Nigella's website.

Ingredients:-

• Red Bell Pepper - 3 (medium sized) {halved,deseeded & cut in to chunky pieces}
• Tomato - 3 (medium) {quartered}
• Garlic - 6 to 8 large pods {with skin on}
• Onion - 1 large {cut in to chunky pieces}
• Olive Oil - a generous drizzle
• Salt - to taste
• Black Pepper - 
• Vegetable Stock - 2 to 3 cups

Here's How :-

Preheat the oven to 180 C. Line a baking tray with silver foil and set aside. 

In a big bowl tip in the tomatoes,red peppers, onion and garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle generously with olive oil. Mix it well with your hands. Let it stay for 15 minutes for the flavours to blend well.

Arrange the same on the baking tray and bake f or about 30-4o minutes until the veggies are sweet and just slighly charred.

Pick out the garlic from the roasted vegetables and squeeze the juicy garlic flesh out into the stock, discarding the skins. To it add the rest of the roasted vegetables and puree using a hand blender/mixer to a slightly chunky consistency.

Bring the stock to a boil and add the pureed contents and let it simmer for a while till
it reaches the desired consistency.

Serve Hot with toasted bread or sandwich.Garnish with black pepper powder

CHEF NOTES/Useful Pointers !

1.	You can puree the roasted veggies to a creamy,smoothy texture instead of leaving it chunky.
2.	Instead of Vegetable Stock, you can add water also.
3.	Garnish the soup with black pepper powder/smoked paprika powder or add cream to taste.
4.	The soup stays good if refrigerated for 2-3 days. Make sure to bring it to room temperature and give it a boil before tucking in.

This is off to Avant Garde Cookies Week2:April

Vatana Bateta No Rotlo (Spicy Potato & Peas Pancakes)

The pleasures of a hearty & a leisurely breakfast is unsurpassed. And if it is a  Gujarati fare, then the variety and blend of flavors the dish adds to the palate is truly amazing. Sample this pancake here; the ingredients in it is not fancy and are simple pantry stuff but the resulting dish is nothing short of a heavenly treat.

The best part of the recipe is it is simple to make and the kids are surely gonna love it. Be sure to adjust the spice quotient to taste.

{Recipe Source :Tarla Dalal's 'The Complete Gujarat Cookbook}

What's in it :-

(Prep Time : 10 mins; Cooking Time : 25 mins)

• Green Peas - 1 cup (coarsely crushed)
• Potatoes - 2 cups (boiled/peeled/mashed)
• Rice Flour - 2 tbsp
• Roasted Semolina - 1 to 2 tbsp (optional)
• Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp
• Green Chillies - 2 (finely chopped)
• Ginger-Green Chilli Paste - 2 to 3 tbsp
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - for greasing

Here's How :-

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well till smooth and divide the mixture in to equal portions. Grease an iron griddle or a non stick tava and heat it.

Place one portion of the mixture on the tava and pat it with the help of your fingers to make pancake like thick circle. Cook until both sides are golden brown in colour. 

Repeat to make more rotlas. Serve hot with Mint chutney , ketchup,curd or any other accompaniments of your choice.

Fondant Easter Eggs in Chocolate Nests

Easter Sunday is just around the corner and the air is abuzz with festive cheer and gaiety. It is a season of hope and forgiveness, of laughter and merry making, of life and rebirth, of fasting and feasting. Easter eggs signifies a bird hatching from the stone of a tomb - symbolic of birth of a life and arrival of spring. Talking about feasts, Easter is one big season of bingeing and indulging.  

"On this Easter Sunday.... Forgive someone. Tell someone you love them. Let your light shine " --- Unknown

With so much festivities around me , I thought of indulging in a little bit of the fervour too. The easter nests and easter egg candies beckoned my heart & hearth's attention. And I was particularly eyeing for recipes sans egg :D

The fondant candy eggs from Aparna's space was spot on. These candies are sinful trips to heaven and back and are instant kid pleasers and also to the eternally kids at heart :) 

Ingredients: (Makes about 60-65 eggs 1" long)

• Salted butter - 55 grams (1/4 cup) room temperature {Amul Butter}
• Sweetened condensed milk - 200 ml
• Icing Sugar - 375 grams to 475 grams (about 3 to 3 3/4 cups)
• Food colour and flavours of choice
• 1 to 2 cups icing sugar for kneading the fondant

Here's How:-

Put the butter in a bowl and whisk it till it becomes fluffy. Add the condensed milk and whisk again. Add 375 grams (3 cups) of icing sugar and mix together with a fork till blended well. Add some more of the remaining icing sugar, if necessary, till we have a dough (fondant) that is not sticky and stiff but firm.

Divide the fondant into four portions. Dust your working surface with some icing sugar. Colour with one or two drops and flavor each portion according to your preference. Knead each portion, separately, adding a little more icing sugar as necessary, until the colour is well blended and there are no streaks.

Working with one colored fondant portion at a time, pinch of small bits and shape into smooth 1 to 1 1/4" long “eggs”. I also had fun mixing the dough to make multi-coloured eggs. Dust your palms with icing sugar if necessary. Place the eggs on baking sheets and refrigerate them for about 5 hours or overnight.

Use these “eggs” as they are to decorate or dip them in melted chocolate if you prefer. This recipe makes about 60 to 75 eggs (about 1” long). You can use them to decorate cakes, cupcakes, etc.

-----------------------

For the chocolate nests, I went for a recipe from (taste.com)

• Milk Chocolate - 200 grams 
• Dark Chocolate - 200 grams
• Shredded coconut - 100 grams

Here's How :-

Break up all the chocolate and place it in a bowl over a pan of simmering water until chocolate has melted. Set aside to cool slightly. Add the coconut and stir to combine.

Since I ran short of baking paper, I just greased a small cup (katori) and dropped the choco-coconut combo into the same.  Cool completely and then let it refrigerate for some time. Make a dent for eggs to sit. Refrigerate it further until firm. Just before serving, fill nests with eggs.

This is off to Avant Garde Cookies - Easter Recipes

Chettinad Potato Kurma - A spicy & aromatic fare

Think of lunch or dinner and the thought of what to cook as side-dish harrows me the most. It doesn't matter whether the fridge & pantry are stocked or not - the question of what to bring on to the table as an accompaniment is daunting. 

It is as if you are waiting for some bulb to glow in the treasured hallows of the mind. The challenge becomes even more grueling if you are expecting some guests at home.

Recently we were hosting a few friends and the what for side-dish woe hit me hard. Not successful in tackling this challenge , I called out to hubby for demystifying. Now the thing with talking out loud to hubby is to return back a lot more muddled and/or scorched. Sample a small chat with him:-

I am thinking of dal for lunch today
{Pop goes the reply}
didn't u make that  2 days back ? 
Ok I drawled -- what about spinach ?
It is boring. 
Hmm let me tackle the eggplant then
can't that wait for some other time ?
(Temperature Rising)
Fine let me make a simple okra stir fry
It is too simple
Puffing out like a steam engine I mumbled Thank you so muchhh (grrrr)

Then I remembered bookmarking a few side-dishes from Radhika's space. Of them, a few chettinad dishes had caught my eye. Dishes from the chettinad region are her favorite and rightly so. So aromatic and spicy, the cuisine is literally a  food connoisseur's heaven. High on spices such as fennel, black peppercorn, cinnamon & bay, the cuisine promises a tongue tickling fare always. The dish I chose had potatoes as the star signalling that my woe for the day was over :D

While I stuck to the recipe, I did add some black peppercorns and adjusted the other spices to taste. The dish was thoroughly enjoyed by all and the aroma from it was divine.

What's in it :- (Serves: 5 to 6)

• Potatoes (big) – 4
• Onion medium – 2
• Bay leaf – 1
• Cinnamon – 1 inch stick
• Cloves – 2
• Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves – 1 sprig
• Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp
• Salt – to taste
• Oil / Ghee – 2 tbsp + 2 tsp

For the Spice Paste:

• Fresh grated coconut – 1/4 cup
• Ginger – 1 inch piece
• Garlic – 3 to 4 large pods
• Cashew nuts – few
• Poppy seeds – 2 tsp
• Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
• Fennel seeds – 2 to 3 tsp
• Whole Red Chillies – 6 to 7
• Black Peppercorn - 1 tbsp
• Roasted Bengal Gram / Pottu kadalai – 1 tsp

Here's How:-

Wash and pressure cook potatoes with the skin and cook for 2-3 whistles. Remove the skin and cube them. Keep aside. Soak the cashew nuts and poppy seeds in little warm water for 1/2 hour. Chop the onions finely.

Heat a pan with 2 tsp of oil and add coriander seeds, fennel seeds, red chillies and toss over medium flame will they are well roasted. In a mixie jar place these roasted spices, soaked cashew nuts, poppy seeds, roasted bengal gram / pottu kaldalai, ginger, garlic, grated coconut and grind to a fine paste using little water and keep aside.

Heat a pan with 2 tbsp of oil / ghee. Season with bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, curry leaf and roast for a minute. Add onions and sauté till pink. Add the ground paste and cook over low heat while stirring continuously for 2-3 mins.

Add the cubed potatoes, turmeric powder, salt, enough water to the consistency you prefer and mix well. Cover the pan and let it cook for 5-7 mins over low flame. Give a mix once in a while. Add a little more water if the kurma is very thick.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis/chappathis or any rice.

Chef Notes:-

• Add a little more water if the kurma is too thick
• Adjust the spices to your requirement
• Instead of soaking the poppy seeds , you can also dry roast the same and powder it finely.

This is off to this month's Avant Garde Cookies - Blog Hop CHallenge.

E.N.J.O.Y

Getting Jam'my with strawberries

Don't we all have days when getting up in the morning is such a task ? I sure have quite a few of them ; and when waking up is such a trouble, the breakfast preparation seems mighty and woeful . Precisely when I truly appreciate the creation of bread, butter & jam and not necessarily in that order. I am sure you would all agree that  having bread & jam in the pantry is a god-sent and more so if kids are around. The jam is such an all rounder. On breads & buns, in rolls & wraps, on pancakes & cakes, and even as a thick spread on Marie biscuits, it is true treat. And when the jam is a strawberry delight, the delighted squeaks of the kids is a joy to behold. 

Luscious strawberries have just begun to flood the market and my fridge is choc-o-bloc with packs of these berries. Besides stuffing ourselves crazy with these beauties, I made 2 batches of jam with them which incidentally has become an addictive pleasure. A quick surfing of the net revealed a whole lot of recipes for the same using pectin. Since, I was making small batches of the same, I used  only 3 ingredients and no there is no pectin in it.

Do you know that Fresh strawberries were once used as a toothpaste, as the juice cleaned discolored teeth ?

What's in it :-

• Strawberries - 1/2 kg (rinsed well & hulled) ; roughly cut
• Caster Sugar - 350 grams (approx)
• Lemon Juice - from 1/2 a (big) lemon

Also required:-

• Heavy bottomed pan
• clean jar

Here's How:-

In a bowl , add the sugar and lemon juice to the roughly cut berries and mix gently. Leave the contents for a few hours so that the sugar steeps well in to the berries. Tip the mix in to a heavy-bottomed pan.Bring up to a boil over high heat, stirring once in a while. Once it starts bubbling up, lower the heat to medium flame. Keep stirring the pan regularly so that the contents don't stick to the bottom of the pan. Also scrape the sides of the pan, to add to the thickening. It also intensifies the taste.

Continue simmering down the jam until, when you take out a spoonful of it and put it on a cold plate, it does not run all over.

Verdict :-

Blissfully sweet and a tasty indulgence.

Useful Pointers 

1.	The strawberries steeped in the sugary syrup for 2-3 hours. You can allow it to soak for a few more hours or overnight to further intensify the colour and taste.
2.	If you want jam in a jiffy, simply pulp the hulled strawberries and then tip it in to the heavy bottomed pan along with sugar and lemon juice. Follow the rest of the procedure as above
3.	If you want to have a chunky jam, reserve a few strawberries and add it at a later stage just before the jam starts thickening
4.	The thickening took up to 15- 20 minutes. You can adjust the sugar to taste.

This is off to Avant Garde Cookies  Week 1. ENJOY !

Sticky ginger loaf - A revelation

I am on a baking spree; more specifically on a spree of baking cakes. And I am baking like there is no tomorrow. When this incessant bug hits me then it is pretty much chaos in the hearth. It does not matter that certain ingredients are not available. I either go the whole length of making them from a scratch (case in point : cream cheese) or take the easy way out (substitution).

Of course it does help that I have excuses in the form of celebrations owing to kids and hubby's birthday. I do need to bake them a cake right ? How else would I express my gratitude for their ever ready nod to be my doting guinea pigs :D 

This month's hush-hush week for AGC was assigned by Roshni and it is Ginger. I so love the gnarly root for its  healing properties and if you know me well then you will know that I am totally addicted to ginger tea. The versatility of the root because of its all round taste makes it a winner in a variety of dishes. 

My fridge is never short of ginger and the pantry too has a good stock of dry ginger powder/dry ginger. So for the AGC this month I decided on baking a ginger cake that I have been meaning to bake for quite some time but had not gotten around to. This sticky loaf has ginger written all over it. But it is not overpowering. The ginger in the loaf is a revelation and the ginger syrup that we so unabashedly topped it for every slice was sensational. The bake was devoured with a vengence. If the cake tastes as good as this sticky ginger loaf then the weighing scales be damned :P

I made the ginger syrup from a scratch with a little help from Wiki How. And it ain't a rocket science ---

For the ginger syrup :-

• Water- 1 cup
• Sugar - 1 cup
• Fresh Ginger - 1/4 cup (thinly sliced or grated)
• Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp

Mix the water and sugar and bring it to a boil. Let it simmer till the sugar dissolves completely. Now tip in the ginger and let the whole mix stew on a low flame for 15-20 minutes.

Drain the syrup and set aside the ginger. The ginger syrup as well as the candied ginger is ready to be used in a variety of ways - for the cake, in the tea, for ginger ale and many more ---

The recipe for the cake is from the book Traditional Family Cakes and is a keeper recipe. I substituted golden syrup with honey and used normal white sugar in place of dark muscovado sugar. 

Ingredients:-

• Plain White Flour - 175 grams
• Baking Powder - 1 tbsp
• Dry Ginger Powder/Ground Ginger - 1//2 to 3/4 tbsp
• Sunflower Oil - 175 ml  {+ for greasing}
• Sugar - 85 grams
• Honey - 85 grams
• Eggs - 3 (beaten)
• Candied ginger - 3 to 4 pieces (finely chopped) {Recipe above}

Here's How :-

Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F. Grease and line the loaf tin. Sift the flour,baking powder and ground ginger in to a large bowl. Add the oil,sugar,honey and eggs and beat them well to a smooth batter. Stir in the chopped candied ginger.

Tip in the mixture to the prepared tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 50- 55 minutes or until well risen and firm.

Leave it to cool for 10 minutes then turn out  and finish cooling on a wire rack. To serve brush the top of the cake with ginger surp and candied ginger (if you please)

Slice and serve

Luv Shuv and a Red Velvet Cake

“Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears.

"After all this time?"

"Always," said Snape.” 

― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

To me the above paragraph epitomizes love.  Love is eternal and forgiving. Love is pure bliss and all-encompassing. Love is anything but pressure ; love is not proving a point or settling a score; neither it is something to show-off. . Wondering why I am waxing eloquent on love ? Well, a few days ago my daughter came home all animated. Bursting with giggles she asked me ~

Mom do you know Feb 14th is Valentine's day ? 

I looked at her and said~

Yes, so what ? 

She gave me an impish smile and said~

how are you going to celebrate ?

I gave a big grin and said it was not a festival per se. She persisted to which I replied ~

I will give you and your brother a big hug as always :)

She asked~

What about dad ?

I replied with a poker face

A bear hug to him too :D

She clapped her hands and giggled merrily, leaving me amused. 

I launched myself to a flashback of sorts. When I was a 9 year old or for that matter of fact even as a 13-14 year old, I did not know what a Valentine's day was. Neither was the day this huge as today. In fact it was only when I stepped in to college did I find what V-Day was all about. 

Pinching myself back to reality I  thought out loud about the nifty bunch of marketing pros who have worked their magic in to making the concept of Valentine a must celebrate festival. Love gets in to a feverish pitch around the month of February. The air is laden with cards, flowers and chocolates. Don't get me wrong. I am a  romantic at heart and any talk that even remotely begins or deals with the word love has me weak in my knees . But the levels of utter commercialization the day has been made out to be has me cringing.

Enjoy the day for its actual meaning. And let the 364 days not take an offense. Go shower love all year long :)

Now coming back to the cake , I baked this beauty last week. The cake was pounced upon leaving me with little pictures to work around. It is a red velvet cake topped off with a traditional vanilla cream cheese frosting.

Did I say I made the cream cheese too. It's such a pleasure to make things from a scratch :)

(Recipe Source : Book -Traditional Family Cakes)

Ingredients :-

(Serves: 12, Baking Time : 40 mins)

Red Velvet Cake

• Butter - 225 grams (unsalted)
• Water - 4 tbsp
• Cocoa Powder - 55 grams
• Eggs - 3
• Buttermilk - 250 ml
• Vanilla Extract - 2 tsp
• Red Edible Food Color - 2 tbsp
• Plain flour - 280 grams
• Cornflour - 55 grams
• Baking Powder - 1 tsp
• Caster Sugar - 280 grams

Frosting :-

• Cream Cheese - 250 grams (I used homemade cream cheese)
• Butter - 40 grams (unsalted)
• Caster Sugar - 3 tbsp
• Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp

Here's How:-

Preheat Oven to 180 C. Grease and line the cake tin.

Place the butter, water and cocoa powder in a small saucepan and heat gently without boiling, stirring until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and leave to cool slightly.

Sift together the flour, corn flour and baking powder and set aside.Beat together the eggs,buttermilk,vanilla essence and food color until frothy. Beat in the butter mixture.Stir in the sifted flour mixture along with the caster sugar quickly and evenly.

Spoon the mixture in to prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until risen and firm to the touch. 

Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes and then turn on to a wire rack to cool completely

To make the frosting, beat together all the ingredients until smooth.

Before we proceed to assemble the cake here's a simple tip to retain the moisture of the cake :-

Splash sugar syrup before slathering the cake with the frosting. This syrup ensures the cake does not dry out. For the sugar syrup combine equal quantity of sugar and water in a pan and let it simmer for a few minutes. Add a few drops of vanilla/rose essence Now use this to sizzle the cake.

Assembling the cake :-

Slice the cake horizontally in to three equal rounds. Generally splash the sugar syrup on to the rounds before slathering it with the cream cheese frosting. Sandwich the rounds together with the cream cheese frosting as required. Spread the frosting liberally over the top and sides of the cake. 

And yes you can go crazy with the piping bag too :D

E.N.J.O.Y