Thursday, March 26, 2009

Eggless Cake




Ingredients:

Unsalted butter - 1 stick (At room temperature)
Condensed milk - 1 tin (14 oz)
Water or orange juice - 3/4 cup
Orange zest - 1 tsp
Plain yogurt - 5 tsp
Baking soda - 3/4 tsp
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Vanilla essence - 2 tsp
All purpose flour - 2 cups
Chopped mixed nuts and raisins - 3/4 cup (optional)

Method:

Take a mixing bowl and mix in the butter and condensed milk. Mix well until the butter is blended. Add all the other ingredients and beat well until there are no lumps. Pour the batter onto a greased baking pan.


Bake in a preheated oven at 300 degrees for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely before cutting into pieces.

Serves 8

NOTE: For chocolate cake, add 4 tbsp of cocoa powder to the above recipe.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Chocolate Chip Cookies




Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Method:

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Beat buter, sugars, vanilla extract in a large bowl until creamy. Add egg and beat again. Gradually add the flour mixture until well combined. Mix in the chocolate chips with a spatula. Drop by a rounded tablespoon or an icecream scoop onto a baking sheet. Press down each cookie with a spoon to flatten it a little.

This is what it looks like before baking:


Preheat oven to 375 deg F. Bake for 10-11 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and cool.



NOTE: You can use any kind of chocolate chips(bittersweet,white,butterscotch,milk etc..). If you like a nice crunch, you can add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts.

Makes around 30 cookies

Friday, March 6, 2009

Sauteed banana with honey and nuts




This is a quick and easy dessert you can prepare in minutes! When I feel like eating something sweet, and dont want to spend too much time preparing it, this is what I think of. It uses simple ingredients, quite healthy and satisfies your sweet tooth! Can be relished on a hot summer day with some ice cream or with whipped cream, on a cold night.

Ingredients:

1 banana sliced
1 tsp honey
chopped walnuts
raisins
1 scoop lite whipped cream(optional)
1 scoop of vanilla ice cream(optional)
1 tsp butter

Method:



Heat the butter on medium high heat. Swirl it around so the entire pan is coated. Add the honey and swirl once more. Add the sliced bananas, nuts and raisins. Saute for a minute on each side, until golden brown. Serve warm, topped with whipped cream or ice cream!




Serves 1

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Microwave Doodh Peda




This is one of the easiest desserts that you can make. And believe me, it cannot go wrong in terms of taste!

Ingredients:

2/3 cup milk powder
1/4 cup butter
1 tin condensed milk
cardamom powder
pistachios/slivered almonds for garnish
A few saffron strands(optional)

Method:

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter for 30 seconds. Add the milk powder and condensed milk and mix well. Microwave uncovered for 2 mins. Stir well, microwave again for another 2 mins. Stir once more, microwave in 1 min interval until you see the mixture thicken. It should have a crumbled texture but not browned at the bottom. Add the cardamom powder and allow the mixture to cool for atleast 30 mins. Make small balls, flatten it with the palm of your hand. Decorate using a fork/toothpick. Garnish with chopped pistachios.

Note: The above time is based on a 900W power. Mine took about 6 mins(2+2+1+1 min intervals). Use a deep microwaveable bowl so it doesnt overflow. After 4 mins, check every minute to make sure it doesnt burn. I used a flower shaped cookie cutter to get this pattern. I bought the mawa/milk powder from the indian store. But you can try the Carnation whole milk powder which is just as good.

Makes around 10 Pedas