Dulce De Leche Cake

INGREDIENTS

Maida  -  1 1/2 cup
Dulce de leche  -  1 cup
Powdered sugar  -  1/2 cup
Butter  -  200gms
Eggs  -  2 nos
Baking powder  -  1 tsp
Vanilla essence  -  1 tsp
Milk

METHOD

Mix and sieve maida, baking powder.
Mix butter and powdered sugar until soft.
Then add half of dulce de leche and mix well until everything is combined well.
Then add eggs and beat well along with vanilla essence.
Add the flour mix to it and rest of dulce de leche and mix well.
If the mixture is too hard to mix, then add little milk and mix it.
Then transfer it into a greased cake tin.
Bake in it preheated over at 180C  for 30 mins.

It can also be made in pressure cooker, check how to bake in pressure cooker

Dulce De Leche

Dulce de leche is a confection prepared by slowly heating sweetened condensed milk to form a caramelisation of it.

INGREDIENTS

Sweetened condensed milk  -  1 tin

METHOD

Empty the can of condensed milk into a pan.
Put it on medium heat and stir continuously.
Keep stirring until you can turn a spoon of it upside down without it falling off.

Poha Laddu

INGREDIENTS

Poha/Aval  -  1 cup
Jaggery  -  according to taste
Coconut grated -  3 tbsp


METHOD

Dry roast poha and coconut together for about 2 minutes.
Put all the ingredients together in a blender and make a coarse mixture. (Can also add chopped nuts and raisins)
Transfer into a bowl  and make small balls.
Enjoy.

Dates Kozhukattai

Wanted to make something different for Vinayaga Chathurthi. Instead of making the usual kozhukattai with sesame seeds, I thought of making it with dates.

INGREDIENTS

Dates chopped  - 10 nos
Rice flour  -  2 cup
Grated coconut  -  1/2 cup
Sugar or Jaggery  -  As per sweetness
Salt  -  2 pinch
Oil  -  1 tsp

METHOD

Boil 2 1/2 cup of water along with oil and salt.
When the water starts boiling, reduce the heat and add rice flour and stir continuously till it becomes a thick dough.
Allow the dough to cool.
Put the chopped dates in pan, add grated coconut and sugar or jaggery as per sweetness.
Mix well, until all the ingredients is combined well.
Take a small ball of dough and shape it into a cup.
Place little of dates mixture in it, cover it and keep it aside.
Arrange the kozhukattai in a greased plate and steam cook for 10 minutes.
Serve.

Chocolate Sponge Cake in Cooker

It was my sister's wedding anniversary and I had planned to meet her on that day. I wanted to gift her something special.
Thinking and thinking..,finally i decided to make a chocolate sponge cake for her.
I made this cake in cooker and it came out really well.

INGREDIENTS

All purpose flour(Maida)  -  1 cup
Sugar  -  1 cup
Egg  -  2
Cooking oil  -  1/4 cup
Cocoa powder  -  2 tbsp
Vanilla essence  -  1 tsp
Salt  -  1 pinch

METHOD

Break both the eggs in a bowl and beat them well until fluffy.
Then add vanilla essence and mix well.
Add the vegetable oil and mix it once again.
Then slowly add the all purpose flour and mix well.
Then add baking powder and sugar and beat until a smooth mixture is formed.
Then finally add cocoa powder and salt and mix well once again.
Grease the cake tin with cooking oil on all sides
Now dust the inside of cake tin with 1/2 tsp all purpose flour.
Pour the cake mixture into the cake tin.
Now place the cooker onto the stove and cover the surface of the cooker with salt.(This is to avoid cooker from getting damaged).
Then place a idli stand inside the cooker and place the cake tin above it.
Cover the cooker with its lid and cook on high flame for 2 minutes. (Do not put whistle).
After 2 minutes, lower the flame and cook for 25 minutes.
After it is cooked open and check whether the cake is baked completely or not. (Poke the tooth pick in the middle of the cake and if it comes out clean that means cake is ready.Otherwise bake it again for 5 minutes on low flame).
After the cake is cooked, switch off the flame and keep it covered for 10 minutes and allow it to cool down.
Take out the tin from the cooker and use a knife to separate the cake from the tin and place it on a plate.
Cut it into pieces and serve with tea.

Chocolate Coconut Balls

INGREDIENTS

Arrowroot/Marie biscuits  -  1 pkt
Desiccated coconut  -  1/2 cup
Cocoa powder  - 4 tbsp
Sweet condensed milk  -  1 small tin


METHOD

In a blender, blend the biscuits until fine powder.
In a bowl add the powdered biscuit, cocoa powder and mix well.
Then add the sweet condensed milk and combine it using hands.
Roll it into small balls.
Roll the balls in extra desiccated coconut.
Keep it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Roll

INGREDIENTS

Maida  -  3/4 cup
Baking powder  -  1 tsp
Powdered sugar  -  2 tbsp
Eggs  -  2 nos
Milk  -  1/4 cup
Vanilla essence  -  few drops
Dark chocolate  -  1/2 cup
Salt  -  1 pinch


METHOD

Mix maida, baking powder and powdered sugar together.
In another bowl beat the eggs well.
Then add vanilla essence and milk, then mix it up well.
Add the beaten egg mixture to the above mixed up maida and make a fine batter.
Heat a pan and make small like pan cakes and cook both the sides well.
Melt the dark chocolate and mix it up with little milk so that it is in a thick pouring consistency.
Now the spread the chocolate sauce on the pancakes and roll it.
Serve with chocolate sauce.

Thai Banana Fritters

INGREDIENTS

Bananas  -  6 nos
Rice flour  -  1/2 cup
Maida  -  1/2 cup
Coconut milk  -  1/4 cup
Grated coconut  -  1/2 cup
Sugar  -  1/4 cup
Water  -  1 cup
Salt  -  1 pinch


METHOD

Mix all the ingredients except banana and mix them well.
Keep the batter aside for sometime.
Cut the bananas into 2 or 3 pieces.
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.
Dip the sliced bananas in the batter and slowly slide them into the hot oil.
Fry for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown on both the sides.
Remove excess oil using a tissue.
Serve hot with vanilla ice cream.

Eggless Chocolate Cup Cake

INGREDIENTS

Maida  -  1 cup
Cocoa powder  -  1 tbsp
Baking powder  -  1tsp
Powdered sugar  -  1/2 cup
Melted butter  -  1 tbsp
Milk  -  1/4 cup


METHOD

Sieve maida, cocoa powder, baking powder together into a bowl and mix it well.
Then add sugar, melted butter and milk into the mixture and mix thoroughly until a thick batter is formed.
Grease and the microwave safe cups with butter and dust them with maida.
Spoon the cup cake batter into the cups until 1/2 of the cup is full.
Now microwave it oh high for 2 minutes.
Serve with chocolate sauce or ice cream.

Vanilla Cake

INGREDIENTS

All purpose flour  -  1/2 cup
Softened butter  -  3 tsp
Egg  -  1
Milk  -  1/4 cup
Baking powder  -  1/4 tsp
Vanilla extract  -  1 tsp
Salt  -  1 pinch


METHOD

In a bowl combine butter, sugar, egg, vanilla extract and milk and blend them together.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt and blend it into a smooth mixture.
Grease a microwave safe bowl with butter and little flour.
Pour the mixture into the bowl.
Cover the bowl and cook on high for 3 minutes or until the cake springs back when touched.
To serve, let the cake cool for 5 minutes, the cover the bowl with a plate and turn both the bowl and plate
upside down so that the cake falls on to the plate.

Jelly Custard

INGREDIENTS

Packet of Strawberry jelly crystals
Crushed biscuits
Custard powder  -  2-3 tbsp
Sugar  -  as needed
Milk  -  1 cup



METHOD
For Custard

Take little of milk in a bowl and dissolve the custard powder in it.
Boil the remaining milk.
When it starts boiling add sugar and the dissolved custard powder in milk and stir continuously for few minutes till the mixture is thick.
Keep it aside to cool.

For Jelly Custard

Prepare the jelly according to the packet instructions.
Pour the jelly in a bowl and allow it to set in fridge for about 2-3 hours.
After it is set, add the crushed biscuit on top of the jelly.
Then add the custard mixture on top of the jelly and again allow it to set in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
Serve cold.

Chocolate Jamun

INGREDIENTS

Maida  -  1/2 cup
Milk powder  -  1 cup
Baking soda  -  1/2 tsp
Coco powder  -  2 tsp
Milk -  enough to make dough soft
Sugar  -  2 cup
Water  -  1 cup
Cardamom pods  -  4-5 nos
Oil  -  for frying


METHOD

Make the dough by combining milk powder, maida, baking powder, coco powder.
Add enough milk to make the dough soft.
Divide the dough into small balls.
Make the sugar syrup by mixing 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water.
Add cardamom pods to it.
Mix it well so that the sugar dissolves in the water.
Heat oil in a kadai and fry the balls.
Make sure that the ball become brown on both the sides.
Add the fried jamun's into the warm sugar syrup.



Note: You can also add chocolate chips instead of coco powder, so that will make Chocolate Chip Jamun.

Potato Halwa

INGREDIENTS

Potatoes  -  3 large
Sugar  -  1 cup
Ghee  -  1/4 cup
Dry nuts for garnishing


METHOD

Boil potatoes, peel the skin and mash them.
Heat ghee in a non stick pan and add mashed potatoes gradually.
Continue stirring at medium heat.
When the potatoes start changing color to golden brown, add sugar and mix.
Allow sugar to completely mix with the potatoes.
Remove from heat and add dry nuts.
Serve warm.

Wheat Gulab Jamun

INGREDIENTS

Wheat Flour  -  1 cup
Milk powder  -  1/4 cup
Maida  -  1/4 cup
Baking powder  -  2 pinch
Sugar  -  1 cup
Milk  -  5tbsp
Cardamom powder  -  1/2 tsp
Water  -  3 cup
Oil  -  2 cup


METHOD

Take a large bowl and mix wheat flour and maida, milk powder, baking soda and mix it well.
Now add milk and make a dough out of it.
Roll the dough into small balls.
For making sugar syrup, mix in 1 cup sugar with 3 cups of water and heat it in a pan for half an hour in medium flame.
Heat oil in a another pan and fry the balls until they turn brown in color.
Add cardamom powder to the sugar syrup and mix well.
Heat the syrup once again and add the fried balls in it and simmer for 10-12 minutes.
Turn off the heat once all the balls absorb the sugar syrup.
Remove the balls from the syrup.
Serve it hot or cold.

Carrot Halwa

INGREDIENTS

Carrot Grated  -  2 cup
Milk  -  1 cup
Condensed milk  -  1/2 cup
Ghee  -  3-4 tsp
Cardamom crushed -  5 nos
Sugar  -  5-6 tsp
Chopped nuts

METHOD

Grate the carrots.
Heat the ghee in a pan on medium heat.
Put the grated carrots in the pan and stir fry for about 10-15 minutes or until the water in the carrot is evaporated and comes to a dark color.
Add milk, condensed milk, crushed cardamoms and chopped nuts and cook for about 20-30 minutes till carrot is cooked well and the milk evaporates and becomes thick.
Add sugar and cook for another 10 minutes carefully so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
Remove from and fire and tranfer it to a bowl.
Serve hot or chilled.