Dinosaur Cake

Today is my son Raphael’s second birthday!!! Wow can’t believe my bundle of joy has turned 2. But he is still not that grown to realize what birthdays are all about…. My husband and I wanted to throw a wonderful party to him like his previous one. But due to some immediate incidence in our family we dint want to have a big party. But I still wanted to do something special for him.

He is a big fan of a television program Peppa Pig, and the character George is his favorite. George is fond of his toy Dinosaur and guess what my little one started becoming crazy over dinosaur and now that has become his favorite toy too…

I wanted to bake him his favorite dinosaur as his birthday cake…… Thanks to the Betty Crocker recipe to make dinosaur cake. It quite simple and easy to make cake…..I have share the recipe along with the template to make the dinosaur shape…..Do try it out.

Ingredients:

Betty Crocker devil's food cake mix - 1box

Water - 1cup

Vegetable oil and eggs - As required in cake mix box

Tray or cardboard (18x14 inches), covered paper and plastic food wrap or foil

Betty Crocker whipped Cream - 2containers

Betty Crocker gel food color – Green ( as required)      

Milk chocolate candy drops or pieces – as required

Assorted round chocolate candies (candy-coated chocolate candies, miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits, coating wafers, chocolate chips)

Betty Crocker white decorating icing (from 4.25-oz tube)

Method:

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or non-stick pans). Spray bottoms and sides of two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans with baking spray with flour. Make and bake cake mix as directed on box, using 1 cup water, the oil and eggs. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pans to cooking racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Refrigerate or freeze 30 to 60 minutes for easier handling.

2. For body, cut 1-inch slice from edge of one cake. From cut edge, cut out small inverted U-shape piece. Place body on tray. From remaining cake, cut head and tail. Arrange head and tail pieces next to body, as per the template below.

3. Spoon frosting into large bowl. Stir in enough food color until desired green color. Spread thin layer of frosting over cake pieces to seal in crumbs. Refrigerate or freeze cake 30 to 60 minutes to set frosting.

4. Frost cake pieces with remaining frosting. Use milk chocolate candies for spikes along back of dinosaur. Decorate body with assorted candies. Use candy-coated chocolate candies for eyes and white decorator icing to make centers of eyes and teeth. Store loosely covered.

Recipe courtesy: Betty Crocker

Template for Dinosaur cake:

Caramel Cake

           We were having a get together party at my sister-in-laws place in kerala. She had ordered a caramel and walnut cake. Well that was the first time ever  I tasted a caramel cake…Oh my goodness!!! That cake tasted yummy… it was quite moist and just melts in your mouth. The next thing that came to my mind was to search for the cake recipe and replicate it.

I could not get a direct recipe for a caramel cake. I had to club up two three recipes till I finally landed on my version of caramel cake…

This cake is too delicious that your family will want for more. Today as a come back to my blogging, I would like to share with you the caramel cake recipe.  

Ingredients:

Plain Flour (Maida) – 2 cups

Butter – 200gms

Sugar – ½ cup powdered

Sugar for caramel – ½ cup

Eggs – 5 nos

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Baking soda - 1 tsp

Hot water - 1/2 cup

Condensed milk - 1/2 cup

Method:

1.     Preheat the oven at 180 degree. Sieve together refined flour, baking powder and soda powder

2. In a pan melt the sugar to make the caramel. Melt it and stir till it becomes a dark golden brown. When it is done add the hot water to it and stir it. Keep it aside.

3. In a bowl add the butter with powdered sugar and mix well with a wooden spoon. To this add the condensed milk and mix well.

4. In an another bowl beat the egg with egg beater; (there is no need to separate egg white and yolk) mix it whole.

5. To the butter sugar mixture add the beaten egg and refined flour mixture slowly and mix it well.

6. To this add the prepared caramel and mix it slowly with a spoon. Grease the baking pan with little butter and line it with baking sheet.

7. Pour the cake mixture to the greased cake pan and bake it at 180 degrees to 30 to 40 mins or till the skewer comes out clean.

8. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool. De-mould the cake and dust it with powdered sugar.

9. Tastes better when served with a dollop of fresh cream

Mango Cake

This summer when my husband and me went for grocery shopping, we got excited seeing the variety of mangoes at the store and bought a lot... the mangoes started getting ripe and we were not able to finish them. My husband suggested, try making something with these mangoes. That's when I got an idea of baking a cake with it. Though I did it for the first time, found that it wasn't a bad idea. We enjoyed it.....

Ingredients

All-purpose flour (Maida) - 2 cup

Ripe Mango, pureed – 1 cup

Baking powder - 2 teaspoons

Baking soda – 1 teaspoon

Butter    - 200 grams

Sugar, granulated - 1 cup

Vanilla / Mango essence  - 1 teaspoon

Eggs   - 3 nos

Milk  -  2 tablespoons

Preparation:

1.     Preheat oven to 180° C. Grease the cake tin with butter.

2.    Sieve together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt

3.     Cream butter and sugar together in a bowl till light, then add pureed mangoes,  vanilla essence and mix well.

4.    Beat eggs with a hand blender till light and fluffy.

5.    Add one third of the flour mixture to the mango mixture. Add one third of the beaten eggs and mix very slowly.

6.     Again add one third of the flour and one third of the eggs and mix.

7.     Finally add the remaining flour and the remaining eggs and mix well. You could now add milk to correct the consistency of the batter.

8.     Transfer the batter into the prepared tin and place it in the preheated oven. Bake at 180° C for about thirty minutes.

9.     Check if it is done by inserting a skewer. If it comes out clean it is done.

10. Turn over onto a rack and cool before slicing.

Note: For best results, make sure the mangoes are not overripe.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

An upside-down cake is a cake that is baked in a single pan, then turned over and eaten upside-down. Usually chopped fruits—such as apples, pineapples or cherries; butter and sugar topping are placed on the bottom to form a decorative topping once the cake is inverted. Traditionally Upside down cakes are made with pineapple.

This classic pineapple upside down cake is lovely, glistening slices of sweet and sticky caramelized pineapple sitting happily on top of a fluffy white butter cake. My sister-in-law and I were talking about making this cake for some time. All these days, we thought making these upside down cakes are difficult but it is not so. This cake is so easy to make and tastes delicious with the caramelized pineapple.

A Pineapple Upside Down Cake begs to be served warm from the oven and makes a fun center piece for afternoon tea.

Ingredients:

        

Topping:

       Unsalted butter - 1/4 cup (55 grams)

       Brown sugar - 3/4 cup

       Pineapple (peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick circles) – 1 medium size

       Cherries, to garnish (optional)

Cake Batter:

       All-purpose flour / Maida - 1 1/2 cups

       Baking powder - 2 teaspoons

       Salt - 1/4 teaspoon

       Unsalted butter, at room temperature - 1/2 cup

       White sugar - 1 cup

       Vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon pure

       Eggs, separated - 3

       Milk - 1/2 cup

          

Method:

Prepare to bake: Preheat oven to 165 degrees C. Butter a 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pan.

Make the Topping: Place the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Continue cooking, without stirring, for a few more minutes or until bubbles just start to appear around the outside edges of the mixture (the sugar starts to caramelize). Then remove from heat, and pour into your prepared cake pan. Now Evenly arrange the fresh pineapple slices on top of the sugar mixture. You could also garnish with cherries, this is optional.

Make the Cake Batter: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat in the vanilla extract. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour mixture (in three additions), alternately with the milk (in two additions), ending with the dry ingredients.

       In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites just until the whites hold a firm peak. With a large spatula gently fold the beaten egg whites into the cake batter in two additions. Pour the batter into the cake pan, smoothing the top. Bake in preheated oven for 45 -55 minutes, or until the top of the cake has browned and a toothpick inserted into the cake (not the pineapple) will come out clean).

Serve: Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan and then invert the cake onto your serving plate. 

[Recipe Courtesy: Joy of Baking]

Orange and Walnut Sponge Cake

This is a moist and delicious walnut cake made with a whole orange, then topped with powdered sugar. Cinnamon adds a lovely, warm aroma to the cake. Enjoy this wonderful cake with a hot cup of tea / coffee!!!

Ingredients

   Walnuts, chopped - 1½ cups 

   Whole wheat flour/ Maida – 1½ cups 

   Baking powder - 1 tablespoon 

   Butter – 100gms

   Eggs – 4 nos

   Sugar - 1½ cups 

   Fresh orange juice - ½ cup 

   Orange zest, finely grated - 1tablespoon 

   Olive oil, ½ cup 

   Cinnamon, Powdered – ½ tsp

   Powdered sugar, - 1tablespoon

   Butter, for greasing

  

Method

1.   Preheat oven to 125^oC, Grease a 9 inch-diameter springform pan with butter, place a piece of round parchment paper on bottom of pan and spread butter onto the paper.

2.   Grind the walnuts, not too finely, combine with flour and baking powder in a medium bowl, set aside.

3.   Beat the eggs until frothy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar, beating until light, thick and pale yellow, about 4 minutes. Gradually add the walnut/flour mixture, then the orange juice and peel, butter and cinnamon, beating until just blended.

4.   Transfer the batter to prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool completely in pan on rack. Release pan sides.

5.   Carefully invert cake unto platter and remove the paper base. Sprinkle powdered sugar, some grated zest and serve!

[Recipe Courtesy: Nigella Lawson]

Banana Walnut Loaf

     It's light and moist and easy to make. This is a perfect morning or afternoon tea time cake with the goodness of whole-wheat flour.

This is a very versatile and fast cake recipe.

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour  -  3/4 cup Refined flour (maida) -  3/4 cup Ripe banana, mashed  - 2 medium Walnut, chopped - 1/4 cup Baking powder  - 2 teaspoons Salt a pinch Cinnamon powder   - 1/4 teaspoon Butter    - 200 grams Brown sugar  - 1 cup Vanilla essence  - 1 teaspoon Eggs   - 3 nos Milk  -  2 tablespoons Method 1.     Preheat oven to 180° C. Grease the loaf tin with butter. 2.    Sieve together whole wheat flour, refined flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon powder. 3.     Cream butter and brown sugar together in a bowl till light, then add mashed bananas, vanilla essence and mix. 4.    Beat eggs with a hand blender till light and fluffy. 5.    Add one third of the flour mixture to the banana mixture. Add one third of the beaten eggs and mix very slowly. 6.     Again add one third of the flour and one third of the eggs and mix. 7.     Finally add the remaining flour, walnuts and the remaining eggs and mix well. You could now add milk to correct the consistency of the batter. 8.     Transfer the batter into the prepared tin and place it in the preheated oven. Bake at 180° C for about thirty minutes. 9.     Check if it is done by inserting a skewer. If it comes out clean it is done. 10. Turn over onto a rack and cool before slicing.  Note: For best results, make sure the bananas are overripe. [Recipe courtesy : Rachel Allen]

Carrot Cake

A Carrot Cake is full of flavor and will melt in your mouth, without being mushy.  The carrots soften in the cooking process and thus leaving a soft, dense texture for the cakes.

The carrots themselves enhance the flavor, texture, and appearance of the cake. Many carrot cake Recipe include optional ingredients, such as nuts and raisin. Most commonly carrot cake has a cream cheese icing on it. The icing is made using icing sugar, butter and cream cheese. This is optional. In my cake I have not add the icing, but you add it based on preference.

This rich and moist spice cake, full of grated carrot and toasted nuts, has great flavor that will be liked by everybody at home.       

Ingredients:

Refined flour - 3 cups

Sugar - 3 cups

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Ground cinnamon - 1 tsp

Eggs - 3 nos

Raw carrot - 1 cup(grated)

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Melted butter, unsalted - 300 gm

Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp

Preparation:

1) Preheat the oven to 170C and Grease the cake tray with little butter.

2) Combine the dry ingredients - 3 cups of Refined flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

3) Mix the wet ingredients - Put 300gms melted butter in a large bowl and beat with 3 cups of sugar. Beat in 3 eggs one at a time, and then add in the dry ingredients followed by 1 cup of grated carrot.

4) Pour the cake mixture into the greased cake tray, and bake for 40 mins or when a tooth pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

5) When it`s done, take the cake out of the oven and cool in the cake tray for 10 mins.

6) Carrot Cake is ready. Remove the Carrot Cake from the tray and serve.

Enjoy your Carrot Cake!!!

Tea Cake or Sponge Cake

Sponge Cake or Tea cake is a deliciously moist, tender, spongy and a fluffy textured cake. Sponge Cake serves as the basis for many types of layered cake desserts. The only difference between a tea cake and sponge cake is that tea cakes have nuts (such a walnuts, cashewnuts, almonds or pecans) in it.  

I started baking cakes with a Tea cake. All credits goes to my Mother-in law who taught me how to bake cakes. She makes amazing cakes and my hubby is so crazy about her cakes. This recipe is my Mother-in-law’s traditional sponge cake / Tea cake recipe.

Things you need:

1.    1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour / Maida

2.    2 teaspoons baking powder

3.    1/4 teaspoon salt

4.    7 to 8 walnuts

5.    1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

6.    1 cup (200 grams) powdered white sugar

7.    1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

8.    2 large eggs, separated

9.    1/2 cup (120 ml) milk

Preparation:

1.    In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt

2.    Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat in the vanilla extract

3.    Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

4.    Now add the flour mixture (in three additions), alternately with the milk (in two additions), ending with the dry ingredients

5.    Add walnuts into the mix

6.    In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites just until the whites hold a firm peak. With a large spatula gently fold the beaten egg whites into the cake batter in two additions

7.    Pour the batter into the cake pan, smoothing the top

8.    Bake in preheated oven for 45 -55 minutes, or until the top of the cake has browned and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan (a toothpick inserted into the cake will come out clean)

9.    Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes

10.  Run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan and then invert the cake onto your serving plate.

11.  Serve with tea / coffee

Makes one - 9 inch (23 cm) cake. Serves 6 to 8.

Note : while making the sponge cake, you could omit the walnuts.