Peach Truffle Cake

Celebrating a friend's Birthday.. with a yummy treat that's appealing not only to those taste buds but also for the eye. An egg-less cake that is just as moist and fluffy. My recipe is simple and quick to put together. Try it out ! Here goes -


INGREDIENTS:

Fresh Peaches - 2 OR Canned Peach - 2 cups
Chocolate Frosting - 1/2 cup
Flour - 1 and 1/2 cup
Powdered Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 1 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda - 1 tsp
Vanilla Flavoring - 1 tsp
Chocolate Truffles - 1/2 cup
Vinegar - 1 tbsp
Curd - 3 to 4 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp

COOKING TIME: 45 mins

SERVING: Serves 8 to 10

METHOD:

1. Mix the Flour,Chocolate Truffles, Baking Powder, Sugar and Salt together.
2. Add Oil to the mixture, fold it in.
3. Add Vinegar and Curd to the mixture, fold it in.
4. Add Vanilla Flavoring, fold it in.
5. Add half the Peaches and Water, mix it in and prepare the mixture to an even consistency.
6. Pour the mixture onto a baking pan.
7. Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Once the cake is done, set it aside to cool. Spread some chocolate frosting and top with sliced peaches.
Serve with fresh fruit salad.. Enjoy !!

Chocolate Frosting
Chocolate frosting is easily available in any grocery store. However, if you prefer something homemade, try this easy RECIPE to make some for yourself.

Pineapple Tart

Hey Everyone !

I'm back !! My vacation almost turned into a sabbatical.. it was fun traveling and learning new things. I found some resting time as well... and now I am back to my experiments in the kitchen.

Beginning the New Year with something sweet.. :-)

PINEAPPLE TART

This recipe is a mix of my Mom's biscotto and my cheese cake recipes. It is a low fat version for all calorie counters. I was inspired to create something different for our Jain friends who dont eat any animal products / derivatives. Pineapple was just the thing.. nailed it !
Here goes...

INGREDIENTS:
Miniature Muffin Tray - 1

Tart Base:
All Purpose Flour - 1 cup
Sugar (powdered) - 4 tbsp
OR
Sugar Substitute (Glenda/Equate etc.)- 4 tsp
Olive Oil - 2 to 3 tbsp
Vanilla Flavoring - 1 tsp
Salt - a pinch

Pineapple Filling:
Fresh Pineapple(chopped into cubes) - 1 cup
Cream Cheese Lite - 4 Oz.
Whipping Cream Lite - 4 Oz.
Sugar (powdered) - 2 tbsp
OR
Sugar Substitute (Glenda/Equate etc.)- 2 tsp
Pineapple Flavoring - 1 tsp


COOKING TIME: 40 minutes

SERVING: Serves 10 to 12

METHOD:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. For the Tart Base: Mix in the All Purpose Flour, Sugar OR Sugar Substitute and Olive Oil.
3. Add Vanilla Flavoring and Salt. Mix in well to make into dough.
4. Apply slight Olive oil or Spray the Miniature Muffin Tray with a thin coat of Oil.
5. Use the dough to make base for each cup of the Miniature Muffin Tray.
6. Bake for about 20 minutes, until slightly browned.
7. When done, remove the tray from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. When cool, remove the Tart Base from the tray. You can now put in a second batch for baking, if needed.
8. For the Filling: Mix cubed Pineapple, Cream Cheese, Whipping Cream, Sugar OR Sugar Substitute, Pineapple Flavoring and blend. (I use my hand mixer)
9. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. (Sometimes I freeze it overnight, beware coz Pineapple turns bitter too.)
10. To serve, fill up the Tart Base with the filling.
11. Top the Pineapple Tarts with fresh cut fruits - Peach, Strawberry, Raspberry, Blackberry, Grapes or even Pineapple.. whichever you like.

Enjoy !!

Don't forget to write me your feedback !

TIP:
In Step 5, to make even sized cups, I used a smaller cup to press in the dough. Makes the task so much easier and faster.

Black Forest Cake

The Black Forest has been my favorite forever! It was about time I experimented with some recipes. This recipe came from a friend. She is like the oven Queen! Her cakes are simply gorgeous. Thanks for sharing your recipe Ashwini, here is a link to the recipe -

http://indulge-ashscorner.blogspot.com/2009/03/black-forest-cake.html

For my version of the cake, I decided to do an egg-less chocolate cake. My recipe is simple and quick to put together. Here goes -

INGREDIENTS:

Flour - 1 and 1/2 cup
Powdered Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 1 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda - 1 tsp
Vanilla Flavoring - 1 tsp
Cocoa Powder (Hershey's Natural Unsweetened) - 3 tbsp
Vinegar - 1 tbsp
Oil - 5 tbsp

COOKING TIME: 45 mins

SERVING: Serves 8

METHOD:

1. Mix the Flour, Cocoa, Baking Powder, Sugar and Salt together.
2. Add Oil to the mixture, fold it in.
3. Add Vinegar to the mixture, fold it in.
4. Add Vanilla Flavoring, fold it in.
5. Add Water, mix it in and prepare the mixture to an even consistency.
6. Pour the mixture onto a baking pan.
7. Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Thats it ! Once the cake is done, dress it up with whipped cream, rum, sugar syrup chocolate shavings and fresh cherries... your black forest is ready !

Enjoy !!!

Online Recipe Competition Award - Desserts

IHM on Orkut has an RC every month. RC 9 was all about Desserts and the Mango Cheese Cake won the First place. I found great encouragement from all my IHM friends and thanks to their loving support, I have begun writing my own blog !

Thank you so much !!!

Mango Cheese Cake

Lets begin with something sweet ! This recipe came from my sister-in-law who is more than a sister to me... she's like my knowledge bank, my quick reference encyclopedia... she's an amazing person and a great cook!!
I'm thrilled to share this recipe with everyone !

INGREDIENTS:

1. Mango Pulp - 1 Can (16 Oz.)
2. Cheese Cream (Regular or Fatfree) - 8 Oz.
3. Whipped Cream (Regular or Fat free) - 8 Oz.
4. Water - 2 Cups
5. Sugar - 1 Cup
6. Unflavoured Gelatin - 1 Oz.

COOKING TIME: 15 mins

SERVING: Serves 8

METHOD:

1. Boil the Water and add Unflavored Gelatin to the boiling water and mix very well with out any lumps.
2. Simmer, add sugar and mix it for a minute or two.
3. Thaw cream cheese from fridge and add to the above mixture.
4. Add whipping cream and mix it thoroughly.

Note: Do not let the liquid boil for too long.



5. At the end pour the Mango Pulp into the above mixture and mix it well.
6. Turn the heat off and let the mix cool for half an hour or so.
7. Blend the mixture in a blender and whip it smooth and pour the blended mixture in a flat pie dish or tray (graham cracker pie base could be used too)
8. Let it freeze over night or for 8 hours.
9. To Serve: Add cut fresh fruits to the frozen Cheese Cake.

The cheese cake is done!! It turns out very soft and so delicious every time!!!
Serve chilled and top it with dressings !!!


Update: I have made this dish repeatedly for family and friends and everyone has only good things to say about it. I have used Raspberries, Blueberries, Grapes & Peaches to top the cheesecake, however I enjoy the mango flavor with fresh strawberries and raspberries the most. In the effort to stay fit, I am using fat free ingredients and have also stopped using the graham cracker pie base to reduce some extra calorie intake. Hope you will enjoy this recipe as much as everyone in my family.
Best!