Strawberries and Cream Cupcake

 Why can't 'fat' be the new 'fit' , why can't 'shape' zero be the new 'size' zero , why god .....why ......These are the rantings of a mad fat woman , that is ME . I have a wedding to get to in a couple of months and need to lose a few pounds ,well more actually but I can settle for a few now ( if that is possible) . So for the time being  I thought of sealing my lips shut from all the gorgeous treats out there of my fellow bloggers ( keeping my fingers crossed ) and also I apologize for not visiting and commenting on your blogs coz I am trying to lose some fat , which seems to have fallen in love with me , fat and I are BFF's , we are that close ;p . This might be my last post for sometime on sweet treats . These are moist , soft , full of strawberry flavour cupcakes topped with sweet whipping cream and fresh strawberries ( OMG !!! that was quite hard ) . Here goes enjoy ................

INGREDIENTS

100 gms butter softened
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1 cup frozen strawberries thawed and mashed through a sieve
1/2 cup milk approx
1 and 1/2 cup all- purpose flour
1 and 3/4 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt

for the frosting

250 ml whipping cream
2-3 tbsp or more if you like icing sugar

fresh strawberries for topping

METHOD

Cream the butter and sugar till pale and fluffy .
Add the eggs and the vanilla essence and beat well .
Meanwhile mix all the dry ingredients together .
When you mash the strawberries through the sieve , you get 1/2 cup of strawberry puree approx and then add in enough milk to make it one cup .
Now add the dry and wet ingredients alternately ending with the dry ingredients .
Grease or line a 12 hole muffin pan .
Bake in a preheated 180 c oven for about 20-25 min .
Cool on a wire rack before frosting .
Whip the cream with the icing sugar till stiff peaks form .
Swirl onto cupcakes and top it with fresh strawberries and enjoy .

Pinacolada Cupcakes

Whewww!!!! What a hectic week I had  , I  wanted to make Lizzy's cheesecake but did not get time to do it , I am still salivating over her cheesecake , hopefully this week I can try it out , but in the meanwhile , I was browsing through my food photos and found out that this recipe was not posted . these are soft , moist coconut cupcakes with bits of pineapple topped with a delicious coconut whipped cream and pineapple pieces coated with toasted coconut . These were an instant hit in my house so here goes...........................

INGREDIENTS

100 gms butter
1 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 and 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 and 3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup of light coconut milk
1/4 cup of syrup from the canned pineapple
1/2 cup of chopped pineapple

for the frosting 

350 ml whipping cream
2 tbsp coconut milk powder
5 tbsp or more icing sugar
pineapple pieces dipped in toasted coconut for garnish ( optional )

METHOD

Cream the butter and sugar till fluffy .
Add the vanilla and the eggs and beat again .
Sift the dry ingredients together .
Mix the coconut milk and the syrup .
Now add in the wet and dry mixture alternately in the batter ending with the dry ingredient.
Fold in the chopped pineapple .
Bake in a preheated 180 c oven for about 20-25 min or till the tops are springy to the touch .
Now for the frosting , whip the cream , icing sugar sugar and coconut milk powder till stiff .
Pipe swirls onto the cooled cupcakes and top it with the pineapple pieces .

Chocolate and Caramel Cupcakes with Whipped Chocolate Ganache Frosting

Whewww!!!!!! That is one long name for a little thing and I am tired from typing it ;) . These cupcakes are soft , moist , chocolatey , caramely ...... I could go on and on and on describing it coz it's just that good and the frosting is just yummy . It's just chocolate ganache whipped up to give a nice fluffy smooth frosting , it's just too good so here goes..................

INGREDIENTS

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup light brown sugar
1 and 3/4 baking powder
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup low-fat milk
1/3 cup canola oil or any flavorless vegetable oil
1 tbsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp vinegar
1/2 cup nestle caramel treat or caramel topping

for the frosting

200 gms dark chocolate chopped
1 cup whipping cream

METHOD

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl .
Mix all the wet ingredients together except for the caramel topping .
Now add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix it well till you get a smooth mixture .
Now fold in  the caramel topping into the batter . Don't over mix it .
Grease or line the cupcake tin.
Bake in a preheated 180 c oven for about 15-20 min or till the tops are springy to the touch .
Meanwhile make the ganache by heating the whipping cream in the microwave for 1 min .
Add the chopped chocolate in the hot cream and stir it till you get a smooth mixture.
Now keep it aside to cool.
When the ganache is cooled whip it using a beater till stiff .
Pipe the whipped ganache onto the cooled cupcakes and enjoy :D.

Mmmmmm......Tiramisu !!!

I am so impressed by the photographs of my fellow bloggers and also want my photos to look like that so now I am in the process of learning how to take quality pics and the internet is the best place to learn . There are so many good tutorials out there .One thing I have learned is that natural light is the best light to shoot and for the past few weeks I have been running around the house like a mad woman ( my kids really think this ) with a camera around my neck to find the perfect spot in my house where natural light is best .Whenever I find a spot and set up my stuff to take a shot the light might have moved an inch left or right or there is no light at all . The only time natural light is best in my home is  at 7 in the morning , who in their right mind would cook then ( I am not that desperate ) .
Finally I found the perfect spot , Mr.Natural Light comes at that perfect spot at 2 - 2.30 in the afternoon , you can imagine my delight at it , I was so happy I called everyone and told them .
Ok , so  I found light and have the camera and now for some action ;) . I clicked away like crazy and found a few , very few ( 1 or 2) pics which I thought looked impressive by my standards so here they are.....please be kind , pretty please .....

This dessert didn't even take me half the time I took to take the photo , it's that easy and anyone can make it . This is my absolute favourite dessert , by now all of you got the hint that I am into desserts and this one ranks on top . It's easy to make , heavenly to look at and divine to eat it . It's that good , really trust me . This is an eggless, non-alcoholic version . It is very light and melts in your mouth . This is an old recipe I got from a magazine or I think from the nestle tin , have no idea coz I wrote it down a long while back . I am not boring you anymore ( for those who take the time to read this ) so here goes............

INGREDIENTS

250 ml Whipping cream
1 can nestle cream
250 gms mascarapone cheese
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 cup strong black coffee cooled
24 finger biscuits
cocoa powder to dust
chocolate shavings (optional)

METHOD

Whip the whipping cream till stiff and set aside
In a bowl beat the nestle cream , mascarapone cheese and sugar till well combined
Fold the whipped cream into this mix gently .
Line a loaf tin with plastic hanging out at the sides .
Dip the finger biscuits in the coffee and arrange a layer at the bottom .
Pour half of the cream mixture on top and dust the top with cocoa powder
Again repeat the same process finishing with a layer of dipped finger biscuits on top .
Leave it in the fridge to chill for about 6 hours .
Use the overhanging plastic to lift it out of the tin onto the serving platter.
Top it with chocolate shavings and slice , serve and enjoy : D .

P.S : it's 2 pm , off to take another pic ;).

Vanilla and Chocolate Layer Cake with Caramel and Mousse Filling

 Eid Mubarak to everyone !!!!!  What a fun and hectic week it was with all family and friends getting together , truly it was a week to remember .The best part was the food and that too lots and lots of it and everyting truly delicious .As usual I was in charge of the dessert and decided to go all out for it and I am not one to brag ;) ,  but the cake turned out superb and everyone loved it .I made a chocolate and vanilla layered cake with white chocolate and dark chocolate mousse filling and caramel so now you know why everyone loved it . It was just superb and above all very easy to make so here goes........

INGREDIENTS

1 recipe of Chocolate cake
1 recipe of Vanilla cake

for the dark chocolate mousse filling 

150 gm dark chocolate chopped
1 cup whipping cream

for the white chocolate mousse 

150 white chocolate chopped
1 cup whipping cream

1 tin nestle caramel treat

for the frosting

1/2 cup water
2 tbsp brown sugar
150 gms butter softened
11 oz dark chocolate chopped

METHOD

Make the cakes in two 8 inch sandwich tins according to the recipe .
To make the mousse filling , melt the chocolate in a microwave or double boiler till smooth .
Whip the cream till stiff and fold in the melted chocolate .
To make the frosting , In a saucepan add the water,  sugar and  butter and heat it till it melts .
Now turn off the heat and add the chopped chocolate and stir it till smooth .
It takes a while to set so make it first .
To assemble the cake cut each cake in half horizontally .
Place a layer of vanilla cake , spread 2 tbsp of caramel treat on it .
Now add 3 tbsp of  the dark chocolate mousse filling on top.
Place a layer of chocolate cake on top and then add the caramel treat again if you like and top it with the white chocolate mousse filling .
Now repeat the process till you run out of cakes : ) .
Now frost the entire cake with chocolate frosting and leave it to till .
Garnish the top with crushed peanuts if you like .
Serve and enjoy .

Red Velvet Cake and Trifle

Now this is the most favourite cake in my household now .I used to wonder what all the fuss was about the red velvet , sure it is the prettiest looking cake and has a rather sexy name but didn't still think it was so great that is until I tasted the frosting and Oh My !!! what a frosting that is , I got the recipe from Joy of Baking , it is the yummiest frosting I have ever tasted . I tried a few different recipes of  red velvet cake a couple of times but found it a bit dry to my liking so I tweaked the recipe a bit to make it more moist , I am not bragging here ;p ,but this cake is so moist and light , it just melts in your mouth , even if it is just out of the fridge it is still moist and the frosting is simply the best so here goes..........

INGREDIENTS

100 gms butter softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 tbsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
2 cups of all-purpose-flour
1/4 salt
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 yoghurt
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp liquid red food colour

for the frosting

200 gms cream cheese
250 mascarapone cheese
3/4 cup icing sugar
1 cup liquid whipping cream

METHOD

Cream the butter and sugars till pale and fluffy
Beat in the vanilla and eggs till mixed well.
Meanwhile sift the dry ingredients together
Mix all the wet ingredients together
Now add the dry ingredients in batches to creamed butter alternating with the wet ingredients.
Grease two 8 " inch sandwich tins and pour the batter in it .
Bake in a preheated 180 c oven for about 25-30 min or till a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean .
To make the frosting , in a large bowl add the two cheese and beat it till it softens .
Add the icing sugar to it and beat it again till mixed .
Now add the whipping cream slowly and beat it till stiff  .
To assemble the cake , cut each cake half .
Place a layer on the serving plate and add the frosting , add the next layer and repeat .
Frost the cake all over and chill for at least 2 hours .
Now serve and enjoy :D .

Now , I had made this in a small tin , so I had one more layer leftover and a little frosting too , so decided to make a trifle out of it and what do you know , it was really delish , with a layer of the cake , strawberry sauce (strawberries and icing sugar blended together) and fresh strawberries topped with the heavenly frosting . It was really pretty to look at ( I think strawberries make everything look good ) and heavenly to taste .

Strawberries and Cream Cake

Strawberries are my fav fruit and what better way to eat strawberries than having it with whipped cream . This is a simple vanilla cake with a strawberry filling and whipped cream frosting with even more fresh strawberries. It is very fresh, light and not overly sweet ,  just a perfect dessert for the summer so here goes.......................

INGREDIENTS

1 recipe vanilla cake

for the filling 

1 cup strawberries frozen or fresh
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

for the frosting

1 cup liquid whipping cream
100 gms cream cheese
2 tbsp icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
Fresh strawberries for decoration

METHOD

Grease and line two 8 inch sandwich cake tins .
Bake the cake in a preheated 180 c oven for 15-20 min.
In a saucepan , add the strawberries and heat it till the strawberries start to break , then add the condensed milk and mix it all up till it becomes a paste and turn off the heat .
Cool this mix a bit and add it onto one layer of cake .
Chill it in the fridge for a half hour.
Meanwhile make the frosting , add all the ingredients for the frosting in a large bowl and whip it till stiff .
Now add a little frosting  on top of the strawberry sauce and add the next layer of cake .
Now frost the entire cake with the whipped cream frosting and the fresh strawberries .
Chill the cake for an hour and enjoy .

Easy Peasy Chocolate Cake

 There is nothing more satisfying then having a slice of rich , gooey  melt in your mouth chocolate cake and this recipe exactly delivers it .It is so easy to make and there is absolutely no work involved at all , no beating , sifting or whisking , just mix up all the ingredients together and bake it, so here goes.........

    

INGREDIENTS

1and1/2cups  all purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened good quality cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
1 cup chocolate chips .
2 tsp vanilla extract


METHOD

Mix all the dry ingredients together and just stir it with a whisk to break the lumps ,it's much more easier than sifting it .
Mix all the wet ingredients together and pour it in the dry ingredients and mix it well .
Transfer the contents in a baking dish .
Add the chocolate chips on top of the cake mix and bake it in a preheated oven at 170-180 c for 30-40 min. or till a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Top the cooled cake with the chocolate ganache and leave it to set .

For the gananche .
250 ml whipping cream or single cream
250 gm dark cooking chocolate grated.

Heat the cream in a pan and add the grated chocolate and stir it till the chocolate melts and you get a nice shiny smooth gananche .

NOTES

Oven temprature might vary due to some size or model . If you have a fan enforced oven then you have to lower the temperature because it gets too hot .