Ferrerro Raffaello Cake and an Anniversary

I know I said I wouldn't be posting as much  coz I am on my vacation ( thank you for all the wishes you guys  ) but how could I not post today coz today is the day I started my blog a year ago and that was the best thing I had done . I got to post about stuff that I love so much and above all that I made lots of new and wonderful friends from all over the globe . I have to thank each one of you who visited my blog and left comments here , I just love reading them and it really encourages me to do more so a big Thank you to all of you again .
For today's post I had to make a cake and this cake is based on my favorite chocolate and I think all of you know this chocolate I am talking about , it's called Ferrero Raffaello ,the white counterpart of the famous Ferrero rocher . I just love the coconutty taste of this one and I wanted to incorporate this flavor into my cake and I am happy to let you know the results were quite good .

The cake is light and moist with a hint of the coconut flavour and the sweetness of the white chocolate ganache balances well with the light cream frosting and  the crunch from the toasted coconut and almonds and I hope you guys like it :) .

INGREDIENTS

100 gms butter room temp
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 and 3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp almond essence
1 cup light coconut milk or 3 tsp coconut milk powder dissolved in 1 cup water

for the white chocolate ganache 

225 gms white chocolate
1 cup cream

for the frosting

1 cup liquid whipping cream
2 tbsp icing sugar

for the topping

3/4 cup toasted dessicated coconut
3/4 cup toasted almond flakes


METHOD

Cream the butter and sugar till pale and fluffy .
Add the eggs and beat well.
Add the vanilla and almond essence
Mix the flour and the baking powder well and beat it into the mixture alternating between the coconut milk .
Grease and line two 9 inch sandwich tins and pour the batter in it .
Bake in a preheated 180 c oven for about 15-20 min.
To make the ganache , heat the cream and add in the chopped chocolate and stir it till you get a smooth mixture.
Whip the cream and sugar till stiff .
To assemble the cake , add the white chocolate ganache on top of the cake and cover it with another layer of cake . Add a little more of the ganache on top of the cake and leave it to cool till the ganache is set .
Now frost the entire cake with the whipped cream  and top it with the toasted coconut and almonds.
Chill and enjoy .

Pineapple Delight

Hey all you guys , summer vacation is on the way and this is gonna be my goodbye post , I am going for a long.... long....... really long vacation for almost two months , so Kerala here I come , going to enjoy the monsoons and the fresh air and I am gonna be really busy so won't be able to post quite frequently as I do now but I will popping in to see all my blogger friends delicacies .
Now back to today's post , this is something my sister used to make way back  now she is too lazy  (ooooh!!! I am gonna get into so much trouble for that ) and I just loved this dessert and had forgotten about it for a long time , so decided to refresh my memory of it . This is sort of like a cheesecake but without the cheese , it is quite creamy ,crunchy ,tangy ,sweet from the pineapples , it has all the textures and flavours for a perfect dessert so here goes..........

INGREDIENTS

10 digestive biscuits
75 gms melted butter
600 ml whole  milk
2 eggs separated
300 gms cream
12 tbsp sugar
2 and 1/2 tbsp gelatin + 6 tbsp water to dissolve it
200 gms canned pineapple

METHOD


Crush the digestive biscuits.
Melt the butter and add the crushed biscuits and toast it till a nice aroma comes up.
Put this mixture in a loose based tin and pop it in the fridge to cool it.
Beat the egg yolks with sugar till light and pale .
Heat the milk on low and add the beaten yolks to it , cook it on low heat till the mixture coats the back of the spoon like a custard .
Set the custard aside to cool .
Meanwhile, dissolve the gelatin and mix it in the custard stirring till the gelatin is mixed properly in the custard.
Beat the cream with 2 tbsp of sugar till soft peaks form  and fold it in the custard.
Beat the egg whites till stiff and fold it in the mixture.
Now pour the whole mixture on top of the crust .
Add chopped pieces of pineapple and also before pouring the custard , you can add the pineapple slices for garnish and then pour in the custard .
Chill to set and then enjoy .

How To Make Marshmallow Fondant

Hats off to the person who thought of marshamallow fondant , I just love using it to decorate my cakes and it tastes absolutely yummy too and above all very easy to make because it's just marshmallows and icing sugar . This is good for people like me who can never get a smooth finish with butter cream , fondant is surely the way to go and not the sugar fondant , but marshmallow fondant . You can even get ready made fondant at the supermarket but believe me they don't taste good at all and since this is so easy to make and inexpensive too , then why waste your money .
 Many of them have asked me the recipe for this and the best thing there is no certain recipe , it is just melting the marshmallows and adding icing sugar till you get a nice pliable dough but I have decided to measure what I use for you guys .

The amount of icing sugar also depends on where you live , if you live in a hot and humid place like me then you will need a bit more than those who live in a cooler place . It's just that easy .

INGREDIENTS

150 gms marshmallow
500 gms icing sugar
oil for greasing

METHOD 

Lightly grease a bowl and add the marshmallows with a little sprinkling of water .
Microwave this for 30 sec.
The marshmallows will puff up .
Now with a greased wooden spoon beat the puffed up marshmallows and then you get a sticky paste.
Add the icing sugar bit by bit and knead it till it no longer sticks to your hand .
Grease the dough and store it in an airtight container .
You can add whatever color you want .
You can use this straight away but it is always better to use it after a day .
You can also store it in an airtight container for about 2-3 weeks .

TIP

You can also make chocolate fondant by adding 2-3 tbsp of cocoa powder to the melted marshmallow and then proceed to knead it to a smooth dough by adding icing sugar , it's quite yummy .
Another tip is that if the stored fondant seems dry , cover it tightly in a cling wrap or plastic and immerse in hot water for a while just to soften it ,taking care that none of the water gets in . Do not microwave it coz then you will land up with one hot gooey mess .

Blueberry Smoothie

Fruits to my hubby are like how chocolate is to me and frankly , is it for real ? I wonder about this mystery very often . Ok , I like fruits but not as  much as chocolate but my hubby is  addicted to fruits , he just loves it and I am bothered by it . Once we both went on a diet of just fruits and vegetables  and while I was struggling with it , he was so happy and cheerful that I wanted to throw the big watermelon I was cutting at him . He had such a great time doing that diet and rubbing my nose in it so  never again will I ever do that mistake of taking up that diet with him ever again , never ....never...ever...never.

Anyways this post is dedicated to him coz he loves all things which contain fruits . This smoothie is pretty easy to make and also even prettier to look at so here goes...........

INGREDIENTS

2 cups blueberries
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup skimmed yoghurt
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup milk

METHOD

Blend the blueberries with 1 tbsp of sugar and lemon juice and divide between 2 tall glasses or 4 small glasses.
Blend the rest of the ingredients .
Pour this mixture over the blueberry juice and do not mix it , you will get the swirls as you pour the milk-yoghurt mix.
Serve immediately and enjoy.

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

I was fortunate enough to travel to many places and even better had the opportunity to try out the different cuisines too and this one is from my childhood memory of travelling to Thailand with my parents  . It is quite a colorful place and the best thing about it is the air is filled with all sorts of aromas of the various street food and lots and lots of wonderful fruits . This is something I had eaten from there and just loved it but back then there was no google to find out what goes into it ( OMG , I feel so old writing "back then" :(  ).

Ok so now back to the future, I have started making them and my family just loves it . It is spicy and sweet and very delicious and this is my version of making them . Here we like things spicy , so my version is on the spicy side with a very small touch of sweetness so here goes.......

INGREDIENTS

500 gms boneless chicken cut into strips

for the marinade

1/2 creamed coconut or 1/2 cup warm water + 3 tbsp cocnut milk powder
1 tbsp red curry paste
1and 1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp yellow curry powder
a pinch of red chilli flakes
1 tsp or more fish sauce ( fish sauce is used instead of salt , so add it according to your taste )
1 tbsp peanut oil or any vegetable oil

for the peanut sauce 

2 spring onions ,white part only chopped
2 fresh red chillies chopped finely
3-4 garlic cloves minced
1 tbsp red curry paste
2 heaped tbsp peanut butter
1/2 cup creamed coconut or 1/2 cup warm water + 3 tbsp coconut milk powder
1 tsp yellow curry powder
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste

METHOD

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade and mix it with the chicken
Marinate it for 2 hrs or more .
In a pan , heat the oil and add the onions , garlic and red chilly
Add the red curry paste and saute for a few min.
Now add the rest of the ingredients and simmer it for a few min.
If the mixture seems thick , add a little water and turn off the heat .
Puree this mixture if you want it smooth or leave it as it is .
Skewer the chicken pieces and grill it till done .
Serve with some steamed rice and enjoy .

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 .

Fruit Kebabs with Vanilla Yoghurt Dip

Now that summer is here , there are all sorts of fruits available in the market and here we all are fruit lovers and I try to make to make many things with them . This dish is pretty easy to put together and it tastes really fantastic . The dressing for this fruit kebab is quite simple , it is just lemon juice and fruit chat masala which can be store-bought . It is spicy, tangy, sweet , it is quite a burst of flavours in your mouth and the dip balances the heat from the masala . This is quite refreshing and healthy , perfect for the summer so here goes...................

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of strawberries
1 cup of melon balls
1 cup of diced green apple
1 cup of kiwi quartered
1 tbsp or more of fruit chaat masala
1/4 cup of lemon juice or orange juice

for the dip 

1 cup yoghurt skimmed or whole
1-2 tbsp honey according to your taste
1 tsp vanilla

METHOD

Put all the fruits in a big bowl
Add the lemon/orange juice and the fruit chaat masala powder and mix it all up making sure all the fruit pieces are coated with dressing .
Mix up all the ingredients for the dip .
Serve the fruits on wooden skewers and enjoy .