Red Velvet Cake with Hung Curd Frosting

Many days have past ....

Battling with a sudden onslaught of work load from sweet child's school and a general state of laziness!
Waking up to experience what a writers block is...not saying that I am a writer of international repute...Maybe a little I have my "baketitude".
Not that I've not been busy, finally got some time to catch up with some books I've been meaning to read for like ever...
I read a few books by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni for the first time...and though I love racy pulp fiction which has lots of dead bodies and mystery and stuff...I must say I was impressed!

Queen of Dreams,The Palace of Illusions: A Novel and now The Vine of Desire (novel)...Hmm!
But now I'm back in the lands where macabre twists of fate and convoluted desires make for a super interesting read! My fave...Jeffrey Archer!
The rains do that to me...a good book and a cup of coffee...I don't really need anything or anyone else...and then there was the black Monday with the Internet virus and stuff!

All that has passed now...

I'm back!

I suddenly realised that my bad moods are stemming from sugar cravings...not just any craving -chocolate and lemon!

2 Ferrero Rocher did nothing ...what one slim slice of a well made and well frosted cake will do to my metabolism...
Red Velvet cake with its almost chocolate and tangy frosting flavours was a god send.

So we tried something desi...and low fat!
Instead of cream cheese..we went with hung curd!


The Red Velvet Cake had an amazing flavour, chocolaty, yet not quite! Soft I used actual buttermilk instead of milk and vinegar. The only bone of contention was the red colour...since I was attempting a powder colour this time(the liquid food colour some how upsets the taste of the cake, and even 2 oz is not enough) , the amount of colour used was touch and go.
But we got it right...and did not compromise on the taste!

This recipe is from the Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

for the

Red Velvet Cake with Hung Curd Frosting...

you need

2 1/2 cups cake flour(I used 2 cups plain flour and 1/2 cup cornflour)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp cocoa
1/2 cup or 113 gms butter/neutral vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp vinegar
1/2 tsp red food colour powder/25 mils red food colour liquid
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter milk

Pre heat your oven to 180C/350F.
Grease and flour your baking tin  and line the bottom with non stick baking paper, I used A4 bond paper. It just makes unveiling the cake easier and generally lessens the chances of breakages...and spillages. also , it helps keep your heart beat normal.

Sift the flour ,the baking powder, the salt and the cocoa powders together.Twice , if possible.

Since I  used butter ,that is 113 gms by approximation.

 Beat the butter and then add in sugar.

Now pour in one egg at a time.

Add in the vanilla essence.

To the well whisked buttermilk/yogurt/sour curd(If you dont have buttermilk or its substitutes,use cold milk and add a tsp of vinegar) add the food colour. I adde 1/4 tsp and thought that this much would be enouf=gh, but it needed some more. Ended up using 1/2 tsp red food colour. Its better to be generous with teh colour...you only do red velvet cake once in a while ,right?
It needs to be RED!

Now, in thirds, the flour and the buttermilk mix.

Dont over mix...me and friends Kanchan Bhartari and Ritu Sharma were busy chatting and forgot to switch the beaters for a spoon.
The batter was over mixed...but could have been softer.
So advice to you, concentrate.
Once the batter is all done and the oven is ready...
In a bowl pour the vinegar and add in the baking soda.
I added in some more colour...to show the fizz...ok just wanted more colour!

Fizz is what you need...and fold this in into the batter.

Without wasting much time pour in the batter into the prepared tin and pop into the oven.

Our cake was ready  32 minutes...

Out...We let it cool for 10 minutes and then...

Ran a knife around the cake...
Eh...Voila!
Beauty....
Wrapped in cling film and chilled till we were ready to frost.

For the

Hung Curd Frosting...

you need

250 gms hung curd/Cream cheese
350 gms non dairy whipped cream
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 tbsp icing sugar

for the

Soaking Syrup

you need


3 tsp vodka/water
3 tsp sugar

Whip the cream.
Gently mix in the suagar into the hung curd. Dont whisk too much or it may become too watery.

Whip them all together to mix.You can add in a teaspoon of vodka with the vanilla.My advice...aclohol is always good!

Remove the cake from the fridge and carefully slice into three layers.
A small dollop of the frosting on the platter to fix your cake...with the alcohol in you never know when steps may falter!

First layer, brushed with the soaking syrup...brush not bathe!

One thick layer of the frosting.

Repeat the same process with the second and third layers.
Now top and sides...clean! The serrated knife holds appeal...helps to comb the sides of the cake.

There was no left over cream to pipe stars....

So a little white chocolate tinted pink....

And ready to eat!

That is why red is the most beautiful colour around us!!
And it is smooth!!!!!

Red Velvet Cake with a desi touch.


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Oats and Triple Dal Adai-Savoury Pancakes South Indian Style

According to sweet child ,oats are the most boring thing God ever made.

And in most countries, before they became people food, they were and are still being fed to horses. 

As if it was'nt criminal enough that humans are parsimonious enough to have alraedy encroached upon so much that did not belong to them.

All this came from my 12 year old when I tried to force feed him oats.

I dont blame him...

Oats have to be the blandest ,stickies cereal which does absolutely nothing on the plate. But when you count the nutritional benifits...it far outweighs anyother cereal.

Isnt that why horses are so strong??

Sweet sister dropped this little filling snack,perfect for worrying mums  on me.

And if Sanskriti(if you are new to baketitude-Sanskriti is my neice who is an extremely fussy eater.) loves it...I'm sure most kids will to.

Very Dosa like in flavour, the Oats Adai is light , tangy and fills you up...so you can work all day like a horse!

I follow nutrition fads too...I bought loads of packets of oats when hubby dear insisted that they are good to sweep away cholesterol(he hardly ate them thoygh)...and the packs of Quaker oats were literally quacking...Eat me! Eat me!

I tried lots of ways to use oats, ground raw oats to flour and added the flour to whole wheat to make rotis- but there was too much hemming and hawing...

The Oats Adai idea was brilliant...

We have made breakfast , lunch ,dinner and various snacks out of the batter three times over.And I am happy to say that everybody in my house has happy tummies.

I use clarified butter/ghee to cook the adai on a non stick pan...so they taste good and are really good for your body.

You can make the adai with the fresh batter or let it ferment to up the content of vitamin B.

Either way they are a blessing.

I double checked the recipe and found mine closest to this,garlic , onions coriander seem to complicate your life....keep it simple for maximum benefit.

For the 

Oats and Triple Dal Adai-Savoury Pancakes South Indian Style...

you need

1/4 cup moong dal(husked)(Mung Bean Husked)

1/4 cup chana dal

1/4 cup arhar dal

1 cup oat flour(oats dry ground in the mixer)

1 inch piece ginger

6-7 green chillies

salt to taste

ghee/clarified butter/oil to fry

Dal/Lentils....most kids are not very inspired by them. And  when you talk snacks...who wants dal. But the adai does!!

Soak all three dals together for about an hour. This is what they will look like,  all swollen and yellow.

The ginger and green chillies...I know, they seem to be More than what I mentioned...but we, the people, in my house love spicy!

Ground with the chillies ,ginger and salt along with a little water.

The oat flour, which I now keep ...for contingency measures!Yup the bottle is pretty curvacious...something which I aim to be. Inspirations come from anywhere.

All mixed and whisked together.

And left aside overnight...basically someplace warm. Ranchi is so warm that if ever an egg falls on the pavement...you just might get a chance to pick it up...sunny side up!Just keep the batter warm and cozy if you can.

This is how much the batter rose...
I did need to dilute it a bit...thick is difficult to handle.

And now...Simbly...yes Simbly heat up your pan and ...

Spread out the batter like you would a regular pancake or dosa!

Oil/ ghee is upto you...but balance the goodness of the oats adai with some evil fat! Too much goodness does become unpalatable!

Ready for your plate...

Great with any chutney, ketchup, sauce, mustard,tabasco or podai...whatever...
Be a super mom, be a super chef!
Go Guilt Free!
Go Oats Adai!

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Lemon Curd

The rains are playing hide and seek.

And with it is the electricity.

And not to forget the internet connectivity.

My batteries are not yet recharged, and I seem to have nothing to talk about.

Sometimes that happens to me too!

I went window shopping yesterday, and belatedly visited the new multi story outlet that Jharkraft has opened in Ranchi. Almost a revelation, I found some hand bags made of leather which I would love to buy. I am no snob, nor am I designer bag crazy-(I won’t mind being gifted a coach, though) but hand bags of the genre of hidesign I ♥ totally!!!!

So that is my next target…hey, I’m not the type who will shop on an impulse; I love the prospect of the procrastination and the reason to window shop again!

And I need to visit at least a couple of outlets before I can make up my mind!

That same feeling translates to when I am cooking, it is a bloody difficult decision when I bake or cook.

A lemon and lavender cake or not a lemon and lavender cake???That is the question!

Macbeth must have had it easier…at least his question was smaller...only.."To be or not to be?"

At least this post is simpler, I just have to blog about an amazing part of the Lemon Chiffon Cake...the Lemon Curd. Super easy, and yummy.

I used half to frost the cake and had stashed the remainder in my freezer for future use...we consumed it in spoonfulls as an awesomly tangy gellato. Yup, gellato..there is no cream(ok there is some butter, but NO cream!)

You can use it for lemon tarts or maybe lemon meringue cupcakes..h had there not been a formal call for the schools to be closed in Ranchi today, Lemon Meringue Cupcakes would be on the anvil today.(The political situation in Ranchi is like so...any time there is a small problem, they call for a bandh and schools and markets close!)

The Cake that was!

Without further ado, separate some eggs and get cracking!

for the 

Lemon Curd ...

you need

4 eggs(I whole and 3 egg yolks)

60-80 mils fresh lemon juice

60 gms or more cold butter

1/2 cup caster sugar

zest from 2 lemons

Start with the eggs and the yolks,the 3 egg whites you can use the next morning when you need to diet to cut down the excess...a power omlette that will keep you going the whole day!

Into this the lemon juice, I used 60 mils...cant take too much tart, and the sugar.

Set up a double boiler, the water from the pan below should not be touching the pan with the eggs ,or you may just have to eat lemon flavoured scrambled eggs.Begin to whisk ...and turn on some music for company,because this takes some time.About 15 minutes.

Keep whisking ,keep whisking...and when you need to give your blender or arms a rest, take the lemon curd off the pan.

Keep whisking till the curd forms a ribbon on the surface for a few seconds.When you lift the beater blades, whatever falls off , should be visible on the surface of the curd.

Now, take the curd off the heat and beat till it cools a little. Cut the butter into small cubes and add in.I used 60 gms, you can use upto 100 gms, after all ,you are the one who will have to work it off, so decide.

Blend it in, the curd is warm  enough to melt the butter and it becomes beautiful and glossy.

Add in the zest now.

Let it cool for at least an hour before you blend it with the whipped cream.

Place a sheet of film touching the curd and then pop it into the fridge, else you'll end up with a thick crust.

For the

Lemon Curd Whipped Cream...

you need

1/2 the lemon curd you made above

400 gms whipped rich non dairy cream

a couple of teaspoons of vodka or water/milk to dilute

Thats the cream and lemon curd.

Just gently blend them together, vodka helps move the cream and curd here. The cream-non dairy , is already sweetened.However, if you are using dairy cream, sweeten the cream when you whip it.

Cake at the ready,slice and soak!

Most of the frosting I covered the cake with, the rest I tinted mauve...and piped with some bits of lemon.(tinted with food colours, blue and red)

The proof of the pudding....

Is always in the eating!

Eaten and loved.

                 

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