Eggless Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Buttercream Frosting

I generally prefer to justify baking sweet somethings and felt the act was well justified today! My personal favourites are mini cupcakes, but today made larger ones to accommodate the icing. It's been over a month since I discovered the flower nail and creating roses were demystified. And today was the day I put that knowledge  to use. 

A rose is a rose is a rose!

This was the first time I made buttercream icing with a spatula and not the hand mixer. I used butter (didn't know margarine for icing was different from table margarine or that commercial buttercream has nothing to do with butter!!!) and homemade icing sugar. Also, I don't thing self-made butter-paper icing bags are my thing....ziplock works!

The egg-plus or egg-less thing is a whim. Though if I'm baking for my parents or know that its going to consumed by people with egg restrictions, it's obviously eggless. I'd bookmarked two eggless chocolate cupcakes from blogs I follow and tried one today (just one tweak!). Pavithra of Dishes from my Kitchen, through sufficient trial and error created her "Best Ever Eggless Chocolate Cake/ Cupcake". I'll have to agree that they're perfect! The best part being the ingredients were simple, the process was simpler and even my three year old could mix it up!

Multi-directional mixing!

I bought a bottle of peppermint flavouring last week and decided the icing would be minty. The only crux was I wanted it to be green. Googling for answers (after the cakes were iced, BTW) revealed that green roses do exist naturally and symbolizes richness, abundance and bounty! Perfect!

So, a small batch of dark brown chocolate cupcakes all iced with mint flavoured roses........I loved my share, my daughter loved hers, saved one for DH.....just heading out to give them away before the cake monsters get to them.

Just realized that I didn't take a shot of the ultra-soft cakes. Will update that, since I'm going to be using the same recipe for some cakes this weekend!

Ingredients:
(From Dishes from my Kitchen)

Cake Flour - 3/4 cu

Light Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup (original recipe used regular sugar)

Unsweetened cocoa powder - 2 1/2 tbsp

Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Water - 1/2 cup

Oil - 4 tbsp (I used Sunflower oil; nothing specific in original recipe)

Vinegar - 1 tbsp (original recipe listed apple cider vinegar or any vinegar)

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Instant Coffee - 1/4 tsp (Optional)

Buttercream icing:
Butter - 50 gms (out of fridge; not soft or spreadable)
Icing sugar - 75 gms (sift to remove lumps)
Peppermint flavouring - 1/2 tsp
Green food colouring - 1/4 tsp (used gel colour)

Keep prepared 6-7 cupcake molds with liners. Set oven to 180C. Whisk the dry ingredients (except the instant coffee powder) and wet ingredients (the coffee goes here) separately. Add the wet to the dry and mix well till no lumps remain. Pour into prepared molds and bake for 15 minutes or so. Test with wooden skewer or toothpick. when done remove and place on wire racks to cool.

To make the icing, take a bowl and rub the butter against the sides with a metal spatula. Once the butter is smooth add the icing sugar in increments. Once the sugar is incorporated and the buttercream has a nice paste-like spreadable consistency add the essence and colouring. If the icing seems very thick add a drop of vegetable oil. I didn't have to do this since the essence and ambient temperature too care of things. Pipe the icing as desired. I used a no.11 tip to make those roses.




    

GEVULDE SPECULAAS - My first Daring Bakers Challenge

I've been looking at joining Daring Bakers for a while. Only kept putting it off since, I didn't think I'll be able to commit to the process of baking, recording and posting with any regularity. (Which is obvious to anyone who looks at my blog!)

This year I just decided to take the plunge. And my first challenge (and this year's) was to make Gevulde Speculaas. The recipe was put forward by  Francijn of Koken in de Brouwerij.

I've followed Francijn recipe to the letter and gives a nice history of these Dutch cookies. I've as usual been remiss in taking a picture of the first batch which I made as individual cookies and had to make it once more. I used lime juice for the almond paste. I did wonder if the cookies might be too 'cinnamon-y' but spice blend was well-balanced and created a delightful melange of aromas. The lime-y almond filling added a tanginess and seemed to hold the cookie together. The only think I didn't expect was the ultra-flakiness of the cookies. 

The first batch - diamond shaped individual cookies

My second batch - so flaky couldn't cut through it without crumbling.

Thank you Francijn, I'm looking forward to my next challenge!!!

Cinnamon Chocolate Rolls

Cinnamon is my favourite spice. A recent trip to the wholesale spice markets of Thiruvananthapuram ensured that I have enough to last me quite a while. The plus point is that fresh ground cinnamon gets added to hot chocolate, coffee or oatmeal even!

These rolls aren't the first I've made (and unlikely to be the last!) are simple and quick enough to make for breakfast. Also, they make for awesome snack-box stuff!!!

Ingredients:

Dough:
All purpose flour - 3 cups
(2 cups of APF can be replaced with about 2 cups of whole wheat flour)
Instant yeast - 1 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Oil (Sunflower) - 3 Tbsp
Water - as required

Filling:
Cinnamon - large 3-4" strip
Sugar - 4 Tbsp
Butter - 2 Tbsp (room temperature)
Chocolate chips - 1 cup (optional)

Mix the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add water and knead till you get a soft pliable non-sticky dough. Add oil and knead some more. Cover and keep in a warm place to rise.

Prepare filling by grinding the cinnamon and sugar in a spice blender or dry grinder. Once the dough has risen to twice its volume, deflate and transfer to a counter top. Roll it out roughly rectangular and apply butter. Sieve the cinnamon-sugar mixture and sprinkle the chocolate chips. Roll it up an cut using serrated knife.

Arrange the rolls on a baking dish and let rise till oven is pre-heated to 180C. Bake covered for about 10 minutes and uncovered for another 10 to 15minutes. Check for done-ness and remove from oven. Transfer to cooling rack and serve warm.

The Lost Symbols - Hot Cross(??) Buns for FFTO

I've been neglecting my blog. But both me and my laptop are back on our feet and will be more attentive.
This month's FFTO challenge, hosted by Sarah of Simply Cooked, was baking Hot Cross Buns, all in the spirit of Easter. Most of us know the popular rhyme with the same name, but I really didn't know that this sweet-spicy bread was associated with Easter and that's why it had a cross.
I made the bread as soon as the challenge was posted and just couldn't not tweak it. I made it eggless for one,  substituted half the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour and didn't add any raisins or candied citrus peels (not too fond of raisins in my bread).
Oh! And the crosses I piped on the buns disappeared......

Sarah's recipe for Hot Cross Buns:

Flour: 3 1/2 - 4 cup (440 - 500 g)
Milk: 3/4 cup (190 ml)
Water: 1/2 cup (125 ml)
Yeast: 1 package (2 1/2 t)
Sugar: 1 Tbsp
Sugar: 1/4 cup (65 g)
Salt: 1/2 tsp
Butter: 1/4 cup (55 g), melted
Allspice: 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon: 1/2 tsp
Nutmeg: 1/4 tsp
Eggs: 2
Currants: 2/3 cup (100 g)
Diced Citron: 1/4 cup (40 g)

egg glaze:
1 egg

lemon glaze:
Sugar: 1 cup; powdered
Lemon zest: 1 tsp 
Milk: 1 1/2 Tbsp

"In a mixer bowl, combine 1 c (125 g) flour, milk, water, yeast, and 1 T sugar. Beat well. Set in a warm place until frothy. melt butter; cool. To the yeast sponge, add remaining sugar, salt, melted butter and spices; beat in eggs, one at a time. Add 1 c (125 g) flour and beat 5 minutes with electric mixer. Gradually add remaining flour, currants, and citron. Turn out onto floured board and knead until smooth and elastic (8 - 10 minutes). Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease top of dough. Cover with kitchen towel and set in warm place until doubled in bulk. Punch down. Turn out onto lightly floured board and knead lightly for 2 minutes. Divide dough into 24 equal parts and shape into buns. Place well apart on greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until almost doubled in size (about 30 minutes).

Make a cross (X) on each bun with a razor blade or sharp knife. Brush with egg yolk beaten with 1 T water. Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 15-20 minutes or until golden in colour. Cool on wire rack.

Make the glaze by mising the ingredients. Drizzle over buns in the cross design.

Some English recipes add strips of pastry dough over the cross before baking, instead of the icing." 


My tweaks:
Flour: 2 cups All purpose flour and 2 cups whole wheat flour
Flaxseed meal: 1tbsp in 3 tbsp of hot water (egg replacer)
Spices: 1/tsp each of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, pepper
Sugar: 1/3 cup
While kneading I went by feel, and used about 1 1/4  cup of milk and 1/4 (+) of water to get an elastic but slightly sticky dough.
I didn't use currants/ raisins/ citron.
Omitted the lemon in the glaze.
Also, I piped pastry strips (1 Tbsp Cornstarch + 2 Tbsp APF + water = piping consistency)to make the crosses.
All done, and I set the buns off to bake and kept peeking to check for browning. Everything was going fine, but when the timer struck, pulled the baking tray and the crosses were as brown as my crust :(
I added the glaze mournfully.....I went the pastry strip route since the pictIures I;d seen were soooooooo nice.

I waited till it cooled down a bit and took a bite.....yummy in the tummy! (That's what my daughter says to something she likes!!)

Till I took that bite, I wasn't really sure how it would taste. It tasted good :D

The Challah Experiment for Fresh From the Oven

It's been a month since my last post and I am back with another post for the FFTO February challenge. I've never seen or even heard about the Challah and was glad for the opportunity to acquaint myself with this delightful loaf. The Challah is a traditional Jewish bread and this challenge was hosted by Dom of Belleau Kitchen and to quote Dom:

"For those who don't know, Challah is the sweet, light and eggy bread traditionally served on the Friday night Sabbath..." . For those interested in more details please to check this link.

Ingredients: 

(Dom's Recipe)

Yeast : 1 sachet easy blend dried yeast (about 1 1/2 tsp)

Honey : 1tsp 

Milk : 8fl oz (about 1 cup); lukewarm

Butter : 50g; melted

Flour : 16oz (about 450 gms; I used all purpose flour/ maida)

Salt : 1 tsp

Eggs :2 lightly beaten - in separate bowls - one for the mix and one for glazing (I used only one and in later versions omitted it)

Poppy seed or sesame seeds (optional)

Quoting Dom again  .....

"Combine the yeast, honey, milk and butter, stir and leave for 15mins to dissolve

In a large bowl, mix together the flour and salt.  Make a well in the centre and add the yeast mixture and one of the beaten eggs.  Stir to make a dough. (It will be very sticky and will definitely need extra flour for kneading)

Knead till smooth and elastic (a good 15 mins) then transfer to a clean bowl, cover and leave to prove for 1 1/2 hours.

Grease a baking sheet. Knock back the dough and divide into 3 equal pieces.  Roll to shape each piece into a long strip for plaiting.

Brush with egg and bake in a hot oven at 190 for 35 - 40 mins or until golden and sounds hollow if you tap it."

My Experiments in Challah Baking:

Challah 1: Used the recipe provided by Dom. Made only one slight modification, I brushed the loaf with a table spoon of milk and a wee bit beaten egg left in the bowl. The bread was super soft and toasted well. It disappeared so soon, i just had to make it again.... :)

Challah 2: Same ingredients except replaced egg with 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed powder dissolved in 3 tablespoons of water. The dough needed a bit more milk while kneading. This bread turned out just as good except wasn't as soft. The flaxseed gave a nice nutty flavour.

Challah 3: Made two more changes - used half whole wheat flour and vegetable oil (1/4 cup) instead of butter. This dough needed more fluid for kneading and I used milk initially and then water. I went by feel and waited for the springy-smooth stage before leaving it to rise. I also made the strands a bit longer, which needed a shorter baking time and was more the pull apart variety than slice-and-eat :) The bread was obviously denser but enjoyable just the same. And this will probably be the Challh recipe I'll be keeping.

I braided all three Challah using Dom's instructions (you can look it up here), but I found many versions and am especially fascinated by the six strand variant and hope to try it sometime.

I'm sending my Challah to Susan of Wild Yeast to have them yeastspotted!

Choccy Melts

There's a new bookstore in my neighbourhood and being a bookaholic I had to visit....again and again and again. There was a time, not long ago (less than 2 years) when I would home in on the fantasy literature section, murmur a spell, make money disappear and the book/s appear. I'd amble towards the culinary division, gaze fondly at the dessert recipes and saunter back home. Now, I head first to the underage section, find something to occupy my daughter and head to the culinary section....they're on the same level ;) I've resorted to online shopping for fantasy fiction. (sigh!)

On one of those 'new-bookshop-has-to-be-visited' jaunts, I saw a new addition in the desserts section. I, It was titled 'cookie magic'. Obviously, I fell for the title, and the book was good too. Pages of simple recipes :)

Using the 'try-before-you-buy' axiom, I noted down the recipe for the cookie titled 'Choccy melts'.

I baked the biscuits and left out the chocolate drizzle. The cookies were a nice dark brown and crisp. Some of them were a bit hard....the thinner ones got a bit over-baked... thankfully, they didn't burn (phew!)

Ingredients:

Butter - 9 tbsp; room temperature

Icing sugar - 1/2 cup

Cornflour (cornstarch) - 1/2 cup

Cocoa powder - 1/4 cup (I used Cadbury's)

All purpose flour - (3/4 cup

I also added one tablespoon of Bournvita. This wasn't a part of the original recipe and you can definitely omit this.

Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celcius.

Beat butter till very soft and add all ingredients till it forms a dough. Used my hands towards the end to get the dough together and form a log or sorts. I chilled it for thirty minutes and cut the 'log' into discs, placed them on a cookie tray and baked for about 5 to 6 minutes. My biscuits were about an inch in diameter and I got lots of them...bite-sized snacks :)

For the 'melts', author recommends that you melt some chocolate (100gms) in a heatproof bowl set over a vessel with boiling water or use a double boiler (a 'milk cooker' with lots  of water does the trick) and drizzle over the cookies. 

 

 

 

These cookies are heading to Niveditha's 'Let's celebrate sweets- Chocolate' event at Veggie Hut and to 'Bake-off' at Versatile Vegetarian

Source: Cookie Magic by Kate Shirazi