Ingredients -
For the Cake -
All purpose Flour - 2 cups
Sugar granulated - 1 cup
Brown Sugar - 1 cup
Butter - 125 g
Eggs - 3
Cocoa powder - 1/2 cup
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Soda bi carb - 1/2 tsp
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Milk - 1/2 cup
For the Syrup -
Canned Cherries - small can (drained weight 225 g)
Sugar - 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp
Cornflour - 2 tbsp
Water - 1/2 cup
Cherry brandy/ kirsch - 2 tbsp (optional)
For frosting -
Fresh cream - 300 g
Icing sugar - 1 cup
Vanilla Essence - 1/2 tsp
Beat the cream with sugar and vanilla essence until it is
light and fluffy, keep it aside for later use.
Method -
1. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla essence until light and creamy.
2. Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.
3. Sift baking powder, soda bi carb with flour and mix in alternating with the milk and cocoa powder. Beat until smooth.
4. Divide evenly into 2 greased and lined (9 in) sandwich cake tins and bake it in a moderate oven until a skewar comes out clean when inserted.
5. Take it out after 5 minutes and put it into a wire rack to cool.
6. Allow to cool completely and cut each cake carefully through the center making 4 layers.
For the Syrup -
1. Drain the cherries. Remove stones and cut it into halves, reserving some cherries for decoration.
2. Put the syrup in a saucepan with 2 tbsp of sugar and 1/2 cup of water and let it boil.
2. Let it simmer for 2 minutes and take it off the heat. Add the liqueur if using.
3. Pierce the layers of the cake so the syrup penetrates nicely.
4. Pour few spoonfuls of the syrup on each layer to make it moist.
5. Take the remaining syrup and again put it on heat, put 2 tbsp of cornflour, 1 tbsp sugar and let it come to boil, put cut cherries into it, and take it off the heat, if it is too thick to spread then few spoons of water could be added.
For Frosting -
1. Take a cake stand and place one piece of cake on it.
2. Apply a generous amount of frosting and top it with chopped cherry mix.
3. Place the second piece of cake on top of it and apply frosting and topping. Repeat each step until all the syrup, cherries and cake
have been used and about half the whipped cream.
4. Cover the cake completely with cream. When all layers have been placed, spread the whipped cream over sides and top of cake. Decorate with chocolate curls and shavings.
5. Fill a pastry or plastic bag with more whipped cream with a star nozzle and pipe it at the bottom and around the cake for a decorative top border and place cherries on top of every swirl.
6. Decorate the top with cherries, fresh or canned once your cake is frosted. If using canned cherries, drain thoroughly before using as the liquid, though tasty, may cause the frosting to run.
7. Finish it off with a toss of chocolate shavings and your cake is ready to impress.
Ingredients -
For the Choux Pastry -
Plain all purpose flour - 75 g (3/4 cup)
Butter - 60 g
Salt - a pinch
Eggs - 2, well beaten
Water - 155 ml(2/3 cup)
Filling n decoration -
Chocolate - 100 g
Coco powder - 1 tsp
Cornflour - 1/2 tsp (dissolved in 2 tbsp water)
Castor sugar - 2 tbsp + 1/2 cup
Coffee - 1 tsp
Cream(double heavy) - 200 g + 2 spoon
Method -
1. Sift the flour and salt.
2. Put water and butter in a shallow frying pan and bring to boil.
3. When boiling fast, reduce the heat and pour in the
flour. Using a wodden spoon, beat it vigorously until the
mixture forms a soft ball and leaves the sides of the pan.
4. Allow to cool a bit before mixing in the eggs, one at a time, beating nicely until it incorporates well in the mix.
5. Line a baking tray with parchment or foil paper, put the mixture in a piping bag and pipe either small buns or in a finger shape on to the baking sheet.
6. Bake at 200C for 10 min. then reduce the heat to 180C for further 20- 25 min or until hollow sounding when lightly tapped on the bottom.
7. Peirce the ends of the eclair shells right after removing otherwise the heat trapped inside, if not pierced would make the eclairs soggy. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Filling n decoration -
1. To decorate, melt the chocolate in a pan over low heat, add the cocoa powder, 2 tbsp castor sugar, 2 tbsp cream, cornflour and bring it to boil, take it off the heat and allow to cool.
2. Beat the cream, sugar and coffee together until its light and fluffy and fill a piping bag with a small nozzle, push the end through the side of the eclairs and fill the centre with the mocha cream. You can also
slit the sides of eclairs and spoon the cream into it.
3. Dip both the ends of the eclairs into the chocolate sauce.
4. Home made delicious eclairs are ready to be served and win
many a hearts specially the little ones.
Ingredients -
Moong Dal (split ) - 250 g
Sugar - 1 cup
Clarified butter ( pure ghee) - 200 ml
Mawa (khoya) - 250 g
Condenced milk - 1/2 tin
Water - 4 - 5 cups
Almonds - 2 tbsp
Cashews - 2 tbsp
Raisins - 3 tbsp
Chironji ( charoli) - 1 tbsp
Coconut grated - 2-3 tbsp
Cardamom crushed - 4-5
Method -
1. Soak the dal overnight.
2. Grind it the next day to a smooth paste using very little water.
3. Heat a deep and heavy bottomed karahi with ghee in it.
4. Put the ground dal in it and fry it on a low heat.
5. Keep stiring it continuously, until it resembles bread crumbs and has turned to a dark golden colour.
6. Fry the mawa separately and mix into the moong mixture nicely.
7. Make sugar syrup by boiling the sugar and water, put cardamom in it.
8. Pour this syrup in the fried moong dal and stir it, taking care to
avoid any lumps.
9. Chop the dry fruits and add it with the condenced milk. Keep frying it until the ghee has separated.
10. Garnish it with dry fruits and serve it hot.
11. It is a popular north Indian sweet dish eaten mostly in winters and keeps well for weeks when refrigerated. Mix little milk while warming and enjoy this rich and tasty delight.
Ingredients -
Milk - 2 lt
Anjir ( Fig) - 200 g
Sugar powdered - 200 g (can be reduced or increased acc. to taste)
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Almonds choppped - 2 tbsp (optional)
Ghee pure ( Clarified butter) - 1 tbsp
Method -
1. wash and soak the anjir in water for 1/2 an hour.
2. Heat the milk in a heavy bottomed karahi, bring it to boil while stirring occasionally, reduce the flame, drain the anjir and chop coarsely, add in the boiling milk.
3. keep stirring until milk gets thickened and anjir is soft.
4. Remove it from the flame and add sugar and chopped almonds and cook again for 5-10 minutes on a slow flame.
5. Add little ghee and fry for a while until of dough like consistency
6. Lastly add cardamom powder and mix well.
7. Grease a metal thali or tray and pour the mixture into it and spread evenly.
8. Cut into squares when its cool.
9. Serve this tasty anjir barfi to your family n friends on this
beautiful occasion of Diwali and Enjoy!!!
Note - Instead of milk, Khoya (mava) can also be used.
Heat 1 cup of milk in a karahi, add the soaked and chopped
anjir and 1 tbsp sugar and cook on medium flame until the Anjir are soft and tender and the milk is evaporated. Add khoya (500 g) and fry for 8-10 minutes and after that follow the recipe from no. 4 to 8. Tasty anjir barfi is ready to serve.
