J’s Moist Orange Cake

Long long time ago, before I got married I used to work for the most amazing boss ever… she was smart, funny, compassionate and great at her job. She also happened to be an accomplished baker who very kindly shared her luscious home made treats with us… that’s how I came across this recipe for Moist Orange Cake. Its one of those few recipes I’ve actually sought out after eating the result. This cake has got a great crumb, and has the right amount of moistness without being dense or heavy. The orange is never overpowering but delicately flavors and scents the cake, enticing and teasing you…

Try this cake… you won’t regret it.

J’s Moist Orange Cake

What You Need:

1-1/2 cups Brown Sugar

½ cup Unsalted Butter

3 Eggs

Zest of one Orange

½ cup of Orange Juice

2 cups of All Purpose Flour (Maida)

½ Teaspoon Salt

3 Teaspoons Baking Powder

½ cup Milk

¼ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Getting Down To Business:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees/ 180 degrees. Prepare either a tube cake pan or a loaf pan by greasing it and then dusting on flour. Be sure to shake off any excess flour. Keep aside.

Shift the flour, salt and baking powder together. Keep aside.

Beat together the sugar and the butter till combined and creamy. Add the eggs one by one. Beat well till combined. Now add in the orange zest and juice. Mix well.

If the mixture looks curdled or funky, don’t worry… all will be well!

Add in the shifted flour mixture in turns alternating with the milk. Start with the flour and end with the flour.

Beat at low speed or gently fold everything in by hand.

Add in your chopped walnuts and stir gently.

Pour the batter into your prepared pan and pop into the oven for 25 to 35 minutes till a toothpick/ knife comes out clean and the cake springs back when you touch it.

Remove from the oven and let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for ten minutes. Then gently run a knife along the edges and invert onto the wire rack. Let it cool completely. (I’ll admit I couldn’t wait that long!)

Icing: Optional as the cake is quite moist and flavorful by itself I never iced the cake but this is the icing suggested by J.

Creamy Vanilla Icing

What You Need:

1 cup Sugar

½ cup All purpose flour

1 1/3 cups Milk

1 cup Unsalted Butter, softened

1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract or 3 tablespoons of Orange Juice

Getting Down To Business:

In a sauce pan combine sugar and flour well.

Whisk in the milk and keep stirring till its smooth.

Now place the saucepan on heat and over medium high heat, keep stirring frequently and let it thicken and boil.

Reduce heat to low and sit on the stove for 2 minutes but keep stirring continuously.

Remove from heat and let it cool completely.

Separately beat the butter at medium speed till light and fluffy. Add in the cooled milk mixture and the vanilla.

Ice cake as desired.

Notes:

The original recipe calls for white sugar but I used brown sugar for an added depth of flavor.

Also the original recipe did not include the walnuts but it adds a lovely change of texture to the cake and is perfection indeed.

When grating the zest of the orange (it’s nothing but the outer skin/ rind of the orange), be careful not to go so deep that you grate the white pith too. While the zest is super aromatic and flavorful, the pith is very bitter.

Banana Bread with Apricot Glaze

Sometimes you need a little something to perk you up in the afternoon, to make you close your eyes and sigh with pleasure… yesterday it was a humble slice of banana bread that made my husband and me take a moment and just indulge!  When I first read the recipe for the bread, I’ll admit I had major doubts about the moistness or the taste of the bread. It was a deceptively simple recipe but one that yielded a slice of absolute decadence. One of the things I love about cooking is how the simplest of ingredients come together to create the most magical flavors.

The bread was moist, flavorful with a beautiful dark rich color that just called out to you to take a bite.  The overtones of banana were in perfect harmony with the bite of the walnuts and the sticky sweetness of the apricot glaze. Now tell me… how can you resist making this banana bread?

Banana Bread with Apricot Glaze

What you need:

2 Ripe Bananas, mashed

1/1/4 cups Sugar

A pinch of Salt

3 Eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons Baking Soda

¾ cup Milk

1 ¼ cups All Purpose Flour

½ cup Canola Oil

¼ cup chopped Walnuts (optional)

2 to 3 tablespoons Apricot Jam to glaze the loaf

Getting down to business:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit . Grease a 9 by 5 standard loaf pan with butter.

In a small bowl, whisk together the baking soda and milk ensuring there are no lumps. Keep aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, combine the bananas and sugar. Mix well for about 5 minutes till well combined and sugar is almost dissolved. Add in the salt and beaten eggs. Mix well.

Add in the mil mixture. Combine till blended. Then add in the flour. On a low speed, combine till it is just incorporated.

At this stage, add in the oil. Mix well.

Transfer the batter to the buttered loaf pan. Bake for about 60 to 65 minutes or till golden brown. A skewer inserted in the center should come out clean. If the cake takes longer than 65 minutes to bake, that’s fine. Just ensure it doesn’t over bake and dry out.

Once you remove from the oven, let it sit in the pan on a cooling wire rack for about 10 minutes. Then gently loosen the sides with a knife if needed and invert onto the rack. Invert the loaf and let it cool.

Meanwhile, microwave the apricot jam for about 20 to 25 seconds or until runny. Be careful with the hot jam. Spread this warmed jam onto the loaf while it is still warm. I had some extra glaze, so I used it on the sides of the loaf too.

Once it’s completely cooled, cut into slices and serve.

Notes:

This bread is so rich, you can serve it as a cake. Although I’m sure the sweetness of the bread would be great with the tang of cream cheese for a quick snack.

I’d run out of milk, so I diluted equal parts of condensed milk and water to substitute for the milk. As a result, to balance out the sweetness I reduced the amount of sugar in the recipe.

If you don’t have apricot jam on hand, worry not! Try marmalade as a glaze. Or as the cake is quite moist, you could even skip the glaze altogether.

Recipe courtesy Tea & Crumpets by Margaret Johnson




I am sending this delicious banana bread all the way over to the lovely Chaitra's bread event! Don't forget to check it out!

R’s Best Ever Birthday Cake – Pastel de Tres Leches

When I saw the Milk BSI announcement on Sana's blog, I knew I had to send in this lovely cake! So I dug it out and reposted it just for this purpose. So Sanyukta… here's to you!

I made Pioneer Woman’s (Isn’t she the best!) Tres Leches Cake for my husband’s birthday last month and I have to say… this has to be one of the best things I’ve ever made. It tasted awesome and R loved it! I followed the recipe almost to a T, and it came out beautifully.

My first taste of the famed Latin dessert ‘Pastel de Tres Leches’ was at The Farmers Market in LA after our regular Sunday brunch. One day, as I was in Milk, I spied a Tres Leches cake on the counter staring me in the face. It clearly spoke to me and said, “Eat me”. Yes, I know I need help when I feel like food talks to me but that’s another story…

This almost reminds me of an Indian dessert called Rasamalai that’s also soaked in flavored milk.

The best part about this cake is how easy it is to make it.  So go ahead and try it, I guarantee a new favorite in your repertoire! So here’s the recipe and yes, it’s the same recipe as PW’s except for a few minor modifications.

PS: I know the pics aren't the greatest but please don't let that stop you from trying out the cake!

There it is! Waiting for the birthday boy..er man! 

Ok, so my icing skills aren't on display but I had 10 minutes to get it all done before R showed up! And yes, the candles are supposed to shaped like numbers... only I got confused and overshot my poor husband's age by a year! :P

Pastel de Tres Leches

What you need:

Cake:

1 cup All-purpose Flour

1 ½ teaspoon Baking Powder

¼ teaspoons Salt

5 Eggs

1 cup Sugar, Divided

1 teaspoon Vanilla

⅓ cups Milk

Soaking Liquid: (These are the original measurements but I recommend doubling them)

1 can Evaporated Milk (Unsweetened condensed milk)

1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk

¼ cup Heavy Cream

Icing:

1 pint Heavy Cream, For Whipping

3 tablespoons Sugar

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Getting down to business:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan. Keep aside.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and keep aside. Separate eggs in another bowl.

Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup of sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in the milk and vanilla. Pour the egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until just combined. Do not over mix the batter.

Beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until the egg whites are stiff but not dry.

Fold the egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan. Ensure the surface is even.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake remain in the pan for a few minutes. Then turn the cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to it cool before icing.

Soaking Liquid:

Combine the condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a bowl. Reserve one cup of this liquid separately. When cake has cooled, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle the soaking liquid evenly all over the cake (except for the one cup you’ve reserved separately).

Try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.

Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for at least an hour.

Icing:

Pour in the heavy cream along with the sugar and vanilla until it forms whipped cream. Spread over the surface of the cake, using a flat spatula.

(I iced the cake using a pastry bag. If you do choose to ice your cake rather than spreading the icing on the cake, ensure you keep the whipped cream cool by placing the bowl on ice. )

Garnish:

I’ve seen this cake topped with everything from vanilla beans to nothing! I chose to dust on some cocoa powder very lightly as to keep the cake ‘masculine’ as possible! I do like PW’s idea of topping the cake with cherries… the contrast is very pretty.

To Serve:

Serve each piece of the cake with a little extra of the soaking liquid.

Notes:

I doubled the recipe for the soaking liquid to have some extra on hand to pour around the cake when I serve it.  This turned out to be a good thing as the cake absorbed all the liquid I had poured on it earlier.

Modified from Pioneer Woman’s Tres Leches Cake.

Luscious Mango Cake

First off… Thank you Rebecca for pointing out this recipe to me!

The minute I realized that it involved mango, I had to try it out. It’s a dense, pudding-like, gorgeous cake that is great even without that decadent frosting (but tell me, when has frosting ever been a bad thing?). I warn you, it’s not a crumby cake by any means. It’s perfect with cool vanilla ice cream but I’m obligated to point out, it’s even better warm and fragrant right out of the oven.  As it bakes, it fills your home with scents of mango and cardamom, enticing anyone who walks in to head straight for the kitchen…

The stunning yellow from the mango is a perfect foil for the creamy white frosting studded with the bright jewel green of the pistachios on top.

Luscious Mango Cake

What you need:

2 1/2 cups peeled and mashed ripe Mangoes or canned Mango Puree

2 cups Sugar (adjust sugar as per the sweetness of the mango)

2 Eggs

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Soda

1 cup chopped Pistachios

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

½ teaspoon powdered Cardamom Seeds

Icing:

4 ounces Cream Cheese, softened

1/4 cup Butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sifted Powdered Sugar

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Garnish:

Chopped Pistachios

Getting Down to Business:

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13 by 9 inch baking pan.
Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda. Keep aside.

In a mixing bowl, add in the mango puree, sugar and eggs. Stir to combine well.

Add in the flour, salt and baking soda. Now mix in the pistachios, and vanilla. Fold in the dry ingredients gently. Do not over mix.

Pour batter into the prepared baking pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until pick comes out clean.

Cool the cake in the pan and when still slightly warm you can invert onto a cooling rack.

For the icing:

In another mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla extract.  Beat till well combined.

Spread over the cooled cake.

Notes:

You can get canned Indian mango puree at any Indian grocer. In my opinion, it’s a much better alternative when you don’t have access to Indian mangoes.

I cut the sugar by almost half because my canned mango puree was extremely sweet.

I also did not want a cloyingly sweet frosting, so I cut the original 2 cups of powdered sugar to 1-¼ cups. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time until you reach the desired sweetness.

You can add pecans or walnuts to the cake instead of pistachios or if you wish to carry the Indian theme, toasted chopped cashews would be great too.

Modified from ‘Mango Cake recipe #102221’ from recipezaar

Here Comes The Housewife (with a plate of perfectly baked Madeleines!)

To kick-start my blog, I thought it was fitting to write about something that rocks my husband’s world. No… I’m not a ‘pativritah’ type (far from it actually according to my long suffering husband!) but he was the one to egg me on to start blogging. Or maybe he just wanted me to vent on helpless readers rather than him!

When I first moved to LA, we used to buy a huge box of Madeleines from Costco that inevitably turned rock hard and stale after a couple of days. At the end of the day, even R and I can’t finish a Costco sized portion of anything in a few days. So once I started baking, I tentatively tried making them myself after a class and have since never looked back. Maybe I’m a Madeleine snob but I must say that nothing store bought can even BEGIN to compare with the ones made at home.  (Especially the ones coming out of The Housewife’s kitchen! :D)

Madeleines

What are they: Originating in France, these cakey little goodies are baked in a special pan with grooved shell like indentations.  With a genoise base, they bake up to beautiful golden color, making them worthy of the ‘fanciest’ high tea. Deceptively simple to make and a real treat with a cup of perfectly brewed coffee, these petit treats will surely disappear once you pass them around the table.
recipe source: Kate Goodyear

What you need:

o       1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled

o       Additional melted butter for brushing moulds

o      1¼ cups sifted cake flour

o       ½ tsp baking powder
          ½ tsp salt

o      3 large eggs

o      1 tsp vanilla

o      2/3 cup granulated sugar

o     2 tsps grated lemon zest

o    Confectioners/ powdered sugar for dusting

Get ‘em done:

Brush your moulds with the additional melted butter. Make sure you grease every nook and cranny.

Move your oven racks to the upper and middle sections of the oven and preheat to the ubiquitous 350 degrees.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Keep aside.

In a large bowl, beat up the eggs using either a stand mixer or a hand mixer on high speed.  The eggs need to become light and foamy (Be patient, it only takes a minute or so)

Add in the vanilla.

With the mixer on, slowly add in the granulated sugar and continue to beat the mixture at a high speed.  The mixture needs to expand to about three times the volume.

Reduce your speed; add in the flour mixture slowly. As you add in the flour, do not over mix the batter.

Now add in the butter and lemon zest. Mix in gently.

Fill in your moulds till they are 3/4^th full. Do not over fill.

Bake for about 10 to 11 minutes till a toothpick comes out clean. Turn the pan around halfway into the cooking time.

Carefully remove the cakes onto a wire rack and let them cool.

To Serve:

Lightly sprinkle the cooled Madeleines with some powdered sugar and serve ‘em up!

Variations/ Notes:

o       Sometimes to dress up my Madeleines, I dip then in chocolate to create a beautiful contrast. The mini Madeleines can be dipped completely but for the regular sized ones, I do a half dip. 

o       Personally, I prefer them straight up, with no frills.  The light freshness from the lemon zest comes through and for me, sometimes simple is the best.

o      If you don’t have cake flour on hand, don’t panic.  This should help you out http://www.ehow.com/how_2161701_cake-flour-substitute.html