Rasgulla Cake

Rasgulla Cake recipe from MasterChef India judges Ingredients2 cups: Refined flour 1 tsp: Baking powder ¾ tbsp: Soda bicarb 1 cup: Amul curd A few drops of Vanilla essence ¾ cup: Milk ¾ cup: White butter ¾ cup: Caster sugar 6 tbsp: Cocoa powder 500 gm: Chhena 2 nos. Star anise 3 cups: Sugar 400 ml: Non-dairy cream 3 nos. Tangerines 3 nos. Sweet limes 1 nos. Butter paper MethodPreheat oven to 170*C. Grease a cake tin and line it with butter paper. Sift flour, baking powder, soda bicarb and cocoa powder together. Heat the milk till it is lukewarm. Whisk the curd, caster sugar, butter and vanilla essence together till smooth and frothy. Fold in the flour mixture alternating with milk. Mix quickly but gently to a smooth batter. Pour into the cake tin and bake on the centre rack for 20 minutes. Meanwhile in a saucepan mix 3 cups of sugar with ½ cup milk, 2 cups water and star anise. Place on flame and stir till sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to a boil. While the sugar syrup is cooking, grate/crumble the chhena, mix in 1 tsp flour and knead till very smooth and light. Shape into small balls. Check the cake. Insert a skewer or knife in the centre. If it comes out clean, remove cake from the oven and after a few seconds, demould it and leave to cool. Check the sugar syrup. Clarify it by spooning off the grey layer. If syrup has come to a boil, gently add the chhena balls and poach them till done. To test whether rasgullas are cooked, drop one in a deep bowl full of water. If it sinks to the bottom, the rasgulla is cooked. If rasgullas are done, remove and cool. Whip the non-dairy cream till soft peak stage. Cut the cake into three horizontal layers. Cut rasgullas in half. Peel and cut tangerines and sweet limes into segments. Arrange one layer of the cake on a presentation plate. Arrange the rasgullas and place one more layer on top. Fill half the whipped cream into a piping bag with a large star nozzle. Cover the cake with the remaining cream. Arrange the tangerines and sweet limes as shown. Pipe stars onto the cake using the piping bag and chill till set.

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Muesli Cake with Fruit Glaze

Muesli Cake with Fruit Glaze Ingredients for Muesli Cake1 cup muesli ½  cup rolled oats ¼ cup raisins 1 cup nachni chips 1 cup apple juice 1 cup flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda 3/4 cup caster sugar 8 walnut halves 2 eggs Method Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas 4. Line and grease a 7 inch cake tin. In a large bowl, tip in the muesli, oats, nachni, raisins and apple juice and mix well to combines and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Sift in the flour and baking powder and stir thoroughly until well mixed together. In a bowl combine eggs & sugar. Combine the eggs & flour mixture. Turn the cake mixture into the cake tin, smooth over the surface and decorate with the walnut halves. Bake in the centre of the oven for 30 mins at 180C. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean when the cake is cooked. Let the cake cool slightly before removing from the tin and placing on a wire rack to cool completely. Ingredients for Crème Fraiche1 cup whipping cream 2 tablespoons buttermilk MethodCombine 1 cup whipping cream and 2 tablespoons buttermilk in a glass container. Cover and let stand at room temperature (about 70°F) from 8 to 24 hours, or until very thick. Stir well before covering and refrigerate up to 10 days. Ingredients for Fruit  Glaze1 cup assorted fruits ½  cup powdered sugar 2 tablespoons  milk 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon  finely chopped ginger ¼ tsp clove powder 1 cup Crème Fraiche Method Prepare the glaze by whisking together the ingredients and toss the fruits.

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Aloo Cake with Gobi Sauce and Chilli Jam

Aloo Cake with Gobi Sauce and Chilli Jam Ingredients for Gobi Sauce  2 Tbsps Oil 1 Tsp Chopped Garlic 1 Cup sliced Onions 400 Gms Chopped Cauliflower 1 Cup Vegetable Stock 1/2 Cup Milk 2 Star Anise Salt to taste Pepper to taste  For the Aloo Cake2 Potatoes sliced 1/2 Deseded, Roasted and Peeled each red, yellow and green Capsicum 3 Tbsps Cheese 3 Tbsps Cream with Salt and Pepper Hot Water Salt Ingredients for the Chilli Jam 1 sliced each red yellow and green capsicum 1 cup apple vinegar/ regular vinegar 1/4 cup honey Salt Parsely/coriander to garnish To make Gobi Sauce Heat the oil in a pan. Add garlic and onion. Fry till onion is soft. Add cauliflower and stock and cook till stock reduces. Add milk, star anise, salt and pepper and cook for 2 mins. When cauliflower is soft put the mixture in a mixi and grind till a smooth paste is formed. Keep aside. To make Aloo Cake Cook Potato slices in boiling water and salt till soft. Take a greased mould and layer the potato slices with the red yellow and green capsicum adding cheese and cream in between the alters. Top with some more cheese and bake in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees for 15 to 20 mins. To make Chilli Jam Cook the capsicum with vinegar and honey till it gets a jam like consistency. Serve aalu cake with gobhi sauce and garnish with chilli jam and parsely/coriander leaves.

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Gulab Jaamun cheese cake

Gulab Jaamun cheese cake  Ingredients 1 Tbsp Gelatin Few Strands of Saffron Hot Water 2 Cups Cream  1/4 Cup Icing Sugar 2 Cups Mascarpone Cheese 1 Tsp Cinnamon Powder 1 Sheet Vanilla Sponge 1 Kg Mini Gulab Jamun 1 Lemon Zest 1 Tbsp Chopped Pistashew Method Whip the cream separately and add icing sugar. Mix mascarpone cheese to make it smooth. Soak the gelatin in hot water & mix properly and keep aside for 15-20 mins till it has bloomed. Also soak Saffron in hot water and keep aside for 15-20 mins Add cinnamon powder and fold cream & mascarpone cheese together Add gelatin and saffron water to this mixture  In the tray arrange the vanilla sponge on the base of a dish and spread the mixture on the top. Arrange the Mini Gulab Jaamun on top of the mixture grate the zest of one lemon on it and again cover the Mini Gulab Jaamun with the mixture. Set in fridge for 30-45 mins and serve

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Plum Cake and Craft Sugar Flowers

Plum Cake and Craft Sugar Flowers Ingredients250 Gms Butter 250 Gms Sugar 5 Eggs ½ Tsp Vannila Essence 250 Gms Raisins 30 Gms Papaya 30 Gms Cherries 30 Gms Dates 30 Gms Sweet Lime 30 Gms Orange Peel ½ Tsp Caramel Colour Ingredients for Spice powder 1 Clove 1 Inch Cinnamon Stick 4 Cardamoms ½ Nutmeg Method Beat sugar and butter till creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating continuously. Then add the ground spice mixture and vanilla essence and beat again. In another bowl, sieve together half tsp of baking powder with maida. Add all the cut dry fruits, candied peels and nuts to the maida and mix thoroughly till the maida coats all the ingredients. With a light hand, fold in the maida mixture with the butter, sugar and egg mixture. Grease a baking dish and line it with butter paper. Pour this mixture into the baking dish and bake at 250-350 degrees for 10 minutes and then at 200 degrees for 2 hours. Ingredients for Gum Paste 12 Gms Gelatin 4 Tbsps Water 2 Tsps Liquid Glucose 500 Gms Icing Sugar Cornflour - Small Bowl (as required) Food Colour for Flower Painting MethodMix water and gelatin in a bowl and set aside for 10 minutes for it to bloom. Then melt the gelatin. In another pan, melt the liquid glucose till clear and add the gelatin to it, stirring continuously with the flame on. Transfer to a bowl and add icing sugar little at a time and knead to form a clay dough like consistency. To make sugar craft flowersRoll the gum paste dough out like a chappati using corn flour. Cut out a petal shape by using a cutter/ Press this petal on a vein mould to give the petal its veins. apply water to the bottom half of the petal and roll it to form a cone. Place on a  cone shaped mould to dry for 24 hrs. Cut out 3 small and 2 large petal. Pierce each of them them from the bottom with a wire and repeat the process with the vein mould. Use a blunt stick dipped in corn flower to press the edges of the round cut out in a back and forth movement to get a petal effect. Place these petals on a  rolling pin with the veins facing upward so that the petals take the curved shape of the rolling pin . Leave to dry for 24 hours. When dry place the cone shaped petal in the centre and the 3 small ones without he two large petals around it. Tie with a string till tightly bound. Paint with desired food colour using a little colour and using water to spread it on the whole petal. Leave to dry for half a day. Fondant icing and cake decoration Ingredients for fondant icing 12 Gms Gelatin 4 Tbsps Water 6 Tsps Liquid Glucose 500 Gms Icing Sugar Cornflour - Small Bowl (as required) Food Colour for Flower Painting MethodMix water and gelatin in a bowl and set aside for 10 minutes for it to bloom. Then melt the gelatin. In another pan, melt the liquid glucose till clear and add the gelatin to it, stirring continuously with the flame on. Transfer to a bowl and add citric solution and lemon juice. Then add icing sugar little at a time and knead to form a clay dough like consistency. To make fondant icing cake decoration Cover the top and the sides of the plum cake by rolling out 500 gms of marzipan. Use the rolling pin on the cake to get a smooth surface. Roll out the fondant icing and place it over the marzipan covered cake and smoother it on all sides. Roll out another fondant round. Use a scallop cutter to make the edges frilled like lace. Use a lace cutter to give the edges a hakoba lace effect. Place this on the fondant covered cake using a rolling pin to transfer the round fondant sheet from your working table to the cake. Decorate with flowers and present.

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Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes

Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes  Ingredients:1 ½ cups self-raising flour, sifted 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder 200 g dark chocolate, chopped 2 cups caster sugar 250 g butter 1 ½ cups hot water 2 eggs ½ tsp vanilla essence Ingredients for Chocolate icing 125 g dark cooking chocolate 125 g unsalted butter Ingredients for Royal IcingEgg white - 1 Sugar – 150 gms Method:1.  Preheat an oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.  Grease and flour 12 cup cake moulds. 2. Place the chocolate in a small pan along with the sugar, butter and water and heat gently over a pan of simmering water, until the chocolate and butter melt. Cool and pour into a blender. 3. Gradually add the sifted flour into the blender and blend till well mixed. Add the eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla and blend well. 4. Spoon the batter into the prepared moulds and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave to stand for about 5 minutes. 5. For the icing, melt the chocolate and butter in a small pan over a pan of simmering water, and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Spread the icing over the cupcakes and mark grooves with a fork for a decorative finish.

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Cheese Makkai Cake

Cheese Makkai Cake Ingredients for Cheese & Thyme Polenta Cakes5 cups water/stock 2 teaspoons salt 1 tsp chopped thyme 1 3/4 cups yellow cornmeal / makki ka atta 31/2 tablespoons unsalted butter ½ cup mozzarella cheese Method :Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a heavy large saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal & thyme. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the butter & mozzarella cheese and stir until melted. Then pour in a baking tray lined with butter and let cool. Then cut and serve. Ingredients for Spicy Berry Chutney2 large Tomatoes, Chopped 2 Cups of Chopped Strawberry (Fresh or Frozen) 2 Plums (Take out the pit & chop them) 1/2 Cup Pitted Dates 1 Red Apple chopped into small pieces 1 teaspoon of Mustard Seeds 1 Red Dry Chilli 2″  Cinnamon Sticks 2 Hot Green Chilli Peppers 1″ Ginger Peeled & sliced into very thin slices or grated 1 Cup Sugar (or Brown sugar) 1 Tablespoon Vinegar 1 Cup Orange Juice Note: You can use any juicy fruits. Raisins, craisins, prunes & other dry fruits can be added too. Method :Heat a pot. Add the mustard seeds, Red Dry Chilli & the Cinnamon sticks. When the mustard seeds start to dance, add all the other ingredients and simmer at low heat, till the Fruits are soft & mushy & the consistency gets thick enough to coat a spoon. Pour the Chutney mixture into sterilized jars whilst still hot. Fill to ½ inch below the top. Cover with an airtight, plastic lid. Do not use a metal lid, because the action of the spices and vinegar will cause corrosion.

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