Saturday, January 30, 2010

Strawberry Cake Ice Cream

There is something so wonderful about being all wrapped up in a cozy blanket, eating cold ice cream in winter. Having an elephantine sweet tooth, I go ga ga over cakes. And when its Cake with Ice cream, I admit I am absolutely shameless. The best thing about this dessert is it can be made and frozen well in advance. (Not that it will  remain uneaten for a long time:-)). Imagine, just removing a dessert from your freezer and serving it to an unexpected guest. Or just feeding your sweet tooth when  the dessert craving hits on a lazy day. I would make this and stove it into the freezer just to have the comfort of having a dessert ready at hand anytime. Uuummmmm....


Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Mocha Praline Cake

The experimental basic sponge was successfully baked and I wanted to make some kind of new dessert with it. Think this was the thought that made me to cut it into narrow strips.(Not to mention my kids hovering around the cake asking for a bite). When I could not come up with that brilliant idea for the new dessert,  I went back to an old favorite, coffee, praline and the quintessential whipped cream. Irresistible...



Basic Sponge Recipe

I tried this Tarla Dalal recipe, new for me, with hesitation. All cakes I have made or tried so far had either butter or oil. This recipe was a pleasant surprise to me as the cake came out very spongy and with a great texture too. Found it a little too sweet for my taste though. So less sugar next time.. This cake is made with only eggs, flour and sugar - no oil, no butter. Will definitely try this out again.

Ingredients:
Eggs 3 large
Plain Flour 80 gms
Powdered Sugar 80 to 110 gms
Method: Pre heat oven to 200 degrees C.  Sieve the flour, keep aside. Beat the eggs and sugar till very thick and double in quantity. Fold in the flour very gently with a metal spoon. Pour into a greased and dusted cake tin. Bake for 15 mins(Mine took about 5 mins more) till it passes the  skewer test. Remove from the oven. Loosen sides with a sharp knife, invert over a wire rack. Cool and use as needed.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Gooey Chocolate Cake

One of my colleagues, a mom-to-be,  wanted to eat a chocolate cake. I had once tried making ganache and it had turned out quite good. This was my attempt at making an elegant cake appealing to the female eye and the pregnant lady's palate:-)). I made my first chocolate leaves successfully and placed a real rose. In hind sight, I could have placed the leaves better and given the chocolate shavings on the sides a miss.

Here is the picture of my chocolate cake draped in silky chocolate ganache.

Friday, January 22, 2010

My First Black Forest Cake


My niece's birthday was approaching and my sister was gaining a little bit of confidence in my ability to bake a decent cake. So she took the risk and ventured to try out my cake for the birthday party. My niece Rachana wanted a Black Forest Cake. I had never made this before. Of course I forgot to mention this to my sis:-)). I was not about to lose my chance to bake the cake...


Perfect Icing Method

I usually use whipped cream for the filling. I have tried several times, but I am not able to get the perfect flat layer of whipped cream between the layers of my cake. I manage to cheat to a certain extent:-)) but would love to see see this perfection when I slice the cake. Any tips??

Help me Find These Ingredients

Carragenan
Tylo Powder
Piping Gel
Samosa Pattis
Filo sheets
Chocolate chips which can withstand heat.

Baking Supplies, Baking Ingredients In Bangalore, Baking In Bangalore

I  have found it quite a task to figure out where we can find some not-so-commonly used or known ingredients in Bangalore. This is an attempt to share some information I have gathered so that it can be useful to others. Please do share any relevant information you may have.

Thanks to the information generously shared by my readers. I have updated the same here too. Your support is very much needed to grow the baking community. I am making an attempt to also link up other sites and blogs which can provide similar information for other Indian cities. If you have some information you can share or know of any site or blog which has similar information, please do guide us to it. Thank you for your contribution to the home-bakers community!


Institute of Baking and Cake Art - 9342825279
  • Edible cake toppers: As in printouts of any image you mail them. You get a ready to use cake topper,just frost the cake and then zap!!! Isn't that cool!!
  • Springform Tins I have never found these before, you bet I bought a 9" pan, am looking forward to bake in it.
  • Variety of Sugar Craft flowers, leaves, a few cartoon character faces, glitter sugar, colored vermicelli(like chocolate vermicelli).
  • Ready to use "Happy Birthday' edible topper. This would be great for the artistically challenged like me or when you are in a hurry, just warm the message and top on the frosting!!
  • Egg less Concentrate: I have never found this before in any other store. Honestly I have no idea how to use it, but bought it any way.
  • Acetate sheets: The kind strips used to give shape to desserts and mousses.
  • Whipping Cream and Powder: Found whipping cream in 1 kg packs. Whipping cream powder available too, haven't tried this before, supposed to be good.
  • Flower and leaf cutters, other tools used for crimping.
  • Dark chocolate, White, Milk compound chocolate and other varieties
  • Chocolate Chips, cake tins, piping bags, nozzles, muffin trays, chocolate molds, pastry brushes, spatulas, icing spatulas, food colors, pie tins and other regular baking stuff.
  • Sparkling sugar, colored vermicelli: In different colors.
  • Silicon Molds: In different shapes and regular small molds.
  • Instant yeast or Rapid Rise yeast
  • Gluten: Used for whole wheat bakes for lightness and texture
  • Digital Kitchen Scales
  • Doughnut Cutters
  • Plunger Cutters: Used for fondant decorations. I have seen only leaf design and in sets of three, flower cutters also supposed to be available.
  • Disposable piping bags
  • Bench scrapers : Used for scraping the dough from the work surface while kneading bread dough.
  • Meringue Powder or Egg white powder: For royal icing decorations, crystallized flowers. 
  • Parchment lined disposable mini loaf pans, brownie boxes.
  • Chocolate, Pineapple emulsions - used for coloring and flavoring cream 
  • Lollipop Sticks / Cake Pop Sticks 
  • Baking Parchment
  • Orange peel
  • Clear Vanilla Essence
  • Cake Gel
  • Strawberry, Apple, Blueberry, Peach filling and Topping
  • Tinned Blackberries, Blueberries,Litchis, Pears, Mango, Pineapple 
  • Paste colors
  • Liquid Glucose
  • Cream Of Tartar
  • Puff pastry sheets - sold only in bulk
Make sure you carry cash as cards are not accepted
THEY DO HOME DELIVERY WITHIN BANGALORE BUT NEED THE ORDER TO BE PLACED WELL AHEAD. 
THEY ALSO COURIER WITHIN INDIA. PAYMENT MODE IS BANK TRANSFER.
CONTACT MAIL ID:ibcablr@yahoo.com
Phone number  9342825279. Landline: 080 22106619




Fatima Bakery - Hosur Road
  • Whipping Cream

Shops near KR Market Flyover
  • Normally stock 2 kg packets of whipping cream. I use Rich's non-diary topping.

Shops near KR Market Flyover
  • Whipping Cream Powder 
  • Cake Boards
  • Palette Knifes 
  • Serrated Knifes 
  • Edible Flowers
  • Colored Sprinkles
  • Silver Beads 
  • Piping bags
  • Big nozzles
  • Canned fruit
  • Cake tins in different shapes

Durga Enterprises - Madivala - 25502009
  • Chocolate Chips
  • Dark Cooking Chocolate
  • White Chocolate
  • Canned fruit

Nilgiris
  • Cookie Cutters
  • Self raising Flour
  • Good Quality essences
  • Food Colors
  • Nozzles
  • Some varieties of Cake tins
  • Good Cocoa Powder
Nilgiris - Brigade Road is the best. You can try other outlets too.

SPAR, Koramangala
  • Flaked Almonds
  • Flaked Pistachios
  • Pine nuts 
  • Mascarpone Cheese
Found the above for the first time at this place

Super Market - Brigade Road
  • Rice Paper
  • vanilla pods
I know! The name of the store is Super Market!. Address is Ground Floor, 5th Avenue,183, Brigade Road.Phone: 25581248.

MK Retail - CMH Road Branch
  • Egg Replacer Orgran. This is gluten free as well.- Information courtesy, author of Curry Leaf.

Jamals - Forum Value Mall - Whitefield
  • Bundt pans
  • Muffin trays
  • silicon muffin trays
  • silicon cartoon moulds
  • non-stick bakeware
  • piping bags
  • nozzles
  • and other imported baking stuff
They have branches on MG Road and Sigma Mall on Cunningham Road

Shops on JC Road - near SBI
  • Cake Tin Manufacturers Shops

Shops in Arihanth Plaza - Commercial Street
  • Ramekins - : I found them ramekins with lids of Treo brand
There are about 3-4 shops in the basement. Check at Adams, Shivajinagar too.

General Food Additives

New
  • Ready to use fondant (white) - half kg packs
  • Carrageenan (vegetarian gelatin)
  • Turntables
  • Cream cheese (Britannia)
  • Hazelnuts
  • Vegetable shortening
  • Dark cherry filling
  • Strawberry filling
  • Gum paste cutters set      
  • Morde Chocolate strands
  • Milk Compound chocolate
  • Instant Yeast - You get a brand called Gloripan in 100 grams packs . Worth trying out.
  • Demerara  Sugar - 500 grams pack, very reasonably priced.
  • Cake pop sticks 
  • Ice cream scoops to be used as cookie dough scoopers
  • Pretty cupcake liners and loaf pans
  • Variety of plunger cutters and fondant cutters
  • Golden brown sugar - A brand called Trust, packed by the manufacturer in convenient 1 kg packs.
  • Chocolate / cookie gift wrapping boxes
  • Silicon brushes
  • Cocoa butter
  • Cream of tartar
  • Self raising flour
  • Caramel syrup - for plum cakes
  • 8 ,9,10'' spring form tins, Cake tins, muffin trays, loaf pans
  • White, dark, milk choc chips, butterscotch chips
  • Choc molding trays in fun shapes
  • Liquid glucose
  • Pectin
  • Oil based essences
  • Cake mixes 
  • Cocoa powder - Morde
  • Canned fruit - Cherries, blueberries, pineapple etc
  • Measuring cups, spoons, liquid measuring cups
  • Whipping cream
  • Candied ginger, orange
  • Cake gel
  • Cookie cutters
  • Lollipop sticks
  • Instant yeast ( Gloripan and another brand called as Angel)
  • Caster sugar, super fine sugar
  • Sprinkles
  • Silicon molds
  • Pie tins
  • Piping bags, syringes
  • Emulsions - which basically work for both coloring and flavoring purposes in cakes
  • Bench scrapers
  • Vital Wheat Gluten (sold only in 1 kg packs)
  • Other regular baking supplies
Address is - PO Box 2016, #175/3, 1st Main Road, Seshadripuram, Land mark - Opp, HDFC Bank, Bangalore 560020, India. Tel : +91-80-2336 7878, 2336 0517 You can view their product list here.










View Bangalore Baking Supplies in a larger map

BAKING IN KOLKATA OR AROUND? PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT SAYANTANI'S POST HERE.

BAKING IN DELHI? YOU WILL FIND DEEBA RAJPAL'S POST HERE.

BAKING IN MUMBAI? PLEASE REFER SHAHEEN'S POST

BAKING IN ERNAKULAM? - HERE IS DIVYA KUDUA'S POST FOR YOU!


Websites

1. www.baking911.com
2. www.tarladalal.com
3. www.allrecipes.com - This site gives you the recipe for any variable quantity. Great for trying out small batches of cookies etc. And I won't have to strain my gray cells ,doing complex calculations:-)).
4. www.cakejournal.com
5. www.wilton.com - Awesome cake pictures to get 'inspired' and drool over things we don't get here in India:-)) 

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Simple Chocolate Sponge Cake Recipe

Ingredients

Plain Flour I cup 
Cocoa powder 1/2 cup . I prefer Nilgiris Cocoa powder.
Powdered Sugar 1 1/4 cup
Oil 3/4 cup
Eggs 4 large(Use 5 eggs if they are very small)
Baking powder 2 tsp
Vanilla Essence 1 tsp
A pinch of cooking soda

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Honey Datsun With Ice Cream


Ate this famous Chinese dessert (mentioned as Honey Datsun with Ice Cream in the restaurant Menu) and got bowled over . The combination of the nuttiness of the toasted sesame seeds, the  ice cream and the crisp honeyed strips simply rocks! The best part is you can make the crispies and the honey sauce ahead of time and store. You will just need to put things together and you have a quick impressive dessert for your guests or a super treat for yourself on a lazy weekend.

This recipe is also my entry to Priya's Event 'Cooking With Sesame Seeds

Mock Chocolate Mousse

This may not be the real mousse - hence the name Mock Chocolate Mousse. This is part of a Tarla Dalal Dessert Recipe. Believe me, this elegant, easy, simple but tricky dessert can make a chocoholics day. Try it out if you are looking for a chocolaty indulgence.


Thursday, January 14, 2010

Cakes - My Obsession

Let me admit - to begin with, I have just a collection of the pictures of my cakes baked and decorated over a period of time. I have never had the idea of putting them on a blog or any place else other than my Picasa Album. I take pictures of these things, to savor the taste and the visual appeal later. But I do intend to put in my dessert, snack and other recipes as my blog would be incomplete without them.