Pound Cake

Baking insect has bit for a while now. These days my house only smell of vanilla essence, sugar, and everything related to baking.
A classic pound cake has always been my all time favourite. Its simple and tastes great when eaten with evening tea or coffee and a great breakfast option too when served with whipped cream and fresh fruits.

Pound Cake

Ingredients:
3 Large eggs
3tbsp Milk at Room temperature
1tsp Vanilla Essence
1tsp baking powder
150gms  Castor Sugar (White)
150gms All Purpose Flour
185gms Butter

Procedure:

• Pre-heat the oven for 15 minutes at 180degrees.
• Line the cake mould with parchment paper.
• Whisk together Milk + eggs + Vanilla essence
• In another bowl mix together all the dry ingredients, All Purpose Flour  + Baking Powder.
• Now mix in half of the wet ingredients into the dry mixture on low speed. 
• Add in the remaining mixture. Whisk it for 30 seconds so that everything comes together properly.
• Pour the batter into the mould and smooth en the top with a spatula or a palette knife.
• Bake in for 40 -45 minutes or till the tooth pick comes out clean.
• If the top starts browning cover it with aluminium foil.
• When its done remove it From the oven
• De mould and place it on a wire rack.
• Allow it to cool.

I served the Pound Cake with homemade orange sauce.

How to make orange sauce:

Take 100ml of orange juice fresh or canned

2tbsp sugar

Pound Cake

Take a pan reduce the juice and sugar mixture till it becomes thick.

It should be of flowing consistency just like any sauce.

D`2Wrizzle on top of the cake

Serve

Chocolate Chip cookies

I happen to be a huge fan of cookies. I need it with my cup of coffee or tea, or a glass of milk. One will always find a bunch of cookies in my cookie jar.
This craziness for cookies forced me to try out these sweet devils myself.
 I followed the recipe from the big book of treats by Pooja Dhingra. It was my first time so followed it to the core. It came out really well, just the way it should be. Gooey and chewy.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
75gms Butter
1tsp Vanilla Essence
1tsp Baking Powder
65g Brown Sugar
50g Castor Sugar
1 egg
175g Flour
175 Dark Chocolate Chips

Procedure:

• Whisk together the butter, brown sugar, Castor sugar and Vanilla essence till soft and fluffy.
• In a separate bowl lightly whisk the egg.
• Slowly add in the sugar and butter mixture.
• Whisking Properly.
• Sieve the baking powder and flour together.
• Fold in the flour in the sugar and butter mixture.
• Mix in the Dark Chocolate Chips.
• Cling wrap the mixture and place it in refrigerator for 2 hrs.
• Preheat the oven at 165 degrees.
• Make the baking tray ready, either by greasing it or line it with a parchment paper.
• With a tablespoon or an ice cream scoop, scoop out the dough on to the baking tray in medium sized rounds.
• leaving a 2 inch gap between the cookies.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes or till the edge starts browning.

Important Tip:

• Cookies tend to spread, in order to stop this to happen, keep the prepared dough overnight in the fridge  or
• Make the balls. keep it on the baking tray.
• now place this tray in d freezer for 10-15min before baking.
• this would refrain it from spreading.

Chocolate Eclairs

Baking has become my passion lately, just want to experiment with new things. But still there is a long way to go.
But cooking or baking in this case is really challenging when u have a little one at home who just wants to play with u all the time and not sleep.
Nevertheless I keep pushing myself more and more.
I was seeing this food food channel where chef Shipra Khana made these awesome eclairs, which tempted

me then and there to try them out.
I checked my pantry, and hurrah!! I had all the stuff available.
so next step was to START.
I mad my little one sit in his bouncer, played some music and i was all set o bake this awesome delight.

Ingredients:
65gms Flour (maida)
1tbsp granulated sugar
55gms butter
120ml water
2 eggs

For topping
Whipped cream with vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache

Procedure:

• Pre-heat the oven at 200degree Celsius.
• Place a parchment paper on the baking tray.
• You can also use aluminium foil, brush it with butter. This is equally good as using a parchment paper.
• In a bowl whisk the flour with sugar.
• In a pan heat water and butter together.
• Close the flame add in the flour into it.
• Whisking regularly.
• Cook it till it starts  sticking to the pan.
• Remove from flame.
• Beat the mixture till it becomes lukewarm.
• Then add in the lightly beaten eggs.
• Continue to mix till the batter is a thick paste.
• Put the mixture in a pastry bag with a large pin.

• pipe the mixture in oblong shapes on the baking tray.

• Bake for 15 minutes at 200dregress and reduce it to 180 degrees.
• Continue to bake for another 25 minutes.
• Remove from oven and place it on a the wire rack

Assembling the eclairs:

• Slit open the elcairs lentghwise.
• Dip top part of the eclair into the chocolate Ganache.
• Fill the bottom half with whipped cream
• Place the other half on top of it.
• Chocolate Eclares are ready to be eaten. :)