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. :)

Vanilla Cupcakes with whipped cream and strawberries

Whenever I think of cupcakes I have this song going on in my  mind :
                                            "You're my Honeybunch, Sugarplum
Pumpy-umpy-umpkin, You're my Sweetie Pie You're my Cuppycake, Gumdrop Snoogums-Boogums, You're the Apple of my Eye These tiny creatures makes me go weak in the knees, and whenever I see them in any cake shop I just want to have all of them that results in over-eating. Since a long time I wanted to make them at home, with proper knowledge of it, so i decided to take a class, I attended Palate Culinary Studio in Mumbai, to learn the art of making the cupcakes.  It was a great experience and I learnt a lot. I made them at home, and they came out just the way I wanted them to be. Here is the recipe of Vanilla cupcakes. You can experiment it with different icings, but i chose whipped cream. Hope u will enjoy reading them and making them too.

Vanilla Cupcakes with whipped cream & strawberries

Ingredients:

110gms Flour

110gms Castor Sugar

110gms Butter

1/4tsp Baking Powder

30ml Milk

2 Eggs

1tsp Vanilla Extract

Procedure:

• ·         Pre-heat the oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.
• ·         In a bowl, add the flour, baking powder and keep aside.
• ·         Put the butter and sugar in a bowl.
• ·         Cream with beater till light and pale.
• ·         Add the eggs one at a time. Beat well.
• ·         Add in vanilla extract.
• ·         Gradually add in the flour, seeing that no lumps are formed.
• ·         Add in milk.
• ·         Mix it well.
• ·         Do not over beat the batter.
• ·         Pour the batter in greased and lined muffin tray.
• ·         Bake for 15-20  minutes at 160 degrees.

For the Icing:

Ingredients:

250 ml whipping cream

Food color of your choice

1tbsp Icing Sugar

1tsp Vanilla Extract

7-8 Strawberries (small)s

Procedure:

• ·         Take 250 ml of any whipping cream.
• ·         Whip the cream with the help of a beater. Make sure the cream is cold.
• ·         Add in color of ur choice, or u can leave it white also.
• ·         Put it in the piping bag.
• ·         Pipe it on the cup cakes.
• ·         Take some small strawberries, place it on the iced cupcakes.
• ·         Dust it with icing sugar