Caramel Cake

Yet another cake. this one goes into my best cake list. easy to make and cost effective. (i'm actually tired. i forgot to announce the birth of our second daughter alicia sara george. she's a month and a half old and really adorable. and i could afford to delay passing on the news. oh yeah that's how bad i can be.) back to the cake. it's almost over the day i baked it. an excellent tea time cake choice.

maida-1 cup
eggs-5
butter-100 gm (room temp)
powdered sugar-1/2 cup
granulated sugar-1/2 cup
baking powder-1 heaped tsp
soda bicarb-1 tsp
really hot water-1/2 cup
milkmaid (condense milk)-1/4 cup
butterscotch essence-1/2-1 tsp (absolutely optional)

Sift the maida, baking powder and soda bicarb together and keep aside. caramelise sugar first. melt the half cup granulated sugar in a tough pan. when it browns (dark brown in fact) add the half cup of hot water to it. turn off the burner and cool thoroughly. lightly beat the butter in a bowl and add the powdered sugar and beat well. add the milkmaid and beat again. using a blender beat the five eggs thoroughly till it's soft and lathery (is there a word like this; hope you get what i mean). add half of this egg mix to the butter-sugar-milkmaid mix. add maida. beat moderately. add the final half of the egg very slowly to the batter and mix with a wooden spoon. add the caramel syrup slowly into the mix and beat finally to get a good consistency (the recipe doesn't ask you to beat; but i like to beat everything beatable in a cake recipe.). pour the batter (which is surprisingly thin; don't worry it turns out just fine.) into a cake tin and bake at 170 C for 30-45 min.


I baked for 40 min and it browned gorgeously. i tasted the batter before i put the essence and i found it better than with the essence. but the cake did not have the strong taste of the essence. i added only half a tsp. sheba, this is going to be quite a find for you.

Courtesy: Lakshmi Nair

Cream of Onion Soup

In case you don't have chicken at home and you quickly want to fix an equally tasty soup, follow the recipe below.

onion-1 cup chopped fine
spring onion-1 stalk chopped fine (optional)
garlic-3-4 flakes chopped fine
butter-3 tbsp (don't try and reduce this!!)
maida-2 tbsp
milk-2 cups
water-3 cups
maggie instant chicken taste maker-1/2-1 packet
maggie instant soup powder (any flavour)-1 tbsp
grated cheese or cheese slice or cheese spread-2 tbsp
pepper and salt-as per requirement

Melt butter in a pan. add onion and garlic and leave it to brown. add maida and fry for two minutes. add the milk-water mix. on low flame add the taste maker and soup powder, pepper and salt. add the spring onion. of course the onion goes into the frying and at this stage you add only the chopped shoot. stir on high flame till it thickens. turn off the flame and add the cheese. serve hot.

The quantity serves 5-6 people. i used paneer ka pani or whey instead of water. the taste is not at all affected and you have added nutrition too.

When you add salt in both the soups consider the fact that the taste maker, the instant soup powder and the cheese are salty.

Chicken-Cheese soup

Don't you love the sight of those slivers of butter melting in your pan and isn't the fragrance divine when you add some onions and garlic to it. i'm reminded of the scene in the movie Julie & Julia where meryl streep orders a baked fish off the menu and delights in the waft of butter that seeps into her butter-craving system. i felt so happy too making this soup; the heavenly smell kicking my hormones (i don't know, endorphins come to my mind though it's hardly endorphins in action here!!). the subsequent built-up in the soup looked promising as and when the ingredients were added. and the final product was an excellent monsoon a la carte soup. we enjoyed it with plain buns topped with a petite slice of cheese warmed in the oven. i loved those moments. let me share the recipe with you.

butter-3 tbsp
garlic-4-5 flakes chopped fine
boiled chicken-3-4 good meat pieces
onion-one big chopped fine
spring onion-one small stalk chopped fine (optional)
celery-one small stalk chopped fine (optional)
maida-2-3 tbsp
milk-700 ml
water-500 ml
grated cheese-1/4 cup
maggie extra taste chicken powder-11/2 packets
maggie instant soup powder (any flavour)-2 tbsp
pepper powder and salt-as per requirement

Boil the chicken pieces with pepper and salt and reserve the stock. i didn't follow any particular measurement for this. reserve the stock that you end up making. heat the butter in a pan and add the onion and garlic to it and brown. add the celery and saute. add the maida and fry it for two minutes. add the water (which includes the chicken stock too), milk, taste maker, soup powder, chicken pieces, pepper and salt and stir on high flame till it boils. it thickens only as it boils. so if you keep stirring you can put it on high flame which avoids curdling. switch off once the soup thickens or once it boils and then add the cheese. sprinkle some pepper and celery as garnish.

I used amul cheese slices and another time i used cheese spread. they were both yum.

This fills ten average sized soup bowls. so i suggest you don't go for a smaller quantity because you sure can't stop with one bowl!

Julie and Julia

i liked the movie. meryl streep is the star in there. she resonated the character so well. images from the movie continue to flash in me; of course all cooking scenes, ingredients; from the juicy red beef slices to the rich chocolate oozing out of the ladle to the fish cooked in butter (this image makes me heady). i checked out beef bourguignon recipe but it's not an easy one. so i'll keep it for later. never ever now...i may come off on my hugely swollen feet with just the third or fourth step done.

yes, it's a famously deranged project that julie powell gets on with. but it gives her the sense of purpose that eluded her at an insecure age when she felt trapped in a boring job. but i was thinking: julia doesn't have kids; julie doesn't have any. i would like to watch a mom embarking on a project like this. i'm sure it can happen only in a movie. streep echoes the agony of a baby-less woman closely and accurately. i'd rather have kids and not become so famous. this is not a self-comforting statement.

my girl had a fall last night from the cot and hit her head. it was not bad but the hind part of the head is dicey. i took her to the doc today and nothing to worry. but when she fell and cried i experienced what i've only churned out in words; my knees went weak. i could forget everything; my career, the frustrations, my course, my ambitions, my kitchen and cutlery and herb bouquet, my baking and lemon zest and the red cherries in the can i'm waiting to transform into celedura, my blog. i could sacrifice anything for the safety of my child.....so emo a passage? ah well, you got to be a mother...then you know there's nothing more real than what i wrote above.

Brown Mud Cake

I followed the exact recipe below. the only variation being the addition of coarsely chopped dark chocolate to the white chocolate. some of my friends preferred this one to the plain white chocolate cake but i liked the white mud cake.

White Mud Cake

This is one of my favourite cakes because it tastes lovely and is simple to make. as we were shifting to another city i went on a cooking spree last week, mainly to finish off the frozen stuff. i decided to call over Eunice, a Goan, who takes cake orders, ones with the icing. i'd been wanting to call her over as she was willing to come and demonstrate basic cake icing. the white chocolate cake would be a perfect base cake for it. so for this we take

1 cup butter, cut up
2 cups granulated sugar (needn't powder it)
5 oz (125 gm) white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla essence
11/2 cups white chocolate ganache (absolutely OPTIONAL)

((For the Ganache

1/2 cup heavy cream
13 oz white chocolate, coarsely chopped

Heat the cream almost to a boil in a small saucepan over low heat. place the chocolate in a large bowl. pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. refrigerate until thickened and spreadable, about 30 mins, stirring occasionally. this makes about 11/2 cups.))

For the cake stir the butter, sugar, chocolate and milk in a large saucepan over low heat until smooth. do not boil. set aside to cool. sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. gradually stir the dry ingredients, eggs and vanilla into the saucepan. spoon the batter into the baking dish. bake for 50-60 mins or till done. cool the cake completely and if you've made the ganache spread it thoroughly.

NB: I've never made the ganache because i found the cake yummy without this prop. however, if you're going for it make sure you add only 11/2 cups granulated sugar to the cake. as it is the cake is quite sweet.
Courtesy: Reader's Digest Cakes

Cream of Chicken Soup

Aby, my daughter, is an agreeably fussy eater and like me she gets bored with stuff fast. though i don't overdo it, i try and get hold of something that's interesting and nutritious for her...which is quite difficult. i'm personally quite fond of my beef soup made in a crude way. she was fond of sweet corn chicken soup but she's taking a break now. she said she would like a soup with no pieces in it. ah, well, thankfully i had the recipe of the soup mentioned up there and it goes thus.

Chicken pieces-1/4 kg
Biriyani leaf (i'm sorry i got to find its proper name)-1
Water-41/2 cups
Butter-1 tbsp
All-purpose flour- 11/2 tbsp
Milk-11/4 cups
salt to taste
Pepper powder-1/4 tsp
Finely chopped celery-1 tbsp
Cream-2 tbsp

Boil the chicken pieces along with the biriyani leaf and 41/2 cups water. when it is well-cooked debone and gather the meat.
Strain the stock.
Add the chicken slices to the stock and grind. sieve the mixture.
Heat the butter in a pan and stir the maida in. then add the milk and stir till it thickens without forming lumps.
Add the ground chicken mixture to the milk and after a boil add salt, pepper and celery.
Pour a loop of cream on top.

I didn't bother to sieve the stock or the mixture. i'm not so fond of cream of chicken soup as it is but my daughter liked it. it's an OK soup, i would say.