Wish You All A Very Happy New Year!

Hope you all had an enjoyable time during Christmas and throughout the Holiday Season…!  ‘Peanut Butterscotch Cake’ is a delicious cake which you can make for the New Year celebrations.  I am sure all your friends and family will like it!

Ingredients

Butter – 45 + 120g

Brown Sugar – 1/3 + 1 cups

Roasted Peanut halves – 1/2 cup

All purpose flour – 1 1/2 cups

Baking powder – 1 1/2 tsp

Vanilla essence – 1 tsp

Milk – 3/4 cup

Salt – 1/4 tsp

Eggs – 2

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degree C/ 350 degree F.  Grease an 8 inch round cake tin and line the base and side with baking paper.  Soften 45 g of the butter and add 1/3 cup of brown sugar to it.  Mix until smooth and creamy.  Spread it over the base of the tin.  Arrange the peanut halves, flat sides up over this mixture.  Mix flour with baking powder and salt.  Combine the remaining butter and sugar in a bowl.  Add eggs one at a time and beat with an electric beater. Add vanilla essence.  Fold in the flour, alternating with milk.  Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top with a spatula.  Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake.  Set aside for 15 minutes and then turn onto a serving plate.  Yummy ‘Peanut Butterscotch Cake’ can be served warm or cold.

I am sending ‘Peanut Butterscotch Cake’ to Sara for the event “Cakes n Cookies” and to Divya for the event “Show Me Your Cake”

‘Orange Cake’ is a perfect tea time snack you can serve to your guests.  I am sure they will love it…   Here is my recipe for the yummy ‘Orange Cake’ which is a hit in my family!

This is my entry for the event “Monthly Mingle: High Tea Treats” hosted by Aparna which was started by Meeta

I am also sending this yummy Orange Cake to my dear old friend Mansi for her event “A Sweet Celebration”

Ingredients

All purpose flour/ Maida – 2 cups

Baking powder – 2 tsp

Salt – 1/4 tsp

Sugar – 1 1/4 cup

Butter – 1/2 cup

Eggs – 2

Milk – 1/3 cup

Orange juice – 1/4 cup

Orange rind – 1/2 tsp

Orange essence – 1 tsp

Orange red colour – a pinch

Method

Mix maida with baking powder and salt.  Keep aside.  Cream butter and sugar in a bowl.  Add eggs one at a time and blend well.  Add orange juice, orange rind and the essence.  Dissolve orange red colour in milk and add it to the mixture, alternating with the flour and fold in.  Pour into a prepared cake mould.  Bake in a preheated oven on 350 degree F or 175 degree C for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Leave it in the oven for 10 minutes.  Take out and allow it to cool completely before serving.  Enjoy with your loved ones!

‘Chocolate Cake’ is my son’s favorite cake.  The dark color and the softness of the cake is irresistible!  It is so yum that you will ask for more…!  I avoid icing on my cakes for health reasons, but you can decorate the cake with any icing of your choice.

This ‘Chocolate Cake’ is off to Hema’s event “CFK: Chocolate” which was started by Sharmi

I am also sending the cake for the event “Kid’s Delight ” hosted by Srivalli

Ingredients

All purpose flour/ Maida – 2 3/4 cups

Baking powder – 1/2 tsp

Baking soda – 2 tsp

Salt – 1/2 tsp

Cocoa powder – 1 cup

Boiling water – 2 cups

Vanilla Essence – 1 1/2 tsp

Butter – 1 cup

Sugar – 2 1/4 cup

Eggs – 4

Method

Pour boiling water over cocoa and whisk until smooth.  Let it cool.  Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Keep aside.  Cream butter and sugar in a bowl.  Add each egg and blend well.  Add the vanilla and mix well.  Add flour mixture alternately with cocoa mixture and fold in.  Pour into prepared cake moulds.  Bake in a preheated oven on 350 degree F or 175 degree C for 25 to 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Leave it in the oven for 10 minutes.  Take out and allow it to cool completely before serving.  Enjoy with your kids!

This is my 75th post and thought of posting something sweet to celebrate the occasion!  So here comes the ‘Carrot Cake’ which is healthy as well as yummy.  It is a hit in my family and will vanish within no time once I serve it…!

Ingredients

All purpose flour/ Maida – 3 cups

Carrots – 2 cups grated

Sugar – 2 cups

Eggs – 4

Oil – 1 cup

Baking powder – 3 tsp

Baking soda – 1/4 tsp

Garam masala – 1/4 tsp

Cardamom essence – 1 tsp

Salt – 1/4 tsp

Method

Mix maida with baking powder, baking soda, salt and garam masala.  Keep it aside.  Blend oil and sugar in a bowl.  Add each egg and beat well using a hand mixer.  Add the grated carrots and mix well.  Add the maida mixture in small portions and fold in.  Finally add the essence and mix well.  Pour into two cake moulds and bake in a preheated oven on 350 degree F for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Leave it in the oven for 10minutes.  Take out and allow it to cool completely before serving.  Enjoy!

You can substitute garam masala with cinnamon powder and cardamom essence with cardamom powder.

Merry Christmas to all of you!

Even though I was not well, I couldn’t stop myself from baking the Cake for Christmas! This time my daughter helped me in making the cake as well as in other Christmas preparations. Thank God she is here for Holidays!

Here is the recipe for the Fruit Cake I make every year for Christmas. This is a simple and delicious Fruit Cake. Usually I soak the dry fruits in brandy for two weeks. But this time I kept it only for a day. Even then it turned out to be a very tasty Cake!

I am sending this cake to the event ‘Think Spice-Think Cinnamon’ being hosted by dear Sunita of Sunita’s World.

What you need

Almonds – 20

Butter – 200 gm

Demarara Sugar/ Brown Sugar – 250gm

All purpose flour – 200 gm

Eggs – 4

Milk – 1 cup

Vanilla essence – 1 tsp

Baking powder – 1 tsp

Caraway seeds (cake jeera) – 2 tsp

Orange marmalade – 2 tbsp

For spice powder

Cinnamon – 4 small pieces

Nutmeg – 1 small piece

Cloves – 2

Dry Fruits

Raisins – 100 gm seeds removed

Kismis/ Golden Raisins – 100 gm

Cashew nuts – 100 gm chopped

Tutti frutti – 100 gm

Candied Orange peel – 20 gm

Candied Ginger – 20 gm

Brandy – 3 tbsp

Method

Mix the dry fruits with brandy and keep it in a bottle overnight. Soak the almonds in water and remove the skin. Keep aside. Powder the spices together. (If you are not using demarara sugar, caramelize 1 cup of sugar and add 1 cup of water slowly to make a syrup. Cool the syrup and add it to the cake batter. Use 200 gm sugar and avoid milk.) Mix together flour, spice powder, caraway seeds and baking powder. Add the dry fruits to it and mix well. Keep aside. In a bowl, mix together butter and sugar till soft. (Use an electric egg beater if you can.) Add eggs one by one and beat well. Add the orange marmalade and vanilla essence and mix well. Fold in the flour mixture and milk alternately. Smear butter on two cake trays. Line them with butter paper and pour the batter. Place the almonds on top. Preheat the oven to 180 C for 20 minutes and bake for 1 hour or till a skewer inserted comes out clean. Let the cakes be in the oven for 10 minutes. Take out and cool on wire racks. Let it cool completely before cutting. Serve with homemade wine and enjoy!