Blueberry Cupcakes

When the city turned to shades of bright greens and pompous reds everywhere, the charm of Christmas played tunes over us too. The baubles, tinkles, Santa, Christmas tree and the twinkle lights hanging over our balcony sill still continue to charm and glow our house. My Chocolate Fruit Cake has seen it's end as my share of baked goodies have been distributed among family and friends and all are still relishing in the solace of home baked goodies. I am not done with the hangover yet and it feels nice to be soaked in the comfort of holiday opulence.

It's amazing to see people all around, all soaked in festive mood, mostly partying, shopping, exchanging greetings and sweet treats. I am having my share of gala time and as usual, I too can't stop myself from feeling excited about all this pomp and year end festivity. That's the real charm December month end is all about. And how I wish I could hold time in my fist and never let it go!

The year 2010 has been pretty good for us, in all aspects. It was fulfilling, bringing us joy and a year filled with contentment. Leaving behind year 2010 does bring a gloom on me for having to part with it, however heading towards the New Year 2011 brings more hope and joy as I look forward to a better year filled with excitement, new ventures, fulfilled dreams and ambitions, good luck and fortune. And to end this remarkable year and begin yet another adventurous year afresh, what can be better than to have a simple, yet delightful fruity dessert as my last post for this year.

I was lucky to have a batch of fresh Blueberries at hand my husband brought from US recently. These berries are fragile and tend to catch fungus easily. A good amount of these Blueberries and Blackberries went into our daily cereal breakfast and we loved them. Before the last few could be wiped off completely, I decided I should reserve the last few to bake a batch of Blueberry Cupcakes, least to satiate my baking desire before the year ends. The cupcakes turned out fabulous and went to make good treats for our evening snack.

Blueberry Cupcakes

(Adapted from The Big Book of Baking)

INGREDIENTS

225 g plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
A pinch of salt
115 g caster sugar
80 g fresh blueberries
150 ml thick yogurt
2 eggs
3 tbsp low fat butter or margarine
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat the oven to 375 deg F. Line 12 paper muffin cases in the muffin pan.

Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with sugar, butter and vanilla extract. Then stir in the yogurt and blueberries until thoroughly mixed. Add this fruit mixture to the dry ingredients and then stir them all together gently.

Divide the mixture equally between the paper cases about two third full. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20-25 mins, or until risen and goldern brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Frost them with choice of your topping as desired.

I tweaked the recipe a bit to suit us. The Big book of baking says 3 large eggs while I used just 2 small ones. I somehow felt that with 3 eggs, the egg-y flavors would get prominent and I am glad I stuck to 2. To compensate, I increased the quantity of baking soda by a bit. The taste was perfect with absolutely no compromise on it's texture.

An attempt to frost these cupcakes turned disastrous. I used whip cream powder and the whip cream just couldn't hold it's shape. Addition of more cream powder made it taste shoddy. Despite all possible workarounds, I had to give up on it. Anyways, I am not a big fan of cupcakes with heavy frostings, unless it was a pastry. The cake itself was so soft and spongy that I didn't see the need to frost it. The fruitiness from the berries complimented it well. I love the speckles of dotted blues in between the cake. Pretty, simple, yet cute!

I am sending these to Bakeomania hosted by Suma Rowjee of Cakes and More.

Yet another day to go and the year has come to an end. A New year is here to welcome. Bring out your dancing shoes, put on your best attire and head out for a wicked night out to have the best moments with your family and friends. Here's wishing everyone a Happy and a Prosperous New Year!

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Chocolate Fruit Cake

Christmas is in air and there is no escape from the charms of reds and greens that have taken over everywhere. Most malls and shops have massive Christmas trees laden with tantalizing gifts, trinket and baubles and the eye-catching year end sales is definitely gripping most of us. My shopping is done. Though the weather is chill and crisp outside, our Christmas tree glow has warmed up our living space.

My baking pans are out. Oven has been heating up and the warmth from the oven has kept my kitchen space cozy and comfortable. Though baking had taken a relative backseat in the past few weeks, with the summon of Christmas and New Year season, I am all set to don my baking cap in bid to bake the traditional Christmas cake at home.

Every year, Christmas season brings back fond memories from Mangalore when we as teens would eagerly look forward to those cakes and baked goodies sent by our neighbors. I can well remember the plates filled with baked goodies, neatly wrapped in a kitchen paper and beneath it unveiled beautifully adorned rose cookies, plum cakes, candies, biscuits, cashew macaroons and many other stuffs, names of which I can't even recall. Though there wasn't much festivity at our home per se, mom surely made it a point to get freshly baked fruit cakes (commonly called as Plum cakes in Mangalore and most parts of Southern India) which most bakeries in Mangalore excel in during this season. It was her way in calling for a celebration. One can't help but soak up in Yuletide feel as Mangalore gears up to transform to a tantalizing carnival city.

Christmas baking is not an essential ritual at home, but somehow the entire spirit of Christmas takes over me and I feel enthusiastic to celebrate this way. While my husband was away in US recently, I put aside thoughts of baking a cake this year. But as DH returned home, I was curiously questioned by him on what I would be baking this Christmas. Looks like he had absorbed the Christmas spirits well abroad. A little push again and I asked him what he would love to have for this Christmas and I instantly got a reply from him without any forethought saying "Fruit Cake please!". Last year I baked this Christmas Fruit cake which has been our favorites. This year however, I had no fruits soaking and hence sought for an instant solution. A bottle of coffee liquor perched on my kitchen shelf has been looking for my due attention since long and this time again it was Nigella for my rescue.

Chocolate Fruit Cake

(Adapted from Nigella’s book Feast: Food to Celebrate Life)

INGREDIENTS

350 grams dried soft prunes, chopped
250 grams raisins
125 grams currants
175 grams unsalted butter, softened
175 grams dark muscovado sugar
175 ml honey
125 ml coffee liqueur
2 oranges, zested and juiced
1 tsp homemade spice mix
2 tbsp good quality cocoa
2 eggs, beaten
150 grams plain flour
75 grams coarsely ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).

Line the sides and bottom of a 9 inch spring-form pan with a layer of baking parchment paper. Cut the parchment material into strips that are twice as high as the tin itself. The height of the strips will protect the cake from catching on the outside of the cake tin and prevent over baking of the cake edges.

Place the fruit, butter, sugar, honey, coffee liqueur, orange zest and juice, mixed spice and cocoa into a large wide saucepan. Heat the mixture until it reaches a gentle boil, stirring the mixture gently as the butter melts. Simmer the mixture for 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave to cool for 30 minutes.

After the mixture has cooled, add the beaten eggs, flour, ground almonds, baking powder and baking soda. Mix well with a wooden spoon until the ingredients have combined.

Carefully pour the fruitcake mixture into the lined cake tin. Transfer the cake tin to the oven and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the top of the cake is firm, yet with a shiny and sticky look. At this point, insert a sharp knife into the middle of the cake and test for done. Remove and place the cake on a cooling rack. Once the cake has cooled, remove it from the tin. Top the cake with a glaze of your choice or candied fruits or simply place a few chocolate coated berries in the center and sprinkle some icing sugar on top of the cake.

I am inspired by Nigella’s book Feast: Food to Celebrate Life. You just can't go wrong with this recipe. I love the way Nigella decorates her cakes. Simple and homely, yet tastefully elegant. Using prunes in baking is fairly new to me. So I stuck to the recipe by words and the only change I made was to use 2 eggs instead of the 3 mentioned. To compensate, I increased the quantity of baking powder and soda from 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp. My mixed spice was homemade and freshly ground with cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and nutmeg going into it. This recipe fetches approximately a kilo of the cake.

The cake is rich, dark, moist and absolutely delicious... laden with goodness from fruits with strong notes from prunes, fruity richness from raisins, nuttiness from almonds, subtly spiced with earthy flavors from honey and muscovado sugar. If you love fruits in your cakes, you bet this will hit you with the right tones. Heavenly!

The festive spirit of Christmas embraces one and all as it spreads joy and happiness everywhere. Here's wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I am sending these to Bakeomania hosted by Suma Rowjee of Cakes and More. Also sending them to the Chocolate Extravaganza - Monthly Mingle hosted by Ria. Sarah of Maison Cupcake is hosting a new blogging challenge 'Forever Nigella' and here goes my entry for the same.

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Blueberry Crumble

Time flies real fast and it’s hard to believe that an entire year has gone by and is steadily coming to an end. December is here and though I don't see much festivity beckoning the air at the moment, I am sure the latter part of month will be filled with lot more sight to behold as it comes alive with tinsel world lighting, fireworks and merriment. And I am eagerly looking forward to it.

Desserts haven't been ruling my kitchen off late for sometime now. DH has been away for a while and I am currently enveloped in the wings of mom's cooking, enjoying my stay at parent's place. I am not surprised if I end up with ounces of added extra weight, despite the slash in the desserts made and consumed. All courtesy, home cooked food by mummy! While I am thoroughly missing my kitchen, cooking, cutlery, gadgets, photography, along with the freedom of doing what my mind presides over, I am currently enjoying the bounty treats churned by mom lovingly on a daily basis.

It amazing how good cooks our moms turn out to be. I mean, it seems perfect when my mom throws in the spices judged by experience to create that aromatic dish with well balanced flavors, hitting the right flavors. It may be a simple dish, whether it's salt or spice, sweet or tang, there's a right balance. It's then I realize that I have a long long way to go. While my mother used to make exotic western desserts and bakes long while ago, these days she prefers to stick by traditional Indian meals. At times, it's a fusion food. But by and large, it's the Indian food that dominates her kitchen. I am taking the privilege of learning some traditional recipes which I hope to re-create in my kitchen soon and post here as well. But for the moment, I am posting this Blueberry Crumble that I made for DH before his departure.

Blueberry Crumble

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup Blueberry Pie Filling
50 gm unsalted butter
100 gm plain flour
50 gm cup confectioner's sugar

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat the oven first. Into a pie dish / tart mould or ramekins, spoon the blueberry pie filling and level the base. Fetching fresh blueberries was not an option for me, so I settled to use Mother Maid's Blueberry Pie Filling. Fresh Blueberries would probably give out more flavors. In case you are using Keep it aside till we prepare the crumbs.

Combine the confectioner's sugar and flour in a wide mouth bowl. Quickly cut in the butter into this mixture using your fingers till the entire mixture resembles like coarse bread crumbs. Transfer these crumbs to top the blueberry filling till it's completely covered. Bake in a pre-heated oven to 180 deg C for approximately 20-30 minutes till the top is baked golden brown. Remove and allow to cool for 10 mins. Serve warm with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.

If you love the biscuit base, you can spread a handful of the crumble mixture on the tart base, then follow it with fruit on this, ending with the crumble for the topping. This Blueberry Crumble is totally effortless and can be put in matter of few mins.

I have about 3 tartlet moulds which are almost 30 years old. They were owned by my mother earlier and then handed down to me. I made one batch in these cute small tartlet mould and next in a medium sized pie dish. Fabulous for single helpings. The gooey, fruity tart blueberry base offsets well with the biscuit crumble topping. Served warm with a generous dollop of ice cream, they are absolutely heavenly!

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Falooda (in a Shot Glass!)

I am without my camera from past few days and I feel totally handicapped. With it becoming a part of my routine life, just like any other day to day activity like cooking, serving and then photographing the cooked :). Just being left alone without it pushes me to be impulsive and is driving me crazy. It's one of those essentials without which I am not at ease. For the moment, I am left with my Sony Ericsson C510 which I hardly use and most definitely not when it comes to food photography!

I feel almost guilty posting this here. This one comes from my drafts that's been sitting idle for long. With the day being fairly warm and sunny, what followed was a very simple South Indian lunch. And to end it's simplicity, we treated ourselves with this gorgeous Indian beverage dessert, Falooda. I am not sure if I would call this a beverage or a dessert! Either ways, they are great for sure!

Falooda, a popular chilled beverage dessert is served in tall glasses, filled to the brim and topped with dollops of ice cream is made primarily by mixing delicately flavored rose milk with vermicelli and tapioca seeds. What a perfect way to cool off the summer heat! With the addition of vermicelli, tapioca seeds and rose milk, this can get quite filling. So make sure you have your hunger pangs on, else this can get too stodgy.

This is one such treats that brings reminiscence of my childhood. Those evening hangouts on Mumbai streets or Pabbas Ice cream parlors in Mangalore, where shopping craze were endless and when hunger pangs meddled us through those moments, a dash into these ice cream parlors with family and friends meant time spent over good food, chit chat talks and stress unwound.

Falooda

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup falooda sev (fine roasted vermicelli)
1 cup chilled milk
Sugar, to taste
Few almonds and pistachios, chopped
2 tbsps sabza, (basil seeds, tukmaria)
1/4 tsp rose essence
2 scoops ice cream of your choice

DIRECTIONS

Into the chilled milk, add the sugar and rose essence to taste and mix well. Add one scoop of vanilla ice cream to this and churn well. This gives it a nice thick texture. Chill this in refrigerator till it's needed.

Next, boil the vermicelli in water till cooked al dente. Strain the cooked vermicelli and keep them aside to cool. Discard the water. Chill this as well in refrigerator till needed.

In a bowl, submerge the sabza seeds (also known as Basis seeds) in sufficient water for about 20-30 mins. These seeds swell up beautifully and will look transparent with an eye at the center. Strain and discard the excess water. Reserve the puffed up subza for assembling the falooda.

Assemble the Falooda:

I chose shot glasses to assemble the Falooda. Traditionally, this is done in tall glasses. So make your choice. In each glass, place the vermicelli till it reaches 1/5th the glass height. Top this with a tablespoon or more of soaked sabza seeds.

Pour in the chilled rose milk till just below the rim. Add the chopped nuts and top it a scoop of ice cream of your choice. Garnish with candied cherries. Serve chilled.

Most ice cream parlors add jelly cubes to this. I opted to leave it as I am not very fond of them. You may add them as per your preference. Also care for how much of rose essence you use. The one I used was pretty strong, just a few drops were sufficient to bring deep flavors and colors. You may opt for rose syrup too. But judge how much of it you would need.

Instead of serving these in tall glasses, I chose for smaller treats in shot glasses since it was our post lunch dessert. We loved this thought. They were neither too filling nor heavy, just right. This pot of falooda gorgeously topped with ice cream went on a melting spree and it played a spoilt sport for my photography that sunny day. Rose is one of my favorite flavors and least exploited one too, so that gives me another excuse to make these more often. Nevertheless, this is something I will make more often, not just for us, but for future get-together parties too.

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