Tresleches cake(with egg,must try for milk lovers)

If you are a milk lover you should try this recipe/you are not a milk lover you should try this recipe too you might change your opinion. :) You should try this recipe once in your life its worth the effort.
  (wish i would have taken pic of first piece and not the leftover piece ;) )

Dry ingredients:
All purpose flour-1-¾ cup
Granulated Sugar-¾ cup
Baking Powder-1 tsp
Salt-½ tsp
Wet ingredients:
Unsalted Butter -½ cup (at room temp)
Eggs - 5 separated
Whole Milk-¾ cup
Vanilla Extract-1 tsp

For the 3 Milk Mixture:
Whole Milk-1/4 cup
14 oz can of Sweetened Condensed Milk-1
12 oz can of Evaporated Milk-1
For the Frosting(optional)
1 ½ cup of Heavy Whipping Cream+4 Tbsp of Powdered Sugar/
you can get ready to use whipping cream.

Process:
1) In a large bowl first beat butter and sugar then add egg yolks one after another.
2) Beat egg whites separately in another bowl until stiff peaks are formed.
3) Add all the sifted dry ingredients into the wet mixture slowly. Add milk in between in smaller portions.
4) Now fold the egg whites into this mixture very gently.Don't over mix. Now pour the patter into prepared cake pan and bake it.
5) Meanwhile in another bowl add whole milk,condensed milk,evaporated milk and whisk them until well combined.
5)Once the cake is cooled completely pierce some holes all over the cake using fork and pour the milk mixture on top of the cake.Holes them to absorb the milk fast.Cover the cake with some plastic wrap and store it in refrigerator for min of 2 hrs/overnight would be great if you have time.
6) Put some whipping cream on top of the cake and enjoy it/eat as is.

Cake size: above measurements are for 13*9 inch cake pan(you can change the quantities half/double as per your requirement).
Oven Temp: 350 deg F
Time: 30-35 min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean
Makes: 20-25 pieces
Storage: Store them only in refrigerator covering it with plastic wrap.

Cake pops(without egg & with egg)

    If you have kids you should try this recipe they will enjoy/for their birthday party :)
Make it egg less-Use egg less sponge cake
Make it with egg-use sponge cake with egg
 

Ingredients:

• sponge Cake- you can do eggless/with egg(i used 6 inch cake)
• Vanilla  Frosting(recipe under Icing tab) - you will need less than 1/2 cup (so change your       measurements accordingly)
• Shortening/Flavorless-1 tbsp
• Lollipop Sticks
• Candy Melts 
• Styrofoam/thermocol sheet (for drying cake pops)

Process:
1)In a large bowl, crumble the cake into small crumbs using hand/food processor and mix the crumbled cake with the prepared vanilla frosting.

2) Using a spoon/with your hand, stir in just enough frosting to hold the mixture together. If you add too much frosting the cake balls will be soggy. Too little frosting and the cake balls will fall apart, especially when dipped. So add the frosting gradually and really work into into the cake crumbs, as the amount you need totally depends on the type and texture of your cake.

3)Prepare all the cake balls and refrigerate them for 15-20 min(cover it with a plastic wrap).

4)Now melt the candy melts in the microwave or in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. If the melted candy is too thick, gradually stir in about 1/2 - 1 tbsp flavorless oil(olive/vegetable/canola) into the melted candy coating until smooth and fluid. You want it to flow easily from your spoon.

5) Take the cake balls from refrigerator dip the lollipop sticks about into the melted candy and then insert about halfway into the cold cake balls- the melted candy acts like a glue to stick to cake ball.

6) Now dip this into prepared candy melts and stick them on thermocol sheet until they get dry.You can sprinkle it with colored sugar/any colored candy melts to make it look more colorful. :)

Cake Pops : Usually I do this with the leftover sponge cake at my home, if you use one full 9 inch cake it gives around 50 cake pops.
Vanilla Frosting: It depends on how many you want to do and also on the texture of the cake, i usually use < 1/2 cup of frosting for 6 inch cake.
Makes: 20-22 cake pops(for 6 inch cake)
Storage: You can store it at room temperature for 3-4days. If you want to keep it for a week or so you can store them in refrigerator and keep them aside for few hours before enjoying it.

Note: If it is your first time, i suggest you to check the below link once before your start.I followed this recipe.

     http://www.joyofbaking.com/cupcakes/CakePopsRecipe.html

Brownie(with egg,ready to use mix available only in USA)

If you are a beginner/you don't have time to prepare a brownie from scratch you can buy this ready to use mix from any store like target/Walmart etc.
     I can definitely assure you would love this brownie.Instructions would be on the back page of the box you purchase.You can select from below links as per your taste.

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http://www.target.com/p/ghirardelli-chocolate-caramel-turtle-brownie-mix-18-5-oz/-/A-12927504#prodSlot=medium_1_8&term=brownie+mix

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http://www.target.com/p/ghirardelli-dark-chocolate-brownie-mix-20-oz/-/A-12927493#prodSlot=medium_1_5&term=brownie+mix

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http://www.target.com/p/ghirardelli-chocolate-supreme-brownie-mix-18-75-oz/-/A-12927503#prodSlot=medium_1_6&term=brownie+mix

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http://www.target.com/p/ghirardelli-double-chocolate-brownie-mix-20-oz/-/A-12927499#prodSlot=medium_1_3&term=brownie+mix

Cashew nut cookies (eggless,simple & quick)

     These cookies are quick and simple.If you are a cashew nut fan like me you would love these cookies.

Dry Ingredients:
All purpose flour - 0.8 cup
powdered sugar- 0.4 cup
baking powder-1/2 tsp
Cashew nuts - 1/4 cup(few chopped + few for garnishing)
Wet Ingredients:
Melted butter-0.4 cup
Milk - 15 ml(at room temperature)
Vanilla essence - ¼ ts

Process:
1) In a bowl add melted butter,milk,vanilla essence,all purpose flour,powdered sugar,baking powder and mix this like a dough(how we usually do roti dough).
2) Now add the chopped cashew nuts and mix the dough again.
3) Roll the dough into thin sheet using rolling pin(the same roller we use to roll the roti) around 1.5 cm thick and cut them into square pieces using a knife.
4)You can garnish each cookie with a cashew nut and sprinkle some powdered sugar-as shown in pic.
5)Transfer these cookies into baking/cookie tray and bake them.
 ** Note:If your dough is wet and you can't roll it refrigerate it for few minutes(~15 min) and then roll.It makes your job easy to roll the cookie dough.

Cookie Temp: 350 deg F
Time: 14-16 min/ until cookies are golden brown in color, keep an eye on them when they are almost done.They can burn/turn black if they are baked even for a minute more.So,I suggest take them out when they are golden brown in color.
Makes: 16

Royal Icing with Egg whites

(I couldn't get a picture of what i have done will surely upload next time i do but it looks something like in above pic..:) )

     This icing can be used for decorating cookies/making flowers/decorating cake/personal messages.If you are doing flowers usually it takes overnight to use them on cake(they get very dried and you can just take them off from parchment paper and use it on cake).

Measurements:

egg whites-1 large (30 grams) 

fresh lemon juice- 1 tsp

powdered/icing sugar(sifted) -1.5 cup

Parchment paper

Process:

1)In a large bowl beat egg whites with lemon juice until combined.

2)Now add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined and smooth.

3)To test your consistency take a cookie and place a small amount of icing in the center of the cookie.Using a small knife, push the icing to the edge of the cookie. If the icing runs off the edge, thicken  the icing by adding a little more confectioners sugar. Conversely, if the icing is too thick, add a little water.

4)Put the icing in piping bag/ziploc and do your favorite designs on cookies/flowers.

Makes: 1.5 cup of icing

Handmade chocolate decorations

If you are a chocolate lover and would like as much chocolate as possible on your cake go for this. Also this is very simple and you can prepare them in advance and use it whenever you want.If you are doing this for the first time i suggest you to have a look in the below videolink to get more ideas and also you will understand the consistency of the icing.

Ingredients:
Semisweet chocolate chips
Parchment paper

Process:
1) Heat chocolate chips on a saucepan over simmering water and keep it stirring in between. You can also heat it in microwave.
2)Pour the chocolate icing in a piping bag/ziploc and create your own designs.You can customize it as per your requirement.
3)Freeze chocolate decorations for couple of minutes and they are ready to use.If you are planning to save it for later refrigerate them.

Videolink:
       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxQ68EXGDLU

Caramel decorations/Sugar decorations

   This recipe is simple and you get cute sugar decorations which can be used on any desserts/cakes.If it is your first time I suggest you to see the below video link before starting.

Ingredients:
 Sugar

Process:
 Heat sugar in a non-stick pan on the stove. You can see how you can make different decorations in the below link.You can also make different shapes like hearts/letters/numbers/personal message etc.

Storage;
You can prepare them in advance like 10-12 hrs before(only for thick designs,eg: in pic-2) and just use it on the cake before serving.
**If you are making thin strands/any design that is thin do only 4-5 hrs in advance.

Videolink:
                 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaA5CKd8sHo

Simple decoration with powdered sugar

This way of decorating cake is simple and can be done in just few seconds.

Process:
1)Put some powdered sugar in tea strainer and just sprinkle all over cake just like that (pic-1).
2)You can use some colored sugar and sprinkle all over the cake(pic-2). Colored sugar are available in many stores.
3) You can cut paper into any shape you are interested in like hearts/stars/circle or just take a printout and cut it.Place it on cookie/cake and just sprinkle powdered sugar all over.Now take the paper and you get a beautiful design. (pic-3)

Chocolate Icing (simple & quick)

  In a hurry?
  Lazy to decorate the cake?
  Need simple and elegant icing?
           Then this recipe is for you.

Measurements:
cocoa powder-2 tbsp
melted butter-2 tbsp
milk-2 tbsp
powdered sugar-2 tbsp

Cake size:Above measurements are good for 9 inch cake.

Process:
 1) Melt butter and sugar in microwave/on sauce pan over the stove(preferably non-stick pan).
 2) Add cocoa powder and milk into it stirring occasionally. Let it sit for few minutes before decorating any cake.
3) Just pour the chocolate icing over the cake.
(In the above pic, I was out of cocoa powder so i had to prepare less icing. If you follow above measurements the icing would just drizzle all over the cake like chocolate syrup)

Chocolate Ganache(quick,tasty,elegant look)

   If you are a chocolate lover do try this for sure.

Measurements:
Semisweet Chocolate Chips-1/2 cup
Heavy Cream-1/3 cup
Butter(melted) - 1tsp
1/8 tsp of Salt

Cake size: Above measurements are good for 9-inch cake(top coating).

Process:
1) Heat the heavy cream in saucepan on stove over medium heat until just below boiling point.
2) Pour the hot cream over chocolate chips and let sit for 1 minute. Add softened butter and whisk the whole mixture together until the chocolate has fully melted.
3) Let it sit for few minutes before frosting or decorating any cookie/cake.Once done refrigerate the cake for one hour/until it sets.
 (In above pic,I used buttercream icing for roseswirls)