Besan Ladoos

Laddu or Laddoo  is a sweet popular in various countries of South Asia such as India ,Pakistan ,Nepal and Bangladesh.It is made out of flour and a variety of other ingredients formed into balls.
Besan ladoos are rich, sweet dessert-snack made from gently roasted gram flour (besan).Its a common dessert prepared during festivals or any other joyous occassion.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups gram flour(besan)
• 2 tablespoons semolina flour ,fine
• 1/2 cup ghee
• 3/4 cups sugar
• a handful of  cashewnuts and raisins (fried in ghee),keep aside
• 1/4 teaspoons coarsely grounded cardamom seeds 

Method:

• Put the besan, semolina, and ghee in a large frying pan and mix.
• Turn the stove on to medium heat and begin to roast the besan mixture until besan becomes light golden brown in color.  Stir the mixture continuously with a spatula to prevent burning.  
• When the color has changed you will also start to smell the sweetness of roasted besan.
• Remove the pan from the heat and add  fried cashewnuts,raisins, cardamom seeds powder, and sugar. 
• Let the mixture cool for about 5 minutes
• Now to make the ladoos, lightly grease your hands with ghee/oil and  take about 2 tablespoons of warm besan mixture into your palm and   form a smooth, round ball.
• Leave the ladoos on a plate to cool to room temperature before putting into a covered container.

Rich Christmas Cake

Christmas cake is a type of  fruitcake served at Christmas time .
A Christmas cake may be light or dark, crumbly-moist to sticky-wet, spongy to heavy, leavened or unleavened, shaped round, square or oblong as whole cakes, with marzipan, icing, glazing, dusting with icing sugar, or plain.
This again comes straight from my mom's kitchen. She prepares it every year for christmas.After my marriage i tried it on my own for the first and it turned out just as good.
It is a light and crumbly cake,particularly good for people who don't like very moist cakes.
Ingredients:

•     500gms all purpose flour
•      500gms Sugar
•      500gms Butter
•     12 Eggs
•      1 tsp. cinnamon
•      1 tsp. mixed spice
•      ½ tsp. salt
•      4  tbsp candied peel
•      4 tbsp cherries
•     4 tbsp sultans
•       4tbsp raisins
•      2 cups. Dried fruit
•      4 tbsp blanched almonds
•      4 tbsp Rum
•      Finely grated 1 lemon

Method:

• Sieve together all the dry ingredients.
• Mix the peel, fruit, cherries, chopped almonds and lemon rind
• Whisk the eggs and Rum together
• Cool the cake in the tin,decorate it with almonds and dry fruits and then store in an airtight container.
• Add the flour and egg mixtures alternately
• Stir in the fruit mixture.
• Put into an baking tin, lined with greaseproof paper round the sides and at the bottom.Put in the middle of a hot oven. 
• Bake till skewer inserted comes out clean 
• Cool the cake in the tin,decorate it with almonds and dry fruits and then store in an airtight container.

Choclate Cake

 

Well since this is my first blog,i could'nt think of a better recipe than my all time favourite Choclate Cake.This is my mom's recipe and its  my all time favourite .

I tried it for the first time,after my marriage for christmas and was an instant hit with my husband.This is also the first cake that i have done on my own.Hope you guys try and enjoy it too.Cheers!

Choclate Cake Recipe

Ingrediants: 

• 500 gms all purpose flour( maida)
• 500 gms Sugar
• 500 gms Butter
• 12 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1tbsp baking powder
• 1tbsp strong balck coffee
• 1tbsp Brandy              
• 100 gms ground almonds
• 500 g dark choclate melted or 1/4 cup cocoa powder

 For the cream coating:-    

• 500g dark choclate
• 225 ml double cream
•  A packet of choclate chips

Method:-   

                  

•  Preheat owen to  180C/gas 4
•  Lightly butter a cake tin and line the base with a non sticking baking parchment
•  Melt the choclate in a bowl over a saucepan of gently simmmering water, leave to cool.
•  Cream butter and sugar togetter in a large bowl until light and fluffy
•  Beat in the cooled choclate,brandy and coffee.
•  Add the eggs one by one,beating well after each addition
•  Add a little bit of flour after each egg and so on,till eggs n flour is over
• Add the baking soda and salt
• Beat well till the mixture is creamy
• Pour the mixture into the prepared skewer and bake for 35-40 mins or until a skewer           inserted comes out clean.
• Meanwhile gently heat the cream and choclate together over very low heat until the  choclate has melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy
• Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool completly in the tin.
• when cooled,turn the cake out and spread the chocolate cream over the top.sprinkle the choco-chips.
• Serve in slices as it is or with plently of whipped vanilla flavoured cream or icecream