Vanilla Pound Cake - Our First Blog Anniversary!

OMG!! I can't believe its been a year since we started blogging. In this great day, we want to thank all our readers. Without you all, we wouldn't be here. Thank you all for letting us to be a part of your life. We wish to bring more and more awesome recipes to you all.
I never thought I would go so much deep in this field. Now a days, cooking and blogging are one of the foremost thoughts in my mind. I totally enjoy every aspect in this field starting from looking for a new recipe or developing a new one to taking photos, writing post, making it reach many people, reading many other wonderful posts....And one more thing - buying cute little things for cooking and baking ( I am totally crazy about it!!!)

I also want to say a big thank you to my sister who bears in with all my craziness- be happy with me when I share my happiness ( after making a successful dish!! ) be a patient listener and boosts me up when something goes wrong ( especially when I photo shoot a dish and if it comes out all wrong :( :( ..)

    And in this special occasion, I bring to you one of the classical cakes - The Pound Cake!

From my childhood days, I have always loved Wondercake- I love their perfect crumbs and their cute little loaf shape. I made this pound cake in mini loaf pans in memory of them and also because I totally love making bite-sized foods just like my Mini Apple Pies!

This cake is exactly just like I wanted it to be - it is soft and not spongy, it has perfect crumbs and is not too dense and finally it is not dry at all. And about the taste, I should say that it tastes even better than my favorite Wondercakes ( no kidding!) Truly they are amazing and certified so by all of them who have tried it, which includes my little sister and my mom! ( my toughest candidates to satisfy :))

The main thing that stands out in this pound cake recipe is its wonderful texture - the crumbs are perfect and they just melt in your mouth.
Look at the wonderful crumbs and the cute little slice!!

 

Classic Vanilla Pound Cake

 Soft with perfect crumbs that just melts in your mouth!
 Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 25 min
 Total time: 35 min |Yield: 3 Mini loaves

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour: 1 cup and 3 tbsp 
Baking Powder: a pinch 
Salt: a pinch 
Butter: 1/2 cup plus 1 and 1/2 tbsp 
Sugar: 1 cup 
Eggs: 2
Vanilla Essence: 1/2 tsp 
Milk: scant 1/2 cup

Recipe Reference:Add a pinch
METHOD:
1) Preheat oven to 180C for 10 minutes. Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Take softened butter in a bowl.


2) With a hand beater beat the butter until fluffy ( about 1 minute ) Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy ( about 3 to 4 minutes )
3) Add eggs one at a time and beat until well incorporated. Mix in vanilla.
4) Now in batches, alternatively add the dry ingredients and milk starting and ending with dry ingredients ( this step ensures that the batter stays creamy without curdling ) First mix 1/3 rd of the dry ingredients ( From this point you can beat lightly with your beater or just use your spatula to mix )

5)  Add 1/4 cup milk beat once, followed by the next 1/3 rd of the dry ingredients.

6)  Mix in the remaining  milk. Finally add the last 1/3 rd batch of dry ingredients and mix until all gets incorporated. Take care not to over mix or over beat the batter.
7) The final batter will be light and fluffy.
8) Transfer the batter to the prepared pans ( greased with butter and dusted with flour ) and bake in a preheated oven at 180 C for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

 There you have it, the most perfect Pound cake recipe ever!!

NOTES:
1) Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature to get the perfect batter and thereby the perfect cake.
2)After adding dry ingredients don't beat the batter too much.
3)Don't let the batter standby, bake immediately.
4) If you use a larger loaf pan, increase the baking time accordingly.

Cheers,
Sindhiya.S

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Easy Homemade Churros

One of the perfect snacks to munch on, that I came across recently are these Churros.
Churros are similar to doughnuts. Strips of dough are fried in oil, rolled in caster sugar and served with warm Chocolate Sauce ( Yummmm, what more can you ask? )

These Churros are crispy on the outside and unbelievably so soft on the inside. The milk and little butter in this dough adds richness and makes the churros extra special!

And now comes another main hero of this dish - The Chocolate Sauce! You can never ( ever! ) say no to warm churros dipped in hot chocolate sauce. You get the crispness, softness and the chocolate heaven all in one bite. And trust me these get over within seconds!!

 

Churros

 Crispy on the outside and so soft on the inside that just melts in your mouth!
 Prep time: 5 min | Cook time: 15 min
 Total time: 20 min |Yield: 18 or 19 (3 inch churros)

Ingredients:
Milk: 1/2 cup 
Water: 1/2 cup 
Sugar: 2 and 1/2 tbsp 
Salt: 1/2 tsp 
Butter: 2 tbsp 
Flour ( maida ): 1 cup
Oil: for frying
For Serving:
Chocolate Sauce 

METHOD:
1) Take the milk, sugar, salt and butter in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil. Take it off the heat.

2) Immediately add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon till it comes together as a dough ( don't over mix! )

3) Transfer the dough to a piping bag fit with a large star nozzle ( see picture ) Let it rest for 2 minutes.

4) Meanwhile heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. Carefully pipe strips of dough over the hot oil and cut them with a scissor.

5) Fry them until they are golden brown.

6) Drain the churros in a tissue paper and roll them in caster sugar.

There you have it...the most perfect snack to much on! Enjoy them with Hot Chocolate Sauce!!

NOTES:
1) For pillowy soft churros don't over mix the dough. Over mixing will activate the gluten ( which we don't need ) Mix until it comes together as a ball of dough.
2) The oil should be right temperature. If it is too hot the churros will brown quickly and remain raw inside. If it is too cold, the churros will lose its shape and become distorted.
3) To check whether the oil temperature is correct, pinch a small piece of dough and put it in oil. It should rise slowly to the surface and then brown.
4) Don't crowd the oil while frying, as this will reduce the oil temperature too much.
5) You can even flavour your caster sugar with cinnamon.

Recipe Reference: Cooking Classy



Cheers,
Sindhiya.S

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