Strawberry Whipped Cream Chocolate Airfryer Cake

 

Chocolate Cake:

• 180 gm Fine Sugar
• 109 gm All-purpose Flour
• 60 gm Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 3/4  tsp Baking Powder
• 3/4 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 Large Egg
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 cup Hot Water (I've added some instant coffee mix to make more flavorful)

Directions:

• Preheat the AirFryer at 180°C for 5 minutes.
• In a large bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients (sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt).
• Add in the egg, milk, oil and vanilla extract to the dry mixture. Gently stir the mixture to mix it evenly.
• Lastly, add the hot water (you can use plain hot water). Again, gently stir it to make sure the mixture are mix evenly. 
• Don't panic when you see the batter is thinning! It is normal and all good. 
• Pour the mixture into the baking pan and cover the baking with foil and randomly pokes holes on it.
• Place the baking tray in the basket. Adjust the temperature to 160°C and AirBake it for 35 minutes.
• Remove foil and continue baking for another 10 minutes until the skewer comes out clean. Be sure to let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing the cake from the pan. (If you remove the cake before cooling, the cake might fall apart as the cake is very moist and soft)

Cake Icing:

Whipped cream & Strawberries:

• 2 cups of cold heavy whipping cream, Amul heavy cream.
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla flavor.

• Place mixer bowl in freezer for at least 20 minutes to chill.
• Pour heavy whipping cream, ground or fine sugar (1/2 cup or 3 Tbsp) and 3 drops (or) 1/2 tsp of vanilla into the cold bowl.

• Using a hand whisk will take a really long time since this is not whipping cream but fresh Amul heavy cream (It is a low fat cream) Hence it takes more time to whisk until it becomes light and airy.

• Do not over whisk. It took me 20 minutes of whisking with an electric hand whisk. 

• Whisk until the texture is light and airy and you see soft peaks on your whisker. You can whisk until you get the consistency you want for the icing of the cake :)

• Prepare the strawberries before hand,  If the strawberries are sour you can sweeten them by placing the cut strawberries coated with sugar dust or sugar syrup in a bowl overnight, or for a few hours. (I have cleaned the berries, dried them and then coated them with fine sugar and left them in the freezer for a few days prior to baking the cake).

• Coat the entire cake with layers of whipped cream and decorate with the strawberries however you like :)

~ENJOY~

Rasagulla

This is a traditional bengali dessert made from chenna (freshly prepared cottage cheese/ moistened paneer). 
In any auspicious occasion this sweet spongy "Rasgullas" are a must for us. This is a sweet delicacy that is staple to the Bengalis and nor can they live without it. 
Many people have told me that it's difficult to make rasgullas, They've tried multiple times, either it breaks or they become hard. But trust me, if you follow everything step by step and take the right measures, ex: kneading the paneer properly, right consistency if the sugar syrup, Nothing can stop you from getting super soft, milky white Rasgullas!

INGREDIENTS:

• Full cream milk: 1 litre
• 2 small lemons: 3 tbsp of lemon juice 

      For Syrup

• 4 cups of sugar
• 1 litre of water

PROCEDURE: 

• First boil the full cream milk while stirring occasionally. When it's completely boiled ' turn off ' the stove and slowly add the extracted lemon juice. (requirement of lemon may vary according to the quality of your milk)
• Stir it well.The milk should start curdling during this process. Don't add the entire extracted lemon juice at once. Do it gradually.

  

• Continue adding the lime juice slowly and stirring after adding. Repeat this process. Once the milk is curdled ( separated ) and greenish whey (watery fluid part of the milk) is out pass it through a clean cloth lined on the colander/ strainer ( छलनी) as shown in the pic below.

• Then wash the chenna ( curdled milk that was just strained ) under running water very well (2-3 times). This step is very important otherwise you will get a lemony flavour from your Rasgullas and the sweet balls won't be soft either.

• Gather the edges of the cloth and gently squeeze out the excess water from the chenna. Don't apply too much pressure .

• Hang it for 30 minutes.

While your chenna is hanging prepare the sugar syrup:

• Take a pot with good depth and width. I took a big pressure cooker (since it's both wide and deep)
• Then add 12 cups of water into the pot and 3 cups of sugar.
• Stir it thoroughly so that sugar gets dissolved completely. (The ratio of sugar to water should be aroung 1:5 )
• After dissolving it turn on the stove and heat the syrup 

Note: The syrup should never become thick, or else your rasgullas will break or become too hard.

• Now take out the Chenna from the cloth and knead it for at least 10 minutes till it's texture becomes very smooth. It should be moist and not dry like the Paneer what we buy from the stores

• Knead the chenna until there are no lumps and cracks. As soon as some fat (oil from the chenna) starts releasing after kneading, start making the balls using your Palms. Try to restrict the size to 1 inch only as it becomes double after cooking.

• Now bring the syrup to boil and then add the chenna balls into the syrup carefully and cover the pot.
• The water(syrup) should be vigorously boiling.
• The process took me 20 minutes. (until the balls became soft and absorbed the syrup and enlarged )
• After every 5 minutes you should open the lid and stir cautiously as to not break the soft balls, Generally it should take around 15 minutes.
• Then turn off the gas and give the pot a standing time of 15 minutes.
• Then slowly transfer the rasgullas into a bowl along with the syrup, Making sure that all the rasgullas are submerged in the syrup.

• It is best when eaten after 8-9 hours. Only after 7-8 hours it becomes soft, juicy and spongy. that it melts in your mouth.
• Refrigerate it and serve it cool.

~ENJOY~

Besan ka Laddu (Chickpea flour sweet balls)

I wish all my readers a Very Colourful and Safe Holi, The Indian festival of Colors and harvest!

Every year I make these instead of  'bundi ke laddu' ( a type of sweet usually made during festivals and offered to God)  as my family and friends love 'Besan ke laddu' this. 

What are laddus? Ball shaped indian sweets

Ingredients:

• 1 cup: ghee
• 4 cups: besan (garbanzo bean flour/chickpea flour)
• 2 cups: powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup: chopped almonds
• 1 tsp: powdered cardamom 

Method:

• Keep the kadai/pan on low flame.
• In the pan mix the besan and ghee. Keep stirring continuously to avoid lumps from forming.
• Stir and fry till the mixture turns slightly brown. If required you can add little ghee. I have used 11/2 cups of ghee. (each cup is around 150-160 ml)
• Add the cardamom and sugar and mix thoroughly.
• Now allow the mixture to cool down.
• Apply some ghee on your palm and make into small balls.

~Enjoy~