Month: July 2013


Jul
2013

Fresh Peach Fluffy Pancakes Cake

categories: Baking, Cake, Cakes, Summer

Fresh Peach Fluffy Panacakes Cake1

Another fruit cake you’ll say, eh? But I just can’t let the amazing plethora of summer fruit pass by just like that. Without a dessert tribute at least!

I was too lazy to bake muffins or flip the pancakes so I went an easier route. My favorite buttermilk cake route. I know I have given you this and this this month but this recipe is different from those. Of course it uses buttermilk but it tastes like a cross between muffins and pancakes without having to actually make them! How do you like that! 😉

Fresh Peach Fluffy Panacakes Cake3

Just like my previous recipes, this recipe does not require electric mixer and the batter comes together in like 5 minutes total. Seriously! The result is fluffy and tender cake like a perfect pancake should be!

Fresh Peach Fluffy Panacakes Cake2

So how this cake is different from my previous buttermilk cakes? The batter resembles the pancake batter unlike my previous recipes. So no heavy duty mixing for this cake. In fact, you leave the lumps in the batter. Only gentle folding does the job. Another difference is.. Unlike topping the cake with the fruits in our previous recipe, we fold in the fruit in the batter to get peach in every bite! Yum!!

Fresh Peach Fluffy Panacakes Cake4

It’s a gorgeous weather in Bangalore today, I’m having a slice of it while writing this and I just can’t tell you how good it tastes the next day too! I had one slice with the dusting of confectioner’s sugar and another with vanilla ice-cream.. Delicious both ways!

You can replace all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour to make it healthier. Rest, you just got to deal with the sugar! 😛

You have to make this!!! Just be sure to use ripe peaches. Peel them, remove the pit, chop in a bite-sized pieces and you’re ready.. Only 2-3 peaches required!

Fresh Peach Fluffy Pancakes Cake

Prep time: 5-10 mins | Baking time: 35-40 mins

Yields: 8 pieces

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • Salt, a pinch
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup white granulated sugar
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • 1/3 cup full-fat yogurt
  • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2-3 medium peaches, peeled, thinly sliced (or a combo of stone-fruits)
  • Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting (optional)

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line 8×8 inches square baking dish with a foil and grease it.
  2. In a large bowl, sift all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt.
  3. In another bowl, whisk egg and sugar together. Add buttermilk, yogurt, oil, vanilla and whisk.
  4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients slowly and fold in gently. If you get lumps in better t is all right.
  5. Gently fold in peach cubes. Bake for 35-40 minutes or till the top and sides are golden and toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.
  6. Let the cake cool in a baking dish for half hour. Slice it and dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve it plain or along with ice-cream.
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Jul
2013

Skinny Mac’n’Cheese

categories: Baking, Dinner, Lunch, Pasta

Skinny Mac'n'Cheese2

Oh I love me some mac’n’cheese! It is my no.1 comfort food… I love it on a rainy day, on a bad day, when I’m sad, when I’m happy! I crave for it. I resist few times and sometimes just cave in!

To be honest, I can’t allow myself good-old-over-the-top-cheesy mac’n’cheese everytime I want one! So I gave it a skinny make-over! Of course they are not totally guilt-free but everything in moderation doesn’t hurt right?!

Skinny Mac'n'Cheese1

 

If you are anything like me then you are going to love my version of mac’n’cheese. It has goodness of vegetables too. Yup, I have added some veggie tid-bits to make it little bit nutritious and kid-friendly. Best for those picky-eaters! You can sneak in any vegetable you want.

So wait no more & make it tonight!

Skinny Mac'n'Cheese3

Skinny Mac’n’Cheese

Serves: 3

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup broccoli, cut into florets
  • 2 cups macaroni pasta
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion
  • 4-5 button mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
  • 1 Tbsp whole wheat flour
  • 2/3 cup skim milk
  • 1/3 cup vegetable stock/pasta water
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
  • 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
  • 1 Tbsp breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

  1. Cook pasta and broccoli together in a large pot of salted water as per the package instructions for al dante (or slightly under-cook for 2 minutes). Keep 1 cup of pasta water aside if you do not have vegetable stock. Drain cooked macaroni-broccoli in a colander. Grease a baking dish with oil and preheat oven to 190°C/375°F.
  2. In a large pan, melt the butter over low heat. Add onion and saute it for about 2 minutes. Then add and saute mushrooms, chili flakes for another 2 minutes.
  3. Add flour and saute for another minute till flour is golden and well-combined. Add milk and vegetable stock/pasta water and whisk raising heat to medium-high. Let it boil for about 3-4 minutes or till the sauce becomes smooth and thick.
  4. Once the sauce is thick, remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper. Add grated Cheddar and mix well until cheese is melted. Adjust seasoning. Add macaroni and broccoli and mix well.
  5. In a prepared baking dish, pour the mix. Top with grated cheese. Combine breadcrumbs, garlic powder, pepper together and sprinkle over the cheese layer. Spray a little more cooking oil on top. Bake for 15 minutes and broil for 1-2 minutes for golden breadcrumbs.

Dig in!!

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Jul
2013

Breakfast just got better! ~ Banana Almond Butterscotch Chip Cookies

categories: Breakfast, Cookies

Banana Almond Butterscotch Chip Cookies1

Oh yes! Your breakfast just got a whole lot better with these cookies in your life! Made with the goodness of almonds, oats and whole wheat. So gooey because of the melted butterscotch chips! Deee-vine!

Banana √ Almonds √ oats √

Cookies taste best with a glass of Milk so √ 😉

What more you need for breakfast!

They are so soft and tender because of bananas, you will hardly notice the cookies are egg-free! Hence  perfect for non-egg-eaters too! √ that!

So simple to make that it will be ready in 25 minutes flat! Yes, no need to chill the dough in refrigerator. We are going to use chilled mashed banana for cookie-dough. Just mash the banana nicely with the help of fork and refrigerate for half an hour before using… That’s it! No waiting before baking! It rhymes.. LOL… I know I’m such a crack-pot! 😛

Banana Almond Butterscotch Chip Cookies2

So not that these require any coaxing but promise me you’ll make them!

Banana Almond Butterscotch Chip Cookies

Prep time : 15 mins | Baking time: 10 mins

Yields: 15-16 cookies

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup almonds, ground
  • ½ cup whole wheat flour
  • ¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp soft-rolled oats
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
  • 4 Tbsp light brown sugar
  • 1 banana, mashed and chilled (1/3 cup approx)
  • ½ tsp almond extract
  • ¼ cup butterscotch chips, plus more for topping (optional)

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together ground almond, wheat flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  3. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add banana puree and almond extract to it and whisk.
  4. Slowly fold in dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix till flour pockets have disappeared. Fold in butterscotch chips.
  5. Drop 1 Tbsp of cookie-dough onto a baking sheet at 1-2 inches apart. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Mine were ready in 10 minutes. Let it cool on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes and then transfer on a cooling rack to cool completely. At first, the cookies will be soft in center but will firm up once cool.

*Store them in an air-tight container for 3-4 days at room temperature.
*You can replace butterscotch chips with any other nuts or chocolate chips too!

 

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Jul
2013

Skinny Zucchini Boats

categories: Appetizers, Dinner, Lunch, Sides, Summer

Skinny Zucchini Boats5

My favorite vegetable of all-time! Such a versatile little thing… So much to create and experiment with! It was about time to get more creative and make these beautiful zucchini boats… Stuffed… Stuffed with cottage cheese filling and freshly prepared Marinara sauce! Oh yeah… you’re in for a treat!

Like I always say.. very easy and quick to prepare and perfect as a side or main course!

There are two parts to this dish – 1> filling and 2>fresh marinara sauce

Shucking the zucchini is lots of fun! If using medium sized zucchini then you can part them in middle and then divide them in half, lengthwise. If using smaller zucchinis then just divide them lengthwise. After this zucchinis are hollowed-out and stuffed with the prepared filling and topped with Marinara sauce. All the elements here are raw so it all comes together in no time! Bake them and they are ready to be gobbled!

Eat as many as you want as they are pretty light and low-cal! 😉Skinny Zucchini Boats1Skinny Zucchini Boats2

Skinny Zucchini Boats3Skinny Zucchini Boats4

Skinny Zucchini Boats

Yields: 8 zucchini boats | Serves: 2 for lunch/dinner and 4 as side-dish

Ingredients:

Marinara Sauce:

  • 4-5 tomatoes, blanched, skin peeled and chopped
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
  • 1 large bay leaf
  • 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste

Skinny Zucchini Boats:

  • 2 medium zucchinis, halved and cut lengthwise
  • 100 gm cottage cheese, grated
  • 1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, diced
  • 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

For Marinara sauce: 

  • In a small pot, heat olive oil over medium heat and saute garlic. Be careful not to burn.
  • Add tomatoes, bay leaf, chili flakes, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir and reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
  • Remove the bay leaf and mash tomatoes nicely. Remove from heat and stir in parsley.

For Skinny Zucchini Boats:

  • Preheat oven to 200 C/400 F. After cutting zucchini in half lengthwise, use a spoon or melon baller to scoop out flesh, leaving 1/4″ thick. Discard the flesh or use it in your next veggie recipe.
  • In a small bowl, mix together cottage cheese, red bell pepper, parsley, chilli flakes, salt and pepper.
  • Place scooped out side up on the baking sheet and season it with salt and pepper. With spoon, fill each hollowed-out zucchini with about 2 Tbsp of cottage cheese stuffing and press firmly. Top it generously with marinara sauce.
  • Bake for 25 minutes or till zucchini is cooked through. Serve hot!

*Cheese-lovers don’t be disappointed! ~ Top zucchini boats with mix of grated Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese before baking. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or till cheese melts completely.
*Basil-lovers can replace parsley with basil leaves, both in filling and Marinara sauce.

 

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Jul
2013

Vanilla Buttermilk Eggless Sponge Cake

categories: Baking, Breakfast, Cake, Cakes, Summer

Vanilla Buttermilk Eggless Sponge-2

After the last post of SugarPlum Cinnamon Buttermilk Cake, many people wanted an eggless sponge cake. I knew I had to bake one immediately… hence this post.

This recipe is from my initial baking days… very simple and easy to make even for beginners… so naturally it never got posted on the blog. Not bragging but I thought it to be too simple to be posted here. But trust me, it is every bit delicious! This is my go-to recipe while baking for non egg-eaters and it has turned out perfect every single time so it is tried, tested and tasted recipe in a true sense!

Use this as your basic cake recipe and add any other ingredients you like to it. Cinnamon, chocolate, lemon… anything! Sky is truly a limit. Use any other fruit you like or even better, make it tropical (pineapple and coconut, anyone?) style! Getting ideas?! ?

This eggless sponge is moist, has tight crumb and relatively flat top which makes it perfect for a multi-layer cake for birthdays or for any other occasion. In past, I have successfully doubled and tripled this eggless sponge recipe to make a 2 or 3-layer celebratory cake. For frosting ideas and recipes, read the recipe notes at the end of this post.

Vanilla Buttermilk Eggless Sponge Cake-1

Previously I have always used fresh strawberries for this eggless sponge as seen in the picture above. This time I had Kiwi fruit on hand so I decided it was time for a change. I am not a fan of baked Kiwi fruit so I refrained from adding fruit pieces to the batter which I sometimes do with strawberries but if you have no such qualms then go ahead.

It is perfect for eating any time of the day!

Yup, even for breakfast!

It has yogurt and fruit! Totally acceptable, right?! 😉

Kiwi Buttermilk Cake - Eggless1

 

Recipe adapted from here

Print Recipe
 Vanilla Buttermilk Sponge Cake ~ Eggless
Course Breakfast, Cake, Desserts
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings
slices
Ingredients
Topping
Course Breakfast, Cake, Desserts
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings
slices
Ingredients
Topping
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Spray a 6 or 8-inch baking dish with vegetable oil and line the bottom with parchment paper.
  2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl, cream together butter, oil and sugar with electric mixer or hand whisk. Whisk in vanilla extract.
  4. Using rubber spatula, gently stir in dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 2-parts alternating with yogurt/buttermilk, ending with dry ingredients. Do not over-mix the batter.
  5. Spoon the batter in a baking dish and smooth out the surface with the back of spoon. Top with Kiwi/strawberry slices and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes or till the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Recipe Notes

*Stays fresh for 3-4 days if refrigerated in an airtight container.
*Want to add fruit within the cake batter instead on top? Mix together about 1/2 generous cup of chopped fruit and 1 Tbsp flour, fold into the cake batter.
*You may double/triple/quadruple the recipe to make layers for a multi-layered cake. Use vanilla bean buttercream, fresh strawberry cream cheese frosting, lemon cream cheese frosting or coconut buttercream frosting recipe to decorate.

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