Frosting a cake with whipped Cream and Mango rose

   

 Let us see how to frost a cake in rosette pattern. let us also see how to make a rose pattern with mango slices. Mango rose will add a Beautiful and grand look to your cake.

Click on the below link for video tutorial:
https://youtu.be/IIURRxXgaoY

Click on the below link for Cake recipe:

https://youtu.be/zVBQXSD5-cE

Click on the below link for whipped cream frosting recipe:

https://dezire4everything.blogspot.com/2019/05/whipped-cream-frosting.html

Frosting the cake:

Layering:

1. If you want layers in the cake, cut the cake horizontally. 

2. If you prefer a moist cake, it is always better to brush the cake with sugar syrup. Sugar syrup can be formed by heating equal amounts of sugar and water with your favourite essence (For Ex: 1/4 cup Sugar, 1/4 cup Water, 1/2 Tsp Vanilla essence). Need not attain any string consistency. Just dissolving the sugar is enough.

3.  Brush the sugar syrup in the bottom layer and apply some frosting on top of it.

4. If you desire to add a filling in between the cakes, top the frosting with the filling. In this cake, I have added finely chopped mango pieces.

5. Now keep the Top layer of cake on it. Again brush some syrup on it. Apply some frosting on the top and on the sides of the cake. 

Crumb Coating:

        Crumb coating is the first level of coating applied on the cake. This layer is done to seal the crumbs of the cake. If you have planned to frost designs on the cake, simple crumb coating is enough as the crumb coat will be hidden by the rosette frosting. That is, you need not smoothen the coating, nor sharpen the edges of the cake. Coating similar to below pic is enough

Piping out Roses:

        Rose Piping tips:

        Rose designs can be done with a lot of piping tips. Most famous among them are 2D, 1M, or generally Star decorating tips.

                                                          2D                                            1M

        How to Pipe rose:

          With a suitable rose piping tip inserted in a piping bag, pipe out the frosting in a round which forms a rose design. The below video will explain in better.

         Piping out rose on the cake:

          Pipe out roses in rounds. Add multiple rounds till you finish the height of the cake. Pipe out of the roses so closely so that the ends of the roses will not be seen out.

Mango Rose:

1. Slice the Mango sideways. Now cut the half slice into thin arcs.

2. Now start layering the slices from the outer round placed one after the other.
3. For the second row, do the same. But place the slice upon the two ends of the slices in the first row.

4. Complete layering the slices till the middle. Now a gorgeously looking Mango rose will be formed.

Notes:

1. Vanilla and Mango make the best combination. So if you are planning to make Mango rose, Use Vanilla essence in frosting and sugar syrup.

2. Avoid overly ripen Mango. Slices will mash up. Just ripen Mango would do fine.

3. It is better to keep the whipped cream frosting in fridge for 10-15 mins, before frosting in the cake.
4. If you desire, you can trim the crust/browned part of the cake before starting to frost

Whipped Cream frosting

                      Whipped cream frosting or Fresh cream frosting is a very simple frosting and tastes delicious. Frosting will be ready in less than 10 minutes. 

Ingredients:

1. Heavy whipping cream (Fat at least 35%) - 1cup

2. Condensed sugar/Icing sugar - 1/4 cup

3. Any flavouring essence - 1 tsp (For Ex: Vanilla Essence)

Recipe:

1. Keep the beaters & the bowl to be used in freezer for 10-15 minutes before starting. Also the whipping cream should be cold. This is very important to get a stiff frosting.

2. Start beating the whipping cream in high speed. After few minutes (3-4 mins) you will get soft peaks. That is, if you lift the beater from the frosting, the frosting will fold back. The peak will not stand straight.

3.  Add Condensed sugar and Essence. Continue beating in low speed. In another few minutes, stiff and thick frosting will be obtained. That is, when you lift the beaters from frosting, the frosting will not fold back. It will stand straight. That's it! Whipped cream frosting is ready. The below video will show the consistency of the whipped cream.

        This can be used to frost the Cakes/Cup cakes/Tarts/Pies or can be topped with Pancakes and Waffles along with syrup.

This a simple cake with rosette pattern done with whipped cream..

Stabilized Whipped Cream:

Stabilized whipped cream is even more stiffer. If you plan to use the cake outdoor or in warm/hot climate it is better to stabilize the cream. It can be used to make flowers and other decorations which demand stiffer frosting. This process is also very simple. The extra ingredients are

1. 1 tsp of gelatin

2. 4 tsp of water

In a bowl, add 4 tsp of water and sprinkle 1 tsp of gelatin. mix well and let it set for a minute. After that heat the bowl. Either in microwave for 5 to 10 seconds or in a stove top for few seconds. Don't heat it too much. Mix the gelatin mixture thoroughly. Allow this to cool. While the mixture is cooling, beat the whipped cream to soft peak. Add the gelatin mixture, condensed sugar, essence to the frosting. Now again beat the frosting till Stiff peak. 

Notes:

1. Be watchful while getting stiff peaks. If you miss the consistency of the whipped cream and over beat it, the fat in the whipped cream will start to separate and butter will be formed. 

2. You can also use Agar-agar instead of gelatin if you prefer Vegetarian version.
3. Usually the frosting will double up in volume. For Ex: If you take 1 cup of Whipping cream, you will get 2 cups of Frosting.
4. Two cups of frosting will be sufficient to frost a 7" cake without any layers
5. If the weather is warm/hot, it is always better to keep the bowl with whipping cream inside a bowl with Ice cubes.
6. Stabilized whipped cream stays stiff longer than the normal whipped cream. 

Basic Cake Recipe

                     

This recipe is based on an age old formula used for cakes from 1800s. Following this formula, you can easily remember the proportion of the ingredients used. This way, you need not refer a recipe each time you bake. I have also explained tips and tricks to be followed to bake a perfect cake.

The Age old formula which I mentioned is 1:2:3:4

1 stands for 1 cup Butter
2 stands for 2 cups Sugar
3 stands for 3 cups Flour
4 stands for 4 Eggs
                     
                       This is the base for all cake recipes. Every basic cake recipe you look for will be based on this proportion. There may be minor changes in the ingredients used, like one may use 2 3/4 cups of flour in place of 3 cups. This may be due to the fact that we all are using different ingredients and it may behave differently. Every baker would have ended up with their own formula right?!!! Other cake types like Eggless, Angel food cake etc will have different proportion and will post those recipes too in the future.
                      Along with the above main ingredients there are few other ingredients too. The are
1 cup Milk
1 Tbsp Baking powder
1 Tbsp Vanilla essence
1 pinch of salt
                     In this recipe, I have halved the above proportion which yielded a seven inch round cake. Let us get into the recipe

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup Butter

2. 1 cup Sugar

3. 1 1/2 cups of Cake Flour (Click this -> Cake Four)
4. 2 Eggs
5. 1/2 cup Milk
6. 1/2 Tbsp Baking powder
7. 1/2 Tbsp Vanilla essence
8. 1 pinch of salt

Recipe:

      One simple method to prepare batter is to mix dry ingredients separately and mix wet ingredients separately and mix both together. Well, there are also other ways to do so. Here I have explained the way I prepare.

1. Preheat the oven to 350℉. 

2. Line the bottom of a Seven inch round pan with parchment paper. Grease the sides with oil and sprinkle some flour on it.

3. Beat Egg, butter and Sugar well in high speed until light and fluffy. The volume will be increased a little and the colour will be pale.

4. Add Baking powder, salt and vanilla essence (any flavour of ur choice) to the mixture and beat well. Alternatively, baking powder and salt can be mixed with cake flour and shifted together few times. In that case, you can skip this step. 

5. Now, we have to include milk and flour to the mixture. This can be done by alternating flour and milk. Beat after each addition. Finish off with flour. This should be done in low speed.

6. Spread the batter in the pan and bake it for 45 to 50 minutes.

7. Doneness of the cake can be tested by inserting a bamboo skewer in the middle of the cake. Fine crumbs sticking to the skewer is the correct consistency.

8. Remove the pan from the oven and let it rest for 20 mins.

9. Run a knife along the walls of the pan, so that it helps the cake to get separated from the pan

10. Invert the pan in your hands and take the cake out of the pan. 

11. Let the cake to cool off completely. 

Notes:

1. Butter, Eggs and Milk should be in room temperature.

2. Using Cake flour is mandatory if you want a light and tender cake. Can be bought at stores or made at home. Cake Flour -> (1 cup minus 1 Tbsp) All purpose flour plus 1 Tbsp Corn flour shifted together multiple times

3. Sieving the cake flour 4 to 5 times is mandatory for a soft cake. Measure the flour again after shifting before using it in the recipe.

4. Beating the eggs, butter and sugar well to fluffy consistency is mandatory

The steps 3 & 4 makes sure that the unsaid ingredient "air" is incorporated well in the batter. Air helps to get soft and tender cakes. 

5. Using a Bake strip while baking will give evenly risen cakes. If you prefer to do frosting, you may need a flat top. In that case, You have to cut off the crown. So if you need flat top cakes, you can use bake strips. Bake strips can be easily made at home. Just cut pan length strips from a clean and thick kitchen towel. Wet the strips and squeeze out the water and wrap the strip around the pan and connect both ends of the strip with a safety pin. Don worry, Thick clothes and safety pin will not burn not melt. You can buy bake strips from shops as well.

6. Do not open the oven during the initial 20 to 25 minutes. It will interrupt the cake from rising.
7. Baking time will vary from oven to oven. So the baking time given in any recipe will be rough estimate. Check for the doneness of the cake 5 to 10 minutes ahead of the end time.
8. While checking, if the bamboo skewer comes out with liquid batter, you have to increase the bake time. If it comes out clean, then after taking out, the cake may get over baked because of the heat inside the cake. So for the perfect cake, the bamboo skewer inserted should come out with very fine cake crumbs sticked to it.

Following all the tips mentioned will yield a perfect cake!!!

Rock Candy

Who doesn't love rock candy?!!! It is so much fun to make rock candy at home. This recipe is actually a Science Experiment! It is super fun to watch crystals growing at home. Kids will love this project. But it requires lot of patience. It may take from 1 week to 2 weeks to completely grow. 

Ingredients:

1. Sugar - 4 cups

2. Water - 2 cups

3. Food Colour. 

4. Essence (I used Rose, Vanilla and Pineapple)

5. Glass containers 

6. Cloth-pins

7. Bamboo Skewers

Recipe:

1. In a sauce pan, add water and start heating it. Add sugar to the water, 1 cup at a time and keep on stirring. The sugar will mix completely and the solution will start to boil. Switch off the flame. Allow the solution to cool.
2. Take the glass containers and add food colour and Essence to the glass containers. For Example, add pineapple essence and yellow food colour in a glass. I used Yellow for pineapple flavour, pink for rose flavour and no colour for vanilla flavour.
3. Once the solution is cooled, pour it into the prepared glass jars. Mix the essence and flavour completely. Alternatively, you can also cool down the sugar solution in different containers having the essence and food colours.
4. Take the bamboo skewers and dip in the sugar solution and coat with the sugar. This is like a seed for the sugar crystals to grow. Allow the sugar coated skewers to dry.

5. Now place the bamboo skewer inside the glass jar such that it doesn't touch the bottom and sides of the container. This can be done by inserting the skewer in a cloth pin and placing the cloth pin horizontally on the rim of the container.

6. Do not disturb the set up. Enjoy watching the sugar crystals growing from the second day.

7. Remove the rock candy when it attains the desired size. Keep the rock candy in the kitchen tissue and allow it to dry. You are done with your crystal growth Experiment!!!!

Notes:

1. As we hav used 2 cups of water (approximately 500 ml), use a glass containers which can hold 100 ml each. That way, you will get 5 rock candies. All these measurements are approximate. Just for you to get a rough idea.

2. Try using a small (short) containers. I observed that rock candy grew well in the short containers better than in the bigger ones. Also that amount of sugar solution used will be less in the case of small containers. That way, you can avoid more wastage.

Mango Panna Cotta

Panna Cotta(Cooked cream)is an Italian desert. Cream is thickened using Gelatin/Agar-agar. It can be flavored with with Mango, strawberry, coffee or anything of your choice. Here in the recipe I have layered Mango and vanilla flavored cream. Let us get into the recipe.

Ingredients:

For Mango Layer:

1. 1 cup mango juice.

2. 2 cups of Mango puree.

3. 1/4 oz of unflavored gelatin/Agar-agar.

For Vanilla Layer:

1. 1 cup milk

2. 2 cups heavy cream.

3. 1/4 oz of unflavored gelatin/Agar-agar.

4. a pinch of salt.

5. 1/2 cup of sugar.

6. 2 tsp vanilla essence.

7. Glasses/transparent containers to set the panna cotta

1 US cup = 240ml.

Recipe:

Mango Layer:

                           Take mango juice in a microwave safe bowl and sprinkle gelatin/agar-agar on it. Mix it gently and allow it to set for 10 mins. After 10 mins heat the juice with gelatin/agar-agar for a minute. U can do the same in stove top by keeping the juice in a sauce pan. Now pour this juice in 2 cups of mango puree and mix well. You can use fresh mango puree or a store bought one. Place the glasses at an angle. I used a muffin pan.You can achieve this by using egg carton or as per your own idea. Pour the mango mixture till the edge of the container used. Place the complete set up in the fridge and allow it to set for 2 to 3 hours. 

Vanilla Layer:

                           Once the mango layer is set, we can start preparing the vanilla layer. Vanilla layer preparation is similar to that of the mango layer. Sprinkle gelatin/agar-agar in the milk and stir gently. Allow it to set for 10 mins. After 10 mins, heat the milk mixture with salt and sugar. Heat the mixture until everything is well combined. Now add this mixture and vanilla essence to the heavy cream and stir well. Pour the vanilla mixture to the containers with the mango layer and allow the containers to 

set in the fridge for another 2-3 hours.

                            You can add few mango pieces on top while serving. The same recipe can be followed for any fruit. For example, for strawberry layer, use strawberry juice and strawberry puree. Also you can use your own creativity in layering. The above ingredients will yield around 6 cups. The picture is for reference only. I doubled the ingredients and used small containers, as I prepared for a kids party. 

Nama ooru special -Tirunelveli Halwa

                                      

     

                                       It is basically wheat halwa. The whole cooking process is little laborious but it is definitely worth for the effort. Traditionally, milk is extracted by soaking wheat berries. But in this method, milk is extracted from wheat flour. The process consumes plenty of fat. Yes only the process, not the halwa. Nearly 60 to 70 percent of the fat used is collected at the end and it can be used in other foods.The colour of the halwa is achieved by adding caramel to the halwa and not by adding any food colour. Though the process is bit lengthy, it is not that difficult as it sounds...let us get into the recipe

Ingredients:

1. Wheat/Atta flour - 1 cup
2. Sugar - 2 to 2 and 1/2 cups + half cup (for caramel)
3. Ghee - 1 cup and a tablespoon (for frying cashews) and a tablespoon (for making caramel)
4. Oil - 1/4 cup (I used Mazola. U can use any refined oil)
5. Water - 5 cups + a little (to make dough)
6. Cashews - few

My 1 cup is 240 ml. The above measurement will yield around 1 kg of Halwa...

Prep work:

     1. Milk Extraction:

Firstly make a dough with 1 cup of atta flour as we do for chapati dough. Need not use any oil while making the dough. 

Add 5 cups of water to it and soak for 3 to 5 hours

After soaking, Mix the dough with the water so that the whole mixture turns milky. Filter the milk. U will end up with some residue. Just throw it off.

     2.Ghee +oil mixture:

Mix 1 cup of melted ghee and 1/4 cup oil in a bowl. U can also use ghee completely to prepare extra rich halwa by avoiding oil. Shops usually use ghee + oil mixture.

Recipe:

Youtube link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKTMHddxalE&t=202s

Now take a wide kadai, preferably non stick kadai and fry some cashews in ghee... add the extracted milk to the kadai on top of the fried cashews.

let it get cooked for a while.. The milk will get thicken and reach a porridge consistency..at this stage add the sugar..The amount of sugar varies from 2 to 2 and 1/2 cups .. That completely depend on how much sweet toothed  you are...

At this stage, start making caramel. Melt half cup of sugar in a tablespoon of ghee in a small bowl.. 

Initially there will not be any change. Slowly the sugar will start to caramelise. Wait till dark Amber colour and take off the caramel. This is a quite tricky part because if u miss this stage, the caramel will taste bitter which will spoil the taste of our halwa. 

Add the caramel to the halwa and be careful while doing so. Caramel tends to splatter.

Just keep on stirring the halwa by adding the ghee+oil mixture in-between.. 

Add 2 tablespoons of ghee at a time and stir the halwa until the halwa completely absorbs the ghee. 

Continue this process until the ghee oozes out. Halwa itself will let u know when to stop cooking. U can stop adding the ghee when the ghee start oozing out. 

Switch off the flame.. In few minutes most of the fat gets separated.. U can slowly remove the fat with the help of a spoon and use it later in other foods. Tada!!! Our Halwa is ready!!!