Drop Scones

Breakfast is my problem area. I need to constantly break my head over what to cook for the most important meal of the day. And yes I need something that won't require too much time in the kitchen, in all that morning chaos of leaving the house for work. Something that doesn't involve soaking rice the previous day, or grind a batter early morning. I turn to my favourite breakfast book; Muffins and breads, digging for that fast, simple and easy to make recipe. And yes I find one; Drop scones. So, basically, drop scones are pancakes and are cooked over a frying pan. They can be served with jam, fruit, marmalade ( btw, I just tried making marmalade and it was a success. I'll post the recipe after a couple more trials to make sure its fool proof )
Bananas, strawberries, blueberry preserve, honey, butter, cheese, you choose what to serve it with. You can play around with this batter. A bit of nutmeg, dry fruits, cinnamon, ginger or mixed spice, can makes these pancakes more interesting. So as with all the recipes I share, this one is simple, easy , tried and tested.
This recipe makes about 15 pancakes. All you will need is


150 g flour
A pinch of soda bicarb
55 g powdered sugar
1 egg lightly beaten
185 ml milk, approx

The batter is so simple to make. All you got to do, is sift the dry ingredients first. Make a well in the center and stir in the egg and gradually enough milk to make a smooth , creamy batter that is of pouring consistency.

Heat a pan, grease it will some oil and add dessertspoons of batter, allowing it to spread a bit. When bubbles begin to appear, turn the scones and cook till they are lightly browned on the other side. Make sure you serve them warm. Some jam, or butter beside will be just great.
There. . Breakfast dilemma for one day gone!!!! Phew!!!!

One pot Chicken rice.

I love the idea of a one pot dish. Not only does it sound like a great concept, but it involves so much lesser effort.  Its like dumping all your ingredients in one pot and coming up with something utterly delicious.

I watched this recipe on Donna Hay’s show and found it super easy and simple. I tweaked the recipe a bit, with a couple of ingredients and the dish turned out great.

It took less than 25 mins to make, hardly any ingredients, and yet , I can't decribe the amazing aroma that was invading my kitchen while it was boiling away. I could barely wait fot it to finish cooking so that I could eat it.

There are only these few ingredients you’ll need

1 ½ cups basmati rice . ( The recipe asked for jasmine rice, and I didn’t have any. So. . )

3 cups water. ( Originally , 3 cups of chicken stock. I used a Maggie cube instead)

1 maggie cube

Chicken , cut into curry pieces .

4 cloves garlic , sliced

Ginger, sliced

1 tbsp green chilly sauce

Fresh basil leaves,

Spring onions for garnish.

 And then its so simple to make.

Put a large pot on the stove and add three cups water. As it comes to a boil, add the sliced ginger, garlic and the green chilly sauce. The recipe suggested 1 chopped green chilly, but I didn’t have any.  Somehow, my kitchen functions for months with any green chillies around. Add the chopped basil leaves. I added basil leaves, though it wasn’t in the recipe. I though it’d add a nice freshness to the dish. And yes it did.

Bring the dish to a boil and add the chicken. Let it cook  for about 5 to 7  mins. This initial cooking time for the chicken could differ depending on what pieces of chicken you use. I used legs and thighs. If you are using boneless chicken or chicken breasts, you can add the chicken after the rice, as it will require much lesser coking time. Add the rice, check salt, stir the rice once. Cover the dish, lower the flame , to the least you can and let it cook for 20 mins.

And voila, 20 mins later, your meal is ready. The water should've dried up by now, and if it hasn't, don't worry, thats a little extra soup. Make sure the rice is cooked though. Garnish with spring onions.  Again the  serving suggestion was soya sauce, I tried it, but I felt the dish didn't need it. It was beautiful on its own. Perfect weekday meal, so simple, fresh and super YUM.

 

Oven Baked Chicken

Time for an easy, no fuss, dinner recipe. This is a recipe I had on my Pinterest board , that I wanted to try almost as soon as I read it. Perfect for me, it turned out I had all the ingredients and of course I had to add my own to them. So oven baked chicken; sounds good, tastes even better. 

So lets get to it.

I didn’t really follow any exact measurements, I rarely do, except while baking cakes. So go by your taste. What do you want more of, spice, sweetness, ????

Clean and score the chicken. I used only leg and thighs for this dish. I guess you could use any part of the chicken. Preheat the oven to 225 C. I find it better to put the chicken into a very hot oven and then reduce the temperature and let it cook.

Make a marinade , mixing together brown sugar, tomato ketchup, chilly sauce, soya sauce, crushed cloves of garlic, chopped ginger, salt. Make sure you taste the marinade before adding salt, considering that soya sauce contains salt. Taste the marinade and add more of what you like. I didn’t want it too sweet with the ketchup and brown sugar, so I added a little more of chilly suace. Rub the marinade over the chicken and pour the rest into the dish. I didn’t have time to marinate the chicken and so I put it straight into the oven. Let it cook at 225 C for about 25 mins and then reduce the temperature to 150 C and cook for about 45 mins to 1 hr, till the chicken is cooked thoroughly. You will know the chicken is done, when you insert a knife into the pieces and clear juices flow out. And thats about it.  The chicken, was juicy and tender, sticky and sweet and I couldn't ask more

 What could be stopping you from trying this dish?

 Easy, simple and YUM!!!!!!!

Strawberry Cake.

 

Strawberries are in season and oh! How happy it makes me. It ‘s one of my favourite fruits when it comes to dessert. Just the sound of them makes a dessert seem lovely. Sadly, everything that apparently is of strawberry flavour tastes nothing close to the actual taste of strawberries. Strawberry  essence, custard, ice cream,  are all usually a let down.

So I can’t wait to go overboard with strawberries. Strawberry ice cream, strawberry cake, strawberry tart. . Endless. .  So I’ll start off with this strawberry cake, the recipe adapted from Falling Cloudberries by Tessa Kiros  Its a wonderful book, with so many lovely recipes. Im so thankful I have a copy of it,

This was, as a rule for me, easy to make, and I didn’t take any trouble to make the cake look pretty. Sort of left it to have it rustic look and of course, the strawberries were there to make the cake look good.

You will need:

For the cake

1 ¾ cups flour plus flour for dusting

¾ cups powdered sugar

3 tsps baking powder

170 gms butter , melted and cooled.

¾ cup warm milk

4 eggs, separated

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the filling and icing.

400 gms strawberries

1 tsp lemon juice

4 tbsps icing sugar

2 cups cream

¾ cup orange juice (optional)

 

Ok. So lets start with preheating the oven to 175 C and greasing a 8 inch cake pan. Dust it with flour and tap out the excess flour. 

Mix the flour, sugar, 1 tsp of the baking powder. Mix it around Add the melted butter and stir in the milk. Next to go in are the egg yolks, which I added one by one, followed by the vanilla icing.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites, with the rest of the baking powder and gently fold in the whites in the cake mixture. You start by stirring in a bit of the egg whites into the cake mixture and then folding in the rest of the egg whites.

Pour the batter into a cake pan and bake till the cake is done. The recipe said to bake for an hour, but I baked for about 40 mins, as the cake was well baked then.

I told you it was going to be easy now, didn't I?

 

To get on to the icing and the filling; clean the strawberries and slice them into half, or dice them if they are larger. Keep a few whole if you want to use to decorate the cake. Mix the strawberries with the lemon juice and 1 tbsp of the icing sugar.

Make sure the cream is chilled and whip it with 3 tbsp of the icing sugar, till it thickens and forms stiff peaks. You need to use cream with high fat content and also take care not to split the cream by over whipping it.

                                                                    ' Baked'

Let the cake cool completely before you slice it into half horizontally. Put the bottom half of the cake on a cake board or serving plate. Use a serrated knife to cut the cake.

 

 

 

Though it wasn’t in the recipe I sprinkled some orange juice on the cake  to keep it extra moist. Then, I spread a generous layer of the whipped cream and placed half of the cut strawberries on it.

 

 

One layer down, place the other layer on top and repeat the process, soak with juice, spread the cream and place the strawberries. Voila, the cake is ready!!!!!!

 
 

 
Now what do you think could be the perfect occasion for this cake? Valentine’s Day of course.  Bakers, non bakers, beginners, this is something everyone can try. How about ditching those cupcakes, chocolate cakes and chocloates you buy at the store and surprising your loved one with this strawberry cake. Seems like a good idea to me. . Let me know..........

Zebra Cake

Im back from the biggest break ever, from two really busy months and I couldn’t wait to get back to my baking and my blog. So let’s get back right away.

I thought i’d share this recipe for a Zebra cake I tried a while ago. It was simple to make and what really made me try this recipe is that I found it fun to make the little zebra circles.  J

 Silly me , I forgot to take a picture of the cake when it was cut. That would’ve shown pretty layers of chocolate and vanilla. Sigh. You’ll have to see it when you make this cake J

So lets gets started

Zebra Cake

Recipe source :http://www.browneyedbaker.com/    ( Such a fabulous website by the way. Take a look)

Ingredients :

 4 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup milk

1 cup oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8^th tsp almond extract

2 cups flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4^th tsp salt

2 ½ tbsp cocoa

Start by preheating the oven 175 C. Grease a 9 inch sound cake pan.

Sift the flour , salt and baking powder.

Its such an easy recipe . In a large bowl beat the eggs and sugar till it is light and creamy. Stir in the milk, oil ,the vanilla and almond extracts. Mix in the flour and fold it in till well combined.

Take out two cups of the batter and put it a medium bowl. Sift in the cocoa into the mixture. So now you have two  mixtures, one vanilla and the one with cocoa.

Time to pour the batter into the cake pans. First pour 3 tbsp of the vanilla batter and let it spread on its own. Then , gently put 3 tbsp of the cocoa batter and let it spread. It will spread out, pushing the white layer out.

 

Continue this way, alternating between the vanilla and cocoa batter till all is used up.

        

                                                    I love my stripes, says the Zebra.

        
 Bake for about 35- 40 mins, or till a toothpick comes out clean.

 I decorated the cake with some cream Icing, some choclate rings and voila,...... This cake came to be...

 

                                    A closer look at the chocolate rings I made. First try and was very happy with the result. I promise a tutorial for it sometime sooooooooon... 

 
 Till then Happy Baking!!!!!!!!!

Baps: Homemade Bread

Ever tried making bread at home? Ever tried and had a disaster. Bread that didn't rise, that didn't brown, that didn't look like bread or bread that a saw couldn't slice? Ok the saw could be an exaggeration. But I've had my share of the other kind of bread disasters. I had almost given up on the idea of homemade bread till I came across this recipe for baps in a recipe book I had. ''Muffins and Breads''. . Baps, the word was new to me and I turned to my best friend to know more; Google. Geez I sound like a geek. Anyhow, figured out that Baps are a kind of bread that usually contain some fat, like butter in this case, and have both sweet and non sweet versions. I made the non sweet version, figured the foodie on duty ( my husband) and I could have it for breakfast. I made them, saw them and I conquered. They were exceptionally soft, tasty when served with some melted butter and I figured in the end, they could pass off for burger buns. Imagine, what fun and sense of achievement if you make burger buns at home.
Here starts the adventure:

Ingredients:
 2 tsp dried yeast
1 tsp sugar
125ml warm water
125 ml warm milk
335 gm flour( maida) plus extra for dusting.
1 tsp salt
40 g butter


Method:
 Mix the sugar, yeast, water and milk and keep aside till the mixture turns frothy, about ten mins. Make sure you are using a good brand of yeast. If the mixture doesn't froth up in ten mins, it could mean the yeast you are using is old or gone bad. In that case, you'll have to abort the adventure. Also the sugar is not used for sweetness but to activate the yeast. So dont skip add the sugar. The water and milk should be warm, not too hot or cold.
In a large bowl, sift the flour and salt. Rub in the butter. Add the frothy yeast mixture and mix with a wooden spoon to form a dough. Tip the dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 mins.

The dough should feel soft and a bit elastic. If its sticky, add a little flour. Let the dough rest in a well oiled bowl, till it doubles in size, or for about 45 mins. You'll need to let it rest in a warm place, covered, for the yeast to activate. Here's a little tip. Turn on your oven for about 5 mins. Turn if off and place the bowl in the oven. The heat will help the dough rise.

Rise to the occasion !!!

 

 

 

 

Divide and Conquer

 

When the dough has doubled in size, knead it again and divide into 6 equal portions or more, if you want smallers buns.  Shape into a ball and place them 2 inches apart on a floured baking tray. Let them stand again for about 10 mins, the dough will rise, again. Though this wasn't in the recipe, I also added few sesame seeds on top of the buns. You can also try some dried herbs if you want to.
They'll need to go into a hot oven, so as they rise, preheat your oven to 225C. When they have risen dust the buns with a little flour and indent centres with your finger. Don't know the reason behind that, guessing they need to look that way. You can skip it if you wish. Bake them in your pre heated oven for about 20 mins.

You will know they are done, when they turn a little brown and you can try the age old method, ' tap the bottom of the bread, if it sounds hollow it is done'
 Serve them warm with a little dot of butter on top.


I have to urge you to make these.  This was the most simple recipe for bread that I tried and conquered with such ease. Amatuer, beginner and even if you've never tried baking before, try this and you will not be dissappointed. I know baking bread sounds intimidating but then would I lead you astray?


 

Swiss Roll

I've had a great fear of making a swiss roll, for the longest time. So read umpteen recipes of it, watched videos of it being made and told myself I can make one, but somehow never went on to make one, until one day I saw Rachael Allen make it. She's got a way of making things look really simple and it works. I finally decided to try it out and guess what...... it turned out great for a first attempt. In fact Im more than willing to make it over and over again. I think its a really simple, fail proof recipe. There is nothing to fear, its simple and it makes a great cake, if you can call it one. I used raspberry jam for the filling. How I wish there were some fresh strawberries around. Would've been perfect. You can try it out with different fruits I guess, Blueberries, strawberries, mangoes. Whatever is in season.

It took harldly any time to make this one and just a few ingredients and some butter and icing sugar in hand to make sure, everything went smootlhy while doing the rock and ROLL. .

 

 

 

Here is what you'll need

125 gms icing sugar plus extra for dusting

125 gms flour plus extra for dusting

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla essence

2 tbsp warm water

 

and for the filling,

Fresh cream

Icing sugar as needed

Raspberry jam or any fruit you'd like

 

Line a sheet tray with baking paper and dust the sides with some butter and flour. If you don't have a sheet tray use the widest baking pan you have, rectangular or square for sure. .

 

Preheat your over to 190 C. Yes its 190 and not the usual 180. . I checked.

Whisk the eggs with the icing sugar till pale, for about 5 mins on high speed, using an electric beater. Its going to look like this when its done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looks a bit like whipped cream doesn't it.

Add the vanilla essence and the warm water and whisk again for a minute. Time to say bye to the beater and hello to the spatula. Here comes the great art of folding in the flour, which is really important to keep the cake light and fluffly I'm guessing.  Fold in the flour till just incorporated and pour into the baking tray. Bake in a preheated oven for about 15 mins.

 

You can check it  the cake is done  with the age old toothpick comes out clean method, and also you'll see the cake begins to leave the sides of the pan. .

 

 

 

While that cake is baking in your oven, quickly whip the cream and sugar. Remember not to make the cream extra sweet beacuse you're going to add jam to the roll. . When the cream is ready , toss it into the fridge and wait for the cake to be done.

 

 

When the cake is done, turn it onto a sheet of butter paper that has been liberally dusted with icing sugar. This will ensure the cake doesn't stick to it, and will help you roll the cake smoothly. Let the cake cool a bit.  I took my dog for a walk while I let the cake cool. A watched kettle seldom boils... Youve heard that haven't you. Its true, especially in the world of baking, where patience is a much needed virtue. 

Anyways when the cake has cooled, spread out a layer of cream on the cake, followed by a layer of the jam. I kept the jam out for a while and stirred it around, so it would be easier to spread on the cream. Put a very thin layer of the cream. Putting too much will cause it all to spill out, ask me, I know. . Make sure the roll less than an inch , otherwise it would be difficult to roll. If the cake is above an inch, cut into half using a serrated knife. I did that, so it left me with two rolls. . YAY!!!

 

 

Using the  butter paper thats below the cake, roll the cake, it'll stick into a roll, because of the filling.

and there you have it, a great swiss roll. . . Here's a link that can help. Its a different recipe, but see how he rolls the cake.

 

So are you willing to try it out. . I think you should. You'll be proud of how well you'll pull it off. I sure was. . .