Classic Fudge Brownie

As Christmas and New Year’s draw close, everybody must be busy baking cakes and cookies… I too have baked my first batch of Christmas Fruit Cake… To ring in the festive cheer I thought of sharing this decadent Classic Fudge Brownie, a perfect Christmas gift if you don’t want to make fruit cake and cookies… These are quick and easy to put together; yet immensely rich and satisfying; I am sure people will definitely love this little bite of chocolate heaven! Always use the best quality dark chocolate and cocoa powder for making brownies. The original recipe uses pecan nuts, since I didn't have pecans I used a mix of cashew nuts and almonds… You can reduce or completely omit nuts in this recipe if you so desire… do try this heavenly little bits this holiday season and enjoy it as is or serve warm with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce!  

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Gingerbread Doughnut Muffins

Holidays are around the corner I am sure everybody is looking for an easy yet different recipe to try out. I found this irresistible breakfast treat at Annie’s Eats and after reading the recipe, I found myself in the kitchen baking these! The spices that go into this muffin, the cinnamon-sugar topping and of course the name all inspired me to try it immediately :)... These are soft and tender and with the right amount of mixed spices, it is a real treat on a lazy holiday morning to share with family and friends over a cup of coffee or hot chocolate... the best thing about this recipe is you can prepare and serve in less than one hour....You can even bake them in a doughnut pan too..... Try these muffins during this festive season.... 

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Kerala Style Potato Stew / Urulakizhangu Stew

Potato Stew is a very easy and simple dish of Kerala that goes well with Appam, Poori, Chapathi, Puttu, Idiyappam,  or even with plain bread.... I have posted another Vegetable Stew earlier with strong and spicy flavors with darker hues due to the masalas used in it, whereas this one has a more subtle flavor.... Here is how we make Potato stew in our homes.... 

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Homemade Mint Wine Recipe

Christmas is around the corner and many of you may have already started your Christmaspreparations..... I know some of you have already made wines and soaked fruits for your cake as I have been getting several emails with doubts regarding the same.... I am trying my best to reply to all of you.... But I have a small request.... please read the recipe thoroughly as most of your queries are already answered in my recipe. For e.g. I have clearly mentioned in every recipe how many days you have to stir the wine and how many days to keep the wine.... so please don’t send me questions that are already answered.... Also do check the post “Tips for making Homemade Wines” as this will help tremendously.... Thanks for understanding :)....If in case you are looking for a nice Christmas Cake recipe here is the link....

I made this Mint wine last April. It’s a really sweet dessert wine with a subtle mint taste....  Even though you can consume it after 30 days, the wine looks little cloudy. I got this very clear wine after keeping it for almost 6 months. So I suggest you allow this wine to age for approximately 6 months after which you will get a mild mint flavored clear wine.

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Two-Tier Birthday Cake with Marshmallow Fondant ~ My first fondant attempt on a two tier cake

I made this cake on my birthday last week. Every year, at Christmas, I used to make homemade fondant and decorate a small fruit cake… but I had never tried fondant on a regular sponge cake… so  to experiment fondant on a two tier cake I made this on my birthday… Bottom layer of the cake was a Vanilla Buttermilk cake and top layer was a Dark chocolate Cake and I layered and lightly crumb coated the cake with Buttercream Frosting and then covered and decorated the cakes with homemade Marshmallow Fondant… I really enjoyed making this cake :) …. 

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Orange Cardamom Bundt Cake

I love simple citrus cakes and I enjoy making bundt cakes:).... It’s amazing to see the beautifully baked bundt cake in front of us when we remove the cake from the pan..... My heart always beats faster when I try to remove the cake from the bundt always apprehensive of whether the cake will retain its beautiful shape or not ;)..... Now a days I am obsessed with collecting bundt pans along with props; so if anyone is planning to give me a gift, hope you got some ideas right?? ;).... Jokes apart, this is a fabulous cake with the orange and cardamom flavor and the citrus glaze drizzled on top of the warm cake makes it a delicious treat!

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Spicy Barbecue Sauce Recipe

I always keep a bottle of barbecue sauce in my kitchen and I add a little when I make chicken for pizza topping or in sandwiches or while grilling chicken, fish etc.  I used to make homemade Tomato Sauce when tomatoes are in season … When I saw this Barbecue recipe in a burger book, I tried it and it came out really good. It is easy to make but a little time consuming and definitely healthier than the store bought ones as it does not contain any preservatives … Here is how I made Spicy Barbecue Sauce…

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Pastel de Tres Leches – Three-Milk Cake ~ Daring Baker’ September 2013 Challenge

Pastel de Tres Leches or Three milk cake was on my do list for quite some time and I even bought all the ingredients once too… But somehow I was never able to make it …. When this month’s Daring Bakers’ challenge was announced I did not want to miss the opportunity to make this cake. I did not add fruits to the cake layers, just decorated the cake with some raspberries. If you want you can add fruits like peaches, mangoes, berries or cherries. I really enjoyed this month’s challenge and will definitely make this cake again!

This recipe slightly adapted from an interview given by one of Mexico's best Pastry Chefs; Paulina Abascal to the magazine Revista Secretos de la Pastelería Caserais it produces a super moist yet light Tres Leches.

Pastel de Tres Leches– Three-Milk Cake is a super moist, light, airy and super delicious sponge cake soaked in the three kinds of milk (evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream). Tres Leches is a very light cake (especially if made without butter), with many air bubbles in its crumb. This distinct texture is why it does not have a soggy consistency, despite being soaked in a mixture of three types of milk.

Inma was our Sept. 2013 Daring Bakers’ hostess and WOW did she bring us something decadent and delicious! Pastel de Tres Leches or Three Milk Cake, creamy yet airy, super moist but not soggy.. just plain delish!

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Tomato Jam Recipe

My mom was an expert in jam making and I have already posted her Mixed fruit jam and Banana jam recipe... But this Tomato Jam was something new I learned from my mother-in-law... she used to make it frequently and she passed her recipe to me... recently while flipping through my recipe collection I noticed this one and realized that I haven’t made it in years!.... It was my hubby’s favorite jam while he was a kid and he used to eat straight from the bottle and still does the same :D.... Try this tomato jam when tomatoes are in season but make sure not to overcook it.... if you cook more it will become very hard and sticky after cooling....  

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Ombre Rose Wedding Cake

Hi everybody.... I am back after a 2 month vacation..... Usually I used to schedule a few posts when I go on holidays but this time around I couldn't find time to do so and hence my blog was idle for the last 2 months! I have been away from my blog most of the time..... and could not respond to your comments or queries.... After returning I tried my best to reply to all of you and if I have missed any please let me know..... And thanks a lot to all my readers who have visited this space and to those who liked my FB page too.... 

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