Cake for a cause

Hii everyone ! As many of you may already know, Friendicoes – everyone’s go-to animal shelter needs help! They’re in huge debt and need donations to pay it or they’ll be forced to shut down!

I feel for animals, possibly the one cause I feel for most, which is why I really want to donate something to help them out! But because a) I’m unemployed and broke at the moment and b) want to be able to donate a sizeable amount, I need some help!

I’m going to be making chocolate cakes for sale, and if you or anyone you know loves chocolate cake, please call me and I will bake it fresh for you! The reason I’ve picked this particular cake is because it’s a classic and I can promise you, it’s delicious –I’ve made it a million times! In the end, when I’ve collected enough money, I’ll donate it all to Friendicoes on behalf of all of us!

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Here’s everything you need to know to be a part of it!

1. The cake – it’s a 2-layer chocolate cake, soft sponge with a very yummy classic chocolate icing.
2. The price of the cake is Rs. 1200
3. You need to order 2 days in advance
4. The entire amount except the cost for ingredients will be donated to Friendicoes
5. It's not an eggless cake
6. I don't have a bakery! Its a very simple home made cake but nonetheless its delicious!
7. The delivery service called My Butler has read my blog and tweets and have offered to home deliver, as their contribution - so that's super news!
8. When you get the cake, if you like it, please spread the word!

So if you like chocolate,

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Or if you like animals,

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or just want the karma points....  please order!

To order, call or text me at : 9811553880

or

Email me on : thedessertprojectinfo@gmail.com

Let’s hope we can make a difference!

xxxx

Best Chocolate Brownies

If there’s one thing I’m certain of, it’s chocolate. When in doubt, go the chocolate route, and chances are you wont go wrong. But speaking of going wrong, the first time I tried making brownies, they were a disaster. They were burnt to a crisp, they tasted like cardboard, had a biscuity texture and there was nothing ‘brown’ about them.

But now, some million attempts and several different recipes later, I think I’ve perfected them. I’ve made these brownies for friends at work, for my bosses, for cousins and relatives (including those who are not generous with praise) but every time, they’ve been a huge success.

They’re a little crispy on the outside, soft (almost gooey) on the inside, and they kind of melt in your mouth. They’re not super sweet, which I like, because I don’t like the ‘too-sweet’ kind that overpowers the chocolate flavour. Most importantly, they totally hit the spot on a chocolate-mood kind of day.  It could get messy making them but trust me when I say that it is so worth it.

Ingredients:

• 3/4th cup flour + 1 tsp baking powder + 1/2 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 175 gm dark cooking chocolate (70 – 85 per cent cocoa)
• A little less than one cup unsalted butter
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup sugar
• A jar of nutella

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.

1. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a large saucepan (do this first because it'll take a while to melt and then cool)
2. While this is happening, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt
3. In a large batter bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract
4. When the butter and chocolate have completely melted and cooled, pour it into the eggs mixture, beating while you pour and slowly add the flour – cocoa mixture.
5. Beat thoroughly until all components are combined well
6. Pour the batter into a medium-sized brownie tin (it’s best to line your tin with butter paper)
7. Bake at 180 degree celcius for about 30 minutes.
8. Let it cool, cut into squares and coat with a spoonful of Nutella. (optional)

And then eat!

I’ve also tried a couple of variations of this – you could replace the cocoa powder with a tablespoon of coffee powder or add a handful of butterscotch chips or walnuts, they’re all great, so experiment all you want!

May your kitchen smell intensely of chocolate and your hands drip of brownie batter. Happy baking!

Bon Appetite-ing

So this summer, in an attempt to escape the Delhi heat (and treat myself to a much needed holiday) I ended up in Europe (where it is okay to eat Pain Au Chocolat four times a day) Ofcourse, I spared no morsel of croissant, waffle and eclair, but the more interesting part was that besides eating, I also got to cook. In a small, quaint and very cute kitchen in Paris, I took a one-day cooking class, and after four weeks of travelling, I have concluded that it was by far, the highlight of my vacation. The Chefs were super energetic and stereotypically French and for a minute I felt like I was in one of Julia Child’s cooking classes, except with ipads for recipes and conversions – damn you technology!

We made (and this is the part where I ventured out of my comfort zone and tried cooking something savoury!)

Salmon & asparagus quiche

Tomato, basil and parmesan brulee

Cheese croissants!

And finally, for the desserts –

Rum Babas

Chocolate lava cake with toffee sauce

Strawberry and whipped cream on dough discs

I’m still waiting for the Chefs to send me the recipes, which I’ll post here, but they’re in French, so befriend google translate if you haven’t already because you’ll want to try these recipes out!

Au revoir !