Chocolate Caramel cupcakes

Chocolate is an all time favorite flavor.  Having made caramel sauce earlier, I regretted each day to let it sit idle.  That's when I came up with these Chocolate cupcakes.  These are so soft and moist that they literally melt in your mouth, even when had straight from the refrigerator. These are eggless as well.

CHOCOLATE + CREAM + CARAMEL = HEAVEN!

Need I say more <3  <3

Ingredients required

For chocolate cupcakes
Dry ingredients

• 1/2 cup All purpose flour
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt

Wet ingredients

• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tbsp curd
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

others

• 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder
• 1/4 cup of hot boiling water

Topping

• Dairy whipped cream
• Salted caramel sauce

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180-degree celsius.  Take your wet and dry ingredients in two separate bowls.  Sieve dry ingredients once and give them a good stir.

Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and add in our wet ingredients.  

Whisk them gently to combine.  In a separate bowl or cup, mix hot water with coffee.  Add this hot coffee to our batter and whisk them vigorously for a minute.  

And our batter is ready!  I poured them on 11 small cupcake liners

Bake them for fifteen minutes.

TA-DA our cupcakes are ready, let them cool completely for about an hour. 

Meanwhile, I attached my nozzle to Icing bag and filled them with cream using the  spatula.

Giving them a gentle squeeze, I got a beautiful swirl on the top of each cupcake.  Note that the cupcake should not be warm if it was cream will melt right away and won't hold its shape.

After swirling, melt few teaspoons of salted caramel and using a spoon, gently drizzle on the top of iced cupcakes.  

Enjoy!

Happy Baking <3  <3

Choco cashew cookies

Hi friends, this is yet another cookie, found in any corner shop Bakery.  I instantly liked the combo of flavour this cookie had to offer. The bitter taste of Cocoa powder combines well with  the sweet crunch of cashews.  We had a big pack of cashews lying on the refrigerator from our Goa visit.  So, fully recharged I tried this yummy cookie, they came out perfectly well.

Yet another special feature is that these cookies are made from whole wheat flour. I have used Aashirvaad aata.  So, this can be guilt-free cookies for both kids and adults.  Do try and let us know.

Triple Chocolate Cookies

 These Triple Chocolate cookies are an awesome treat to kids and adults.  Make them for a special occasion and be sure to earn yourself praiseworthy remarks.  They are not made with creaming method, though, whole eggs are blended with sugar till they turn pale and fluffy.  To this, our melted chocolate is folded with goodness of chopped milk chocolate and dark compound chips.

These cookies are thin crispy delight and melts away easily with an bitter after taste of Dark chocolate.  And yes since these have dark chocolate, make sure to keep an eye on them during baking, because they get burnt very easily.  My entire batch got muched away within days ;)  Serve these with an cup of milk and they are great to go.   Do try and let us know.  

White chocolate cups with beet cream

   We are always in for chocolate treats.  My freezer will never be out of chocolate/compounds.  This gives me an ample time, to experiment or to cook throughout the year.  Beets are always favoured with chocolates through cakes, and I wanted to bring out their partnership in yet another way.  Hence, these treats.

This dessert cups, have an amazing way of bringing out the creamy texture from beets.  An bite into this, I could bring out the beet flavour as well as delecious cream finishing on an sour note.  Even kids, who dislike beets, will give an special attention to these cups.  What better way to bring out the veggies, on the dessert table?   :)

Chocolate banana muffins

   Chocolate is our all-time-favourite  food.  Whether, that's an cake, or candy or ice-cream they are relished with glee.  So, this time when I found some unattended bananas lying on the table, I decided to make chocolate banana muffins.  Though, I am going to add banana, I drizzled them with syrup and chocolate vermicelli for an extra chocolate crunch :)

These muffins were soo delecious and surpassed my expectations.  Chocolate and bananas complemented each other very well.  That said, these muffins are going to be an regular menu at our home.  The muffins were very moist and every bite had its own history of melting moments :)  

They required lesser time to prepare, but I suggest you to use fully ripe bananas in this recipe, otherwise you will not be getting this moist texture.  I took them for my neighbourhood potluck party and everybody enjoyed them.  Especially I got an greater credit from kids :)  

Choco cake bars

    Well, wondering what to do with left-over cake and frosting after an grand baking session?  Well, this might be the answer for all ;)  With an glossy chocolate finish, this choco cake bars, will excite anybody and create an new demand with the left-overs  :)

Yes, after the Rainbow ruffle cake, I had some left-over cake (remember? I had cut the dome part) and the frosting too.  Initially I freezed them both for later use.  Now, when I wanted to make an dessert out of them, all I could think was of some cake pops.

But, with presence of ice-cream sticks all over my place, I could end up with this choco cake bars, ie an cakey version of chocobar.  Initially, cake crumbs were mixed with frosting and shaped over the ice-cream sticks.  This was layered with whipped cream and another layer of hot dark chocolate.  Final touch of rainbow sprinklers were added to glam up.

 Each and every bite was like amazing, the moistened cake with soft cream and cracking chocolate had compensated each other very well.  My man was, like initially startled to find them, when he opened the refrigerator.  Later, I explained him, that it was glamed up cake balls, and he happily reached out to pick one.  :) 

Chunky chocolate cookies

    Chocolate cookies - who doesn't go gaga over them?  We end up buying some brand or the other once in an week, because we all devour them :)  So, such one week, both mother and daughter took up this project and made them with available ingredients.  Though they were mildly sweet, the aroma was excellant and filled up our home.

 Adding brown sugar instead of regular sugar charmed up the flavour and final touch of milk chocolate chunks/ finely chopped milk chocolate ended  up in rich, delecious cookie that became favourite of all :D

Chocolate rocks , an sweet come-back :)

Hi guys :)  Happy children's day :)  So, this sweet/dessert is for those tiny-tots.  You don't require any fancy tools for making these.  They are very simple and can be made by juniors themselves as well :)  So, why not make this interesting project for them?  Well, the best part of candy-making is that you can always monitor what goes in.  Here these chocolate rocks, are an combination of dark chocolate and almonds, making them healthier option not only for kids, but  for adults,as well.

These crispies can be served with tea.  I have made them using Morde branded dark compound, (I bought them  at Q-mart, Hyderabad) which is used in making  home-made chocolates. If not dark compound, you can use your favourite dark or milk chocolates as well.  And almonds can be replaced by an mixture of dry nuts or any of your favourite.  You can store them in air-tight container, and keep them refrigerated. 

Sage & lemon chocolate shots

    Hyderabad is sensing an chilly climate of late.  And, due to ramzan fasting, one could find lots of mirchi bhajji & samosa stalls in evening.  I tasted few and they were awesome :) an real treat with respect to weather, isn't it?  Yet, chilly treats need not be savoury everytime, afterall, what are hot chocolate drinks for?   :)

And this time, hot chocolate shots,  is infused with sage and lemon rind for an additional herbal treat.  Sage added the pungent-ness and stood as an bittersome company with dark chocolate.  Lemon rind, beautifully attributed to flavour, and I must say that this holy combination left me completely speechless.

It is quite an surprise, as my daughter loved it, I was taken back, because though these shots were rich & creamy , their nil-sweet component would make her to resist them.  Fortunately, she liked the bitterness and rich chocolate flavour and gulped down the shots.  :)  Personally, I feel that this is an better way to introduce herbal content in her diet.  So, guys ready for shots?  :)

Chocolate macaroons

Macaroons are lightly baked confectionery.  Remember the ones, we used to avail at Adayar Bakery, Chennai?  Similar to them, yet imagine them with an hint of  chocolate....... Imagining sooo, replace the crunchy cashew pieces with chocolate vermicelli, wonderful them, aren't they?   Any kid would drool over these and by the time, my kid opened her snack-box, everything was gone.... :)  :)  Next time, I am planning to bake an huge batch of these.....

 These macaroons are made from egg whites, which are stiffly beaten and folded with sugar and required essence.  Then, these are piped with foil/ parchment paper lined tray and baked for 100 degree celsius, for about an 80 minutes.  This baking at an slower temperature helps macaroons in gaining an crusty top with crunchy body.  You can skip few minutes, if you wish to have an gooey centre (Like marshmallows).  These macaroons, are best made at summer as humidity or an rainy day would introduce moisture into them, and would make them soggy....

I made them using an single egg white, (as my oven had moderate capacity).  Remember stiffly beaten egg whites cannot be stored and piped again, these macaroons must be baked as soon as they are done with batter.  Exact trick lies in obtaining stiff peaks, also folding other ingredients into stiffly peaked egg whites.  And, after done they can be stored in air-tight container for almost an week.  This hot temperature was easing the macaroons, don't miss them out for an perfect climate.  :)

Chocolate conecakes - My anniversary treat

    First I saw them on an random google image search, I was stunned.  These cute conecakes were simply amazing to look, and would definitely be an 'hit' dessert for any occasion.  I decided that I will bake my own version someday.  And when that 'someday' turned out for my anniversary, I was completely excited.

I had baked these few weeks back, for my daughters's summer camp party.  At first, my other half mocked me, by saying, 'Can you do those, all by yourself?'  This, itself was like, enough to trigger the 'baking' fire on me.  But, unfortunately he was right and I flopped first time.  But, second time, I tried keeping in mind, all my flaws, I got them perfect.  Don't worry guys, I will share all my flaws with you, so that you need not suffer any, 'first loss'  as I did.  Just keep yourself hooked till the end of the post for all kind of tricks and tips.

These conecakes, usually are baked from short-bottomed cones.  But, here I have used normal cones, we can see at every ice-cream parlour.  The batter I have filled is chocolate sponge cake, with whipped white chocolate ganache and an dark chocolate ball, to top with.  Overall, these triple chocolate conecakes, were an delight to watch, delecious to eat, everything I have imagined them to be....

Chocolate babka muffins

Chocolate babka muffins are yeast-raised muffins, that have an delecious chocolate filling, topped by streusel (an mixture of butter-flour-sugar, topped over bread in order to get an 'crumbly' effect)

 The word, 'Babka' is derived from word, 'baba' also known as grandmother in Polish (from Poland).  The original derivative of this sweet yeast-raised bread were known to be stout and round, hence the name.  Lateron, these were twisted and baked on loaf pan with an filling of cinnamon flavoured chocolate.  Slowly, this muffins originated from traditional loafs.   Instead of baking them as loafs and slicing them,  an effective method of slicing the dough (before baking) and transferring into individual muffin trays was done.

The rich taste of flaky, buttery dough combined with delecious chocolate filling, did win many hearts back at home. To my surprise, my not-so-chocolate-lover hubby, loved them totally.  I couldn't have asked for more :)  All thanks to Tamy and Swathi Iyer for this wonderful challenge.  

BOUNTY BAR/ COCONUT BAR - (Without chocolate mould)

  Ever since I have started my blog, many requested me to post some chocolate recipes.  Am sooo sorry that I was not able to post this earlier :(  Very idea for posting this bar struck me, when I was searching for some offline content.  Yes, they were for CCC Challenge.  It was then, that I stumbled upon my chocolate recipes notebook.  I used to treasure them a lot, because saving them from Varsha's clutches is really, really an hard deal :)  And yes, like all you wished, I am planning to pen down more and more of chocolates :)

Bounty chocolates are regular chocolates stuffed with moist coconut filling.  Every bite is heavenly as we can relish the goodness of both chocolate and coconut.  These are sure to delight all-ages.  Shama liked them a lot and Varsha is also growing fond of them.  You can surprise the kids or allot them for party.  New Year is also approaching, by the way, why dont you guys give them a try?

Chocolate scones

   Scones are regarded as quick tea-bread that are made with baking powder as its leavening agent, unlike using yeast.  Slightly sweet, they are occasionally glazed.  This 'CHOCOLATE SCONES' is adapted from the book '100 Best Delecious Chocolate'  I must say that these scones were easy and quickly made.

Chocolate scones were crisp and nicely browned over the top, these were soft and layered inside.   I enjoyed them with tea.  Slightly sweet with bits of chocolate chunks in each bite, these scones were an treat indeed!  

Chocolate modak - Potluck party, cyber style September 28

   As the name goes by, this can also form one of your kid's favourite snack.  The special filling (Made by adding cocoa powder & choco chips to coconut-jaggery combo) is what makes the chocolate modak even more droolicious and with each bite, we can feel the chocolate flavour oscillating around our head!! :) :)  This modak is tooo tempting for a single try!!!!

I had to make this modak because of this month's pairing in potluck party, guest-hosted by nivedham's food blog and owned by Jagruti mam.  This chocolate modak is from Poornima's blog.  She has an excellant blog with delecious dishes, do go through her blog for the original version of chocolate modak.

Butterfly choco cupcakes - Celebration time

    One evening my hubby told me the news of his promotion... he was double-promoted to Chief manager!  I was sooo happy and though I assumed myself on an casual form, I decided to make something special for him the other day.  My hubby likes to have all sorts of desserts, he is an cupcake-aholic guy.  I still remember the day i made five to six muffins and he ate all of it (without even giving to varsha!!)

The next moment, all I could think was chocolate, of course celebration means chocolate!!!  And in one such book, I have already mentioned as '100 Best delecious chocolate' I read about this cupcake.  Though this cup-cake required icing to be made, I went ahead and made them.  Fortunately, shame luved these cupcakes, he called them most delecious ones, he ever had!!

Nutty drizzles

    Not long before, I just had an quick time-passing walk inside an supermarket.  This book  ' 100 best delecious chocolate' really got my attention.  When I went through it, it had an awesome collections of desserts, cookies, milk-shakes, cake, pie, fudge, cupcakes  all with chocolates as its main ingredients.  One instant I felt that this entire book was designed FOR ME :) :) With stunning photographies and unique recipes, I had an firm grip on this book and purchased it too!!  (though it was tottally out of my budget!)

After I read the content of the book, my heart wished to try all 100's. Everything was lukng soo great and to add woos, i have been becoming bake-aholic these days!!  Thanks for Baking parnters community to help me develop these skills and special mention to hubby who eats whatver end product just meant to be :) :) But still I went with cookies option because they are the  most safest terms  in baking.  Just knead them as ur usual roti dough with an buttery touch and bake them.... ta da..... no egg separation !!  no whisking of egg whites!! and other complex forms.  But this nutty drizzle was soo unique that it needed lots of other nuts, wheatbran, sultanas, plain chocolates etc.  So, with a little twist to the ingredients mentioned I carried on with the preparation.

Chocolate eclairs - Baking partners challenge

Baking partners is a group for new bakers, they enhance the baking skills by alloting monthly challenges, mailing all suggested recipes, tips etc This month's challenge was Chocolate eclairs.  

Thanks to Baking partners for suggesting the same as honestly speaking the topic was quite new to me, but after coming across the recipes and few videos, I understood that chocolate eclairs is a french pastry filled with choco-custard cream (and also any fruit custard cream) and topped  with choco glaze.  The very difference of this to other pastry form is that the basic dough is first cooked in stove first, mixed with flour, then added to beaten eggs to obtain a glazy form.   I followed the pastry recipe by www.joyofbaking.com

Silky butterscotch milk-shake

         My second dish for J odyssey's potluck party .  I made this today and everybody enjoyed it.  My daughter varsha, liked it and carved for more.  So, let us move to recipe.

Ingredients required

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate (broken into small pieces)
• 1/2 tsp butterscotch essence
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp crushed nuts
• Few drops of water, to caramelise
• 2 scoops of vanilla icecream, to garnish (optional)

Crunchy choclate rolls

This instant rolls can be prepared in a jiffy.  Serve this for ur kid with a glass of milk. They will luv it like anything!!!

Ingredients required

For the rolls/batter

• Cornflour-1/4 cup
• Maida-1/2 cup
• Powdered sugar-  2 tsp
• Baking powder -1/2 tsp
• Vanilla essence- 1 tsp 
• Pinch of salt
• Water, as required

For the filing

• 4-5 Marie biscuits crushed/powdered
• 1 cup dark/white choclate grated finely
• Roasted almond slices- 2 tsp