# 26: Chocolate-Vanilla Layered Cake with Icing

My Masterpiece! :)

I was at "Tesco" a few days back, and was browsing through their baking section. Amazing variety of things they have. Be it moulds or even colors. I was so tempted to pick up all the colors..so i can work on my icing skills. But aah! mom and sis-in-law were around and lately..rather since some 20 odd years we have stopped using any kind of artificial colors in our food stuff.  So.. it was next to impossible for me to pick up all those colors.. Well, but i am an equally hard nut to crack! got my way with Pink & green and am so proud of myself! :D

Going to the recipe...I must tell you the Ingredients for this cake is same as that of the Marble cake. Just that, i worked my way out with getting the layers right and a li'l working on butter icing.

Ingredients & Procedure: http://telangs-grubhub.blogspot.com/2011/04/25-marble-chocolate-cake.html

The technique i adopted to layer is the simplest on the face of earth!
Bottom most layer : Vanilla
Middle: Chocolate
Top : Vanilla
Just that put a good thick layer of each batter.Take a needle and design your cake through...

 





The Icing:

Ingredients:

1. Butter - 30 gms
2. Icing sugar - 100 gms
3. Vanilla essence - 4 drops
4. Drak chocolate - 4 pcs
5. Ground Cashews - 1 Tbsp
6. Chocolate Oat Crunch Cookies - 6 pcs
7. Pink color - 1 drop
8. Green Color - 1 drop
9. Silver Balls
10. Cherries

Accessories:

Butter Paper or Packet
               OR
Icing Cone with nozzles

Procedure:
Beat the Butter before adding the icing sugar. Later add the icing sugar to the butter and beat it well. Add the essence. The icing mix has to be such that when you lift the icing, it should be firm and not be even the slightest bit limp!
Do the icing accordingly...

Step 1:

Step 2: Roast the ground cashew a bit and mix it with the ground chocolate oat cookies. Once the layer of icing is put around the sides, dab the cashew-cookies granules to the sides as displayed in the pic. Start upwards! Always helps.. :)

Step 3: Melt the chocolate, add some butter and icing sugar and prepare the chocolate icing for the sides. To put the icing on the sides you can either you the icing moulds & nozzles or create your own icing bag using a packet or butter paper. Just slit the tip of the packet a bit, giving it a shape with which you can determine the design you would like to place at the sides of the cake...I slit the packet such that the shape generated was a "W"

Step 4: The flowers and the leaves. Take a spoon of icing mix to each color. Put 1 drop each and without vigorously mixing, put the icing in respective cones. I used Butter paper to prepare the cones and for the leaves, did a side slit at the tip, while for the flowers cut the tip in a "S"
Step 5: Decorate with Silver Balls & a Cherry! :)

A close up of the piece! I didn't quiet imagine that i would be able to get the zig-zag when i was pouring in the batter..But then..it just worked out!

Have Fun!

# 25: Marble Chocolate Cake

Marble Cake... Something i am so totally fond of. Apart from the several others things i like and love.

I distinctly remember the color combinations my mother used to make when i was a kid.. sometimes there was pink & blue and sometimes it was just blue and its hues and shades. I was always so amazed at the creativity with which she created such master pieces and i still continue to be. Just one difference now. I somehow have an idea about it! :P

Well! after picking up the basic cake making technique.. its high time to start experimenting.

I was gifted a big slab of Lindt Dark chocolate the other day. I totally love dark chocolates! But with the never ending quest to get an inch closer to loosing the extra inches around the waist... Chocolate feasts are near  to extinction! And with my family being so hell bent about not using artificial colors.. What best than to get working on a dark chocolate-vanilla flavored marble cake!

Phew! :D Not like i am exhausted already! ;)

After my last attempt on butter cake, and 95% of my family being completely diabetic and dealing with cholesterol! I had to do some minor changes..so here we go..

Ingredients:

1. Eggs - 4
2. All purpose flour - 250 gms (maida)
3. Sugar - 200 gms
4. Butter - 200 gms
5. Baking Powder - 1 tsp
6. Lindt Dark Chocolate - 1/2 slab (32 pcs)
7. Vanilla essence - 8 drops
8. Lime -1

Procedure:

1. Leave the butter out to melt a bit. If its too firm the blade of the beater will get ruined.
2. Grind the sugar and keep aside.
3. Sieve the Maida and baking powder together.
4. Separate the egg whites and yokes.
5. Now take the egg white and beat it. Add some ground sugar at regular intervals until it is firm. Such that you can try tossing it over and it would still not fall out or leave any liquid out. Keep aside. Now beat up the yokes in a separate bowl. Squeeze some lime juice into it. And beat well. Keep aside.
6. Now, beat up the butter a li'l before you add the sugar to it. Add the remaining sugar to the butter and beat well. Always have one direction while beating up. Else its said the cake wont turn out well.. probably due to the air pockets that get created while mixing up. Anyways!
7. Add the beaten yoke mix to the butter and beat it well.
8. Now, using a spatula, you need to fold the batter as you add the maida and egg white mix. ( Here you might notice that the egg white is leaving a li'l liquid.. That's perfectly normal and fine...). Continue to add the maida & egg white at regular intervals.. Later add the vanilla essence and fold it as well. (In case the batter it too firm..add 2 tsp of Milk...and fold it together.) Keep aside.
9. Melt the chocolate and beat it a bit before you add 2 Tbsp of the Vanilla batter. Fold it with the chocolate and don't beat it up.
10. Grease the cake baking mould with butter and sprinkle maida and spread it around well. Now add some vanilla batter into the mould and also add in some chocolate batter in to it. Such that they are equal parts but not really put in any definite pattern or layer. Using a needle. Mix randomly as per the design you wish to see around... 
11. Bake for 45 mins at 180 degrees. Else in the absence of an oven, bake in a cooker for an hour! (I have been baking my cakes in a pressure cooker lately..and they are just as amazing as they are when baked in an Oven! )

What i did is..put a layer of Chocolate, and over it a layer of vanilla batter... took the needle and spread it around randomly.. This is exactly how it turned out to be when i sliced through! :)

Ummmmm... Yum Yum....

The close up! Just before i took a bite ! :D

Njoi!

(P.S: Recipe continues to the next cake- # 26 :Chocolate-Vanilla Layered cake with Butter icing. )

The Miracle Drink

Miracle Drink : Carrot, Beet Root and Apple

This MIRACLE DRINK has been circulating for a long time long ago. It is worth your while to take note. There is a celebrity Mr. Seto who swears by it. He wants to make it public to draw the attention of people who have cancers. This is a drink that can protect bad cells forming in your body or it will restrain its growth! Mr. Seto had lung cancer. He was recommended to take this drink by a famous Herbalist from China. He has taken this drink diligently for 3 months and now his health is restored, and he is ready to take a pleasure trip. Thanks to this drink! It does not hurt for you to try.

It is like a Miracle Drink! It is simple

You need one beet root, one carrot and one apple that combine together to make the JUICE !

Wash the above, cut with the skin on into pieces and put them into the juicer and immediately you drink the juice. You can add some lime or lemon for more refreshing taste.

This Miracle Drink will be effective for the following ailments:

1. Prevent cancer cells to develop. It will restrain cancer cells to grow.
2. Prevent liver, kidney, pancreas disease and it can cure ulcer as well.
3. Strengthen the lung, prevent heart attack and high blood pressure.
4. Strengthen the immune system
5. Good for the eyesight, eliminate red and tired eyes or dry eyes
6. Help to eliminate pain from physical training, muscle ache
7. Detoxify, assist bowel movement, eliminate constipation. Therefore it will make skin healthy & LOOK more radiant. It is God sent for acne problem.
8. Improve bad breath due to indigestion, throat infection,
9. Lessen menstrual pain
10. Assist Hay Fever Sufferer from Hay Fever attack.

There is absolutely no side effect. Highly nutritious and easily absorbs! Very effective if you need to loose weight. You will notice your immune system will be improved after 2 week routine. Please make sure to drink immediately from the juicer for best effect.

WHEN TO DRINK IT:   DRINK IT FIRST THING IN THE MORNING WITH THE EMPTY STOMACH! AFTER ONE HOUR YOU CAN EAT BREAKFAST. FOR FAST RESULTS DRINK 2 TIMES A DAY, IN THE MORNING AND BEFORE 5 P.M.

(P.S: A mail recieved and circulated since a long time...)