Ridiculously Easy Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

I have recently discovered a love for cupcakes. OK, that's not quite right, I've always loved cupcakes, but I've recently discovered how much I love making them! They are just so darn pretty! There's a strange sort of calming pleasure I get when I make them, and especially frost them! I know it sounds a bit crazy, but there it is... And the best part is that they are so easy to make! You can whip up a batch in about an hour from start to finish, & then top them with whatever frosting you want. And although they are so easy to make, they can really wow your guests because if you take a little care they can look really sophisticated.

It's because of this that I've been experimenting with cupcake recipes in the attempt of finding go-to recipes that are simple, uncomplicated and made from ingredients that aren't too difficult to find. I found a really nice vanilla cupcake recipe the other day on Live Love Pasta and I tried it over Diwali when we had a few friends over for dessert. Filled them with homemade lemon curd and topped them with vanilla butter cream frosting. They were a hit with the friends.

After that success I thought I really needed an easy recipe for everyone's favorite- Chocolate cupcakes. And after a few unsuccessful attempts, I came up with one that is easy, quick and most importantly, YUMMY!

Aren't they pretty? I topped them with chocolate sprinkles

In fact the batter itself was so good that I had to resist the urge to eat it straight out of the bowl (wasn't too successful, ended up eating a few spoonfuls).  

The cupcake itself was light, fluffy, moist and had a great chocolate flavor. 

The icing, which was a bit of an experiment using some left over butter cream icing, was light, silky smooth, velvety and delicious. Trust me, it was so good, I literally licked the  bowl clean :) What I loved about it was that it's not clawing and sweet, and even though its rich, it still tastes light. It's also not too heavy on the chocolate, so kids will love it too! 

I will try the frosting again from scratch and update this post so that you can make it from scratch if you don't have some butter cream frosting in the fridge.

So now that I have my chocolate & vanilla go-to cupcake recipe, I'm looking forward to some interesting experiments with frosting combinations... will keep you updated :)

Chocolate Cupcakes  (makes 12 with a bit leftover which you can eat out of the bowl)

1/4 cup un-sweetened cocoa 

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

1/2 cup sugar

60g cup butter

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp honey

Frosting

1/3 cup + 1 tbsp cream

1/2 cup dark chocolate (chopped up into bits- smaller the better)

1/3 cup of some old left over vanilla butter cream frosting (softened)

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Boil the water and stir in the cocoa until a smooth mixture forms. Allow to cool. Sift flour, salt and baking powder together. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat for about 2 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla and honey, and alternately add the flour and cocoa mixture, starting and ending with the flour.

Pour into a lined muffin tin, about 3/4 way up and bake for about 20 minutes. Check them after about 15 minutes and keep an eye on them so that they don't dry out or burn. NOTHING worse than DRY cupcakes! They are ready when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 

For the frosting, heat 1/3 cup cream in a pan till it just comes to boil. Remove from heat and add the chocolate. Stir constantly till the chocolate melts and you get a completely smooth mixture. Place in refrigerator till just cool. In a bowl, whisk the butter cream frosting till it is creamy and soft. Add the tablespoon of cream and continue to whisk. slowly add the chocolate mixture, all the while continuing to whisk. Fill mixture in a piping back and pipe onto cooled cupcakes. 

[All images- Shalini Pereira]

Spiced Pumpkin Ice Cream

A couple of weekends ago I went down to our grocery store and saw some beautiful fresh pumpkin. It was lovely and plump and its ocher-orange color was so eye-catching. Pumpkin is one of my favorite veggies, so I couldn't resist buying a whole lot of it. 

I love pumpkin in just about any form- soups, salads, grilled with some garlic, salt and olive oil... the list goes on and on. But this time I thought... 'lets try something new...' And I decided on pumpkin ice cream. Something I have never tried. 

After some internet research I worked out a recipe and was quite happy with the results.

If you would like to try it out... here's the recipe

Pumpkin Puree

1 heaped cup of  chopped pumpkin

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 tsp pepper

Custard

2 egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

2 tbsp golden syrup

1/4 tsp almond essence 

2 tsp corn flour

1/3 cup condensed milk

200 ml cream

200 ml whole milk

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp clove

1/2" piece of ginger (slightly crushed) or 1/2 tsp of ginger powder

In a bowl mix the pumpkin cubes with a drizzle of olive oil and salt salt. Warp the cubes in foil and bake in an oven preheated to 150 degrees Celsius till the pumpkin is soft and has started to brown very slightly. Remove from oven and cool. When the pumpkin is cool, puree in a blender with olive oil  and pepper until it forms a paste. 

In a bowl, beat the eggs yolks with the sugar until light and creamy. Add the golden syrup, almond essence and corn flour and beat once again. 

In a pan, heat the cream, milk and condensed milk with the ginger, cinnamon, clove until it is about to boil. Slowly add half of the hot milk mixture to the egg yolk mixture while constantly beating the mixture. Then pour this mixture into the remaining milk mixture and heat on a low flame until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Allow to cool to room temperature. Strain the mixture.

Combine the pumpkin puree with the custard and cool over night in the refrigerator. Churn cold custard in an ice cream maker as per manufacturer's instructions.

[Images- Shalini Pereira]

Earl Grey Tea Ice Cream

Earl Grey Tea Ice Cream with Poppy Seeds

I finally got myself an ice cream maker, and to celebrate I decided to make some ice cream for the family. Made this last weekend and was surprised at how nicely it turned out. So I thought I'd do a post on it since its Friday- the weekend is almost upon us and you may want to try it out :)

I'm always on the look out for new and interesting ice cream ideas and came across quite a few Earl Grey tea ice cream recipes. Now, I have to confess that I'm not crazy about Earl Grey tea... it reminds me too much of scented soap. But, for some reason I thought that in ice cream form the bergamot flavor would be much more subtle and mellow, so I thought to myself, what the heck, right?

And I have to say I was very pleased with the results. The ice cream was rich and creamy, and the flavor beautifully subtle. The hubby was very impressed and this ice cream is now ranked number two on his list, just behind my lemon ice cream.

So if you are looking for an interesting recipe that will keep people guessing, this is definitely worth the try.

Here's what you need...

200 ml whipping cream 

1 cup whole milk

1/3 cup condensed milk

4 tea bags Twinings Earl Grey tea

2 egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

1 tbsp golden syrup

1 tsp corn starch

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp poppy seeds (optional)

Here's what you do...

Heat the milk, cream and condensed milk in a heavy bottom pan. Don't allow it to come to the boil. Add the tea bags to this. Cover and allow to steep for about 15-20 mins. Remove the tea bags, squeezing out all the liquid that you can. Re heat.

While the milk mixture is heating, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until the sugar is almost dissolved and the mixture lightens in color. Then add in the golden syrup, corn starch and vanilla extract. 

Slowly add half the warm milk mixture to the egg mixture. Make sure to beat the mixture while adding the milk.

Empty this into the remaining milk mixture and heat while stirring continuously until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. This is the custard and once its ready, remove from heat and allow to cool. Once at room temperature, keep in refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. 

Churn chilled custard in ice cream maker as per manufacturer's instructions. I add the salt and the poppy seeds right at the end. Once its ready, I place the ice cream in the freezer to harden for another few hours. Serve it up and watch it disappear! 

Happy weekend everyone!

[Image - Shalini Pereira]

In Search of the Perfect Brownie....

Before you read this post, I should warn you that its quite a long one, and I apologize in advance, but I guess this is a topic that I'm really passionate about. Chocolate brownies!

I love chocolate. In any form. It always amazes me how a tiny square of this dark brown, bittersweet deliciousness can instantly make the world a happier place! And when in comes in the shape of a gooey, fudgy brownie, well, you really can't ask for too much more, can you? However, I have to say that I am one of those people who DO NOT like cakey brownies. Nothing irritates me more than ordering a brownie at a restaurant or cafe and getting a piece of 'chocolate walnut cake' cut into a square! 

So now that you all know on which side of the fence I rest when it comes to the cakey versus the fudgy brownie, let me share with you my little brownie saga. Lately I've been trying out quite a few brownie recipes, but not really finding one that ticks off all the boxes on my checklist.

1. Crispy, wafer-like top

2. Gooey, rich center

3. Easy to make. There are a lot of recipes that call for a ridiculous number of eggs, or the use of melted chocolate, which let's admit, is a bit of a pain. Because in brownies, I think cocoa works just as well, and I can't be bothered to chop up bits of chocolate and melt it each time I want to whip up a batch of brownies.

Anyway, this Saturday was a nice slow day and when an old school chum who is working on a project in Mathura (a town a few hours away) told us he was dropping in for the weekend, I decided to use him as a guinea pig. He has a real sweet tooth and has been asking me to make him a batch of brownies for a while now. Perfect opportunity to do some more trials!

I have finally managed to work out a recipe which is inspired by the one on the Epicurious website. However I did make a few changes to this recipe. I used salted butter instead of unsalted, because I thing the extra salt worked quite well. I also added a little milk, because I found the melting of the butter with the cocoa and sugar a bit difficult without it. I also replaced the walnuts with roasted almonds because I didn't have walnuts at home. That was a mistake. I really wasn't too happy with how this worked out.

On the whole, I was quite happy with the overall taste, but I was still a little disappointed with the the top crust that is such an integral part of any good brownie. However after a little research  on how to achieve that perfect crust, I discovered that the crispy top of a brownie is actually a layer of meringue! It forms by beating the mixture very well after the eggs are added, but before adding the flour. I'll definitely remember this the next time I make brownies! Another change I'll make is to use powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar. Hopefully this will improve the look of the crust that forms.

All the obsessive experimenting aside, I love it when the things you make disappear quite quickly. And these brownies did. I guess that's another one of my 'Monica' traits. 

So, if you're like me, and you love brownies the way I do, all gooey and rich, then here's the recipe....

3/4 cup butter

2 tbsp milk

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cold eggs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2/3 cup walnuts

And here's what you do...

Add the butter, sugar, cocoa and milk to a microwave proof bowl and heat it on high a minute at a time, till the mixture is smooth and runny. Allow to cool.

When the mixture is only slightly warm, add the eggs, one at a time, while continuously beating with an electric beater. Beat vigorously for about a minute or two.

Pour into a greased and lined brownie tray and bake in a preheated oven at 160 degrees Celsius for about 25-30 minutes. To check, insert a toothpick into the center of the brownie. It should come out with a few crumbs still sticking to it.

Here is the result...

[Image- Shalini Pereira]

I am going to try this recipe out again this weekend. This time I will use powdered sugar, and also follow the tip about beating the eggs. Will update you with the results...

No Fuss Eggless Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Some weekends you just can't be bothered to go out. This Saturday was one of those days. After sleeping in, we decided to laze around at home and do, well... pretty much nothing.  It was a hot, hot day and both the hubby and I were pretty worn out from quite a stressful week. 

The heat made me start thinking of how perfect some homemade ice cream would be. To be quite honest, I've been craving some homemade ice cream for quite some time now and summer is when I get into ice cream making mode. Last summer I experimented with several different combinations using a basic vanilla custard base. Some of the better ones were lemon ice cream, which is the hubby's favorite, followed by Margarita flavor, caramel and then beetroot. 

I had stumbled upon a peanut butter ice cream recipe on Epicurious. It was a rather no fuss recipe that didn't even involve the making of a custard base. And there were no eggs involved either! So I didn't need any convincing at all to try it out. The minute I saw no custard was involved, I was sold. No one wants to slave in front of a stove in this heat :) 

The entire process of actually making it took no longer than 10 minutes. After that I only had to whip it up a few times during the freezing process, which takes about 4-5 hours. (If you have an ice cream maker, you can just throw the mixture in and leave it for 20-30 mins, after which you could freeze it for an hour or two.) I made the ice cream mixture at about 11 in the morning and it was done in time for dinner. 

Here's what you need...

The original recipe calls for a cup of cream, but I used a cup of hung curd that was not too sour. I think its a healthier option and it didn't alter the flavor noticeably.

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar from which I removed 1 tablespoon of sugar and replaced it with 1 tablespoon of corn syrup.

pinch of salt

tsp vanilla essence

1 vanilla bean

2 cups half and half

1 cup hung curd (yogurt)

Here's what to do...

With a handheld mixer, cream the butter, sugar, corn syrup, vanilla seeds, vanilla extract and salt on a low speed. Then add 1 cup of half and half and continue to mix on a low speed till the mixture has a runny batter-like consistency. Next, add the remaining half and half and curd and mix by hand and not the mixer. 

If you have an ice cream maker, then churn the mixture for about 30 minutes. Then place in the freezer for about an hour to firm up. If you don't have an ice cream maker, then place the mixture in the freezer. When it begins to solidify take it out and whip to stop any ice crystals from forming. Repeat this every hour. You will need to do this 3 times.

I wanted to add a little dark chocolate ripple to the ice cream. If you want to do this, then melt some chocolate in a pan with about 2 tablespoons of milk. The sauce should be quite thick and not runny. Let this cool to room temperature. When the ice cream is almost frozen solid, slowly add the sauce and use a knife to make a slight ripple. Transfer to a metal container and freeze for another 30 minutes to an hour.

Here is the result...

[Image - Shalini Pereira]

The ice cream was quite creamy and really delicious on its own as well as with the chocolate ripple. The next time I try this, I may add a broken up snickers bar instead of the chocolate ripple. I think the crunch of the peanuts with the chocolate would be quite nice with the creamy texture of the ice cream. Maybe next weekend. 

Panna Cotta with Strawberries

I have a confession to make. I don’t think I could survive without my sweet treats. All my friends know that I’m the kinda girl who would happily skip a main course, just so I can binge on dessert. And anything chocolate is what I usually go for. The hubby also knows this, and chocolate is what is usually offered as a peace offering after tiffs. There is always a bar of chocolate lying around and if I’m all out, I make do with a glass of hot cocoa. But as temperatures rise and summer sets in, I’m not really craving those rich, chocolate based desserts that I usually can’t resist.

For me summer means cool treats and that usually means ice creams! But I’ve been a bit pressed for time lately and so ice cream just feels like too much effort (I don’t have an ice cream maker, so I have to do things the hard way). So, come summer, I'm always on the lookout for easy, no fuss desserts that are light and, for lack of a better word, summery.

It was during one of these searches that I found this recipe for panna cotta with berries, on David Lebovitz’s blog, and decided to give it a try, because it just looked so delicious! In spite of this though, I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive because, a while back, I had made a coconut milk panna cotta and was just not a fan. I found it just too heavy and rich. But I’m so glad that I decided to try this recipe out because the result was fantastic- a light dessert that wasn’t overly rich but quite delicious. The tartness of the berries cuts the richness of the panna cotta and that is what makes this dessert so refreshing.

The recipe calls for 2 cups of cream, and instead, you could use a cup of cream and a cup of milk. But you don’t have dessert everyday so why not treat yourself and go with all cream. I’ve have tried both options and the cream one is much better.

Here’s what you need...

2 cups cream

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean

2 1/4 tsp gelatine

3 tbsp hot (but not boiling) water

Fresh strawberries that have been macerated (softened by adding sugar so the juice of the fruit comes out)

or

good quality strawberry or black current preserve that has been heated with a little orange juice to form a syrup. I can’t stress good quality berry preserve enough, because, if the jam is overly sweet the entire dessert will taste too sweet.

And here's how its done...

Grease 4 bowls or cups with neutral tasting oil.

In a heavy bottomed saucepan combine cream or cream and milk with sugar. If using a vanilla bean, split the bean, scrape out the seeds and add them as well as the whole vanilla bean skin to the pan. Heat mixture just till it begins to boil. Remove from heat and cover so the vanilla has time to infuse. If using the extract, then add the extract at this point.

I deviated from the David Lebovitz recipe here. In another pan, heat 3 tbsp of water till it is hot but not boiling. Sprinkle the gelatine on the water and whisk till it has completely dissolved. 

Add the warm cream mixture to the gelatine and stir till both are completely combined. (Remember to strain! The mixture should be smooth. Don’t worry about the tiny vanilla seeds that pass through, they are fine.)

Pour into serving molds and chill for a minimum of 2 hours. I chilled mine for 4 hours just to be safe. (Remember to strain! The mixture should be smooth. Don’t worry about the tiny vanilla seeds that pass through, they are fine.)

After the panna cottas have set , run a sharp knife around the edges of the molds and loosen from the sides. Turn out onto a serving plate. Just before serving, add the macerated strawberries or syrup and enjoy!

Here are the results...

And if by chance the panna cottas don't set or you're worried about unmolding them, they can always be served like this!

Next time I make these I'm going to try using white chocolate- just be make it a little bit more fancy.

[All Images- Shalini Pereira]

Easter Sunday Lunch with Friends

This Easter we didn't go home to my folks place in Baroda. Instead we decided to stay put in Gurgaon and have our very own Easter celebration with an Easter lunch at PVC 1.

I like nothing more than to have friends over for a meal. It gives me an excuse to cook up a storm in the kitchen and try out new things. I decided on an uncomplicated menu which was predominantly vegetarian, since both my husband and sister-in- law, as well as one of our guests are vegetarian. There was a spicy bean salad, tandoori mushrooms and aloo, a mixed vegetable curry, rajma, pulao and, in keeping with tradition, a Goan chicken curry my mum would have been proud of. 

We kicked things off with a pitcher of citrus-vodka cocktail which was a combination of cilantro and mint leaves, vodka, lemon juice, white wine, mint flavored syrup, club soda and a lot of ice. A great boozy drink for a warm afternoon, and one that seemed to get everyone in a very happy mood. 

Lunch went down well, with things being polished off-the hubby complained that he could not move and our friend, Anuj, in true Joey style, wished for a pair of pregnancy pants because dessert was still to come! And it was everyone's favorite- Pavlova.

I have made Pavlova loads of times when we have friends over- its a favorite and it is the perfect dessert for a summer lunch. Its light and deceptively sinful- I say deceptively because its not heavy and rich, so you think you can eat just that little bit more! 

Many friends have been asking me for ages to post the recipe on the blog so here goes- My Summer Pavlova...

First the ingredients....

The Base
6 egg whites
pinch of salt
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp cornflour
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

I prefer to make the base a day ahead. I find the pavlova turns out much better that way.

The Topping
300 ml cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 mango (cubed)
cup strawberries (sliced)
2 kiwis chopped

This recipe is really easy and not too fussy, but there is one very very important rule that you absolutely have to follow, no matter how lazy you might be. And that is make sure everything that touches the egg whites, from the beater blades to the mixing bowl, is absolutely clean and dry.

Preheat your oven to 120°C.

Line a baking tray with a baking sheet. I have an OTG, so I also add a few sheets of newspaper below the baking sheet to make sure that the base of the pavlova doesn't burn (I do this from past horrors of having the perfect pavlova with a disgustingly burnt base).

Using an electric beater (unless you like to do things the hard way and have really really strong muscles), beat egg whites till they form stiff peaks. Add a pinch of salt and beat while slowly adding the 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time and then finally the cornflour. Keep beating until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture has a glossy sheen. Then add the white vinegar and vanilla extract and mix well with a spatula or with an electric beater on a slow speed for 30 seconds.

Tip the egg mixture onto the lined tray. Flatten out slightly, making a circle of about 9"-10" with a slight well in the center. Place in oven. 

Now most recipes ask you to reduce the temperature to 100°C after about 5 minutes. But since I have an OTG, and from experience, I reduce the temperature to about 80-90 and bake for about 20 minutes and them I further lower the temperature to 70°C and bake till the crust has a pale pinkish brown color or a pale egg shell color. 

Once done, turn off the oven and let the pavlova base cool in the oven for a few hours. The crust will crisp up as the base cools, while the inside will be fluffy like a marshmallow. Once the base in completely cool, place in an airtight container and store in the fridge.

A few hours before you plan to serve the pavlova (I keep a minimum 5-6 hour margin so the cream has a chance to soak into the base slightly) whip the cream with vanilla and sugar till very soft peaks form. Pour the cream mixture onto the pavlova base and decorate with the fruit. Cool in fridge until you're ready to serve.

p.s

From the image, you will see that we were quite shameless and added much more cream than meant to. The amount mentioned in the recipe is the right amount. But it was Easter so what can I say :)

Easy Apple Crumble

The warm, sweet, gooey softness of baked apples topped with the crunchy, crumbly, almost savory topping is perfectly paired with a steaming cup of tea. This is why I love baking apple crumbles. What better way is there to enjoy a cold, lazy Sunday afternoon than to have the smell of cinnamon and apples wafting out of the oven, enveloping your home in a warm, comforting feeling.

The great thing about crumbles are that they are easy to make and even easier to polish off. It is just what you need to cope with the thought that the weekend is coming to an end.

Here is an easy recipe for an apple crumble which I have taken from Nigella Lawson’s website and modified slightly.

Ingredients

5 apples

1 tsp cinnamon powder

4 oz plain flour

½ tsp baking powder

¼ cup finely chopped almonds

5 tbsp castor sugar (If the granules are large then coarsely powder them in a food processor)

4 oz cold butter (chopped or cubed)

Tsp lemon juice

Tsp of flour (for apple mixture)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Peel and core apples. Roughly chop them up into chunks. Place them in a bowl and add a tsp of flour, 2 tbsp of sugar, half the quantity of cinnamon and the lemon juice and toss together so that the apples are evenly coated.

For the topping mixture, sift the flour and baking powder in a bowl. To this add the remaining cinnamon, almonds, remaining sugar and mix well. To this mixture add the chopped butter and mix with fork till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Take special care that the butter is very cold. If the butter is warm the mixture will turn into dough.

Butter an oven proof bowl or container and lightly dust with flour. Place the apples in this bowl and add the topping mixture over this. Before baking, lower oven to 150 degrees Celsius and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes.

For a nice golden brown crumble, place the crumble under a grill for a few minutes. But be really careful to check after a minute or two as it will brown really quickly.

Serve warm with ice-cream or vanilla custard.

Quick and Easy Apple Cake

Apples are one of my favourite fruits, and this time of the year they are great in pies, crumbles and cakes. Today I experimented with an apple cake recipe that I came up with and I’m really excited because it turned out quite well. This is a really easy and quick recipe, perfect to warm you up on a cold winter night. And the best part is you don’t even need an oven!

Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients

4 tbsp flour

½ tsp baking powder

3 tbsp powdered sugar

2 tbsp ground almonds

½ tsp cinnamon

1 egg

3 tbsp milk

4 tbsp melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 apple sliced finely (3mm thk)

For Topping

1 tsp ground almonds

1 heaped tsp sugar

½ tsp cinnamon powder

Preparation

For the topping grind almonds and sugar till fine and then mix in the cinnamon powder. Set aside.

For the cake, melt butter and milk in sauce pan over a low flame. Add juice of half a lemon and rind of full lemon (small) to this. Whisk and set aside to cool.  When mixture has cooled, add egg and vanilla and whisk. Shift flour and baking powder and combine with remaining dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the liquid mixture of butter, milk and egg to the dry ingredients and whisk until it becomes a smooth batter.  Pour batter into a microwave proof dish (the bowl should be about 7” to 9” in diameter and approximately 5” to 6” deep). Layer the apple slices over the batter such that one slice overlaps the other. Sprinkle topping evenly over the apples and cook in microwave, high heat, for 3 minutes. Poke cake with a knife and if it comes out clean, it is ready.  If knife comes out sticky, heat for an additional 30 seconds to a minute.

Serve with whipped cream, vanilla ice-cream or warm custard.

(Image courtesy Shalini Pereira)

Chocolate for the Soul

I love chocolate! It truly is comfort food for the soul. Chocolate in any form- a bar of chocolate, a silky smooth chocolate mousse or a rich chocolate cake- they all work for me. There is nothing better to soothe frayed nerves or to cheer you up when you’re feeling blue.

A while back my mum gave me a 3 minute chocolate cake recipe and I was intrigued, especially since it was made in a microwave. When I tried it however, it was a bit of a disaster! Undeterred by this minor setback, I decided to tweak a few things, and a couple of tries later I came up with what I like to call ‘Magic 3 min Chocolate Pudding’.

This recipe is perfect to serve as a dessert if a few friends come over unexpectedly, or simply if you’re in the mood for a quick chocolate treat, I mean you don’t need an excuse when it comes to chocolate!

Since this pudding is served warm, it is especially good with winter setting in. What could possibly be better on a cold night than the delicious, gooey warmth of this pudding?

So here it is… my ‘Magic 3 min Chocolate Pudding’.

For the Cake

4 tbsp flour (maida)

½  tsp baking powder

3 heaped tbsp powdered sugar

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 egg

3 tbsp milk

4 tbsp melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp coke

For Sauce

1/3 cup dark chocolate cut

1 tsp honey

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp whiskey or rum

2 tbsp milk

For the sauce heat the chocolate, butter, honey, whiskey and milk in a microwave till the chocolate melts (about 2 mins). Stir till all ingredients are combined and set aside to cool.

For the cake combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. In a microwave proof bowl combine milk and butter and heat in the microwave till butter melts. Set aside to cool. Add the egg and vanilla to the dry ingredients.  Slowly add melted butter mixture while simultaneously beating slowly. Once ingredients have combined beat mixture till smooth. Finally add coke and beat slowly till combined.

Pour the mixture into a microwave proof bowl. The bowl should be about 7” to 9” in diameter and approximately 5” to 6” deep. Pour sauce over the cake mixture and heat in microwave (high heat) for 3 minutes. Serve instantly and ENJOY!