Hunger Lab

Sunday 27 September 2015

Black Forest Cake

Ingredients

1 cup castor sugar
200 gm butter
2 tablespoon vanilla essence
4 eggs
1-1/4 cup all purpose flour (maida)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 tablespoon chocolate syrup
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coffee
1 bar of dark chocolate
15-20 canned cherries
pinch of salt

Procedure

1. Take castor sugar and butter (softened) in a bowl.

2. Whip them at slow speed till the mixture is fluffy and sugar is dissolved completely.

3. Add vanilla essence and chocolate syrup to the mixture and whip it again.

4. Add eggs one at a time and whip the mixture till it is completely mixed.

5. Whip the eggs till the batter is light and fluffy.

6. Take cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl and mix well.

7. Sieve flour mixture into the batter. Do not add all of the flour at once. Add in small portions.

8. Use cut and fold technique to mix the flour in the batter.

9. Grease the cake tin with butter (use leftover butter paper for greasing) and dust it with flour.

10. Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree Celsius.

11. Add the batter to the tin and spread it evenly.

12. Place the tin in oven and bake the cake for 40 mins at 180 degree Celsius.

13. Use toothpick to check if cake is cooked or not. prick the cake with toothpick and if it comes out clean then our cake is ready.

14. Now cut the sides of the cake with a warm sharp knife.

15. Cut the cake into 3 even layers.

16. Prepare a mixture of cold water, sugar and teaspoon of coffee and sprinkle it over the three layer to make the cake moist and flavoured with coffee.

17. Spread whipped cream on top of the bottom most layer.

18. Cut small pieces of canned cherries and spread them over the creamy layer.

19. Place the second layer of cake.

20. Repeat the above steps for the third layer. Spread layer of whipped cream and cherries and cover it with the top layer.

21. Spread the whipped cream all over the cake.

22. Grate dark chocolate all over the cake.

23. Garnish with leftover cherries.

24. Black forest cake is ready :)

Sunday 5 July 2015

Chocolate Eclairs

Ingredients

1&1/4 cup water
120 gm butter
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 cup all purpose flour (maida)
10 tablespoon sugar
2 bars of dark chocolates
1/5 cup cream
600 ml of whipped cream

Procedure

1. For the Choux Pastry, take 1&1/4 cup of water, 100 gm diced butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 5 tablespoon sugar in a vessel with thick base and heat.

2. Heat the mixture till the water starts to boil.

3. Add 1 cup of all purpose flour (maida) to the mixture.

4. Stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon.

5. Stir it till the mixture doesn't stick to the walls of the vessels and turns into a ball.

6. Cool the dough to room temperature.

7. Add an egg and beat it into the dough.

8. Add eggs one at a time when first one is fully incorporated and absorbed into the dough.

9. Beat the eggs till the dough becomes smooth and glossy paste. To check, place small quantity between the fingers and see if it forms a string.

10. Dust the baking tray with butter and flour. Pre heat the oven at 220 degrees celcius.

11. Using a piping bag, place the small portions of mixture in the tray and shape them with wet fingers.

12. Bake for 30 mins. Take the Choux Pastry buns out, make a cut on the side with knife and bake for another 10 mins. Take out the pastries once cooked.