HOW TO: whip low fat cream to stiff peaks

I love frostings.....
And I love whipped cream frostings the most...
They are easy to whip up and taste divine. Though they are too delicate to stand up on their own for long at room temperature, I still love them....so what!! every good thing has a shelf life, right?!
Now what do you do, when all you have in the name of cream is a 25% light cream? Experts will cite its low fat content and dismiss it as non-whippable.....
No, don't throw that carton away....it can be whipped for frosting, believe me!!
Here's a pictorial:

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HOW TO: make Mascarpone cheese at home!!

Sometimes I wonder what would have happened had "Google" or "Pinterest" not been there? Yieeeps.....scary no?!! We wouldn't have had any new dishes (a.k.a. Pins) to drool upon....and would still be struggling with certain basics in cooking/ baking.....like this one: "Mascarpone cheese"...

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Peanut Butter Naan-khatai.....Eggless Peanut Butter Cookies

Hello friends! After an exceptionally long break from blogging, I'm back, with a treat for you all:
PEANUT BUTTER NAAN-KHATAI
Oh yes! you heard read me right dear....

P.E.A.N.U.T B.U.T.T.E.R N.A.A.N.K.H.A.T.A.I

Sounds different?! Yes!! And, believe me...it tastes so rustic and smooth, it's hard keeping your hands off!!

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MY VERY FIRST AWARD!!

Yay..!!! I've got my very first award....

The Awesome Blog Content award:

This award has been passed on to me by my close blogger friend Harini, a very sweet person whom I met after I started blogging....She blogs beautiful recipes on Cook Click n Devour and is very talented and helpful.....a real gem of a person!Do check out her tips section, it's really helpful!

Now, this award comes with a few rules:
a) Add the ABC Logo to your new blog post: Done!

b) Write one word/ phrase about yourself that begins with A,B,C etc.: Ummm, I'd say it is "Persistent"...

c) Nominate some blogs; leave a comment on those blogs to let them know: I nominate my blogger buddies:-

*Shanthi @ Iyengar Cuisine

*Vijayalakshmi @ Virunthu Unna Vaanga

*Saranya Balaji @ saraniskitchen

*Nilu A @ kitchenserenity

*Sharanya @ Sara's Tasty Buds

*Preeti @ jopreetskitchen


Happy Blogging to all of you dear friends!!
Tkcr,

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CHALLENGE #3: CHOCOLATE PINWHEEL AND ZEBRA COOKIES

For us "Home Bakers", the challenge for June'13 was suggested by Vijayalakshmi of Virunthu Unna Vanga (which means "Inviting for a feast"). After trying our hands on Pizza and cake, it was time for some Cookies! Viji gave us four different types of cookies to choose from, and being the chocolate lover that I am, I picked up Chocolate pinwheel cookies. I tweaked the dough a bit and turned them into Zebra Cookies, as well.....

Pinwheel cookies!

Zebra cookies!

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LIGHT AND MOIST DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE

This Sunday, I was taking stock of my posts uptil now.....and suddenly it hit me, that I don't have any post on "chocolate cake"!! Now, THAT, is an utterly shameful moment for a chocoholic like me! You know, I am that kind of a person whom you can wake up at 2:00 a.m. (not 12:00, as I usually sleep at 12...;)....lols), serve me chocolate, and I'll forgive you for the sin you've committed in waking me up!  
Anyways.....after this moment of realization, I was devastated and depressed. Now, there is no better a cure for depression, than "chocolate"!.....even if the depression springs from chocolate itself! And so I went about my task of preparing a chocolate treat for me and my blog baby.....

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Eggless Jam Swirled Muffins (Baking Eggless July Challenge)

To kick-up my baking skills a notch, I have recently joined Gayathri's "Baking Eggless" group, wherein we have to convert an "egg-bake" into its "eggless" avatar. At the beginning of each month, we are given a baking recipe (containing eggs) to try, by Gayathri; and after conducting our trials & errors, we have to post our final successful bake, at the end of the month. Here the focus is on conversion (to eggless), rather than on creativity; albeit minor variations to suit your tastes are allowed. Sounds fun and interesting, right?! Well, this is what drew me to joining her group. You too can become a part of this fun and frolic....hop over here! 
For June, challenge was suggested by Priya....Jam swirled muffins. The original recipe is from Patricia's Technicolor Kitchen, who adapted Dorie Greenspan's Lemon poppy-seed muffins.
So here is the result of 'my' baby steps in recipe-engineering...

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Classic Tea Cake

Before marriage, I used to ogle at all the recipe cards and pics my mom kept in her Recipes folder, hoping to replicate them someday in my own kitchen. Last week she was visiting me. I asked her to bring it along, so I could try some of those mouth-watering treats!
This is one such recipe that she used to whip up in a jiffy, and I had my eye on it since long! I don't remember (and neither does my mom!), the exact source of this recipe.....but, whatever! I thank God and my mom for it! It is such a forgiving and no-fail recipe, that I kicked myself for not having included it in my folder long ago. I tweaked the method a bit (just to experiment) and the results confirmed my theory, that if you want a tender, moist and light cake, with less butter, use either the reverse creaming method, or the egg-separation method. But since I'm not yet an expert in whipping my egg-whites to stiff peaks, I prefer the easier and less time-taking method of "reverse-creaming".  

I think the crumbs tell their story themselves....no need for me to brag!!

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Eggless Mango Marble Cake for HOME BAKERS CHALLENGE

Home Bakers Challenge is a baking group for bloggers and non-bloggers started by Priya, where we are given a recipe each month to challenge ourselves; and showcase it on the 10-12 of next month. I had posted earlier, how joining this group had motivated me to start my journey into blogosphere here. To find out more about the group, visit here . 

This month's challenge was hosted by Sangee Vijay, who went with the fruit of the month (read: MANGO!!) and gave us two versions of "Mango-marble cake" to try.....one was the egg version, and the other, eggless.
I decided to try the eggless version. 

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Just One Molten Lava Cake

I had posted an easy, just two cupcake recipe sometime back. Here is a chocolate version of it...a quick-fix for all chocoholics!!

What are you waiting for?? Dig in...!!! Ohhh!! the recipe?? It is as simple as 1-2-3.....Here it goes.....

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EASY BUTTERMILK CHOCOLATE CHIP CUPCAKES

My obsession with cakes simply seems to have no end! If I'm short on time I prefer baking cupcakes; and if I really want to indulge, I go for BIG cakes! However frostings are reserved only for special occasions, as firstly, whipped cream still has to make an entry in my local market; and secondly, for me a cake is delicious only if it's able to stand by itself in the flavor department....no trappings required! No....I'm not against frosting, it's just a matter of personal preference. For me, "efforts required" are inversely related to "my-interest-in-the-recipe".....lesser the sweat, better it is with me...;)
So here comes another minimal effort cupcake recipe that uses Buttermilk (aahh....my new fav these days!).
This recipe is from the multi-talented Jessie's site cakespy. She is a cake detective, writer and illustrator; and has many books to her credit (her new book: The secret life of baked goods is in bookstores now!). Coming to the recipe, it looks like lots of ingredients...but it's just mix-and-bake....and voila!! you're done.
 

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Fluffy, Moist, Buttery Cake: Step-by-Step pics Recipe

I was on my virtual cake tour (googling cake recipes) one afternoon when a scrumptiously yummy looking cake caught my eye.....no need to say that it was love at first sight!! I did a quick check:
CHECK 1- The recipe was simple and easy, one-bowl kind;
CHECK 2- I had all the ingredients in my larder;
CHECK 3- ......to hell with the checks!! I'm itching to make this cake.....
So straightaway I went into my kitchen to try it out.....and the result??!! Well.....I'm short of words befitting its taste, flavor and softness......!!
It's just perfect! With a rich buttery flavor and its spongy texture, it stands on its own. No need of frosting or icings. 

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BUTTERMILK TUTTI-FRUITY MUFFINS

Have you ever tried baking cakes/ muffins (apart from devil's food cake) with buttermilk??....not yet??
Do it.....I'm sure you'll get addicted, just like me!
Buttermilk cakes are so moist, soft and flavorful...you just can't get enough of them!!
Not only do they taste delish...they look awesome too. Buttermilk makes for a crusty top and mellowy centres; without over-browning the tops. Its tartness adds a beautiful contrast to the sweetness of the cake, without being over-powering. 

Just look at the perfectly cracked tops!
Aren't these just perfect for anytime snacking?!

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EGGLESS LIGHT FRUIT CAKE

I had been baking cakes for long, but had never tried an eggless version before; partly, because there wasn't any need (as both me and my husband eat eggs), and partly, because of my own doubts regarding what the resulting product might be, in terms of taste and texture? Frankly speaking, I wasn't willing to take the risks as I had nobody to guide me on my eggless ventures.

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EASY-PEASY JUST 2 CUPCAKES !!

Should I...should I not...!!!

Ummm....

What to do??!!

All right! let's face it...

I've been pining for cake all day but was feeling tooo lazy to take out my mixer, bowls and other paraphernalia.....

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THE BEST Vanilla Cupcakes You Can Ever Have!!!

I bet....you cannot beat this one!! 

These are simply "THE BEST" cupcakes one can ever-ever have....

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