Berrylicious cardamom rolls...

Hey world, look who is back to the blogging zone??? Yup, it's been over an year since I posted and I am back with a lip-smacking easy to make recipe. Why such a long break, you ask? Well, it's a culmination of my laziness and some serious amount of responsibility added on to my life, I say. Am I gonna stick around for long, you ask? ok, let's do one thing at a time, I say. I am back to doing what I love- Baking! Oh, boy, I have been ogling at this recipe for sometime now. If blogs could talk, they will tell you the tale of gal, who unabashedly stalked the recipe and never did anything about it. Over a long weekend break, I finally owned up and collected all the ingredients to make these rolls. Slurp, chomp and poof! yes, that's what happened to the rolls which are rattling somewhere in my abdomen. Will I revisit this recipe? Oh yeah....Taste and addiction are strong drivers to action and they will drive me to bake more.

Ok, ok, enough blah blah...just give me some space and i start of like a granny about my life saga. All said and done, I think, one should never give up on things that they love doing. Be it gardening or reading or baking or cooking. Whatever drives you, whatever you love, go do it. Period. No more excuses. Time and life always try to rob you off your creativity. Fight them with all your heart and pour out your creativity with the things you are passionate about. On that lovely note, here is my recipe. Is it easy you ask? I say, a BIG YES...Does one need to be proficient to make them you ask? I say, NAH... Does it need fancy ingredients you ponder? I say, well read on...

What do you need?

• 1/2 cup milk, lukewarm
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/2 tbsp cardamom
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter, softened
• 1 big egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

For the Filling?

• Berry jam or any fruit jam (about couple of tablespoon or more if you wish)
• 1 egg, for egg wash

Preparation?

1. In a small bowl combine the milk, sugar and the yeast and stir. Let it sit for about 10 to 15 minutes until the yeast starts frothing or bubbling.
2. In a big bowl add the eggs, stick of butter, cardamom, salt and mix everything together. Add the yeast mixture and continue mixing until well combined. Mix in the flour (one cup at a time) and knead the dough till it becomes a ball. If your dough is sticky, add more flour and if you dough is stiff add a bit of milk to combine well.
3. In a large bowl add a bit of oil and place the dough in the bowl, rolling it around so that it gets oil all over and will not dry out. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest and rise for a couple of hours.
4. Once the dough has double in size, punch it gently and on a well floured work surface knead it gently for a couple of seconds. Cut the dough in two pieces and you can work on each piece separately. Roll each piece about as thin as you can. With a spoon, start spreading the berry jam or fruit jam. You can even use nutella if you don't have a fruit jam in your fridge. Spread as much as you want but don't make it too soggy else it will be difficult to roll them. After spreading the jam, roll it into a tight log starting from the narrower side. Once rolled, cut them into round disks. 
5. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
6. Let the rolls sit for about 30 minutes to rise. Brush the rolls with egg wash.
7. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden.
8. Forget about the world as you sink your teeth into these beauties with a piping hot cup of coffee!

Cardamom & Cinnamon Swirl bread...

The ambience was perfect for baking. I had the whole house to myself & I had all the ingredients in my kitchen cabinet. My buddy, the radio was belting out good songs. I am on a baking spree these days and I can’t complaint. This bread is special because, it includes my two favorite C’s- Cardamom and Cinnamon. Oh boy, the smell that wafts all around the house, just spikes up your spirit! This one is a winner :)

Phew, preparation time is long. And you have to be patient while the yeast does the trick. If you are an impatient soul like me, it becomes tough. Trust me, all the patience is rewarded with a sensational and aromatic bread :)

Ingredients

• 1 cup Milk
• 6 Tablespoons Butter
• 2-1/2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1/3 cup Sugar
• 3-1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1/3 cup Sugar
• 11/2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
• 1/2 Tablespoon Cardamom
• Egg And Milk, Mixed Together, For Brushing
• Softened Butter, For Smearing And Greasing

Instructions

1. Step 1 will be to awaken your sleeping yeast. Mix yeast and 1/4 tsp of sugar in a bowl with 2-3 tbsp of warm water. Set it aside for five minutes for the yeast to froth.
2. Melt butter with milk. Heat until very warm, but don’t boil. Allow to cool until still warm to the touch, but not hot.
3. Since I used salted butter, I haven’t used any salt separately for the dough.
4. In a bowl beat sugar and eggs until combined. Pour in milk/butter/yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add the flour, bit by bit and knead until combined.
5. If dough is very sticky, add 1/4 cup flour and knead for 5 minutes.
6. Once the dough is done, place it in a bowl and set it in a warm, hospitable place for an hour.
7. The dough should double in volume after an hour.
8. Once the dough is doubled, punch out the air and gently knead it on a work surface.
9. with the help of a rolling pin, roll the dough in a rectangle (ensure it is not too wide to put in the baking pan).
10. Spread some butter on the dough.
11. Mix sugar, cardamom and cinnamon together, then sprinkle evenly over the butter-smeared dough. Starting at the far end, roll dough toward you, keeping it tight and contained. Pinch seam to seal.
12. Spread the baking pan with softened butter. Place dough, seam down, in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 45 minutes.
13. Preheat oven to 180 degree celsius.
14. Mix a little egg with milk, and brush over the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes on a middle/lower rack in the oven.
15. Remove from the pan and allow bread to cool. Slice and serve with a cuppa steaming coffee- bliss!

Chocolate Coconut Cake Recipe

There is something dark and mysterious about this cake, and the coconut blends perfectly to create a symphony of taste.

There is something dark and mysterious about this cake and the coconut just blends so well to create a perfect symphony of taste. Remember the ratatouille movie rat and the way they show the flavors just mixing and creating a beautiful medley- well that’s exactly what was happening the moment I took a bite and savored the coconut and chocolate flavors that were oozing out of the cake. Now, making it ain’t gonna be a rocket scientist job- Considering, a novice like me can whip up this cake…Some people can just bake a cake  at the spur of a moment. For me, it’s a big deal. I decide on a day (usually sundays), read through the recipe atleast 10 times and shop for the ingredients on saturday. phew…I make it so complicated. but the results have always been good, so I think it is worth the effort.  It’s a moist cake and you can’t simply stop eating it- oops, here goes another bite in my mouth!

Chocolate coconut cake

perfect symphony of coconut and chocolate in a moist cake!


Ingredients

• 150 grams all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 175 grams butter
• 175 grams caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• Icing-
• 50 gram plain chocolate broken in pieces
• 5 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp butter
• 85 grams icing sugar
• about 5-8 tsp desiccated coconut to decorate

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree celsius-
2. Sift flour, baking powder and cocoa powder together and keep aside.
3. In a bowl, beat the butter and caster sugar together until light and fluffy.
4. Gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition.
5. Fold the flour into this mixture and blend well.
6. Pour the mixture into a greased tin.
7. Bake in the oven for around 35-40 minutes-
8. Once baked leave it to cool on a wire rack.
9. To make the icing, place the chocolate, milk and butter in a heatproof bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water.
10. stir until the chocolate melts and blend in the icing sugar and beat till smooth.
11. Leave the icing to cool until it’s thick to spread.
12. Spread the icing on the cake and sprinkle the desiccated coconut on top.

Notes

Lightly toast the coconut in a pan for few minutes before topping the cake. Don’t let it burn.