Chocolate cup cake with White chocolate frosting

Yes, it's been very long since I visited my lil' cooking blog. It's like I have almost forgotten about this lovely passion of mine...Time and office work often tends to rob you of your hobbies. So, here I am dedicating this post of mine to all the lovely people out there who take time to pursue their hobbies, no matter what! It's people like you who keep me inspired :)

I baked these cupcakes and they were such a hit with my friends- the recipe is definitely a keeper- It took me a couple of attempts to get this correct, but yes, it tastes gorgeous. You know the best part? you don't have to reach for the stars in terms of preparation or ingredients.

What do you need?

85 gm self raising flour
55 gm butter
55 gm castor sugar
1 large egg
1 tbsp cocoa powder
55 gm plain chocolate (broken into small pieces)
white chocolate 55 gm (for decoration)

*Instead of using a self raising flour, I used 85 gm plain flour and 1tsp baking powder*
*If you don't get a large egg- 2 small ones can be used*

Preparation-

• Place the flour, butter, sugar, egg and cocoa powder in a large bowl and beat together till it is smooth
• Spoon half the mixture in cup cake paper cases.
• With a small spoon make an indentation in middle and place piece of plain chocolate
• Spoon remaining cake mixture on top (till it fills up 3/4th space of the cup cake case)
• Bake the cake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes or until they are well risen and springy to touch.

For decoration-
Melt the white chocolate in a bowl and with a teaspoon gently drizzle it on top of your cup cake!

The perfect coffee companion - Apple n Carrot muffins :)

Carrot and raisin muffins with a steaming cup of coffee tastes heavenly. I still have the taste lingering in my mouth... I am not an avid baker and seldom indulge in baking. Occasionally, I get super inspired to bake and in the heat of the moment, I do some good work ;) Here is one such recipe- it's got em' all- carrot, apple, raisin & nuts (super moist) muffins-

What do we need?

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup yogurt
1/3 cup melted butter
1 medium apple peeled and chopped finely
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped cashew nuts
1 1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
dash of cardamom powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 eggs

How did I do it?


In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs together with sugar and slowly mix in the yogurt, apple, carrot, raisins, melted butter, vanilla and nuts. Add the flour to this mixture and blend in the cardamom powder. Stir till it has blended well. Using a spoon, fill in the greased muffin cups with the batter. Bake for around 25-30 minutes in a pre-heated oven @ 175 degree celsius. Once cooled, they taste divine with a steaming cup of coffee. Yum!
(Dust the muffins with powdered sugar-optional)

blueberry muffins..

Near my house, there is a small bakery shop around the corner. It is a family owned shop and they do some serious business. I love all their bakery items! There is always a mad rush and if you are late then you probably won't find your favorite items. I am super addicted to their blueberry muffins- Soft, moist and it simply melts in your mouth. Inspired by lindsey and her lovely blog, I baked my very fist batch of Blueberry muffins- Absolutely divine!

Blueberry muffins-
(adapted from Gingerbread Bagels)

Ingredients-
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter (slight variation, she had baked it with oil and I switched to butter)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup blueberries
1 tablespoon lemon zest (slight variation, original recipe calls for orange zest and I switched to lemon)
2 large eggs
1 cup yoghurt

Preparation-

In a bowl mix flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, yoghurt, sugar, vanilla and melted butter. Add in the lemon zest and give it a quick whisk. Start mixing the flour to the yoghurt mixture and gently whisk. You have to slowly mix them and not overbeat the ingredients. Don't worry if you have lumps in the batter. Add the blueberries and gently blend them with the mixture (with the help of a spoon). Line a muffin tin with muffin liners. With the help of a spoon gently pour the batter in each liner. Bake it at 200 degree celsius for 20 to 25 minutes. Once baked allow it to cool and gently remove them from the muffin tray. Enjoy!