Ice-Cream Cake, With Kellys Of Cornwall

What is your perfect picture of a beach holiday? What is your favourite thing about the beach? May be a flowery loose dress, flip-flops and sun glasses? Or swimming and snorkelling till you are tired?? Perhaps enjoying fish and chips with chilled bottle of beer?? Whatever it may be, but a trip to the beach can cure any mood. When I think of a beach vacation, I visualize myself relaxing on a sun bed, soaking the sun with a book in one hand and ice cream in another. Part of me says ocean, part of me says sky and all of me wants to be on the beach. Just a peaceful way of soothing the soul and gaze at the sky as the world goes by.

This year if you are anywhere around the Cornwall beaches, please don’t forget to gobble on Kellys Of Cornwall ice creams.  They have created a beautiful ice cream excursion map for anyone holidaying in the county this summer. For the first time, the locations of all the ice cream parlours, cafes and hatches across the county that sell Kelly’s famous clotted cream ice cream are plotted on a map. To view and download the map, click here: http://www.kellysofcornwall.co.uk/ice-cream-map. 

Glimpse of the map-Interesting isn't it??

Look how creamy it is!

It happened 3 weeks back when I was sent the vouchers of Kellys Of Cornwall ice cream and I accepted them without any thoughts. Why? Because last winter they approached me to pair their range of ice cream with any hot dessert and I was blown away with the taste. I paired their clotted cream ice cream with very Indian Gulab Jamuns. And rest as we say is the history, we are hooked on the clotted cream, we buy huge tubs and they are finished really soon.

However this time I planned to make Ice-Cream Cake with it. If baking is not your forte and you still need to prepare a classy dessert; then consider this- Ice cream cakes are not only impressive to look at, but they're also easier to make than you might think. Use any sponge cake- vanilla, chocolate, or lemon and sandwich it between the velvety, creamy and smooth clotted cream ice-cream-that’s it. Oh! Don’t let the pictures intimate you; there is no secret at all.

Ingredients:

1 tub of ice cream

1/2 pound sponge cake

1/4 cup chocolate chips

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Method:

1. Before making the cake, let the ice cream be on room temperature, so that is soft.
2. Take any tin or pan you want. I used glass rectangular tin. Grease the tin with butter. Spread the cling film on the tin, such that the cling film is little extra on the edges. Do this step carefully and neatly, as this will become the top layer of the cake.
3. Next, spread half of the ice cream on the tin. Make sure it is even from all the sides. Freeze for 1 hour.
4. In the meantime, cut the sponge cake in to pieces. When first layer is frozen, spread the cake pieces over it evenly. Freeze again for 1 hour.
5. Lastly spread the remaining half of the ice cream on the sponge layer and sprinkle chocolate chips on it. Freeze atleast for 5-6 hours.
6. Run a sharp knife around the edges and then pull the cling film to unmould the cake. Or you can directly slice the cake in the tin and then serve.

Notes:

You can also slice the cake as per the shape and size of the tin and then use the whole.

If you wish to make it more rich, then add spread any jam of your choice on the cake layer.

Any dried fruits, nuts, chopped fruits can also be used –for decorating on the top or as layers.

This cake can be made 1 week ahead. Keep in the freezer.

Disclaimer: I was not paid or told to write positive review. The post is based on my experience and is unbiased. Thanking Kellys Of Cornwall for sending vouchers for review.

Chocolate Ladoos In Microwave, Easy and Quick

Navratri has already started and I dint even made any sweet dish. No no it is not that I am fasting it is just that how can there be any festival in Indian culture without any sweets. I wanted to make something which is fast and also has minimum ingredients. Most of the sweets that we make in the festive time are either deep fried or needs lot of preparation. Thus to avoid all that and planned to make something sweet in microwave.

By the way have you checked my microwaved churma and modaks?? Microwave is just a great invention and if used wisely it saves lot of time and energy. I use microwave in lot of my dishes, I just love the way any sabzi or rice gets cooked evenly in single pot. I made tomoto and onion sabzi which was quite a hit on my blog. Do check what all I have cooked in microwave here.

Ok! Let me come back to my sweet dish. I made some chocolate ladoos using milk powder and condensed milk. The ladoos get prepared in just 3 minutes (you heard me right-just 3 minutes). I gave the flavour of ilyachi/cardamom because I feel that no Indian sweet dish is complete without the desi tadka of ilyachi’s flavour.

Ingredients:

1 cup milk powder

½ cup condensed milk

2 tbsp cocoa powder

4 tbsp ghee or butter

1 tsp  ilaychi/cardamom powder

Method:

Take a microwave safe glass bowl and melt ghee in it for 20 seconds.

Once ghee is melted add all the remaining ingredients and mix well.

Let it cook in the microwave for 3 minutes. Stir the mixture after every 1 minute.

Form ladoos once the mixture cools down and you are able to handle the heat in your hands.

Notes:

Do not let mixture cool down completetly otherwise you will not be able to form ladoos.

It is very important that you stir after every 1 minute.

Variations:

Try making simple mava ladoos by omitting cocoa powder.

Add very finely chopped nuts in the mixture to give crunchy effect.

Vanilla essence can also be added instead of cardamom powder.

Taste:

Sweet, chocolaty and soft

Linking this for Recipe Contest - Cooking Healthy In Hurry

Baking Partners: A new Baking Group

I am happy to be the part of Baking Partners.  Baking partners is a group of home bakers helping each other to achieve perfection.

The main aim will be to Bake breads, cakes or cookies to the perfection. However in order to achieve the best results, a perfect recipe and right techniques are required; thus this small group of home baker friends, who love and want to learn more about the nook and corners of baking.  We are planning to try out recipes from books/magazines and cooking shows.  Every member gets a chance to present their choice of recipe and share important points with the rest of the group.

Main purpose of this group is to learn the techniques, critic the procedure if there are ways to improve, and to eat a delicious food.

Rules are simple, we will choose one recipe and send it out to the group by 16th of every month and the reveal date will be 15th of the next month. On that day we will blog about it. A linky tool will be open during that time and each member can link their post.

First month we are going to do a recipe, 2nd and 3rd month will be a theme and the 4th month we will be back at a recipe. By doing in between recipes, we will able to learn more.

All enthusiastic bloggers interested in baking are welcome, please email Swathi  of Zesty South Indian Kitchen  at favoriterecipes12@gmail.com.

We will appreciate the use of logo or worded link that will help to spread the word.  A bunch of thanks to Tina for designing this beautiful logo.

If you   want to make it a gluten or vegan free diet, you can do those modifications also.

Chocolate Almond Fudge - Celebrating One Year Of Blogging

Hieee All, Today is 19th March and I have completed 1 year in the blogging world. I do not believe that 1 year has passed since I posted my first recipe of KadaiPaneer. Cooking has always been more then a hobby to me, it has been a passion. However, what I lacked was the ability to remember the recipes.  Merry Tummy is a place where in I can keep all the recipes that I have tried some of which my mother taught me. So basically Merry Tummy began for my own convenience but now it is more about sharing my recipes and learning new ones from my fellow bloggers.

In this span of 1 year I have learnt a lot of new techniques and methods of cooking various things. I tried some recipes that I never even thought of before. Some of these are burger buns, whole wheat chocolate bread, French cake and many others.

At last I thank all of you who have been following my blog, liking my recipes on Facebook, commenting on the posts and requesting for recipes on Merry Tummy. I am also grateful to Mr. Husband for motivating me and criticizing the dishes and clicks -without which I would have not improved. I am sure that blogging is my love and I will keep blogging and become more skilled at it.

So on today’s special day I chose to make easy Chocolate Almond Fudge. Fudge is a type of Western sweet, which is usually sweet and rich. It is made by mixing sugar, butter, and milk, heating them to the soft-ball consistency and then beating the mixture while it cools so that it acquires a smooth, creamy consistency. Like all other recipes there are many variations with different flavorings. Personally I feel that Chocolate fudge is the easiest and the yummiest among the lot. I also added almonds to bring the crunch to soft fudge.

Ingredients:

250g of Milk Chocolate-chopped
250g of Dark Chocolate-chopped
400g Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
70g of Butter
100g of Almonds-roughly chopped

Method:

1.Prepare the tray. Take a tray on which you want to set the fudge and lay it with parchment/baking paper.

2.On a double boiler heat milk chocolate, dark chocolate and condensed milk.

3.Keep mixing till all the ingredients are melted and mixed well.

4.Once melted and mixed, throw chopped almonds and muddle up well.

5.Lastly, pour the above mixture in the tray and refrigerate for atleast 5-6 hours or overnight for best results.

Notes:

• I used 8x8 square tray to set my fudge, but any size of square or rectangle tray will do-just chop the fudge in the size you want
• Please do not ignore the use of parchment paper as it will help a lot to un-mould the fudge without any mess. 
• It is good if you set the fudge over night. This will help it to set properly and finally you will have clean cut of fudge.
• It is ideal as Easter gift.

Variations:

• Any kind of nuts like pistachio, cashews, and raisins can be added.
• To make it richer add liquor like rum or brandy.
• Crushed biscuits can also be blended instead of nuts. 

Taste:

• Soft and delicate with crunchy and rich chocolate flavor.  

Linking this for Recipe Contest - Cooking Healthy In Hurry

French Crepes Cake Layered With Blueberry Sauce And Topped With Mango Mousse

After so many days I am back with another recipe. I have made French Crepe Cake filled with Blubbery sauce and topped it with Mango mousse. Crepes are very popular in France, it is like a very thin pan cake that can be filled with fruits, vegetables, nutella etc etc. Crepes cake is the layers of crepes that are stuck on top of each other till it form into the shape of a cake. I used blueberry sauce to layer the cake and finally covered it with egg-less mango mousse.Tangy taste of mousse and sweet taste of blueberry complimented the taste and the cake was yum. I made this as my entry in Blogger's Buzz competition.

Blogger's Buzz is not any common virtual event, it is an "Actual" event that will take place in London on 23rd Feb 2013. We are all very excited to be a part of Blogger's Buzz and hope to have lot of fun.

Ingredients
For Crepes (will make 40 crepes)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 eggs
• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For Bluberry Sauce

• 100 grams white chocolate
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup blueberry
• 2 tbsp  unsalted butter.

For Mango Mousse (see step by step pictures here)

• 1 cup alphonso mango pulp
• 1 sachet of gelatin
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp fresh ginger (adrak) juice
• 1 tsp finely crushed mint leaves (phudina)
• 3/4 cup whipped cream 

Method:
For Crepes

1. Mix all the ingredients till it forms smooth batter.
2. Melt the butter in the non stick pan and add a spoon full of the batter on it, swirl until the pan is covered with the batter.
3. Cook till the crepes leaves the sides, flip and cook on another sides for 2 minutes.
4. Keep reapateing the step till all the crepes are ready. 

For Bluberry sauce

1. Grind together cream and blueberries till cream turns in light purple color
2. Take pan and heat cream-blueberries mixture with white chocolate and butter.
3. Mix till chocolate and butter melts.
4. Allow it cool.

For Mango Mousse
(see step by step pictures here)

1. Soak gelatin in 5 tbsp of cold water.
2. Add the mango pulp, milk and sugar, mix well and bring to boil, while stirring continuously.
3. Remove from the flame and strain the mixture using a sieve.
4. Transfer the mixture into a steel bowl and place the bowl in a deep vessel filled with ice-cubes for 8 to 10 minutes or until the mixture cools and thickens. Whisk the mixture vigorously and continuously till it is in ice-cubes vessel to avoid any lump formation.
5. Add whipped cream and fold gently and freeze till you assemble the cake

Assembling cake

1. Take one crepe and spread bluberry sauce on it, cover it with one more crepe and cover it with blueberry sauce again.
2. Keep repeating till the same step till all the crepes are done.
3. Freeze for sometime.
4. Cake the cake and cover it with mango mousse. I used the simple spoon technique called as forming waves to decorate the cake.

Take all the crepes

 Lay on the plate and spread blueberry sauce.

 

 Keep repeating the step and assembling the crepes.

This is how it will look when all the crepes are assembled.

 

 Finally cover it with mango mousse and top up with blueberry sauce.

Chocolate Gulab Jamuns, Little Drops Of Heaven

I agree that Easter is over, but the festive period still goes on. So here is the old sweet dish Gulab Jamun but with a new twist; Chocolate Gulab Jamuns. I just experimented and the taste was too good. Bitter dark chocolate balanced the sweetness of gulab jamuns. Also I made them with milk powder which was new for me, they turned out to be very soft and spongy.All were surprised and asked me for the recipe. So here it is-

Ingredients :

Milk Powder : 1 cup
All purpose flour : 1/4 cup
Sugar : 2 cups
Baking Powder : 1/4 tsp
Unsalted butter : 1 tbsp
Cardamom Powder : 1/2 tsp
Some chocolate chips
Oil for deep frying

Method :

Mix the milk powder with baking powder, flour, unsalted butter and little water, make a smooth dough. Cover it with a lid and set aside for 15 minutes. 
Divide the dough into small smooth balls. Fill chocolate chips in it and cover it with the mixture and make a ball.
For preparing sugar syrup add 2 cups of water and cardamom powder to sugar .Cook till sugar dissolves in the water, boil the sugar syrup for a few minutes, approximately 15 minutes.When syrup turns thick it means that the syrup is ready. 
Heat oil in a pan for deep frying the balls. Fry the balls on a low flame stirring them constantly for even browning. When they turn to golden brown color, remove from the oil and put them into sugar syrup. Soak for 30 minutes. 
Serve hot or chilled.

Tips:- Remember softer the dough, softer will be the Gulab Jamuns

-You can also fill jam,gulkand any nuts in between.

Enjoy the little drops of heaven.

Eggless Banana Pancakes

2 bananas were lying in my fridge from many days. I kept thinking what to make with it for breakfast, I realized that I live in Britain and I have never tried making Pancake; So I collected all the ingredients and commenced the preparations. Result?? It was tasty, quick and very filling.

Ingredients: 

1 cup all purpose flour/maida

1/2 tbsp baking powder

1 tbsp cinnamon powder/ Dalchini
3 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup milk
1 tbsp olive oil
2 small bananas, chopped

Chocolate syrup to garnish (optional) 

Method:

Mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, sugar and salt.

Add in oil and slowly pour the milk (avoid lumps). Beat very slowly for 2 minutes.

Lastly add 1 ½ chopped bananas in the mixture and mix.

Heat pan/tawa (on high medium heat) and pour a cup full of batter on it.

Cook both the sides for 1-2 minutes each, or till it is golden in colour.

Lastly top it up with half chopped banana and chocolate syrup.

Notes: - Fruits like mango, strawberry, blueberry etc can be used.

-If you don't like chocolate syrup as part of the toppings then add some whip cream, honey, jam etc...

- 1 cup of maida can be divided into half cup of wheat flour/ gehu atta and other half of maida as well.