A steamed lemon pudding+ treacle soaked kiwis for the Daring Bakers

The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet.

It is the 27th of the month and the day the Daring bakers post. This was the only challenge that I had finished way too early. The challenge was to make a very British dish with a very British ingredient., a steamed (not baked) pudding with the very British ingredient being Suet. Now what is a suet? It is ahard animal fat and that is something that is never used at home and not really in a pudding. So there that was a reason for me not doing the challenge. But then when the hostess usggested one can use butter or shortening in place of suet, I was relieved because steamed pudding especially christmas and sticky date puddings and this was one chance to try an alternative. 

I have been wanting to try hot lemon puddings that I used to relish at an elderly aunt's place. Any dessert she makes is of the citrus flavour. She usually makes them in  alarge dish. I decided to make individual puddings to serve just my husband and myself. However hard I've tried she just does not divulge the recipe. I have trying a lot of recipes since and here's one that came very close to one she makes.

I used 2 ramekins as moulds. So here's the recipe:

1/2 C unsalted butter

1 C of powdered sugar (vary this according to how sour the lemons are)

2 eggs

1 C of  Flour

1t Baking powder

1 t Bakingsoda

Zest and juice of 2 lemons

In a heat proof bowl placed over a bowl of simmering hot water, whisk the eggs and sugar to a smooth consistency.  Beat in the butter and whisk until a thick creamy mixture is attained. Cool this. Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda and fold it into the butter mixture. Fold in the zest and juice finally.

Grease 2 ramekins and spoon the mixture in them. Double seal the ramekins with foil. Place in a steamer ensuring that water reaches a third of the sides of the rameking. Steam for about an hour and cool and then unmould.

The aunt serves lemon curd with this but I served them with sugar and lemon juice steeped kiwi slices and drizzled with treacle...

Verdict:
For those who love a shot of citrus, this is a must...
Ease of preparing and serving makes it an ideal dessert... and
the sweeteness of the treacle soaked kiwi slices and the zesty lemon pudding is something I cannot describe for it is for you to make and taste...

Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting ** Cake Slice Bakers**

I love banana cake, the usual one that saves the overripe bunch that sat waiting its turn on my counter many a times. With walnuts in them and no frosting they make a nice snack. This month, the choice of the Cake Slice Bakers was a Banana cake with chocolate frosting.We had already baked a Banana cake but with a white chocolate ganache and praline filling.

The cake on its own had a very moist crumb and is very flavourful. I halved the orginal recipe and used a loaf tin for the purpose. Hence it isn't a layer cake. This cake was a hassle free cake when it comes to the making of it. The frosting on the other hand turned out very thick when the recipe was followed exactly. I had to reduce the amount of icing sugar. Adding all the mentioned sugar would have resulted in a very sweet frosting. The frosting did set fast. The sweetness of the babanas with the chocolate frosting is a excellent option when it comes to making a quick dessert considering that the frosting sets fast.

The recipe is from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott.

Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting
(Recipe from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott)


Banana Cake

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, softened

1½ cups sugar

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup buttermilk*

1½ cups mashed ripe banana

Chocolate Frosting

½ cup (1 stick) butter

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup evaporated milk or half-and-half

4 cups sifted confectioners sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

* If you don’t have buttermilk you can make your own by stirring 1½ teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice into ½ cup of milk and leaving for 10 minutes.

To make the cake, heat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and stir with a fork to combine well.

In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar and beat well, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one by one, and then the vanilla. Beat well for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl occasionally until you have a smooth batter.

Using a large spoon, stir in half the flour just until it disappears into the batter. Stir in the buttermilk and then the remaining flour the same way. Quickly and gently fold in the mashed banana and then divide the batter between the 2 cake pans.

Bake at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cakes are golden brown, spring back when touched lightly in the centre, and begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Cool for 10 minutes in the pans on wire racks. Then turn out onto the racks to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the butter, cocoa and evaporated milk in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a gentle boil. Cook, stirring often for about 5 minutes, until the cocoa dissolves into a dark, shiny essence. Remove from the heat and stir in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Beat with a mixer at low speed until you have a thick smooth frosting.

To complete the cake, place one layer, top side down, on a cake plate and spread about 1 cup of frosting evenly over the top. Cover with the second layer placed top side up. Spread the rest of the frosting evenly, first over the sides and then covering the top of the cake.

See what my fellow Cake Slice Bakers have baked

When life gives you oranges...make marmalade

I have always wondered why a preserve made only of oranges is referred to as marmalade.  The phrase "marmalade" is said to have originated from the portuguese word "marmelada" . It is a paste that results from the cooking down of quinces and sugar.  

There are a lot on the history of marmalde on the web. Whatever its origins maybe I love marmalade on a warm toast. I like the bittersweet flavour that it imparts to my toast. It has just been a year since I started making my own preserves. There are not too many takers for marmalade but my family loves it. Making a preserve at home gives you the option of adapting it to your taste. As in the case of the marmalde, thin consistency and tiny bits of the rind and medium bitter.

The recipe is from the Book of Marmalade. This book traces the hstory of marmalade and provides a lot of recipes for making a mamrmalde right from ancient recipes to recipes for today.The book makes a good read. 

I used about 3 oranges. Peel the oranges and cut the rind  into thin strips or tiny bits or grate them. Boil them in water ( 1 liter).  Cool and let it rest in the same water overnight. Meanwhile remove the pith and the pips and chop the orange segments into smaller bits. Add these to the water that contains the rind and on medium heat, simmer this for almost an hour. Add about 2 C of sugar and boil until the mixture reaches the necessary consistency. This resulted in a medium bitter marmalde of a thin consistency for the ease of spreading.

More preserves coming your way..so stay tuned...

BBD #28 Roundup: Part II

The second part of the BBD #28 Round up.The entries are in no particular order. This is the remaining of the part I roundup.

1. Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies from Canada made Bread Shots. Natashya, I made this and I must say I could not do with just one.

2. Lien of Notitie van Lien from the Netherlands sent these gorgeous Dutch Raisin and Currant Rolls. I made these and my kid loved it! And the dried apple pieces that I substituted with apple chips made a great addition.

3.Ben of Ben the Baker  sent in Nikuman/Japanese steamed buns. I sure could survive on these stemed buns stuffed with all those goodness-chicken, scallions and honey to name a few..

4. Gloria of Canela Kitchen Recipes from Chile made Blueberry Buns. These beauties filled with cream cheese and blueberries and an apricot jam and a lemon juice glaze could get anybody and everybody go weak in their knees..

5. Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka kochtopf , the creator of this event sent in Chelsea Buns. In Zorra's words "Chelsea Buns are an 18th century invention, made famous by the Chelsea Bun House in London, an establishment favoured by Hanoverian royalty and demolished in 1839".  Raisins soaked in rum...and Cinnamon.. Goodness I tell you!!!

6. Jamie of Life's a Feast from France baked these lovely Parmesan Dinner Buns. Parmesan and herbs..very flavourful!

7. Sudha of Malaysian Delicacies from Malaysia baked Hot Dog Buns. These buns are on my to-buy list when I visit the bread store. The only difference being they use mayo and not condensed milk. They look quite a task to make but Sudha makes it with ease judging by her stepwise pictures..

8. Andrea of Family & Food sent in two entries.  1.  Pugliese Pizza Buns . Now what is Pugliese ? Derived its name from the region of Puglia in Italy. The dough would make both bread and also serve as pizza dough. This is on my very soon-to make list...

9. Meeta of What's for Lunch Honey made Saffron Brioche. With her awesome picture like always, the colour owing to the saffron  is so welcoming .. Perfect buttery goodness...

10. Sweatha of Tasty Curry Leaf from India made Coriander Buns. Inspired by a fellow blogger, these are extremely tasty according to her. It is expected considering the buns are filled with vegetables, paneer/cottage cheese and potatoes...

11. Rachna of Sizzle N Spice made Rustic Carrot Herb Rolls. Rustic Gourmet rolls indeed!

12. Stefanie of Hefe und mehr from Germany made Cinnamon swirls..With  interestingly done knots filled with cinnamon and cardamon, these swirls are so different from the more common spiral swirls.

13. Lisa of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives sent in hamburger buns. According to her they are possibly the best hamburger buns ever. I did make them and sure enough they are the best!

14. Adele of Will work for Biltong made these very cute hot cross bunnies. Bunnies with chocolate in their tummies. Creativity at its best!

15. Natalia of Gatti Fili E Farina made Panini Semidolci, a simple yet a very flavourful Italian bread.

Despite her errtic internet connection she ensured this entry came in. That's the spirit Natalia!

 16. Cinzia from Cindystar made No-Knead Buns . Being on a restricted diet, she has been off bread. Specially made for guests, the no-knead dough resulted in very flavourful rolls. Sprinkling of muesli cerealsadds to the flavour.

17. Chaosqueen of Chaosqueen's Kitchen from Germany made Dark Rosebud Buns . A bun in its artistic best!

18. Shelley of Hawberries & Kumquats from Beijing made multi-grain brown sugar sesame buns. These sweet buns are filled with Tahini. For more on these exciting buns, visit her space.

All the above 6 entries are hotcross buns.;(each different in their own way)

19. Andrea's second entry, Hot Cross Buns 

20. Mimi from Baking Fix made Hot Cross Buns

21. Cathy of Bread Experience made English Hot Cross Buns

22. Nancy of Corner Loaf made Spiced Stout Hot Cross Buns

23. Srimathi of Few Minute Wonders made Hot Cross Buns.

24. Elle of Feeding My Enthusiasms made Hot Cross Buns

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25. Rachel (me) made Cheese and Garlic Bread Buns. Decadent or not?

26. Sowmya of Creative Saga made multigrain atta savoury buns. A filled bun and the use of multigrains making it wholesomely healthy!

27. My second entry, Butterscotch bread buns. Chocolate in buns...good, so why not butterscotch.. Imagine rolls with melted butterscoth in them with a brown sugar melted crust...

28. Judy of Judy's Gross Eats made Batter Buns. A favourite recipe from her favourite book. For those who want to make quick breads, this is the recipe for you!

29. Milagritos of mothertucka from Australia made Char Siu Bao. A flavourful, spicy pork bun that would have me craving for more...

30. Simona of A Tutta Cucina made PANINI al FARRO e SEMI di GIRASOLE.

And that wraps up the round up of BBD#28. A huge thank you to all those who contributed and to Zorra for letting me host the event!

Bread Baking Day #28: Roundup (Part I)

BBD#28 with the theme Bread Buns had an overwhelming respons that doing the roundup was a real hard task. Due to the huge number of entries and the time constraint  I have to do a 2-part roundup. The event led me to a lot of lovely food blogs and sites which was the best discover. I enjoyed reading each entry. Hope you will to. The entries are in no particular order.

1. Soma of eCurry whose food presentation I have always admired sent in these beautiful Cinnamon Rolls. Like she rightly said, I get insane too when I sense the aroma of cinnamon rolls.

2. Mallika from India who blogs at Veg Bowl baked Honey Sesame Whole Wheat Breakfast Buns. According to her, they  are mild honey flavored, nutty sesame, healthy wheat breakfast buns. Certainly a healthy start Mallika!

3. Tina of Chocolate River   baked snails! Yes yeasted snails with apples, almond and pistachios in them.!

4&5. Miguel  of Sweet Pleasures sent in two entries, a Spanish Bread and Cheese Buns all the way from Philippines. The recipes are a family secret, but if you still want to know what went into making these lovely bread, I am sure she'll be glad to let you in...

6. Nicole who blogs at Bread, Butter and Buns bakes these gorgeous Tiger buns. According to her, in USA where she is from, these are known as Dutch Crunch rolls.

 7. Zaira of La cocina de Zaira from Spain sent in Milk Bread Buns. Milk Bread for me is synomynous to softness and it is very well justified by the buns.

8. Petra of Chili und Ciabatta   from Germany sent in sugar-coated Apricot Buns.  Originally meant to be Gibassiers.. Cluless like me, hop on to her space and read all the interesting fcts about it.

9. Happy Cook of My Kitchen Treasures from Belgium baked some fabulous Raisin Buns. I made her chocolate buns which uses the same recipe and the recipe is a keeper with me.

10. Ivy of Kopiaste.. to Greek Hospitality   baked Buns with Tangzhong Starter . 

The starter here is heated to bring out the gelatinization of the flour. Intrigued? Hop on over to her space to find out more on this.

 

11. Cham of Spice Club  baked these sweet buns and they are eggless too. A healthy version of replacing egg with flax seeds and the specks of green and red fruits in them add to their beauty!

 12. Nisha of Look Who's Cooking Too used pizza dough to make these stuffed buns.  Stuffed with minced meat, this is pure decadence!

13. Hilmar of Mis Recetas Favoritas from Taiwan sent in Tunjitas . Hilmar is originally from Venezuela and these sweet breads are of venezuelan origin and takes her back to her childhood memories. The sugar crusted bread buns definitely did wake the child in me! 

14. Sandra of gesund geniessen   sent in Whole Wheat Buns all the way from China. The buns are a chock full of healthy goodness.

15. Bharathy of Spicy Chilly from India made these mini savoury buns. She claims this is her first attempt at making buns. The Indian in her is obvious in the addition of coriander leaves and green chillies. You go girl!

16. Raaga of The Singing Chef from India again says that although she loves baking, she doesn't bake enough! I am glad she baked these because it involves a favourite stuffing among most people..A spud loved by most... Her Potato buns are too hard to resist.

17. Anne of The Dough Nut sent in yummy Anchovy Buns. Now stuffed buns are a favourite with me. I admire the smooth domes of her rolls. Anchovies, jalapenos, olives, cheese.. shes done rolls stuffed with all this and more...

18. Tartasacher of Mil postres (1000 desserts)  made  Raisin Buns.Raisin buns can keep me snacking on them all day long!

19. Ruchika of Ruchika Cooks made eggless savoury buns. The potato buns from the Iyengar Bakery in India are her inspiration.

20.  Jayasri of Samayalarai-cookingisdivine from the UK made Khara buns made famous by the Iyengar bakery. Bakeries are doing the inspiratio now. Iyengar bakery! Are you listening?

21. Maria of Maria's Menu made stuffed chicken buns. The vegetables and chicken filling and the perfectly shaped buns remind me of the stuffed buns of  Hot Breads .

22. Anushruti of Divine Taste made Herbed Whole Meal Bread ROlls. Anu this is a regular at my place now!

23.Keerthi of My experiments with food made Fenugreek Buttermilk buns. She tweaked the original recipe thereby showing us how versatile buns are with regard to fillings and toppings.

24. Heni of Simplicity's Table by the Sea made Chrik Constant. Curious as to what that is? According to Heni, these are orange anise scented brioche buns. These are served during the month of Ramadan in Algeria alongside an orange pudding.

25. Priya of Priya's E asy N Tasty Recipes sent in two entries. The first of which are Chocolate Swirl Buns. True chocolate haven for the faint hearted????

26. Swapna of Swapna's Cuisine made Sticky Nut Buns. Something my daughter adores for the caramely nutty crust.

27. Priya's second entry-Stuffed Cheese, Spinach & Oats Buns full of cheesy goodness.

28 . Susan of Wild yeast made these Burger Buns. Burger buns with honey in them? That sure got to be good.

29. Umm Razeen of Kitchen Samraj! made Top Hats and Butterfly Buns . Curious? Hop on to her space to figure out what those are?

30. Champa of Stories from an Indian Kitchen!! made Stuffed Potato Buns. Another Iyengar bkery inspiration!




That rounds up the first part. The second part is due shortly. Until then treat yourself on the 30 bread buns, each different from the other....