Desserts for two. Cinnamon Streusel Cake

There are days when I pick up my son from school, hand him a lunch box with hot food and a spoon and ask him to eat up as I drive him directly to the library and then to tutoring.

On those days, he sits in the library and will finish his work and I stroll through the book aisles and pick a book here, a comic there or a magazine to flip through.

He works, I read.

Occasionally, he pays more attention to what I have, than to his work. I would too, I mean, c'mon, is math as interesting as a book which has tempting pictures of delicious desserts?

That's what I found on one of my 'walks'. A book that was just what I needed, Best sweets and treats for two. 

In February 2017, I went along with Nupur on the sugar free month, it's almost a year now and I am glad I broke that bad habit of gorging on something sweet. I can now say no and not regret it one bit!

But sometimes, it feels nice to have a little something to nibble on.  And who can say no to cake? But, making a usual portion is a lot and nobody wants to eat it after a day. This book solves my problem. This recipe serves 3, when the adults are careful of portion control ;)

This recipe makes 2 mini loaves. What makes it a breeze is, this recipe uses a store brought mix, its semi-home made. While I like to measure out the ingredients and bake from scratch, this short cut is  rather convenient.

You need :

1 1/2 cups Store brought Yellow cake mix

1 large egg + 1 egg yolk

1/2 cup Water

3 Tbsp Butter (unsalted), melted

1/2 cup dark brown sugar ( i used light brown, it was what I had)

1/2 cup All purpose flour

1/2 tsp Cinnamon 

3 tbsp Butter, chilled and diced

1 Cup powdered sugar

2-3 tbsp Milk

Pre-heat the oven to 350F

Grease the mini loaves

In a mixing bowl of the stand mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment), combine the cake mix, egg and egg yolk, water and melted butter and mix until well combined ( about 2 mins)

Make the streusel: in a bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, brown sugar. Using a fork or your hands rub the butter into the flour and sugar till pea size crumbles form

Pour the cake batter in the greased pans, pour half way only. Now sprinkle the streusel mix over the batter. Pour remaining cake batter. Top it off with the remaining streusel mixture.

Bake in the oven for about 20-25 mins ( until the toothpick comes out clean)

Remove from pan ( after about 10 mins) and set it on the rack to cool completely.

The book does not state the use of the last two ingredients, the powdered sugar and the milk. I'm guessing that is for the glaze. 

I did not make the glaze. The cake is perfectly sweet and does not need anything more. 

If you, however, like sweet, add the milk in the powdered sugar and mix to form a thick glaze and drizzle it over the cooled  cakes.

Last slice, hastily clicked before a hungry 9 year old grabbed it and gobbled it up! 

Since this recipe worked well, my son has bookmarked several recipes he liked in the book and has urged me not to waste any time, but try and make them all. I am tempted! And with small portions, it really works well for us. 

So stay tuned for some more sweet treats. 

That's it from me! See you soon (hopefully) with new recipes and updates. 

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Apple Muffins ( Made with Oil)

Last week I picked up Cortland Apples at the store. They looked really nice, well rounded and plump, one that would tempt Snow White.

Cortland apples are snow white inside and are tart. Better suited for baking or making a chutney, IMO. 

 I decided to bake. Something simple. Baking is not my strong point. I have regular bouts of panic and a low self-image whenever I plan on baking, but of course, I don't give up. I follow every word of the recipe and watch the oven like a hawk every time I pop something into it. And they say baking is therapeutic. Hah!

So to start with, I searched high and low for a recipe that suited my requirement. Simple, required just 2 apples and I could use ingredients that I had at home.
I found just that!

I made these for Children's Day (celebrated in India on 11/14) for my little one (who takes it for granted that I can bake) and also (virtually) for young T (My BFF Lisa's son), who has touching faith in my culinary abilities. He rates my baking skills highly (and that, is what makes me want to bake, this innocent faith that the boys have in me).

I have modified the recipe slightly. For the exact recipe, click here. 

To start with, this recipe yielded more than 12 muffins ( I have a 12-standard sized cupcake pan). I'd say 16, maybe. So I made 12 muffins and  used a pie dish to make a smallish cake which was cut into wedges. 

1/2 cup Canola /vegetable or other neutral oil

1/2 cup Granulated sugar

3/4 cup Demerara sugar (original recipe calls for dark brown sugar)

1 large Egg

1 cup buttermilk

2 Cups Unbleached  All Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Baking powder

1 teaspoon Baking soda

1/4 teaspoon Salt

**1 1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon

2 Apples (I used Cortland), peeled and chopped

Pre-heat the oven at 375 deg. F. Grease the pan or line it with liners and grease them and set aside.

Beat the Oil and sugar together. 

* The original recipe calls for using the granulated sugar and just 1/4 cup of the brown sugar to be mixed in butter and beat it till fluffy. I have used oil instead of butter and did not reserve any sugar, but creamed it all at once.

Add the egg and mix well, scraping the sides of the bowl as required.

Slowly add the buttermilk.

Add the Flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

Gently fold in the apple.

Add the mixture to the ready muffin pan / liners, dividing equally.

Bake for 30 mins or until a toothpick inserted, comes out clean.

Cool the muffins in the pan for about 10 mins and then on a rack.

Enjoy as a tea-time treat or in the lunch box or when you want.

NOTES:

* If you have reserved any brown sugar, sprinkle it on top of the batter and  then bake.

**The original recipe calls for 1 Tbsp. of ground cinnamon, I dislike a very strong whiff of cinnamon and therefore used just 1.5 tsp. 

These muffins are deliciously moist because of the oil and the apples, of course and mildly sweet.

(those who do not like fruit pieces in their food (as they tend to become soft) may not approve. )

The reserved sugar will provide a nice crunch when baked. The next time I will try it or make a streusel topping.

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Blondies

I am so glad October is behind me now. It was a month full of anxiety and stress, luckily, all is well now. It taught me many things and gave me many reasons to be thankful for in life. 

I learned to overcome my fear and face tough situations. Also to think on my toes. I learned who my real friends are. 

I am ready to relax and enjoy what is left of 2013. Diwali was like a fresh beginning and I was in good spirits and made Diwali goodies and enjoyed snacking, without any shame guilt. 

With 5 days of Diwali goodies and total Indian food, I wanted to divert my mind to something a little different. 

In an ideal world, I should have been eating salads and light meals, but... we do not live in an ideal world, do we now?

So I decided that the party had to go on, just in a different direction. 

Also it was Thursday, the day my little one has chess class after school and which means he and his 2 friends (who come back with me) are hungry after school. 

On most days, I carry fruit for them, it keeps them full until we reach home and they get their milk. but the bananas were kinda spotty brown, the kind that kids turn up their noses at. 

So it was simpler to make or bake something. Just that I had only 1 egg and I am not so confident when making egg less cakes ( and the one I have bookmarked needs dates, which, I did not have on hand) and I was itching to make blondies. There are any number of recipes online, just google and get it. After poring over a few, I went ahead and made these. They are VERY simple to make, a 5 year old can make them and I intend to let my little one do just that, next time- with 'dark chocolate chips' as he pointedly told me, several times (with each bite, to be precise). My excuse, I was in a hurry ( and to myself: where are those chocolate chips anyway? I know I have them, somewhere).

So if you are in a hurry and want to make something quick and sweet and tasty, try these. 

Blondies, for those who are wondering, are brownies, minus the chocolate. Dense, moist, gooey and oh-so-good that you want another piece! 

You need:

1 stick / 1/2 cup unsalted Butter

1 cup Brown Sugar

1 large Egg

Hefty pinch Salt (about 1/8 tsp)

1 cup All Purpose Flour

1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence

Chocolate /Butterscotch chips ( or nuts, if you prefer them)

Preheat the oven at 350 F.

Grease a pan that you will use to bake the blondies in ( I used a square cake pan and sprayed it with non-stick PAM)

Sift the flour and salt and keep it ready

Melt the butter ( microwave it in short bursts), you want just melted, not bubbling ( that would be, almost ghee)

Add the sugar to the melted butter and beat until creamy

Add in the egg and the vanilla and mix well

Add the flour + salt and mix well

Transfer to the greased pan and bake in the oven for 25 mins ( or till a toothpick inserted comes out clean) 

Cool in the pan for about 10 mins and then transfer to a rack to cool completely. I left the pan cooling and went to get ready to go get the kids from school, no harm done. I sliced them in the pan and cooled them just a tad more, to pack them an go (and of course, take pictures).

-I carefully added butterscotch chips, each blondie had one, just so that there would be no comparisons when I handed them out to the 3 hungry ( and sometimes cranky) kids. Next time, I will add about 1/4 cup small semi-sweet chips and stir them in.

-Other options are, toasted nuts- chopped, M&M's.

-I got 16 blondies ( and I kept the edge on one side- as you can see in the pictures-for myself, I love 'em)

That's it at my end. and oh! I am planning a Thanksgiving party this year!  I am so excited about it, planning the menu and reading recipes..... What is happening in your part of the world? Drop in and leave a comment.
Hope you all have a sweet weekend ahead.

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Rewarding Sweetness!

EGG LESS OATMEAL COOKIES

A couple of weeks ago, M and I arrived at a decision, after a lot of dilly-dallying and needless to say, argument. We (read: persuaded by yours truly), decided to enroll our 5 year old for Religion and Language classes at the Hindu Temple.

And so begins our Sunday duty of taking the child to the Temple. I am not a very religious person but childhood conditioning has it's hold on me and I do know my shlokas and aartis. I want my son to know some too. But there is another motive to all this too. Reciting Sanskrit shlokas, I believe help in clarity of speech, specially when speaking the Mother tongue (and hence the language classes too) my son understands every word of Marathi I speak but refuses to reply  in the same language. He shrugs his  small shoulders in a comical way and declares it is too difficult. Humph! Okay! learn it in a class then!

What with school and homework on a daily basis along with other activities, he is one busy kid! There is so much happening around him, he is leaning to read and write ( spelling tests every week!), do math and science and social studies... whew! 

Caught up in all these activities, I sometimes forget how much he is learning and soaking up facts.

Just last week, we were driving back home after classes and I, with all the intention of striking the iron while still hot, blah, blah... started talking about what the 'Auntie' had covered in class, about God being everywhere. He looked thoughtful for a couple of seconds and then replied," like germs are everywhere?"

The husband and I burst out laughing. That's sweetness for you! That's innocence for you! 

Well, sweetness does not go unrewarded. And what better than to reward it with something sweet! I made a batch of egg less Oatmeal cookies that are oh-so-delicious! 

With the start of a new school year, I also made a few new friends. At the school bus stop. Waiting for the school bus ( which is always late, sigh!) has only one positive outcome, we get to know each other just a bit more.

On one such day, my friend, Samata, came armed with these fantastic Oatmeal cookies and oh my God! I wanted the recipe and she, the sweet girl, shared it.

 

These cookies are egg less, they have flax meal and they have oats. These are good! They also helped me to get over my fear of egg less baking. 

The cookies are crunchy and sweet (of course) and a slight tang from the cranberries make them a wonderful treat.  And to top it all, they are easy to make.

You need:

1.5 sticks Butter 

1 cup Brown Sugar

1 tsp Flaxseed powder/ Flaxmeal, blended with 1/4 cup of water 

1 tsp Vanilla 

3/4 cup Flour

1/2 tsp Baking powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Cinnamon 

3 cups Oats 

1 cup Cranberries
Preheat the oven at 350 F.

Cream butter and sugar together. 

Blend flax seed with water until foamy.

Add this  and vanilla  to butter.

Sift flour salt baking powder and cinnamon. 

Add dry and wet ingredients. Mix well.

Now add oats and cranberries

Line a tray / cookie sheet with parchment paper

Drop 1 tbsp of the dough, 2 inch apart. Flatten by hand.

Baked for 12-15 mins edges are brown n center is little wet.

Cool on wire rack and store in an airtight container

Enjoy ! 

Have a great weekend folks! 

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