Mango yoghurt cake with spiced almonds and fresh mangoes

Mangoes! As mush as I like to eat them just as they come, they make such a versatile flavouring ingredient for desserts that it’s hard to stop myself from fantasizing about a mango mousse, a mango soufflé, a mango ice-cream…the list is unending! This however, is a simple mango cake. No exotic ingredients and no gourmet requirements. Just some nice plump mangoes, a whole lot of yoghurt and some crunchy almonds.

The most exciting bit is the icing, which is made from strained yoghurt (hung curd, as we call it). It has an almost cream cheese like consistency; it’s lighter than cream and gives a nice tang to the cake. The cinnamon spiced almonds are a storm…hard to keep them aside till the end (make some extra, just in case you end up eating some before you finally plate up).

It’s a lovely combination of colours and flavours. Try not to miss out any ingredient; the small things make a difference.

Just a word of caution here: I used 3 eggs because the ones I bought were really tiny. You could use 2 eggs if they are large ones. Once you start whisking in the eggs you will know if the batter is going to be too thick (you don’t want to lose the sponginess of the cake). Remember, its 300g of flour (a lot), so use your discretion. If you want to be safe, use 3 medium sized eggs.

Serves: 8-10 people

Prep time: 20 min (plus overnight time to strain yoghurt)

Cooking time: 40-60 min

Ingredients

1kg full cream milk yoghurt
1 cup unsalted butter (can use sunflower oil instead)
250grm caster sugar
3 eggs (tiny to medium sized)
300g all purpose plain flour, sifted with 1tsp baking powder
2 mangoes, flesh cubed
50g slice almonds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Fresh mint sprigs

Method

Pre-work

To make the yoghurt icing, line a large sieve with a clean tea towel and place over a bowl.  Add all of the yoghurt and leave to strain in the fridge for at least 4 hours (or overnight).

Making the cake

Preheat oven to 160˚c.

For the roasted almonds, scatter the sliced almonds onto a baking tray and sprinkle with cinnamon.  Place in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until golden and roasted. Set aside to cool.

Grease and line a 23-25cm cake tin.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar.  Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until each egg is completely combined. Whisk until fluffy. Stir in half the yoghurt until fully combined. Don’t over mix. Fold in the flour until just combined. Then fold through half the cubed mango, reserving the rest for the top of the cake.

Pour the cake mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 40-60 minutes or until a cake skewer is inserted and comes out clean. Cool in the cake tin for 5 min before cooling on a cake rack.

Icing

Once completely cooled, spread the remainder of the thickened (strained overnight) yoghurt over the top of the cake and scatter with fresh mango cubes, cinnamon roasted almonds and fresh mint sprigs.

Note: Store this cake covered and refrigerated as the yoghurt will begin to sour if left at room temperature (I'm talking about Indian temperatures).

Black, White and Orange Brownie

The traditional dark chocolate brownie is such a winner at home and with friends that I end up making it a little too often. I can see that the creative cook in me is taking a backseat when someone asks me to make dessert and all I can think of is chocolate brownie. So this time, I made my brownie alright, but with a welcome twist.

It’s got white chocolate instead of dark; but since it’s called “brownie”, I retained the brown colour by not eliminating the cocoa bit. What makes this a good deal yummier than the usual is that I’ve also added freshly squeezed orange juice and orange rind to it. The slight bitterness imparted by the orange rind is nicely balanced by the extra sweetness of white chocolate. All in all, the flavours marry well, and I’m glad I’ve found a way of making chocolate brownie more interesting. As though that’s even possible!

Serves: 6-8 people

Prep time: 15min

Cooking time: 35min (includes baking time of 20min)

Cooking tray: 25cm baking tin

Ingredients

Brownie

75g white chocolate shards

175g unsalted butter

300g caster sugar

100g cocoa powder

150g plain flour sifted with 1tsp baking powder

1tsp vanilla essence

4 eggs, whisked

50g walnuts chopped roughly

Juice of one orange, freshly squeezed

1 tsp orange rind

Icing

50g white chocolate

50ml fresh double cream, room temperature

1 orange peeled and deseeded

3-4 fresh mint sprigs

Method

Preheat oven to 190°C. Line a 25cm baking tin with butter, keep aside.

Whisk 4 eggs in a bowl, add vanilla essence, whisk some more and keep aside.

Heat a non-stick saucepan on a medium flame. Place the butter, sugar and cocoa in the saucepan and stir till the sugar and butter melt. Gently stir, bringing the mixture together till it turns smooth and gooey. Add the sifted flour slowly, folding it in evenly. Remove the saucepan from the flame. Add the whisked eggs (with vanilla essence mixed added to it already) to the cocoa-butter-sugar mix, making sure that the heat of the pan doesn’t scramble the eggs. Work fast, adding the white chocolate shards, orange juice, orange rind, and chopped walnuts to the pan, mixing all ingredients well. Quickly transfer the mixture to the greased baking tin and bake at 190°C in a preheated oven for 20min.

Allow resting time of 30 minutes.

For the icing, melt white chocolate shards on a double boiler till smooth, removing lumps and whisking gently till the chocolate has completely melted. Remove from flame and add double cream, mix well, and quickly pour over the surface of the brownie. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs and peeled orange pieces.

Garden fresh tomato pickle

The best part about having a vegetable garden at home is that sense of pride that fills your chest every time you look at a fresh sprig of mint/coriander, a juicy stalk of celery or a ripe swollen tomato! I have this wild variety of tomato growing in my garden that’s so juicy and tangy, and just a bit larger that a cherry tomato. My gardener brings me a whole bunch everyday and I’m running out of ideas to use them! So I put together this quick tomato garlic pickle which is a recipe that I learnt from my mother-in-law; and it goes surprisingly well with just about anything- paranthas, puris, sandwiches, or even as a spicy supplement with curd rice and pappad!

I haven’t posted many Indian recipes on my blog yet, but some friends told me that they would love to have recipes that they know can be trusted; those that are easy to make with few homely ingredients; and are not the usual ones you find on the internet like palak paneer or dal makhani. So I’m going to try and keep this up! I have a million home-cook-recipes that I can think of, but sadly I don’t have any pictures of them! So as and when I make one of my usuals at home, I’m going to make sure to take some pictures so I can share them here with you guys!

Ingredients

6 ripe tomatoes, chopped roughly

1 full pod of garlic, peeled

¼ tsp fenugreek (methi) seeds, roasted and powdered

1 tsp mustard seeds

¼ tsp asafoetida (hing)

¼ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)

1 tsp red chilly powder

¼ tsp sugar

½ tsp salt to taste

3-4 tsp vegetable oil

Method

Heat oil in pan, and add the mustard seeds, asafoetida and turmeric powder. Add the powdered fenugreek seeds and the garlic. Fry for a minute. Now add the chopped tomatoes. Season with salt, sugar and red chilly powder. Allow to simmer till the tomatoes are completely done (about 10-15min); or until you see the oil bubbling on the sides of the pan. Allow to cool completely, transfer to a jar and refrigerate.

The pickle lasts refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Real vanilla bean cheesecake with blueberry topping

Everyone who knows me knows that I always order a cheesecake for dessert when I’m dining out. I have always wanted to try making it at home and now I can say with some confidence that I know how to make a decent one. I would still recommend that you buy one off the shelf rather than make one at home, simply because cream cheese is so expensive in India and It’s not worth it to make a huge one for a dinner party. But my love for baking and my gluttony for cheesecake make me want to bake it again and again!

My version involves a shortbread crust to go with the cheesecake but you could do with a biscuit/cracker base as well. I always use fresh vanilla scraped off the vanilla bean, but this can most definitely be substituted with vanilla extract.

This cheesecake is actually a shortcut version of the actual one; it takes only 20 minutes to bake and a couple of hours to chill before serving. I used Philadelphia cream cheese, which is the classic cheese used for cheesecakes. But you could also try ricotta, mascarpone, curd cheese or cottage cheese. However, if you want the taste to be spot on, go for Philadelphia cream cheese. It’s expensive but it makes the cut.

I can think of a few things you should remember while doing cheesecakes. First, all the ingredients must remain at room temperature. The cream cheese should be beaten till smooth and creamy without any lumps, and at a slow speed to reduce the amount of air incorporated into the batter. Cheesecakes are baked in a slow oven to prevent cracking and are done when the filling is set but still a little wet and wobbly in the centre. Let cool before covering and placing in the refrigerator for several hours, or even overnight. I tend to add a little grated lemon zest to the batter to perk up the flavours a bit, but then this is just my way of doing it.

This one is a basic cheesecake with vanilla bean flavouring; so it’s versatile in terms of what you wish to serve it with. Fresh strawberries, preserved blueberries, chocolate sauce or any other topping that suits your palate.

 Prep time: 15min

Cooking time: 1hr

Serves: 6-8 people

Ingredients
Shortbread Crust

130g plain flour

35g icing sugar

1/8 tsp salt

113g cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes

Filling

450g of full fat cream cheese, room temperature

130g granulated white sugar

1/8 tsp salt

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 tsp pure vanilla extract or ½ vanilla bean scraped

½ tsp grated lemon zest

120ml sour cream, room temperature

Method

Shortbread Crust

Lightly butter a non-stick 8-9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Place the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse till combined evenly. Add the butter cubes and pulse till the pastry starts to come together in small bread crumb-like lumps. Place the pastry in the prepared tart pan and using your fingers tips and knuckles, gently pressing the pastry into the base and up the sides of the pan. Use the back of a spoon to even out the surface of the pastry. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork (so it won’t rise while baking), cover the tart pan with cling film and place the pastry crust in the freezer for 15-20 min to chill (so it won’t shrink while baking).

Preheat the oven to 220°C. When the pastry is completely chilled, place the tart pan on a larger baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden brown, about 13 -15 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.

Reduce the oven temperature to 150°C.

Filling

Beat the cream cheese on low speed until creamy and smooth. Add the sugar and salt and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract, lemon zest, and sour cream and beat until incorporated. Transfer the filling to the tart pan. 

Bake for about 18 -22 minutes or until firm but the centres of the cheesecakes still wobble a little. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Let cool and then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (a few hours or even overnight).

Serve with strawberry or raspberry sauce, fresh berries, or drizzle with melted chocolate. These cheesecakes can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for several days.

Espresso vanilla layered cake with chocoloate ganache icing

This is a simple adaptation of the all purpose pound cake (which simply means that you use equal quantities of sugar, butter, flour and eggs; each egg is considered equivalent to 50g). I have flavoured the pound cake with espresso and fresh vanilla, but feel free to make any combination you like. The chocolate ganache icing is really rich and makes the whole dessert go from mundane to amusing. I know I say this for every recipe I post, but honestly this one is a no-brainer. An easy recipe for those starting on the baking journey with little chances of going wrong. And yet, it looks fancy and tastes exotic!

The brown sugar in the recipe is not a must, but considering that this is an espresso cake, the brown sugar caramelizes beautifully giving it a lovely coffee brown colour. Like mentioned, I used fresh vanilla straight out of the vanilla bean, and if you try this once you wouldn’t want to go back to using that essence again. But again, you can tweak every recipe to suit your pantry (and your imagination).

Prep time: 20min

Cooking time: 1hr

Serves: 6-8 people

Ingredients

For the espresso cake

Instant coffee 4-5 tbsp (Use a dense flavoured coffee; I used Colombian)

½ cup warm milk

2 eggs, whisked

100g unsalted butter

100g brown sugar, powdered

100g plain all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ vanilla bean, scraped OR 1 tsp vanilla essence

For the icing

150g dark chocolate, cubed

100ml double cream, whisked to form soft peaks, kept at room temperature

For garnish

Fresh strawberries, sliced

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a non-stick cake tray with some unsalted butter. Keep aside.

Sift the flour with the baking powder. Add the vanilla essence/ fresh vanilla to the whisked eggs. Add the instant coffee to the warm milk and mix well. Keep aside.

Cream the butter and sugar in a huge bowl till soft and creamy. Now add the eggs and the flour alternatively, a little at a time, folding in gently. Add the coffee-milk mixture to the dough and fold in till evenly combined. Pour the dough into the cake tray and bake in a preheated oven for 30-40 min at 180°C (or until a strand of uncooked spaghetti inserted into the cake comes out clean).

Allow to cool on a wire rack for at least an hour. Now slice the cake into two layers with a cake knife. Keep the two layers side by side, ready for icing.

Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler till smooth and gooey. Combine the melted chocolate with the double cream and quickly pour half the icing over the top surface of the bottom layer of the cake. Now place the top later of the cake on the bottom layer and pour the remaining half of the icing on top of the cake. Garnish with fresh sliced strawberries and a dollop of double cream.

Lemon Tart

This one has been pending for a really long time. For those who love the tang and sharpness of the versatile lemon, this is the dessert to kill for. It consists of a beautiful buttery shortbread crust with a smooth and creamy lemon filling inside. I have tweaked the recipe a little bit to include cream cheese in the filling (unconventional, I know), but it hits the right chords with an almost cheesecake like consistency which is light, yet full of the tanginess and zest of fresh lemons. The topping of whipped creams tempers the tartness of the lemon filling, and gives it a nice fancy presentation.

Unlike the usual puff pastry, the shortbread crust is fast and easy to put together. Although we are going to pre bake the shortbread crust, there is no need to line the pastry crust with parchment paper, and fill it with pie weights to prevent the pastry from puffing up during baking. This step is eliminated when you freeze the tart shell before baking.

If you serve this tart the day it is made, the crust will be crispy and the flavour of the lemon intense; but if you refrigerate it overnight, the shortbread crust softens a bit and the sharpness of the lemon filling mellows. Either way, it’s delicious. And, it’s the perfect addition to a Sunday morning English breakfast.

There are no shortcuts to any place worth going; so we will go one step at a time. First the shortbread crust, then the filling, the baking, cooling and topping.

Prep time: 20min

Cooking time: 1hr 15min

Serves: 6-8 people

Ingredients

Crust

130g plain flour

35g icing sugar

1/8 tsp salt

113g cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes

Lemon filling

140g cream cheese, room temperature

100g caster sugar

60ml fresh lemon juice

2 large eggs

1 tbsp grated lemon zest

Topping

120ml cold heavy whipping cream

2 tbsp icing sugar

Method

Shortbread Crust

Lightly butter a non-stick 8-9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Place the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse till combined evenly. Add the butter cubes and pulse till the pastry starts to come together in small bread crumb-like lumps. Place the pastry in the prepared tart pan and using your fingers tips and knuckles, gently pressing the pastry into the base and up the sides of the pan. Use the back of a spoon to even out the surface of the pastry. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork (so it won’t rise while baking), cover the tart pan with cling film and place the pastry crust in the freezer for 15-20 min to chill (so it won’t shrink while baking).

Preheat the oven to 220°C. When the pastry is completely chilled, place the tart pan on a larger baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden brown, about 13 -15 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling.

Reduce the oven temperature to 175°C.

Lemon filling

In a food processor or electric mixer, place the cream cheese and process until smooth. Add sugar and process until incorporated. Add the eggs and process until thoroughly combined. Add the lemon juice and zest and process until well blended and smooth. Pour filling into pre baked tart shell and bake for approximately 25 - 30 minutes or until filling is set. Transfer tart to a wire rack to cool and then cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least an hour.

Topping

 Put your mixing bowl and whisk in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Then beat the whipping cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. You can just spread the whipped cream over the filling or transfer the whipped cream to a pastry bag and pipe swirls over the entire surface of the tart. Refrigerate until serving time.