Bake a cake

My mother’s kitchen always smelt delicious with the smell of cakes when Christmas holidays set in. Here are a few easy to make recipes!!

1. Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients:

1. Unsweetened cocoa powder(Key or Cadbury’s) – 6 tbsp
2. Sugar – 1 cup
3. Maida – 1 cup
4. Baking powder – 2 tsp
5. Milk – 2/3 cup
6. Butter – 100 gm or 150 gm
7. Eggs – 2 no.s
8. Vanilla essence – 2 tsp
9. Chocolate chips or chopped walnut and cashew – 2 tbsp optional

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F or 180 deg C
2. Grease 12 cup cake moulds or 6 muffin bake paper cups with butter or ghee.
3. Beat the eggs and sugar, mix with flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, vanilla essence and milk. Fold the melted butter in.
4. Add chocolate chips or nuts and fold with spatula without breaking the chips
5. Bake for approx 30 – 40 min till a wooden toothpick comes out clean.

2. Vanilla Cup cakes

Ingredients:

1. Maida - 2 cups
2. Sugar - 1 1/2 cups
3. Baking powder - 3 tsps
4. Salt - 1/2 tsp
5. Egg Whites – 4 eggs
6. Milkmaid – 1 cup
7. Eggs – 2 large
8. Vanilla essence - 1 1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F or 180 deg C. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, a pinch of salt, milkmaid and vanilla essence. Using an electronic blender, whisk on low speed for 2 minutes. Scrape bowl. Add egg whites and mix at high speed until fluffy and smooth, for approx 2 minutes.
3. Fill liners 1/2 to 2/3 full of batter. Do not overfill. Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
4. Cool 10 minutes in pans then remove from pan.
5. Frost and decorate your vanilla cupcakes as desired.


3. Banana Bread

Ingredients:

1. Maida - 1 1/2 cups
2. Bananas(mashed) – 3
3. Eggs – 2
4. Butter – 50 gm
5. Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
6. Sugar – 1 cup


Method:

1. Cream together butter, eggs and sugar until smooth.
2. Add bananas and vanilla essence; beat well. Mix into flour.
3. Bake at 325 deg F for about 1 hour or until golden brown.

4. Brownies

Ingredients:

1. Cocoa - 6 tbsp
2. Butter - 1/4 cup
3. Sugar - 1 cup
4. Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp
5. Salt – ¼ tsp
6. Maida - 1/3 cup
7. Cashew nuts broken(optional) - 1 cup
8. Eggs - 2

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 325 deg F.
2. Melt butter and mix it with 6 tbsp of cocoa powder.
3. Add 1 cup of sugar, 2 eggs, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1/3 cup flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk them all together.
4. Butter a baking pan lightly and sprinkle flour or cocoa over the pan until covered. This will help the mixture not to stick to the dish.
5. Spread brownie batter evenly in pan and put in oven to bake for 35-40 minutes. Insert a tooth pick in the centre and when it comes out clean the brownies are ready.
6. Allow to cool until warm before cutting.