Cricket theme Cake for a milestone birthday Party

Over the weekend baked this beautiful cake for a milestone birthday. Theme for the party was cricket.
So went with cricket theme cake.

It was a two tier cake. Bottom tier was german chocolate and top tier was mocha butter cream filling.

Bat, ball and pads are edible. Bottom tier a photo reel with all the milestone pics to depict Stadium Advertisement. 

Here are the pics of the cake.

Helpful Tip: How to de seed Pomegranate in less than a minute?

I love pomegranate, but removing kernels from pomegranate takes hell lot of time. That's why I always try to minimize buying pomegranate. 1 month back I found this easy trick on youtube to remove pomegranate kernels in just less than a minute. How cool is that? It is really a cool trick!! I immediately tried it and I loved it.

Here is the video for the same.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyTRkUTtgic

Instructions:

Cut pomegranate in half around its circumference
Take a large wide bowl
Take one side of the pomegranate holding seeds side down. Use a heavy kitchen spoon or spatula and pound the pomegranate all around until all the seeds removed into the bowl.
Repeat the same for other half of the pomegranate too.
Enjoy the healthy fruit !!

Best Eggless Chocolate cake with chocolate mocha butter cream frosting!!!!

Over the weekend I baked a chocolate cake for a 2nd year birthday party. It was a short notice when my friend requested to bake this cake. So decided to make simple theme cake.

Since the cake is for a boy went with race track theme cake.
Made two race cars with fondant. Cake is egg less chocolate cake filled with chocolate mocha butter cream.

This is the best chocolate cake I ever made till now.

Will post the recipe for the cake soon.

Gluten-Free Swiss Chard Soup

Spring is here!! Warm weather means outdoor activities. With the weather getting warmer I take every opportunity to spend time outdoors. Over the weekend went for a nice long walk with my friend-cum-co-sister. Both of us went to farmers market and bought some fresh veggies. It is nice to be surrounded with family and friends.

Tonight's recipe is the result of the trip to the farmers market.

Ingredients:

1 bunch swiss chard
1 tbsp tamarind juice or 1 tbsp lemon juice
          Homemade Tamarind juice: 1 tbsp of dry tamarind soak in 1/4 cup of water for 15 mts and remove the juice while squeezing the pulp with your hands.
1 small onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chop
1tsp rice flour to thicken soup (optional)
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp oil
1/8 tsp of black pepper (as per your spice level)
red chili powder/paprika (as per your spice level)
salt as per taste

1. Wash and remove the stems of the chard and finely chop.
2. In a stock pot add oil, once oil is hot add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once mustard seeds starts spluttering add chopped onions and chopped garlic. 
3. Once onion turns translucent add spices and chopped greens
4. Add water till the greens are sub merged in water. Approximately 4 to 5 cups of water. 
5. Let the greens cook. (Might take approximately 8 to 10 mts)
6. Once greens are cooked add tamarind juice and cook for 2 mts. If you are using lemon juice add after removing from heat. 
7. If the soup is too thin mix rice flour in 1tbsp of water and add flour mixture to soup and let it cook for 5 mts. (Rice flour mixture helps to thicken the soup). This is truly optional depending on your choice
8. Give a taste test and adjust spices and remove from heat. 
9. Enjoy hot with some crackers on side or with white rice

Ice Cream cake for a birthday Party

I scream, you scream we all scream for ICE CREAM!!!. I haven't met any kid who doesn't like Ice cream. Over the weekend I made this tasty ice cream cake for my nephew's b'day party. All the kids loved the cake.

Ice cream cakes are very easy to make. For next pary try and make yummy ice cream cake. I am sure all your guests will be surprised when they find out it is home made.

As per b'day boy wish I made vanilla cake filled with cookies and cream and vanilla ice cream frosted with whip cream.

Ingredients:

2 - 1.75 quarters of your choice of ice cream keep it out of freezer till it is smooth and easy to spread like frosting consistency not too thin (Don't melt it to liquid form)

Stabilized whip cream frosting ingredients: (if you want frost with whipping cream) 

• 1 cup of whip cream
• 1tsps of agar agar/ gelatin powder
• 4tsps of water
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup of powdered sugar

Any type of cake for base or crushed oreos/cookies mixed with 1/2 stick mleted butter 

Instructions:

1. In a springform pan keep plastic wrap and keep the cake base or cookie mix. (If you are using cookie mix press firmly. Plastic wrap helps to remove the cake easily from springform pan once frozen
2. spread 1st ice cream flavor and put it in freezer for 2 to 3 hours
3. Adding one more layer of cake (Optional) 
4. add another flavor ice cream and spread it on top of the cake or frozen ice cream layer and put it back in freezer for 6 hours or overnight.
5. Depending on your choice of frosting frost the cake 2 hours before cutting the cake and freeze it back. if you are frosting with whip cream make sure use stabilized whipcream made with gelatin or Agar Agar(vegetarian version). Regular whip cream seperates if you keep it in freezer.  I preared stabilized whip cream using agar agar.
6. Stabilized whip cream frosting:
1. Combine agar agar or gelatin in a cold water and set it aside until thick. Warm it in microwave for 30 seconds until gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat and cool slightly. In a stand mixer or hand mixer whip cream, sugar and vanilla until slightly thickened. While beating slowly, gradually add agar agar/gelatin mixture to whipped cream mixture. Whip at high speed until stiff.
7. Remove cake from freezer 15 mts before you cut the cake.
8. Use a warm knife to cut the cake. Warm knife helps to get nice cuts.