5 minute Chocolate Cake

Ever had those late night chocolate cravings? Well I have the perfect recipe for you! This no fuss chocolate cake will surely satisfy any sweet tooth...and its so easy to make! All you need is a mug and a microwave. Yes I know you heard of those microwave coffe mug cakes (and none of them ever seem to turn out well), but after a lot of trial and testing, I have finally found the ONE! So grab a big mug and treat yourself to this!

Caution: Measure this to the T or the cake wont work for you

4tbsp flour

4tbsp sugar

1tbsp cocoa powder

2tbsp (beaten) egg

3tbsp milk

3tbsp oil

Mix all ingredients together starting with the dry and then moving on to the wet ingredients last. Microwave for 3minutes or till cake rises completely. Serve with some ice cream.

Note: 1 egg is too much, 1 egg white is too eggy, 1 yolk is too dense, but 2 tblsp is just right!

Tip: For a fudgier version, omit the egg altogether. Add a splash of Vanilla or any liqueur for a dash of flavour and some nuts for some crunch. 

Half bake the cake if you want it gooey and oozey like te pic above^

Cream Cheese Frosting

Delicious as this frosting is, it is also a good base for other add-on flavours. Since it is one of the most basic frosting, play around with different ingredients to get a whole new flavored frosting. I usually add a pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon to add some zing. Other great ideas for your cream cheese frosting are adding some mini chocolate chips or orange or lemon zest or liqueur or coffee powder or shredded coconut to it. 


2 sticks of unsalted butter
500g cream cheese
3 3/4 cup sifted castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract


Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. In a mixing bowl, mix butter and sugar till creamy. Add the cream cheese and mix til fluffy. Finally, add the vanilla extract and mis till the mixture is creamy.


Tip: You can also use whipped cream in place of half of the butter. You will end up with a heavier, thought thoroughly delicious whipped cream cheese frosting.


Since the frosting contains butter and cheese, make sure to refrigerate it. Don't leave it out too long or it will melt. It can be refrigerated in an airtight container and will stay for upto three days.

Caramel Sauce

I have a confession. Making caramel scares me. Caramel is finicky, it goes from perfect to a burnt mess in the blink of eye. But when you nail it, the outcome is extraordinary. Practice makes perfect, and when you do make the perfect caramel sauce, you’ll never have to buy that overly sweet jarred stuff again! 

Caramel is essentially melted sugar and I love it by itself, or sprinkled with sea salt, covered in peanuts, enrobed with nougat…well you get point. 

There are two basic ways to make caramel: the dry method and the wet method. The dry method involves slowly heating sugar until it melts and is deemed as a bit more difficult. The wet method is more common and is what you will find in today’s recipe.
In the wet method, granulated sugar is dissolved in water and then boiled until the water starts to evaporate. As the water escapes, the mixture goes through a series of stages that indicates the ratio of water and sugar.

1 cup sugar
1/4 liquid cup water
1/2 liquid cup heavy cream, heated until warm
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

In a heavy saucepan (at least 5 cup capacity), stir together the sugar, and water until the sugar is completely moistened. Heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is bubbling. Stop stirring completely and allow it to boil undisturbed until it turns a deep amber. Immediately remove it from the heat and slowly and carefully pour the hot cream into the caramel. It will bubble up furiously.

Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to stir the mixture until smooth, scraping up the thicker part that settles on the bottom. If any lumps develop, return the pan to the heat and stir until they dissolve. Stir in the butter. The mixture will be streaky but become uniform after cooling slightly and stirring. Allow the sauce to cool for 3 minutes.

NOTE:

Caramel is HOT! Be careful. For reference- Water boils at 100°C, while the sugar mixture is around 175°C. Also, give your undivided attention to the caramel sauce while you are preparing it.

Keep at room temperature for up to 3 days; refrigerated, about 3 weeks. To reheat, simply place in a microwave safe container and heat for about 45-60 seconds. Stir well.

When you add the heavy cream to the pot of molten sugar, it will bubble violently and steam will escape. Stand back and keep your face away from the pot.

Tip:

Avoid a caramel catastrophe by making sure your heavy bottomed pot is large enough. You do not want this caramel sauce to boil over onto your stove.When you’re done, be sure to soak your pot and tools with hot water to help the cleaning process.

Make sure your stirring utensil is heat proof. I typically use a wooden spoon or a silicone spatula.

Uses for Homemade Caramel Sauce:

-Eat it with a spoon
-Spoon it over your favorite ice cream
-Drizzle it over your favorite baked goods
-Stir it into your morning coffee to create a homemade caramel macchiato
-Use it as a dip

Chocolate Mousse

I am not the biggest fan of chocolate (did I hear a gasp?), but I do love mousse. Its rich, silky texture can just lift my mood any day. Today most mousse recipes call for heavy cream over and above eggs. I like my mousse the classic way (and its lesser calories than the heavy cream ones too).

200g dark chocolate, broken to pieces
3 eggs separated
50g castor sugar
50g butter

Melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler. Stir frequently till smooth. Remove from heat and cool until chocolate is warm. Beat egg yolks well with a fork, and slowly add them to the warm chocolate mixture. Ensure that you stir well while doing this and that the chocolate is not piping hot or it will cook the egg.

In a separate container, add the sugar and egg whites. Beat the egg whites till it forms stiff peaks. Fold your egg whites gently into the mixture. Spoon the mixture into serving dishes and refrigerate until the mousse sets (6-8hrs).

Tip: If you have trouble getting the consistency of the egg whites right, add a pinch of salt. This helps stiffen the egg whites

Innovate with your blend of mousse! Add a dash of espresso or your favorite liqueur. Experiment with white chocolate instead and serve with tart fruits like strawberries and raspberries. Add some nuts fot additional texture. The possibilities are endless!  

No Bake Nutella Cheesecake

Lets me honest here...who doesn't love Nutella. How can you not dig in to a spoonful of this chocolatey, hazelnutty, jar of heaven? Now there are very few things that comfort me better than a spoonful of Nutella. I think the only thing that beats it is a good 'ol cheesecake. So what better way to enjoy my two favourite comfort foods than to have them together. 


I hope this recipe makes you want to curl up in a ball and snuggle with a cup full of this. Enjoy!


Base
1 pack ~200gms of Graham Crackers 
50gms of Butter


Cheesecake
400g Cream Cheese
50g Brown Sugar
100g Nutella
A handful of chocolate chips (optional)


In a food processor whiz the biscuits till crumbs form. Add the butter to bind it. Scoop spoonfuls into the base of your pots and press down. You want the crumbs lightly compressed and not as hard as a regular cheesecake


Now, whiz cream cheese (make sure its room temperature), Nutella and sugar tills smooth. Taste the mixute and add more Nutella if you like! Add chocolate chips and whiz on high for two minutes or till the chips and finely chopped.


Add the misture to the pots with the biscuit base. Refrigerate for 6 hours or until set. Remove from the fridge 20 mins before serving so that they aren't very cold and slighty gooey.




Tip: I use small glasses as pots, however using party cups for kids birthday parties is also a fun idea

Chocolate Truffles

There may be just five ingredients, but the possibilities are endless. Take this simple truffle recipe for example. These rich, sinful and decadent treats can satisfy the sweetest tooth without the fuss. Now thats the kind of recipe I like!  


1/3 cup cream
400g chopped white chocolate
1 knob of butter
200g chopped dark chocolate
1 1/2 cups of toasted coconut


To a heavy bottomed saucepan add heavy cream and warm it over low heat. Put the chopped white chocolate in a large bowl and pour in the hot cream. Whisk till the chocolate has melted and then add the butter. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. This is a basic ganache. Refrigerate the ganache for about 2 hours or till its just firm enough to make into balls.


Use a spoon or a small scooper and form small balls from the ganache. Line a tray with parchment paper. Let the balls sit on this tray and refrigerate for an hour or till the balls are firm.


Melt the chopped dark chocolate in a double boiler. Dip each ball of white chocolate into the melted dark chocolate. Put the toasted coconut in a bowl and toss the ganache balls in to cover them in coconut. Put them on a parchment lined tray to dry and allow the truffles to set for about ten minutes. Voila!!


Tip: Using two forks makes it easier to fish out the dipped chocolate balls

Sour Cream Dip

Be it for nachos, onion rings or just plain chips....this sour cream is the perfect accompaniment to anything you feel like dipping. And its so easy to make that you would wonder why on earth you ever paid so much to buy it.

Ingredients:

200 ml fresh cream (the small Amul fresh cream cartons work perfectly well)
1 tbsp curd
A pinch of salt

In a bowl pour in the fresh cream first. Add the curd and the salt to finish. Give it a good whisk and your sour cream dip is ready.

Tip: Experiment with some extra toppings. Chives, mint,paprika and pepper seem to work very well if individually added to give the cream some extra zing.

Note: Since this is fresh sour cream, it wont last even when refrigerated. It also tends to keep thickening and drying up as time passes so make sure you make this only if you plan to consume it in the next 15 mins.

Semi Freddo

The Semifreddo (say-mee-frayd-doh) is italian for half cold and is literally a range of semi-frozen desserts. It has the texture of a mousse. Most commonly known semi freddos are ice cream cakes and semi frozen custards.

I'm gonna share a delicious semifreddo recipe with you. Its a very basic recipe. The beauty of this recipe is that you can substitute the fillings with practically anything you like.Read on to find out

3 eggs, separated 
150g caster sugar
500ml cream
200g dark chocolate, finely chopped 
200ml dark chocolate sauce to serve (see recipe below)

Line the base of a loaf tin with double layer of cling film, leaving the excess hanging out over the edges. The cling film will help easily remove the semifreddo after its set. 

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy.

In a second bowl, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the egg yolk mixture.

In a third bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form firm peaks.  Carefully fold in the egg whites to the whipped cream and egg yolks mix.

Sprinkle a third of the chopped chocolate evenly into the base of the prepared tin.

Pour half the semifreddo mixture over the chocolate, followed by the next third of the chocolate. Finally pour over the remaining semifreddo and top with the remaining chocolate.

Cover with the excess cling film and freeze for at least six hours until solid.

Once it is set, carefully remove the semifreddo from the tin. This is where the excess double cling film helps. Turning it upside down onto the plate, and remove the cling film. Cut into slices, and serve with hot, freshly made chocolate sauce.

To make the chocolate sauce melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl sitting over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Whisk in the cream to give a smooth melted sauce and viola! your sauce is ready to be served with the semifreddo.

Tip:

I like to use half part chocolate and half part nuts for this semifreddo. Pecan, walnuts and hazelnuts work very well.

Add a touch of Bailey's Irish cream or Dulce de Leche liquer for a hint of caramel in your chocolate sauce

Dont like chocolate? No problem! Caramel sauce works perfectly well too

Substitute the chocolate filling for berries. Tastes as good with strawberries.