The Pune Farmer's Market and a Semi-Homemade Cake

For the past few months the Pune Farmer's Market has been held at the Westin, where I work. I have been wanting to go for a while, so today we went. There were a lot of cool booths and sellers there, but there were also quite a few restaurants there. For example, my mom and dad had a pizza while Zach had a chicken shwarma wrap. I had some lemon risotto and a spinach croissant. Here are a few pictures...

Green Tokri, a veggie seller

The Good Juicery, some seriously good stuff! 

My family

 

Some cool lights :)

Overall, it was really well done and I would highly recommend visiting. The next one hasn't been announced yet, but they are on facebook, https://www.facebook.com/PuneFarmersMarket, and there is an article on the Westin blog about it, http://www.westinpuneblog.com/2012/12/pune-farmers-market.html.

Now, to the baking.

This is a recipe using a store-bought cake mix that people will ask how you made it. You might call this Italiana Americano because it uses a traditional Sicilian cannoli filling recipe and a plain old chocolate cake mix. Anyhow, it is amazing.

Chocolate Cake with Ricotta Chocolate Chip Filling

1 Chocolate cake mix
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 to 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, based on your love for chocolate

Prepare the cake mix as directed in 8" or 9" pans. Cool completely. For the filling, beat the ricotta and sugar until fluffy and then add the vanilla and lemon juice. Stir in the chocolate chips.

My layers, cooled of course :)

I would recommend making sort of a wall with buttercream so that the filling stays where it should. Of course, if you aren't icing the cake all over, it would be fine as is. 

Just dollop the filling on and smooth it out.

Once the layers are together, you could just sprinkle over some powdered sugar, or go the whole nine yards and ice the whole thing. :)

Here we are! As you can see, a few of pecans and two miniature Hershey bars definitely do the cake justice. 

And one more angle for good measure. :p

Adding a filling to a cake mix really is easy and delicious. For the buttercream I just made plain buttercream (see recent post) and added about 1/3 cup cocoa for chocolately goodness. Also, if you want to substitute some of the ricotta cheese for cream cheese, that would be fine. I wouldn't do more than half and half, or you will lose that ricotta flavor. 

Andy

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

These cookies are really between a cookie and a fudgy brownie. The batter does have to chill for about 4 hours, or overnight, but the reward is worth it! By the way, I am trying out step by step pictures. Let me know how you guys like them.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Yields: Around 2 1/2 dozen

1 cup good quality cocoa
2 cups castor (granulated) sugar
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups white flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 cup powdered sugar for coating

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fareneheit or 180 degrees Celcius.

In a large mixing bowl, dump in the cocoa.

Add the sugar, even though this picture looks like there is no bowl. :)

Stir really well, smashing any lumps of cocoa.

Next, pour in the oil and mix until it is like wet sand. From here, you could use a hand mixer if you wanted to, but it's not necessary. 

Mix in the oil, and then beat in the eggs, one at a time. 

Before eggs, and...

After eggs. We now have a super smooth, glossy batter. 

Add some vanilla to the batter to balance out the flavors. 

In a separate, smaller bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Do not add the powdered sugar; that's for later. 

In small increments, add the dry to the wet, mixing in between additions. 

You're going to have to use some muscle, but don't worry: It will come together. 

The batter will have turned into a soft dough, and it must be chilled. 

Into the fridge for at least 4 hours. Any less and the dough would be pudding when you try to roll the balls. 

After chilling, roll the dough into 1 inch balls (about a tablespoon of dough) and toss in the powdered sugar until well coated. 

This sounds odd, but trust me. It will be great. :)

Pop them into the preheated oven for 10 to 20 minutes, checking every few minutes. They should be taken out when mostly firm around the edges, but they will remain softish in the middle. Even when cool, these cookies are soft, chewy, and fudgy. 

Yum! See the crinkles? These go well with coffee, or they are great to have on days ending in y.

A New Year, Stereotypical Hair, and Chocolate Cloud Cake

Happy New Year! It feels like this year has flown by. I remember not doing anything last year but having snacks and playing games with my family on New Year's Eve. And that's pretty much what we did this year too! Because these past few weeks have been insane around here, I didn't even get a chance to think about my goals for this year until the 2nd. Between moving, (just right across from our old house, about 25 feet away!) traveling, and Christmas celebrations, I really have been going on coffee and the occasional full 8 hours of sleep. But now I have gotten back into school and my routine, and this spring is looking much calmer. Although, I say that now, but a few weeks from now someone in my family will probably say, "I'm bored. Hey! We need more to do!" And away we go...

Yes. If you have heard or seen on Facebook that I have red hair, it's true. The reason I said "Stereotypical Hair" is because one of my friends said, "Now you're the perfect stereotypical American teenager!" Although most American teenagers I know don't have colored hair. Oh well, let me start from the beginning... Right after Christmas we went to Bangalore, India to visit some of our friends who are from there, but they live in Pune. We had a fantastic time! We had so much good food and had so much fun. One day I want to do a "mini travel guide" post on here about it. Anyway, a couple days into the trip, our friends took us to a hair salon there that does other stuff like manicures, pedicures, etc. My mom took her Christmas money and Maggie and her had a little "girl time". While they were finishing up, I was looking at the hair services, and I saw coloring.
Now, I didn't just decide out of the blue to get my hair colored. I had been thinking about it for a while, but I wasn't sure what color. So I went downstairs and asked if they had time to do it. She said sure and the stylist brought out this massive book of colors. We decided on the color red based on my hair type and length. I DID NOT get my whole head done, just streaks throughout. I choose permanent color because I thought, "Hey, if I'm gonna use some of my Christmas money for it, I want it to last a long time." So I had to wear this cap that had a bunch of holes in it, and my stylist pulled up strands of hair that were to be colored. I was nervous, I'll admit it. He mixed up the color and applied it. Until then I was under the impression that it would be an on and off sort of thing, you know, pretty quick. Oh, was I wrong! 45 minutes later, I was done, and had my hair sealed with conditioner. I really liked it. By then my mom had come down. She didn't know what color I had decided on until she saw it already done.  She thought I looked great. Whew! (I have such a wonderful mother!) My dad didn't really have any issue either. My mom texted him and said, "Andy's getting his hair colored." And he said, "Okay, cool." So that's pretty much the story. I would totally do it again, and I might. :)

Now, onto the Chocolate Cloud Cake. This is a recipe from one of my cookbooks I got for Christmas. It's basically a flour-less chocolate cake, but is served with whipped cream on top. So this would be great for someone with a gluten or wheat allergy. The original recipe called for the zest of one orange, but all I had some orange juice. I replaced the zest with about 1 1/2 tablespoons juice and it was totally fine. My family absolutely loves this because it's very rich, and the whipped cream compliments it well. There are two options as far as size goes. I separated the batter and did two 9" pie tins and stacked them with whipped cream in the middle as well. This was lighter and looked really nice. The other option is a spring-form pan or large round pan. But this WILL NOT WORK with a bundt or tube pan. It has to be a regular pan. Also, the batter will be really light and fluffy, but don't worry, that's the magic part!

                                                       Layer one...

                                                       Stacking up...

                                                       The finished product!

Chocolate Cloud Cake
Yields: 1 round cake or 1 two-layer cake

 For the cake:
9 oz. (250 grams)  dark chocolate
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), at room temperature
6 eggs: 2 whole and 4 separated, at room temperature
 3/4 cup castor sugar
grated zest of one orange, or 1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice

For the topping:
1 pint (500 ml) double cream (heavy or whipping cream)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 powdered sugar, about 3/4 cup or as needed, sifted
1/2 teaspoon cocoa

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 180 degrees Celsius. Line the bottom of your baking pan(s) with parchment (baking) paper. Grease before and after lining them. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 20 second increments. Add the butter and allow it to melt by itself for a while. Separate 4 of the eggs, saving the yolks and the whites. In a mixing bowl, crack two whole eggs and add the 4 yolks. Add only half of the sugar to the eggs and beat. Slowly add the chocolate and butter to the eggs. Do not worry if the chocolate slightly seizes up, this is fine. In a different bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy and soft peaks will form. Add the rest of the sugar and beat until firm, but not too stiff. Stir a dollop of egg whites into the chocolate mixture and then fold in the rest. The batter will be very fluffy, keep it this way. Do not stir too much. Pour into prepared pan(s) and bake for 35-40 minutes until the top cracks and the middle does not wobble. When cooling the cake will fall. This is desirable. Allow the cake to fall and cool completely. Meanwhile, beat the cream for a few minutes and add vanilla. Then slowly start adding powdered sugar until the cream will hold its shape. You may need more/less sugar.  When the cake is cool, spoon the cream onto the cake. (and spread in the middle if doing 2 layers) Dust with cocoa through a tea strainer to finish.

This recipe has a lot of instructions, but it's really easy. If you guys have questions about anything, (recipes, ingredients, or techniques) please comment and ask. I also need some recipe requests. I want to do recipes for things that you guys want to know how to make or need a new recipe for. Just comment and request that way or inbox me at andyhman@gmail.com. Thanks for reading!

The Christmas Collection: Peanut Butter Balls and Coconut Bon-Bons

These may be my two favorite Christmasy recipes. That is because they BOTH involve chocolate. My grandma, we call her "Mamaw", lives in Tennessee and used to make these for us every year at Christmas. :) And not only would these be great at Christmas, but also for a New Year's party or anytime.

--Quick Note: When making candy, I always sift the powdered sugar, just so that the candy will come out smooth and without lumps, but it's totally up to you. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Balls
Yields: Around 2 dozen

1 cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Chocolate for dipping, about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds, melted

Melt the peanut butter and butter together in the microwave. Add the powdered sugar in small additions. Mix thoroughly, you do not want streaks of sugar. Wrap the mixture in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Once firm, roll into small balls and then refrigerate again until hard. Now dip the balls gently in the chocolate and cover completely. Allow them to set on baking paper or a clean counter. Store in the fridge for, at most, 1 week.

Coconut Bon-Bons
Yields: Around 2 dozen

7 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 can sweetened condensed milk (400 grams)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups grated coconut
White chocolate, for dipping, about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds, melted

In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla. You may need a little more powdered sugar to get a sticky, smooth consistency. Add the coconut and mix well. Form small balls and refrigerate until firm. Dip the balls gently in the chocolate, covering completely, and allow them to set on baking paper or a clean counter. Store in the fridge for, at most, 1 week.

The Christmas Collection: Banana Nut Bread and Peppermint Bark

In my opinion, the Christmas season is pretty much the best time of the year. So this year I've decided to blog my family's favorite Christmas treats! I call it The Christmas Collection. I hope you guys will try some of these recipes and let me know what you think. Hopefully by Christmas I'll have five or six recipes posted. So stay tuned as the baking and confectionery making begins, and Merry Christmas!

Banana Nut Bread
 Yields: 1 loaf
 
10 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1/2 sour cream or greek yogurt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups white flour
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons castor sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup walnuts, pecans, or similar nuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 175 degrees Celsius. In a food processor, blend the bananas, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Next, in a mixing bowl, place the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter to the bowl and beat with a hand mixer until blended, about 30 seconds. Now add the banana mixture in three batches, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Gently fold in the nuts. (Optional: Before baking, you can also sprinkle additional nuts over the top of the batter.) Pour into a lightly greased loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour. When done, the bread will be lightly browned and bounce back when touched. Cool and enjoy!

This next one is the easiest Christmas candy recipe ever! With only two ingredients, this recipe hardly takes 15 minutes to make.

Peppermint Bark
 Yields: About 10 servings

About 1 pound of white chocolate
Candy Canes or Peppermint disks, crushed (enough to sprinkle over a 9x9 or8x8 pan of chocolate)

Melt the white chocolate in 20 second increments in the microwave. Cover a 9x9 or 8x8 pan with aluminum foil or baking paper (optional). Pour the chocolate onto the pan and even it out. Sprinkle the peppermint candy over the chocolate according to your taste. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until set. Break into shards and serve.

Variations:  
-You could also use milk or dark chocolate in place of white.
-You could substitute peppermint candy for sprinkles or other hard candies.