Traditional Dark Chocolate Cake

Traditional Dark Chocolate Cake

What can I say about chocolate? I am a dark chocolate fan and this cake is for dark chocolate lovers. The recipe has been adapted from Nigella Feasts(Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake) by Nigella Lawson (I am a fan of hers too).

Though this dark chocolate cake has got cocoa powder for the chocolate flavor, the frosting is Dark Chocolate Buttercream made of melted dark chocolate. Use the best quality dark chocolate you can lay your hands on with atleast 60% cocoa. I have used Callebaut with 70% cocoa content.

Note: Don't panic when the batter becomes thick after the mixing process. This happens since cocoa powder absorbs more moisture as compared to regular flours. It would still make a soft cake(provided you don't overbake it).

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Vanilla Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

Vanilla cupcakes are the most basic cupcakes and one of the easiest to make. Try and use pure vanilla extract for the best vanilla flavor. Here I've used plain buttercream but you can team them up with any frosting like swiss meringue, chocolate frosting....anything you like. In fact, you can even pipe or spread them with sweetened soft-peaked whipped cream and top it with small chunks of fresh fruit or a dollop of your favorite jam. Yummy!!!

Note: As you can see in the photographs below, the cupcakes had puffed up more than I wanted them to. I've therefore tweaked the recipe slightly so that the cupcakes rise lesser(the more risen a cupcake is, more difficult it becomes to frost it). If you also want your cupcakes to rise lesser than the ones shown below, use the recipe as it is and then see how it goes.

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Peanut Butter and Jam Bundt Cake

Peanut Butter is healthy...even in cakes. Seriously. But even if it's not, it does not matter to me anyway. I love baking cakes and I love eating them... and peanut butter combined with jam is a very delicious combination. This Peanut Butter Jam Bundt cake recipe has been adapted from the book Cake Simple by Christie Matheson. It is a lovely book that has recipes only for bundt style cakes.

Though the jam can be of any flavor you like, I feel that Strawberry or Raspberry Jam tastes best in this cake. Try and use natural style peanut butter, the one that does not contain saturated fats like hydrogenated vegetable oils.

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Nutella filled Banana Muffins

Is there anybody who does not like Nutella? Nutella tastes yum with everything...bread, cupcakes, cookies and what not. However, it tastes extra delicious oozing out of these moist banana muffins as you bite into them.

I was actually pondering over the west bay to incorporate Nutella in these banana muffins. Should I mix it in the batter? or should I top the muffins with Nutella? or...Well after giving it a considerable thought(overnight thought actually), I was ready early in the morning to fill my banana muffins with Nutella and I am happy I did it this way.

As I bit into these warm muffins, I was lost into the world of Nutella!

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Bittersweet Chocolate Chunk Cookies

What's there to not love about Chocolate Chip Cookies? They are soft, moist and chewy. This is the first thing I had tried when I started baking. In fact I had never tasted a chocolate chip cookie before and so I wasn't sure what I was getting into. I just hoped it turns out to be good thereby motivating me to continue my baking journey. And Boy, did I love the taste? I don't know how many times I have baked these. Coincidentally, my first order has been of these super delicious cookies.

This recipe includes caster sugar and light brown sugar. You can change the measures of them depending on how you would like your cookies to be. If you want your cookies to be more soft and chewy, increase the light brown sugar and decrease the caster sugar accordingly.

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