Saturday, January 12, 2013

Biscotti

Holiday season brings out the 'baker' in me. A big reason for that is with so many people visiting, I can bake in big batches and don't have to worry about 1/4 cup and tablespoons measurements (which I normally use when baking for 2).
                     Biscotti is unique in the sense that it is a twice baked cookie. An added advantage is that it is vegan! Once I found this recipe, I just had to try it and am glad that I did.

Thank you for photo Evolving Tastes!


Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tea spoon baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tea spoon salt
1 tea spoon vanilla extract
1 tea spoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tea spoon ground cloves
2 tb spoon oil
1/4 cup apple sauce
1 cup chopped dried fruits and nuts ( cranberry, crystallized ginger,apricots,pecans and walnuts soaked in 1/3 cup orange juice,pinch of salt and 1 tb spoon sugar for at-least 48 hours)
1 tb spoon each orange and lemon zest (optional but tastes so good!)

Method:
Sieve together flour,baking powder,salt,ground cinnamon,ground cloves and set aside. In a mixing bowl, mix oil and sugar and stir well until combined. Add apple sauce,orange and lemon zest and vanilla extract and mix well. Add dry mixture and knead lightly until a loose dough comes together. Add fruit and nut mixture along with the juice and knead lightly again to thoroughly combine and form a loose dough. (Do not over-work the dough). Rest the dough for 15 minutes. Pre-heat oven on 350F. Divide dough in 2 equal size balls and form a log of about 1 inch thickness (flour your hands before doing this) out of each ball. Place the logs on oiled baking tray and bake for 25-30 minutes or until firm to touch.Oven timings may vary from oven to oven ,so  keep an eye while the logs bake. Once they feel firm, remove from oven and let them cool for 10 minutes. Turn the oven temperature to 300F. Cut each log diagonally into 1/2 inch thick pieces using serrated knife. Arrange these pieces in a single layer (cut side down) and bake for 5-6 minutes. Again remove from oven, flip the pieces and bake again for another 5-6 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer to cooling rack and cool to room temperature. This will give a crunchy biscotti , if you want an extra crunch, bake for another 2-3 minutes on each side.
           Store in an air tight container at room temperature. They will last for about a week.

Note: If after adding the fruit and nut mixture along with orange juice dough is dry, add more apple sauce 1 table spoon at a time. In any case, you will not need more than 1/4 cup extra apple sauce.



Saturday, January 5, 2013

Chocolate fudge cake

Chocolate is my weak point. I am a huge fan of dark chocolate and especially dark chocolate cake! This delivers on promise. I am not a fan of icing on cake , however this 'fudge' like icing is silky,smooth and not buttery but chocolaty! Perfect for any occasion!



Ingredients:

For cake
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tea sp baking powder
1/2 tea sp baking soda
1/4 tea sp salt
2 oz unsweetened chocolate melted with 1 tb sp butter and 1 tb sp water
1 tea sp instant coffee powder diluted in 1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup yogurt
1/2 tea sp vanilla
1 tb oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup granulated sugar

For icing
1 oz chocolate (unsweetened)
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup milk powder
1/4 tea sp vanilla extract
2 tb spoons sugar
1 tb spoon honey


Method:
Sieve together all purpose flour,baking powder,baking soda and salt and keep aside. Whisk together oil,sugar,brown sugar,yogurt and vanilla extract. Add diluted coffee and cooled melted chocolate mixture and whisk everything together. Add half of dry flour mixture and gently fold it in with a spatula. Add remaining mixture and fold again until the flour is just combined. Do not over-mix the batter, else you will end up with a tough cake. Transfer batter into a 6 inch round buttered and floured pan and bake on 350 F for 25-30 minutes. Every oven is different, so you may want to check the cake after 20-22 minutes. Once baked, cool completely before frosting.
           To make frosting, mix together chocolate,milk, and vanilla extract,sugar and melt everything together on a low heat. Once melted, remove from heat and add milk powder. Whisk everything together. Add honey at the end ; it ensures that the frosting will glisten! Cool to room temperature.         Coat the entire cake with fudge frosting using knife or spatula. Cut and serve at room temperature.