Revani/Basboosa

This is my signature cake, a little different from the usual ones and is the most easiest and fun to prepare! Every time I bake this cake and take it to get-togethers or parties, one of my Pakistani friends asks for the recipe and everytime I promise that I would email it to her. The demand for the recipe grew everytime. And then I started blogging, thought of posting this recipe for her. But somehow it never worked out... Zille, this is for u :) Sorry, tumhain kuch zyaada hi wait karna padaa yaar !

Well, I really have to share my experience while capturing this.When I was taking pictures of this cake, and was wondering what to use for props and background, made few changes here and there and finally got settled with only the cake pieces at the background and a single piece projecting ! It was my 5 yr old son who suggested that I should include a cup of tea as well. He pointed out his finger to a place and said "Place a cup of tea here Mamma"! It was purely and only for his sake and to make him happy that I prepared a tea and added in the background. The outcome was really amazing and I must say, it definitely enhanced the mood of the pic. Why didn't it occur to me in the first place ? Looks like I now I have an additional little member to discuss about food photography and tips :) Sometimes even these little ones are so helpful and give unexpected advices and suggestions which we never think of !

This is a very easy cake, made of sweet semolina and yogurt as prime ingredients.  Its called Revani in Turkish and Basboosa in Middle East. The sugar syrup poured over the finished cake makes this cake so soft and juicy. 

And nobody could figure out that its a "non-flour" cake ! I had baked this atleast about 20 times and everytime it comes out perfect…..you can never go wrong with this recipe  ! 

Ingredients for 8-10 people

Yogurt - 500 gms

Semolina - 500 gms

Sugar - 600 gms (200 gms + 400 gms)

Eggs - 4

Butter - 125 gms

Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp

Baking powder - 3 tsp

Bread crumbs - 3 tbsp

Lemon juice of 1 lemon.

Dry Coconut flakes - 50 gms

Water - 750 ml

Method:

1. Mix and combine together Yogurt, eggs, 200 gms sugar and the essence in a large bowl.

2. Melt the butter separately and allow it to cool for about 5-7 minutes.

3. Add the butter to the Yogurt mixture and mix well without forming any lumps, until the sugar is fully dissolved.

4. Mix the Semolina and the baking powder and add to the Yogurt-Butter mixture. Beat well.

5. Take a big cake tin ( could be rectangular or a circular one) and grease it with butter. Sprinkle the bread crumbs and rotate the tin thoroughly to cover the entire area(The reason for using bread crumbs will be clear later)

6. Pour over the prepared batter. 

7.  Preheat the oven to 175°C and bake the cake for about 45 minutes until it turns golden brown. (This time may vary slightly according to the depth of the tin used. So watch out for the golden browning or insert a skewer to check out if its comes out clean).

8. Meanwhile prepare the syrup by dissolving 400 gms of sugar in 750 ml water and bring it to a boil. Cook for a further 5 minutes. Now add the lemon juice and let it boil for another 2 minutes. Then set aside for cooling.

9. When the cake is done, allow it to cool on a wirerack for about 5 minutes and then slowly and in parts pour the sugar syrup evenly all over the cake. Allow it to seep down and soak for about half an hour. 

10. Cut into small squares, sprinkle dry coconut flakes for decor.

11. The bread crumbs at the bottom form a beautiful brown crust matching the golden brown surface and gets soaked in the syrup to become juicier.

Note : Stays good for about 3 days at room temperature in an air-tight container.

Banana cake

This cake has a special significance to me. On a friday evening, my 3.5 year old son came running to me to the kitchen and asked me "Mamma, bake a cake for Abbu !" (He knows that his dad comes home only on weekends, as he was working on a different city). I was so surpised that he had observed me preparing good food and bake cakes for his abbu when he is back home. He ran to my cupboard and picked one of my baking books, scrolled the pages, selected this Banana cake !
So, to please him, I let him do all the preparatory work and help me bake this, which he just loved. He was so thrilled and when his dad came home, he waited until the dinner was over and then served this cake to him !
So this Banana cake is the result of Furqan's idea and his love for his abbu.....

Ingredients

All purpose flour - 250 gms
Butter - 125 gms
Milk - 125 ml
Sugar - 110 gms
Eggs (beaten)- 2
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Banana (ripe, and mashed) - 4 (medium size)
Bicarbonate of soda - 1 tsp

Method

1. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl, using an electric beater.
2. Slowly add eggs in parts and keep beating it.
3. Add Vanilla essence and mashed bananas and beat well until smooth.
4. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in milk.
5. In a separate bowl, sift the flour together with baking powder and add this to the banana mixture, in parts, alternating with the milk.
6. Whisk it using a metal spoon until the batter is smooth.
7. Pour this into a greased springform, lined with baking paper.
8. Preheat the oven to 180°C and bake the cake for about 50-60 minutes until the surface turns golden brown and a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the cake.

Serve it with Tea along with freshly cut bananas.

I would like to send this recipe to 
Healthnut Challenge 7 : Tropical Temptations.

 
Dish Name Starts With B by Akila

bakes and cakes

Bake-Off hosted by Champa of Versatile Vegetarian Kitchen.

Basic Buttercream cake and cupcakes for Beginners

Many of my friends who are new to baking and who have just started using their ovens have been asking for a basic cake recipe. So this simple recipe is especially for those who want to try their hands on baking their first cake ! You cannot go wrong anywhere :)

Materials you need
Springform - 20 cms or 26 cms (the lesser the diameter the more the thickness of the cake)
Electric egg beater
Small weighing machine
A large plastic bowl for mixing the batter.

Ingredients for the sponge cake
Butter - 125 gms
Sugar - 170 gms
Milk - 125 ml
All purpose flour - 250 gms
Eggs (beaten) - 2
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp (you could use any desired flavour)
Baking powder - 2 tsp

Method 
1. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl using the electric beater until it forms creamy.

2. Add the eggs slowly to this butter-sugar mixture and keep beating it simultaneously. Add the vanilla essence.

 

3. Beat well again to form a creamy consistency.

4. Sift the flour in another bowl. (This is done to avoid any lumps forming as a result of mixing with other ingredients). Add the baking powder. Mix well.
5. Add the sifted flour to the butter-sugar-egg creamy mixture portionwise alternating with the milk.
Mix well using a metal spoon to form a smooth paste without any lumps.

6. Pour the batter into the greased springform lined with parchment paper (greasing is to apply butter all over the bottom of the springform so that the batter doesnt stick to the bottom after getting baked).
7. Preheat the oven to 180°C and bake the cake for about 30-35 minutes. Take a wodden toothpick and insert it in the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean without anything sticking to it, then the cake is done !
8. The most important step. Do not try to take out the cake immediately after coming out from the oven. Let it rest at room temperature for atleast 15-20 minutes and then take it out. This prevents the warm cake from getting stuck at the corners of the springform and comes out easily.

 Tip : Serve with Tea or Coffee.


Butter cream for decorating the cake

Ingredients
Butter (unsalted)- 60 gms
Icing sugar (sifted) - 60 gms
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Method
1. Beat the butter and icing sugar into a creamy consistency using an electric beater. Add the essence and beat well again for 2 minutes to form a smooth mass.
2. Decorate the cake with the prepared buttercream as desired. Or simply spread it on the cake surface using a knife, sprinkle and garnish with nuts or fruits as desired.
3. If you have a piping bag,  you can do wonders in decorating. Well, that was my first time using a piping bag and i was not so confident about using it properly. Just gave it a try and it was not so bad as i had expected.

The same recipe for the basic cake could be used for serving large number of guests. All you have to do is just double the recipe and pour the batter into a large rectangular tray greased with butter and lined with parchment paper. I had used almond essence and sprinkled with almonds. It was simply delicious. Cut into 30-35 small square pieces ! voila you have baked a cake for a decent gathering with no additional efforts.

or you could decorate the individual pieces with the buttercream and serve. Sky is the limit for your imagination !

or you could fill them in muffin forms lined with parchment paper cups. But the baking time should be reduced to 10-15 minutes ! It serves 24 muffins when you use the original recipe.

Its a perfect and healthy treat for the kids. An ideal recipe for the kids parties :)

Dont panic ! I baked all these varieties on different occasions :)

How to store cakes 
1. You need to always store the cake in an air tight box. With this buttercream decoration, it stays good for 2 days in refrigerator.
2. Otherwise the simple sponge cake stays good for 5-6 days at room temperature.
3. In a freezer, it stays good for a month !

I would like to send this recipe to  Bake-Off hosted by Champa of Versatile Vegetarian Kitchen.
It also goes to the event Dish Name Starts With B by Akila and to bakes and cakes

 

Upside down Pineapple cake

 
This soft cake with a strong pineapple flavor was a real melt in the mouth. Felt like with each bite, the mouth was screaming and asking the juicy pineapple pieces "give me more" ! Try this, and you would never get satisfied with just one slice :)

Ingredients
Melted unsalted butter - 20 gms
Brown sugar - 2 tbsp
All purpose flour (sifted)- 125 gms
Canned Pineapple slices - 440 gms
Butter - 90 gms
Sugar - 110 gms
Eggs - 2 (beaten)
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Method 
1. Grease a ringform (20 cms) with the melted unsalted butter. Sprinkle brown sugar over the butter.
2. Take out the pineapple slices from the can, dry them using a kitchen tissue. Reserve 80 ml of the pineapple concentrate (from the can) for later use.
3. Cut the slices into halves and arrange them on the form over the brown sugar.

4. Using a beater, beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Add the  beaten eggs slowly in parts to this butter-sugar and beat well. Add the vanilla essence and mix well.
5. To this, add in parts, the sifted flour, baking powder alternatively with the reserved pineapple concentrate. Mix well using a metal spoon.

6. Spread this batter evenly over the pineapple slices in the form and cover it completely.

 7. Preheat the oven to 180°C and bake the cake for about 35 minutes.

8. Let it rest for about half an hour in the form and when it cools down to the room temperature, very carefully turn the upside down.

9. Serve it along with a Tea or juice.

This recipe goes to the event Bake-Off hosted by Champa of Versatile Vegetarian Kitchen.

Citrus Cake

This cake has got some real nice memories connected with it. I remember baking this cake last year on Eid day when my inlaws had visited us. My mother-in-law had helped me in doing all the egg beating and preparatory work and believe me, it was so much fun and a different experience to bake it together. It was a routine for us to sit together after dinner and have endless chats on sweet nothings with a nice cup of Tea and a dessert. My father-in-law, who generally doesn't like to eat cakes from the bakeries, liked it so much that he kept asking for more and more. He was so excited that he himself took this picture. This post is for you "Ammi and Abba". Inshallah when you visit us the next time, I shall bake it for you again :)

Ingredients

All purpose flour - 200 gms
baking powder - 2 tsp
Sugar - 200 gms
Eggs - 4
Sour cream - 150 ml
Scale of 1 citrus fruit
Citrus juice - 4 tbls
Sunfloweroil - 150 ml
For the Citrus-Sugar Syrup
Icing sugar -4 Tbls
Citrus juice - 3 Tbls

Method
1. Sift the flour and baking powder together in a large bowl and add the sugar.
2. In another bowl, beat in the eggs, sour cream, Citrus scale, Citrus juice, and oil together.
3. Add the beaten mixture into the flour mixture and work it into a soft consistency.
4. Pour it into a greased springform.
5. Bake at 180 ° C for 45 -60 min. until golden brown.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the sugar syrup by mixing the icing sugar and citrus juice together and cook it on a low heat until it thickens.
7. When the cake is done, take out from the oven and immediately brush the surface with the prepared syrup. Let it cool in the form before serving it with a cup of hot tea !

Its my pleasure to share this cake recipe for this year's Eid with Taste of Pearl City, of Umm Mymoonah,who is running a wonderful "Iftar Moments" event for Ramadhan. For more details about her event, click here.