RELATED FEATURE
CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY CAKE…Quite the Ultimate Combination!
“Doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did.”
William Butler
William Butler
CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY CAKE…A combination almost too good to be true!This cake is now a firm favourite…a stunning dessert !
It was my sis-in-laws birthday a couple of days ago…& it was time to bake a cake again! I was really waiting for this cake baking opportunity because strawberries had begun appearing in the market. The idea had been germinating in my mind for long, & I was actually restless to give it a go! I planned to make 2 sponges; 1 chocolate & the other a strawberry flavoured one; sandwich them with whipped cream & strawberries; & top the cake with a ganache. That’s exactly what I did…& the cake was just too delicious for words. A droolicious combination!! Almost too good to be true! 
A burst of flavour & colour!
Chocolate & Strawberries are quite the ultimate combination…
Strawberries are one of the first fruits of the season and have long been associated with rebirth and Spring. They are the only fruit with seeds on the outside. Strawberries are low calorie and a good source of vitamin C and fiber.The strawberry plant is a member of the Rose family.
About the cake…
Ingredients:
Chocolate Sponge:
Eggs -3
Sugar – 75gms /powdered
Cornflour – 1 tbsp
Cocoa – 2 tbsp
Flour – 75 gms minus 3 tbsps
Baking powder – 1 tsp
Pinch of salt
Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
Method :
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Line & grease a 8″ spring form tin.
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Sift the cornflour + flour + cocoa + baking powder + salt 3 times. Keep aside.
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Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
- Beat the eggs & sugar well till it holds thick ribbons; about 10 minutes.
- Beat in the vanilla essence.
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Gently fold in the flour mix, a tbsp at a time, in figure 8 hand movements so that the beaten air doesn’t escape.
- Turn into the prepared tin & bake for 25-30 minutes/ until done.
- Remove from tin after 5 minutes, take off the lining & cool completely on rack.
Strawberry Sponge:
Eggs – 3
Sugar – 75 gms / powdered
Cornflour – 1 tbsp
Flour – 75gms minus 1 tbsp
Baking powder – 1 tsp
Pinch of salt
Strawberry essence – 1 tsp
Method : Similar to above.
Filling :
Cream – 400ml (35% fat)
Strawberry essence -1 tsp (optional)
Powdered sugar – 2-3 tbsp (increase if strawberries are tart)
Strawberries – 200gms/ chopped; reserve 3-4 for decoration
Method:
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Whip cream, essence & sugar till it holds peaks.
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Reserve 1-2 tbsp cream in a baggie for the spiral/ web on top.
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Fold in the strawberries.
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Don’t make this too much in advance, since strawberries macerate with sugar, & might make the cream runny.
Ganache:
Dark chocolate – 200gms
Cream – 200ml
Method :
-
Put the chocolate & cream in a pan. Keep on low heat, stirring constantly, till the chocolate melts. Remove & stir vigorously with a spoon.
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If you want to pipe decorations on top, pass about 1/4 cup through a sieve & reserve separately. I’ve found that unless you sieve the ganache, its not easy to pipe it through an icing set. Its fine for spreading though.
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Set aside to cool. It will thicken as it cools & get a spreadable consistency.
Finishing it off:
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Cut each sponge into 2, so there are a total of 4 layers.
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Sandwich them with the strawberry cream, using 1/3 each time.
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Spread the ganache over the top & sides of cake. Use sprinkles on the sides if desired.
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For the marbling, see pictures. Draw a spiral, with the cream in the baggie reserved from the filling, beginning from the centre outwards.
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Then drag a wooden pick from the centre outwards, at a 60 degree angle, to equal points on the edge.
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Do the same in the opposite direction (ie outwards to the centre) between the earlier lines. This will create a webbed pattern.
- Pipe a ganache edging if you like. Then finish off with sliced strawberries & flaked chocolate etc. Chill till required.
- Note: Serves about 15-18
Many hues & many views…
“Other things are just food. But chocolate’s chocolate.”
Patrick Skene Catling
Time for the Serendipity Bake-off. Familia Bencomo is hosting a virtual ‘Baking Contest’. She says, ” With the help of The Soap Chix at Serendipity Soap, we are hosting a contest for the Most Pleasing Dessert – baker’s choice of what to prepare. Then, take at least one photo during its preparation process (so we know you didn’t go to Confetti Cakes for it!), photograph the finished treat & share the recipe and your experience with us on your blog.”
Here you are Familia Bencomo…would love to share this!
SOUP FOR THE SOUL…Roasted vegetable soup with toasted croutons.
“Good soup is one of the prime ingredients of good living. For soup can do more to lift the spirits and stimulate the appetite than any other one dish.”
Louis P. De Gouy, The Soup Book (1949)
SOUP FOR THE SOUL…Roasted Veggie Soup!
Its been a chilly winter so far, with winds threatening to sweep you off your feet. I read about a roasted vegetable soup eons ago, & its always been at the back of my mind to make it someday. A trip to the market tempted me to buy an array of fresh veggies…& then I trotted back home to set to work. Roasting these vegetables enhances flavours & makes the soup taste quite different. The result was a nice, full-bodied & wholesome soup, which I served with oven-toasted croutons made out of wholewheat bread. Healthy, warming & sumptuous all the way!
A drizzle of light cream, a throw of croutons & a leaf to top it off!
Its fun to garnish & add to visual appeal. I enjoy garnishing everything & anything…even if it means just topping it with a leaf! The contrast in colours make it such a joy; not just for the ‘eater‘ but for the ‘maker‘ too!
I have always found fried croutons very oily. Toast them in the oven, & you have healthy, crisp & wholesome croutons in next to no time. They can be stored in an airtight box for a couple of weeks. What could be better!
What I did…
Ingredients:
Tomatoes – 1 kg
Zucchinis – 3 small
Zucchinis – 3 small
Bell Peppers – 2 (1 each yellow & red)
Spring Onions – 4 ( with some greens)
Garlic – 6-8 cloves (adjust according to personal taste)
Butter – 1 tbsp
Onion – 1 small/ chopped
White pepper
Salt to taste 
Light cream – 1 tsp
Method:
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Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
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Cut all the vegetables up roughly. Not too small because they shrink as they roast. You can toss them in olive oil & seasonings if you like. I didn’t, because I used a little butter later.
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Put onto a foil lined baking sheet & roast for 15 minutes, turn/stir on sheet, & roast for a further 15 minutes, till the edges start getting done.
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Heat the butter in a deep pan.
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Add the chopped onion & white pepper; saute till onions are light pink.
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Transfer the vegetables into the pan, give a good stir, top with about 1 1/2 cups of water & simmer for about 30 minutes.
-
Cool, blend & pass through a soup strainer.
-
Heat & serve in bowls with a drizzle of cream & croutons.
For the croutons:
Wholewheat bread – 3 slices / cubed
Olive oil- 1 tbsps
Olive oil- 1 tbsps
Oregano -1 tsp
Salt & pepper to taste
Method:
- Toss the bread cubes with everything.
- Spread evenly over a baking sheet & toast at 180 degrees for 10 minutes, stirring through once.
- Keep a close eye on them as they tend to over brown suddenly.
- Switch off the oven & leave in there to cool.
- Store in an airtight box.
“Soup is the song of the hearth… and the home.”
Louis P. De Gouy, The Soup Book (1949)
Here’s an event that’s gonna warm all of us! Have just found ‘Comfort Food Cook-Off’ at Eve’s “Garden of Eating“…what an absolutely delicious sounding name! As she so aptly says, “Here in the northern hemisphere, we’re about to enter the bleakest stretch of winter so it’s time to cook up some serious comfort food.”
Warm up to winter with this hearty soup!
TO QUICHE OR NOT TO QUICHE…A mushroom quiche & wholesome lunchboxes!
” I asked the barmaid for a quickie. The man next to me said, ‘It’s pronounced ‘quiche’ “…
…(on occasional perils of speaking a foreign language)
Luigi Amaduzzi, Italian Ambassador in Britain.
Luigi Amaduzzi, Italian Ambassador in Britain.
A MUSHROOM QUICHE…
At home, the lines are firmly drawn as far as the quiche story goes…or more suitably, the ‘quiche’ war. On one side, stand the son & me, who are not great egg fans at all; me far worse than him! The rest on the other side. It’s the quintessential question…to quiche or not to quiche? One wonder’s why I make it anyway. Well, firstly the die-hard baker in me overtakes the egg-disliker; & then, I actually like the idea of a savoury pie (which the son might enjoy in time). It’s only in the winter months when one can truly enjoy the rather filling slice of savoury pie…eggs + cream + butter! In summer, one would gladly settle for something much lighter!
I’ve made a quiche after almost 4 years. Leafing through a baking book the other day, I chanced upon a picture of a quiche, which was enough to set me off. I had a slice as well…it was quite nice actually. The son had a slice too, though he didn’t look like he was enjoying himself too much. The rest of the quiche disappeared into a sumptuous lunch for the eggy side of the family. Even the daughter, who was running a 102 viral fever, devoured it happily! PHEW…another meal completed & another day gone!
Quiche is a rich unsweetened custard pie, 
Ingredients:
Crust:
Flour – 1 cup
Butter – 1/2 cup / chilled & cut into pieces
Chilled water as required
Method:
-
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C.
-
Sift the flour into a bowl.
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Cut the butter in with either your finger tips or a pastry cutter till it becomes a breadcrumb like mixture.
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Add chilled water & gently pull together to a firm dough. DO NOT OVERWORK or KNEAD dough, or you will get a tough crust.
-
Wrap in clingfilm & chill for about 30 mins.
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Roll out to a diameter 2 inches larger than size of pie dish. Carefully place in dish, trim edges as required, leaving a 1/2″ overhang. REMEMBER that the crust always shrinks while baking, so don’t be tempted to stretch it to fit the dish. ( I’m always tempted!)
-
Cover with foil, then top with pie weights or beans, & bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove weights & foil & bake for a further 10-15 minutes till light golden brown.
-
Leave on rack.
Filling:
Mushrooms – 200gms/ finely sliced
Juice of 1 lime
Basil, parsley or coriander – 1 tbsp / finely chopped (optional)
Sweetcorn kernels – 1/2 cup
Garlic – 3-4 cloves / finely chopped
Cheese – 100-150gms / grated
Cream – 200ml (I use light cream 25% fat) (original recipe has 300ml)
Salt, pepper etc
Eggs – 3
Tomato – 1-2 / sliced for topping
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C.
- Heat 1-2 tbsps of olive oil in a frying pan. Stir in the mushrooms, garlic & lime juice.
- Season with salt & pepper. Cook until the mushrooms give out their liquid.
- Increase heat & cook until dry. Stir in herbs; adjust seasoning.
- Whisk the eggs, cream & half the grated cheese.
- Stir in the mushrooms.
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Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the bottom of the pie shell & pour the mushroom filling over the top.
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Bake for 15 minutes till it starts setting. take out of oven gently & place overlapping slices of tomatoes on top.(I put them on half & left the other half plain)
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Return to oven & bake further for 20 minutes, till puffed up & brown.
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Serve warm or at room temperature.
The rest are from below…recipes/posts that I have done previously. The five-a-day options & dairy products are covered by the raisins & nuts, steamed brocolli & the fruit kabobs which have fruit & cheese too. There’s plenty of taste & ease of eating. The sweet something is a slice of Chocolate, Chocolate-chip & Walnut cake (my own recipe, a delicious moist cake, which has some wholewheat flour & yogurt in it too). Would finish it off with a drink of water or lime juice. My daughter would be over the moon if I could get all these into a box for her on the same day.
Novel idea Margot…got me thinking ‘lunchboxes’!
COLOURFUL FRUIT KABOBS…Cape gooseberry, Cheddar & Basil
“A fruit is a vegetable with looks and money. Plus, if you let fruit rot, it turns into wine, something Brussels sprouts never do.”
P. J. O’Rourke
Its winter here in North India & many seasonal fruits are making a welcome appearance. One of them is my favourite, the cape gooseberry, or the ‘rasbharis‘ (meaning filled with juice). These little berries are sweet yet slightly tart, & are sold in bunches. In peak season, you will find cartloads of these lining the roads while driving…a sweet sight indeed. When we were kids, they would come each wrapped in its natural husky brown cover, which we would patiently peel & enjoy the fruit of our meagre labour. Times have changed….now they come in bunches (as pictured below), with their husks pulled back neatly & tied with strings to make life simpler. Somehow, for me, the charm was with the husk still on, because there was a certain joy in gently peeling the husk off! Thank heavens for small mercies; the taste is still the same!!
Cape Gooseberry, Goldenberry, Husk Cherry, Peruvian Ground Cherry, Poha, Poha Berry.
The cape gooseberry is native to Brazil but long ago became naturalized in the highlands of Peru and Chile and became identified with the region. It was being grown in England in 1774 and was cultivated by early settlers at the Cape of Good Hope before 1807. Soon after introduction to the Cape the plant was carried to Australia where it quickly spread into the wild. Seeds were taken to Hawaii before 1825 and the plant is naturalized on all the islands at medium and somewhat higher altitudes. Only in fairly recent times has the fruit received any attention in the continental U.S.
GOOSEBERRY, CHEDDAR & BASIL FRUIT KABOBS…nestled amongst basil flowers.
Every time I eat or serve fruit, the mind begins to think what more can be done with it. Dress it up, serve it with cheese; hmmmmmmm…do something different? So, this morning, while trimming the overgrown basil plants, I thought this might be worth the try. I made fruit kabobs using cheddar cubes, cape gooseberries & basil. The result was a fresh, fruity, sweet & tangy appetiser, entirely pleasing to the palette. Simple & nutritious too.
Colorful, nutritious and fun, fruit kabobs are a big hit whenever they’re served.
My mind was working towards an easy appetizer for Mansi’s event at ‘Fun and Food’ for her ‘Game Night Party’…a fun blog event. She aims to get together simple yet delicious recipes that can help you plan a stress-free ‘Game Night’ with simple, vegetarian & ‘Quick-to-Make’ recipes! This recipe is stress free, needs next to no preparation, the fruit can be substituted…so off it goes to Mansi as promised. 
Ingredients:
Cape Gooseberries – 200gms
Cheddar -100 gms / cubed
Basil leaves – a handful (30-40 leaves)
Method:
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Skewer a basil leaf, then a gooseberry, followed by cheese & then basil again.
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Prepare in advance. Keep covered; chill if you like.
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That’s it…sweet & simple. ENJOY!!
The ripe fruits are considered a good source of Vitamin P and are rich in pectin.
