cake Archives

Summer in a Trifle

This colorful trifle will get you in the mood for summer and is a sure crowd pleaser. It is not too rich or sweet, with just the perfect balance of flavors. A layer of strawberry mousse made with fresh strawberries, a layer of lemon curd for that tangy taste and coconut cream to bring it all together. Garnish with meringue cookies and you will hear “oohs” and “aahs” as you bring it into the room!

I invented this recipe while thinking of Easter colors and combined some of the flavors I love, but I am sure you and your families will enjoy it all summer long.

Summer Trifle

Prepare the night before and chill overnight for best results. This recipe can easily serve a crowd of 12-15 people.

Ingredients

1 prepared angel food cake
16 ounces frozen strawberries, thawed
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
juice from 1 lemon
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
6 lemon cookies, crushed gently
2 cups vanilla frozen whipped topping, at room temperature
1 tablespoon coconut essence

Instructions:

To make the strawberry mousse:

Combine strawberries, 1 cup cream, ½ cup sugar and corn starch in medium saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until thickened, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and chill.
In a blender, grind the strawberry mixture until smooth like a smoothie consistency.

For the lemon curd:

Beat eggs and ½ cup sugar on high speed of an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in 1 cup cream, lemon juice, butter and lemon peel. Beat on high for 5 minutes or until mixture is thick and creamy.
Add the crushed cookies into the curd mixture. Set aside.

Coconut cream:

Mix the coconut essence into the whipped topping until fully blended.

Arrange the trifle:

Cut the angel food cake into ¼ inch slices.
In a large (8-inch) trifle bowl, layer the angel food cake slices till the bottom is covered. Pour the strawberry mousse over it.
Add another layer of angel food cake, followed by the lemon curd. Use the remaining angel food cake to layer above it.
Top it off with the coconut whipped topping.
Chill at least 4 hours or overnight.
Before serving, decorate with meringue cookies or toasted coconuts and lemon slices.

Bread, not cake

In spring of 2000, I was enrolled in a Leadership and Group Dynamic course while pursuing my Bachelors degree at Georgia State University. On the last day of class, we were asked to bring a dish each so we can have a potluck party and celebrate the end of the course. It was also a diversity exercise so we were encouraged to bring a dish that represented our own culture or ethnicity.

I prepared bite size tandoori chicken nuggets. Others brought sushi, noodles, macaroni, etc. One American girl brought a dry nutty cake in a loaf pan. It was delicious so I asked her what it was. (Growing up in India, I had never come across anything like it). She said it was “banana nut bread” and I was a bit confused. I exclaimed to her that it tastes like cake, looks like cake, so how is it bread? Well, I am sure she had never been asked that question before so her response was “Well, it’s just called banana nut bread.”

Whatever you want to name it, I like to have my banana nut bread for breakfast, coffee time, snack, and dessert! I have also gotten my mom and hubby hooked on it (especially the one I bake). I have tried different recipe, made my different people and restaurants. Some are too dry, others don’t have enough crunch. After my banana nut bread tasting escapades, I decided to create my own recipe that would perfect everything that they all are lacking (wink). Believe me; I have people who can testify!

It is pretty easy to make provided that you have the right measurements. I also like to make it a little healthier by using olive oil instead of canola oil or butter. The cereal helps it from getting soggy and also adds a nice crunch.

Banana Nut Bread

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Sprinkle of salt
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
½ cup olive oil
3 medium ripe bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup Post banana nut crunch cereal
¾ cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a 9×5 loaf pan coated with baking spray. Lightly toast walnuts in toaster oven for 2-3 minutes at 300F. In a kitchen stand mixer, beat the sugar, eggs and oil on high till combined. Reduce to medium speed, and then add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and vanilla. Once the mixture is creamy, break the bananas with your hand and blend into the batter. Finally, add the cereal and walnuts and gently fold with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in oven for one hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

Serve warm or at room temprature. Add chocolate chips into the batter to make it more fun. Serve with vanilla ice cream and butterscotch sauce to make it a restaurant quality dessert.

If you try this recipe, I want to hear from you…

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Best Friend’s Chocolate Cake

I attended high school in a small town in northern India. It was an all-girls Catholic Convent school, right across the street from where I lived. Our school was considered to produce polished, well-spoken, and smart girls who were quite successful in whatever path they chose after graduation.

From sixth grade until now, I have been best friends with two of my classmates. We use to hang out together all the time, be it sitting in class, having lunch during break, going for movies on the weekends, to spending all festivals and holidays together. All three of us moved to different parts of the world after college, but still managed to remain in touch and keep the friendship alive.

When my friends would come over, my mom would sometimes bake cakes and make noodles (my two favorite eats growing up). Since she could not find bags of chocolate morsels in stores, she would buy bars of Cadburys chocolates and melt them into the cake batter. It would be so delicious and rich!

One of my best friends from high school came to visit me at my home in Atlanta, back in 2005 while she was in New York for an assignment. Needless to say, I showed off my culinary skills by baking a chocolate cake for her. She fell in love with it and asked me to make it every time she visited then on.

It’s a very simple velvety chocolate cake with no layers or icing. I like it because it’s not too sweet and can be had at any time of the day. It serves well at tea or snack time so you don’t have to wait for dessert to enjoy it.

Chocolate Cake Recipe

1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate morsel

½ cup butter, at room temperature

16-oz brown sugar

3 eggs

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

8-oz sour cream

1 cup hot water

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoon powdered sugar

Melt the chocolate in a bowl in the microwave for 1 minute or until smooth. Stir gently.

Beat butter and sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed for 5 minutes, and then add eggs, 1 at a time. Beat until just blended. Add the melted chocolate and beat for another 30 seconds.

Mix together flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Now, gradually add the flour mixture to the chocolate base, alternating with sour cream. Beat at low speed during this process. Add the hot water in a low steady stream still blending on slow. Stir in the vanilla.

Spoon batter in a prepared (floured and greased) angel cake or a 10-inch round pan. Bake at 350F for 55-65 minutes or until wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely, sift powdered sugar on top and enjoy.