Microwave Chocolate Cake

Happy New Year to you all.

Little M blew six candles off a couple of weeks ago and I made a chocolate cake for his birthday weekend.

This chocolate cake I made after a long gap and I love how easy and hassle-free it is. This cake is also to console the non-baker that I am and to surprise the family on special days. I am happy to share the recipe with you all..this one is a keeper, I say. Also, for firsts, I tried decorating the cake with some icing and it turned out really well. This icing is so simple and can also be done in under 5 minutes in a microwave and a handful of ingredients (my most favourite part).

I hardly try my hand at making cakes but this microwave chocolate cake is really something. It is super easy, quick and a good dessert to delight guests or even an over-excited toddler, in a jiffy. Please take down the recipe and once you try it out you won't even have to look back at as it is so easy to remember with only a handful of ingredients and simple measurements.

To take this cake up a notch I have decorated it with icing sugar and a ganache of chocolate, cream and butter - which is so easy you'll be surprised. Best part? You can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, just remember to keep it out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes prior to serving since refrigerating makes the cake little hard. You may also microwave it for 20 seconds and serve it warm with some ice cream.

Ingredients:

For Cake
All purpose flour: 1 cup
Icing Sugar: 1 cup
Melted Butter: 1/2 cup
Eggs: 2
Baking powder: 1 tsp
Baking soda: 1 tsp
Cocoa powder: 3 tbsp
Milk: 5 tbsp
Vanilla essence: 4-5 drops

For the chocolate icing

Ingredients:
Chocolate: 1 cup
Cream: 4 tbsp
Butter: 2 tbsp



Method for making cake:

1. Break eggs in a bowl, put butter, sugar and vanilla essence.
2. Beat it with the help of a hand blender or whisk until the mixture thickens (about 6-8 min).
3. Sift together all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and soda in a bowl.
4. Mix with the egg mix and fold. Do not beat, just mix gently. Add milk at this stage.
5. Grease a microwave safe container with melted butter. Pour the batter and micriwave on high for 5 min and then let it stand inside for 2 min.
6. Insert a toothpick in the center of the cake and if it comes out clean, it means the cake is ready.


Method for making chocolate icing:

In bowl add chocolate and cream and pop it in the microwave for first 10 seconds. Stop. Stir a bit and then microwave again for 10 seconds and make sure chocolate is melted. Once the mixture looks almost melted add in the butter and stir.

Decorating the cake:
Pour the warm chocolate sauce on top of the cake. garnish the cake with dry fruits, icing sugar and some melted white chocolate.

Cook With Kids: Mango Cream Parfait

For me, summers spell M-A-N-G-O-E-S and truck loads of them. I make sure to eat my favourite fruit in all its forms. A plate of freshly sliced mangoes after food becomes our dessert. It has been the case since I was little.

I remember my eyes lighting up to see mom bring a plate full of mango and sweet melon slices. At the same moment mom's eyes would signal to finish the meal first if I wanted the fruits. Following in the footsteps of  my mom, I try to bribe my child also into finishing his meal to get his bite of juicy sweet mangoes. It works every time and Little M obliges as his plate is wiped off in minutes without any fuss. :-)

Recently, I had prepared custard and saw a few cake slices lying around so I thought of making my very own Mango Custard Parfait which was a hit with both the boys - Little M and M. Later on Little M also helped me arrange the parfait by layering it with homemade chocolate cake, custard, fresh mango chunks and pomegranate pearls. Creating a parfait is easy and can be done in so many different ways. There are no rules in this game, it only gets better and tastier with more layers and more fruits.

This time, see how Little M and I assemble our glass jars with this yummy Mango Cream. Mango Cream is nothing but mango and cream.

It is so yummy and a great chilled dessert to pamper your family or guests with on hot summer days. Rest assured this one is totally fuss-free and gets ready in under 15 min. Make it at least 3-4 hours before serving as it tastes best once chilled and needs to be chilled in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

See how Little M created his own parfait after I showed him by arranging one glass. You too can make this simple dessert with your children, just make sure to keep the pulp-cream mixture ready and mango chunks chopped before you invite kids into the kitchen.

Serves: 3-4
Ingredients:

2 Mangoes, pulped (or about 1 cup mango pulp)
1 cup Mango, diced
350 ml whipping cream (about 1 and 1/2 cup)
A pinch of cardomom powder
Sugar, as needed

Method:

1) Start by peeling and pulping mangoes in a blender. Keep aside.
2) Chop a mango into little chunks. Keep aside.
3) Taste your mango pulp, if its not sweet, add sugar to whipping cream and blend for 2 min.
4) Blend together half the amount of mango pulp with 3/4th of the whipped cream and cardamom powder. Leave the rest of the cream and pulp to create layers in the glass or if you do not wish to serve as a parfait blend the cream and mango pulp and serve in a bowl. Top it with mango chunks.

5) To make a parfait, take a jar/glass and using a spoon put in the mango chunks and then create layers with mango pulp-cream mix and then create another layer with cream or pulp and top it with mango chunks.
6) Slide the glasses into the refrigerator and serve chilled.

How did you like this fun dessert?

Do you like making something sweet with mangoes in summers just as I do?

Tell me how do you surprise your family by making mango-based desserts?

I'd love to read all your mango stories!

Thanks for reading! :-)

Cook With Kids: Mango Parfait

One of the reasons I love summers is because we get a variety of mangoes in abundance during this season. Come summer and mango would be mentioned in our conversation frequently at home. That bag of season's first mangoes that my mother would get from the neighbourhood fruit and vegetable market was so treasured by my siblings and I.

Whenever heading to the market, mom would always ask to check if there are enough mangoes at home or not and so many times when mom would get 2-3 kgs of mangoes, my father would also come home with the same amount at night. :-) Mangoes would never go out of stock at our home during summer.

Mangoes would be the reason we would love to rush home after school. As we would finish our lunch, mom would ask each one of us whether we want our mango full or to be sliced. My sister, brother and I would each get one whole mango to ourselves and we would hardly like to get it sliced. Eating the dussehri mango would mean biting off the black part on top of the mango to make a small opening and pressing with hands to suck the pulp out of this yummy fruit. We would never let a drop of the juice going down our hands or elbows to fall or go waste and would lick the juice starting from our fingers, hands, down to our elbows, giggling away.

I am of the kinds who do not like anyone tempering with their favourite fruit/recipes and I liked to eat my mango as it is, chilled from the fridge. No other flavoring or mixing for me, please. At most that I would let anyone play with my mango is to make a mango milkshake out of it or some mango ice-cream, made at home. I do not like the taste of store-bought mango ice cream and only enjoy eating a mango cream duet popsicle or an ice mango pop. But last year at my son's nursery when I had gone for a healthy cooking competition to mark Mother's Day, I tasted a mango parfait. I had no idea what a parfait meant, it was like a creamy layered dessert served in a glass, topped with chopped fruits. Tasting it was heavenly and I knew this is one thing I am going to try and learn and make it for my family in summers.

Now there are so many versions of parfait all over the internet that I end up getting confused whether to use yoghurt as a healthy alternate for cream in order to create layers. Many parfaits have a layer of oats and smoothies. Since I had recently made a bowl of fruit custard, I was brimming with ideas to serve the custard (see the above picture) to my family in a new way.

Method:

I made this mango parfait by layering it with a slice of chocolate cake (that I made in a mug in the microwave, see the recipe here), mango fruit custard (Click for the recipe), mango chunks and pulp and pomegranate seeds.

Then I let Little M arrange one of the glass jars by first showing him how to do it and then asking him to repeat the steps one by one. He absolutely loved doing it. You can also involve your kids in arranging the parfait jars with their own choice of ingredients. Just keep everything ready in advance. Chop the fruits, slice chocolate cake and prepare the custard and let your little ones make their own beautiful custard and fruit jars. You will be surprised by their imaginations and ideas as they create their own masterpieces. Why involve kids in the kitchen, you may wonder! Well, see the number of benefits I listed out here!

This is a super simple recipe that I highly recommend everyone to try out. The simplicity of this recipe amazes me and we can do so many variations in creating the layers. For example, you can completely omit the cake and use crushed or broken Marie/digestive biscuits. You may even create a layer using chocolate syrup or chocolate ice cream or use some other fruits such as grapes, apples. One may also garnish with dry fruits and nuts instead of pomegranate. Since this recipe is so versatile I did not feel the need to list out the exact measurements of the ingredients and the steps or method.

Ever since we made it together, my little one keeps on asking me to make it again! Plus, this is another recipe which is no-cook and totally fuss-free and the arranging of the parfait can be done by involving kids too! Now I have a quick dessert recipe for days I and my family are craving for something sweet. This one is surely going to be a saver to please unexpected guests or an impromptu dinner get-together.

Hope you enjoyed reading this sweet recipe as much as I enjoyed making it!

Have you tried making a parfait? What are favourite ingredients to us in a parfait?

Tell me all, I'd love to read what you all think!

Thanks for reading! :-)

Five Recipes To Cook With Kids

We are on the brink of being in the hot month of June. In the UAE this month spells heat and humid outdoors. It is the time when our neighbourhood park gets just a handful of visitors, even in the evening. It is when most of us like to stay indoors in the comfort of our air-conditioned heavens at home or in the big malls. Why not spend some quality time indoors with our kids by involving them in some simple cooking in the kitchen? I have got for you a list of Five Recipes To Cook With Kids. These are really basic recipes that I love making with my son - Little M who is four years old and has just begun his kindergarten. Read on and see how Little M helps me whip up yummy food and then enjoys eating what he made with me without any fuss. If you want to know why I ask to involve kids in the kitchen, check out the benefits of cooking with kids that I have mentioned in this post! Have you seen our mini Bread Pizzas that Little M and I made together without an oven and in less than 15 minutes?

Get kids in the kitchen and start rolling these simple recipes that I listed out for you!

1) Pancakes

Not just Little M but I too get all excited at the mention of pancakes and we love whipping these super easy delights that ca be made in under 15 minutes.

Easy to pack for school this is my go to recipe when I am in a rush or not in a mood to cook an elaborate meal with chopping and other strenuous tasks. See how Little M helps in mixing in the flour to prepare the batter, of course we have many spills! I also like to hand him the food cutters to give the pancakes his choice of shape. Pancakes are the easiest of the recipes that you can cook with your kids and make memories in the kitchen.

2) Bombay Sandwich

These sandwiches or toasts are a perfect way to feed vegetables to our little ones. I use boiled beetroots, potatoes and freshly sliced cucumber, tomatoes and onions in this one.

I keep the veggies ready and then Little M puts together his own sandwich by buttering the bread and then smearing some pudina chutney/mint dip (See here a simple recipe to make pudina chutney at home) on it and finally lining the veggies onto the bread before I put it into a toaster to make it a little crunchy! Again a perfect dabba snack we carry these on our picnics and I also pack it into the lunch boxes for Little M and his dad.

3) Guacomole

Super healthy to bits, Guacamole is Mexican dip which is made by either mashing or chopping avocado and then mixing in finely chopped onions, tomatoes. 

This snack/starter is easy to prepare and kids love it when its topped upon crispy nachos. I hand Little M a plastic knife to roughly chop the avocados and then mix it with chopped veggies which I keep ready beforehand. See how we devoured this dip by topping it on slightly warmed kuboos bread and some monaco biscuits.

4) Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Summers call for loads of smoothies, juices and milkshakes made healthy at home with fresh ingredients. These are super hydrating, nutritious and a quick snack option too when our kids comes home hungry after hours of play at the park.

Little M loves smoothies and milkshakes specially the ones that have his favourite fruits like mango, strawberry, pomegranate. He absolutely loved sticking thinly sliced strawberries on the glass walls and I also hand him the hand blender (under my close supervision) to blend together the banana and strawberries.

5) Banana Milkshake

Isn't a must for our growing toddlers and kindergartners who need loads of goodness hiding in this mug full? Packed with calcium and good for helping those tiny bones to grow strong, banana milkshake has been an old favourite with Little M and I.

Whenever I ask him if he would like a glass of banana milkshake, he knows that he will not only get to drink it but also lend his hand in making it. I like to hand him the hand blender under my watchful eye and also let him sprinkle some cinnamon powder or cocoa onto it!

Hope you have fun making these super simple recipes with your kids! I'd back with lots more simple yet healthy recipes to make with kids! Let's keep rolling in the kitchen with our little ones! :-)

What recipes do you like to involve your kids into? Please share with me I'd love to read what you think!

Thanks for reading! :-)

Cook With Kids: Bread Pizza

This is the first recipe I am sharing that can be made easily with kids. Bread Pizzas are so versatile that you can make them interesting in so many ways. Layer them with different vegetables and loads of cheese and it becomes kids favourite instantly.

Ideal to pack for kids lunchboxes, I often send it to Little M's school. Plus its easy, quick and loaded with the goodness of veggies and cheese. What more can a mom ask for? :-)

Involve kids in making these beautiful bread pizzas on weekends and set a happy tone to a dull evening. I have already listed here the benefits of cooking with kids in the last blog post. Have you seen it?

These stove-top bread pizzas are so easy that I didn't feel the need to list out the method step by step. However I will still try to explain the process in detail.

Preparing Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 5-7 min

Ingredients:

Bread slices

2 tbsp olive oil

2-3 tbsp tomato ketchup

1 cup blanched and chopped baby carrot, baby corn, sweet corn

1/2 cup of finely chopped onion, tomatoes

Cheese strips

See how Little M helped me make this super snack.

I asked Little M to slather tomato ketchup and olive oil on the brown bread slices and then arrange veggies that I had blanched and chopped beforehand.

His favourite part was topping his bread pizza with oodles of cheese. :-)

These bread pizzas can be made on the tawa (griddle).  After Little M finished decorating the pizza, I handed him a plate and ketchup squeezer and told him to make a ketchup smiley (a good way to work on those fine motor skills too).

Meanwhile, I heated the tawa and then put two of these colourful pizzas on top and then covered the tawa by turning a large bottomed bowl upside down on it.

I have seen my mother use this method and now I use it to roast beetroots or make stove top pizzas. Just wait for 5-6 min for the cheese to melt and your bread pizza is ready.

Note: Try and not leave the pizza bread on the heat for a long time as it can make the bread too hard. Keeping it for 5-6 min helps make the bread crispy and soft from top.

Do you like getting kids in the kitchen? What are your favourite recipes to whip up with the kids?

Tell me all. I'd love to read your thoughts.

Thanks for reading! :-)

Cook With Kids

We have just been back from a breathtaking experience holidaying in Georgia. I have so many stories from our trip to share with you all, along with countless pictures. But first I would like to share with you all some recipes to cook/prepare with your children, especially the little ones. With this post I will begin sharing the benefits of cooking with kids with all mothers out there.

We often shun away kids from the kitchen thinking what can they do to help us. Mostly we think of all the spills and mess that might break out when they do something. Surely, it will stretch your cooking time by 10-15 minutes when you let your child help in with the tasks you do with such ease, finesse and perfection every day. But once you allow kids in the kitchen you will surprised at how better you connect with them and how out of the box kids think.

As Little M entered big school, he would often tag along with me in the kitchen whenever I am cooking, asking and sometimes pestering me to let him help. Every time he would come asking if I he can help me, I would be horrified to imagine huge spills and mess mountains in my little kitchen and tell him to go play with his toys with that thought.

Reluctant at first, I gradually handed him simple tasks to take care of such as handing me the vegetables/fruits from the fridge, washing the veggies, buttering the bread, whipping up milk shake using a hand blender (under my supervision). Let me tell you these tasks might all sound very easy to an adult but for a child to be able to do these tasks is a different ball game altogether. It fills them and you both, with pride and a sense of achievement.  Through this series I look forward to share with you all the simple recipes Little M (4 years) and I whip up together in the kitchen.  

He cannot contain his excitement whenever I ask him to come in the kitchen to help me. His giggles and happy dance that he keeps putting up in the middle of the process is my most cherished reward. Little M has now started to crack eggs and though he is not mastered the art of egg cracking without spills, he is getting better with each attempt.

Here are some of the advantages (in order to encourage all parents) for inviting their kids in the kitchen:

• Perfect bonding time.
• Make fond memories for your children to look back at.
• Learning by doing.
• Sense of achievement, builds self-confidence that they helped put together a meal or they contributed in the family work.
• Learn the importance of cooking fresh and healthy food.
• More likely to eat what they helped cook or put together.
• Allows them to take their own decisions. For example, choosing and deciding if they want carrots or cucumber for the salad or both.
• Learning to cook is a life skill that kids will benefit from for the rest of their lives.
• Kids are less likely to sit in front of TV or ask for Ipad if they are happily engaged in the kitchen with you.

I guess these reasons were more than enough to convince me to let Little M into the kitchen often. However, I would advise to keep a few things in mind always when cooking with kids, especially the little ones:

• Start with basic recipes, especially with smaller children. Such as a sandwich, fruit salad, milkshakes or smoothies.

• Don't allow kids near the burner. I haven't yet allowed Little M to step near the gas or do something on it.
• Don't hand them knives and other sharp equipment they might get hurt with. Even if they want to do some chopping hand them a plastic knife and give soft foods to work with. For example, avocado, banana or tomato.

• If in case you're handing them hand blender or a toaster or a mixer, NEVER leave their side and keep a close watch.

I would urge all parents to let kids in the kitchen and begin making memories along with some delicious food.

Stay tuned for some simple recipe ideas to start cooking with kids!

Thanks for reading!

Guacamole

Guacamole is a Mexican dip that is made from finely chopping or mashing avocados.

Avocados are not commonly consumed in India but slowly this wonder fruit is finding its way into our smoothies and milk shakes. Why call it a wonder fruit? Going by the nutritional value and the unique taste of this fruit, neither sweet nor sour, that makes it versatile to be consumed as a filling breakfast or a snack made yummy in a jiffy.

Top its slices on your bread, whip it into a smoothie or toss it in the salads, there are many interesting ways to include avocados into your daily meals.

Avocados have a variety of nutrients such as fiber, vitamin B, C and are packed with a lot of "good fats" essential for our body.

It is exceptionally good for children and often goes into Little M's milk shakes during the summer.

Coming back to guacamole, I had my first taste of this wonderful dip made by my talented blogger friend Tasneem who blogs at Thoughts Over Chai. The green paste that I didn't know anything about was devoured atop crispy nachos. The creamy taste of avocado lingered in my mouth while the nachos added the crunch into every bite. I quickly asked for the recipe.

This dish was alien to me. So I expected the ingredients also to be fancy. To my surprise they weren't!

Give me healthy food and it is surely going to be included in my family's meals one way or another.

When trying a new recipe, what could be better than finding all the ingredients on the list in your pantry? Another thing to love about this amazing dip is that it helps you prep up "no-cook"  meals and is ready in minutes.

The only change I made to the dip was that I didn't mash the avocado, but kept it chunky by chopping into tiny pieces, but you can always go ahead and mash the avocado pieces using a fork.

It is a good starter to please your guests before dinner and makes a yummy snack for children as well.

Little M is at home these days and before kindergarten starts next month I take every opportunity to spend quality time with him whether at the park and at home doing painting, playing with homemade play dough or in the kitchen as together we "cook" some simple meals that don't take long to finish.

I am on a constant look out for creative ways to keep Liitle M busy and thus away from the lure of TV or the ipad. If I am cooking in the kitchen I try to involve Little M by handing him simple tasks such as washing the veggies or buttering the bread. Most of times he obliges happily.

It is a good snack to prepare with your little ones as it doesn't require too much of an effort and the kids can help with chopping the avocado (with a plastic knife) and stirring up the veggies together or even in decorating their own chips!

Handing him the plastic knife after I scooped out the avocado, I asked him to roughly chop it into pieces.

If you do not know how to peel an avocado I would recommend that you check the internet for a video because it is super simple and uncomplicated.

I like to learn simple hacks to simplify and quicken daily tasks in the kitchen. Watching a video on how to simply peeling a pomegranate on Facebook really changed my life and now it is often consumed at my house as compared to before when I found getting pomegranate seeds out a big deal.

An avocado requires no peeling of the outer skin at all and is simple to get the pulpy flesh out in under a minute.

Avocados tend to blacken when peeled, so it helps to be quick with the chopping and sprinkling lemon juice asap to keep avocado from turning dark.

For the same reason, do not prepare this dip in advance. It can be made in under 10 min, so make it when you want to eat and serve it fresh.

Ingredients:

2 avocados, finely chopped (or mashed with fork)
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
coriander leaves, chopped
2 green chilies, finely chopped
salt, to taste

Method:

1) Chop or mash the avocados in a bowl. Sprinkle lemon juice fast to keep avocados from darkening.

2) Mix in all ingredients in a large bowl.

I separated a few spoons of guacamole for Little M and then added the finely chopped green chilies.

Guacamole dip is ready! :-)

 3) Serve as dip with nachos, chips, monaco biscuits or the Indian papad. :-)

Found a single kuboos or pita bread lying in my bread basket. Warmed it on a tawa or griddle alongwith some butter, making it slightly crunchy and layered the guacamole on top of it!

Not only was this recipe a time-saver but it really saved the dinner last night as I had not cooked anything. Do try this super quick and innovative dip that is ready in minutes and without breaking your back for hours in the kitchen.


Do share your thoughts on this recipe with me. I would love to read them.

Have you tasted guacamole? Or tried making it? How do you make yours? What are ways you include avocados in your family's meals? Please share your ideas with me.


Thanks for reading! :-)