November 29, 2012

Dessert / No bake | Bru Coffee Panna Cotta … for hectic days of endless work

“Only one thing is certain about coffee…. Wherever it is grown, sold, brewed, and consumed, there will be lively controversy, strong opinions, and good conversation.”
Mark Pendergrast

I love the theme for the latest Femina. It’s an issue celebrating the art of slowing down. Rat races and deadlines threaten to burn us out. I screamed a big hearty YES in my head, and then decided to get the better of life! Of course it didn’t happen. The Bru Coffee Panna Cotta did though! It gave me an opportunity to use the beautiful mason jars that Finla sent.

It was for a shoot for a magazine in China, they were doing a feature on fridges and lifestyles. Yours truly was contacted, and yours truly said YES! NEVER say yes to a fridge photoshoot! I was spring cleaning till kingdom came, discovering things I hadn’t seen in ages, scrub-a-dubbing forever … and cursing my poor foresight! At the time I really wished I hadn’t said yes!

On the brighter side, I have a sparkling clean fridge that looks almost as good as new, I now know every little crumb that lives in there. It’s so organised that it barely looks like mine! In there too was some Indian Coffee Panna Cotta that I made that day. I am on a coffee overdrive, what with the recent Coffee Vanilla Bean Layered Cake.

There’s been a chocolate overdrive of late too, but then, no one seems to be complaining! In the past few days I also made Whole-wheat Mocha Brownies for the kids. They were delicious. And on the trot yesterday, Whole-wheat Chocolate Lava Cakes in 4 and a half minutes in the Philips AirFryer. Some gadgets are such a blessing.

Bru Coffee Panna Cotta Bru is my morning cup of coffee, my coffee connect! It’s instant, a mix of chicory and coffee, and I love its deep flavour. It’s been a favourite for years and years. Anything Bru works for me, the original Bru that is. None of the new flavours appeal to me like the old rustic original!

A coffee panna cotta has been tempting me for long ever since Cookaroo posted one with an espresso syrup. What’s not to love about this quintessential Italian dessert of ‘cooked cream’? It’s one dessert where all flavours work magically and very few people would refuse a serving … the kids always want seconds and thirds!

So without further ado, here is one of my all time favourite desserts, a Bru Coffee Panna Cotta … make ahead, indulgent and deliciously coffee! For those who have known me over the years, sorry it’s coffee again. For those who don’t know me – nothing wins my palette over like coffee in dessert! My guilty pleasure, my relaxation. {And if coffee is not your thing, I have a whole string of other flavours ... Dark Chocolate & Orange, Saffron Caramel, Strawberry Tangerine Quark to tempt you with!}

Oh, did I tell you that the sun is back? It is indeed. The horrid smog has finally cleared and ‘lazy creatures‘ are enjoying the morning sun!

Recipe: Bru Coffee Panna Cotta

Summary: Whats not to love about this quintessential Italian dessert of ‘cooked cream’? It’s one dessert where all flavours work magically, coffee is one of my most loved versions.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes {plus chilling}
Ingredients:

1ltr low fat cream, room temp
115g vanilla sugar
2.5 tbsp coffee powder
2 tsp gelatin
3 tbsp water

Method:

Sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let stand for five minutes.
Stir coffee into 30ml cream.
Place the cream, coffee mix and sugar in a heavy bottom pan and gently bring to a simmer, but not a full boil. Stir often.
Take off heat. Add 1-2 tbsp of this hot cream to the dissolved gelatin to loosen it further, and then pour the gelatin mix back into the hot cream through a sieve. Stir well.
Let the mixture stand for about 10 minutes, then distribute among your serving bowls/molds/ramekins/goblets.
Allow to set for 6-8 hours/preferably overnight. Serve with chocolate shavings.

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Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India

November 17, 2012

Baking | Coffee & Vanilla Bean Layered Cake …Happy Birthday to me!

“Coffee smells like freshly ground heaven.”
Jesse Lane Adams

A Coffee & Vanilla Bean Layered Cake … this is what my dreams are made up of. Coffee in a birthday cake has become a quintessential part of my birthday, a flavour that inspires me like no other. A lot of friends express surprise, dismay and even chide me for baking on ‘my big day’ every year… yet this is what relaxes me the most – baking!

The teen did offer to bake for me the night before! She said she would begin baking after Grey’s Anatomy which continued late into the night. She offered to do a rainbow cake {her current obsession} but I wanted coffee. “How about rainbow coffee cake?” she asked. I was soon out cold after a hectic Diwali. She passed out soon too!

Coffee & Vanilla Bean Layered Cake I tiptoed into the kitchen the next morning to get a head-start while the teens snoozed. Throw coffee into the cake batter and I can climb the highest mountain, sail the roughest sea and still come out good! This is a cake I look forward to baking, one with no plan in particular.

Coffee & Vanilla Bean Layered Cake It’s a good relaxed feeling when you are bake for yourself. No disappointments, no one judges your slips and you get to enjoy the fruits of your own ‘labour‘! Therapy at your own pace, in your own time, in your own space!

Coffee is my favourite flavour in dessert, so my birthday cake is predictable. The tiramisu we did for the Daring Bakers sang to me. The tiramisu variants that the Olive churns out call my name. I thrive on cold coffee even in the winter.

I use generous doses of Bru instant coffee to get depth of flavour. Bru is one of India’s best known and oldest chicory coffee powders. We love that first mug every morning! It’s a blend we grew up on, the green packaging a nostalgic bit of our teenage years.

Coffee & Vanilla Bean Layered Cake When we were young, coffee was forbidden. As teens, we took our first steps into the delicious world of coffee. Both our kids are true lovers of everything coffee, often the first flavour they reach for. Sometimes, chocolate comes second.

A study from the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences found that a daily dose of caffeine may block the disruptive effects of high cholesterol that scientists have linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Coffee is now listed as one of many brain foods.

I am not advocating the benefits of coffee. Just saying that if you are a coffee lover, don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy a cake like this. Use your best loved coffee brand; indulge your palette!! This Coffee & Vanilla Bean Layered Cake is testament to it.

The flavours developed deeply and nicely. Alternate layers of vanilla bean and coffee sponge sandwiched with a light whipped coffee cream. I did contemplate a chocolate filling but the clock grew wings. Time flew away! So I grabbed a huge bowl of chilled low fat cream and beat the daylights out of it. 2 tbsps of coffee later, junior teen dug a spoon in …. “Yummm. Can I finish whats left?”

I asked him to take a teeny video of me assembling the cake if he wanted the cream! Bribery works. Little hands, sometimes shaky, sometimes distracted, tired easily, we did get something on camera. Will process and post it soon. It was shot basically for the chocolate lace collar as I get a lot of mails asking me how I make it.

Recipe: Coffee & Vanilla Bean Layered Cake

Summary: Light as air vanilla and coffee layers of cake sandwiched with delicious whipped coffee cream make for a perfect dessert. Make a day ahead if you like. The tastes mature beautifully!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:

Vanilla Bean Sponge
3 eggs
75g raw sugar / bura {or powdered sugar}
75g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
pinch salt
2tsp extra virign olive oil
1tbsp 2% milk
1/2 vanilla bean scraped
Coffee Sponge
4 eggs
100g raw sugar / bura {or powdered sugar}
1/2 vanilla bean scraped
1 1/2 tbsp instant coffee powder
20ml warm water
100g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
pinch salt
2tsp extra virign olive oil
1tbsp 2% milk
Simple Coffee Syrup
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp instant coffee
2tbsp raw sugar {or powdered sugar}
Coffee Whipped Cream
800ml low fat cream, chilled
150g raw sugar / bura {or powdered sugar}
1 1/2 to 2 tbsp instant coffee powder {as per taste}

Method:

Vanilla Bean Sponge
Preheat oven to 180C. Line the base and sides of a 8″ round cake tin with baking parchment.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Reserve.
Beat the eggs with raw/powdered sugar and scraped vanilla bean in a big bowl over a pan of simmering water until tripled in volume and mousse like, about 7 minutes. {Thermomix: Butterfly insert, Speed 4, 37c, 7 minutes}
Gently add the flour mix and fold through, followed by the olive oil and milk.
Transfer batter to prepared tin and bake for 25-30 minutes in conventional oven until light golden brown.
Cool in tin for 5 minutes, and demold and cool completely on cooling rack.
Slice into 2 layers.
Coffee Sponge
Preheat oven to 180C. Line the base and sides of a 8″ round cake tin with baking parchment.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Reserve.
Stir the coffee into the warm water. Leave to mature flavours.
Beat the eggs with raw/powdered sugar and scraped vanilla bean in a big bowl over a pan of simmering water until tripled in volume and mousse like, about 7 minutes. {Thermomix: Butterfly insert, Speed 4, 37c, 7 minutes}.
Add the coffee mixture and beat to incorporate.
Gently add the flour mix and fold through, followed by the olive oil and milk.
Transfer batter to prepared tin and bake for 25-30 minutes in conventional oven until light golden brown.
Cool in tin for 5 minutes, and demold and cool completely on cooling rack.
Slice into 3 layers.
Simple Coffee Syrup
Stir together all ingredients, heat gently if required. Cool and reserve in bowl.
Coffee Whipped Cream
Make sure the cream is well chilled. {You can use whipping cream if available. Life just becomes a lot easier and quicker, but make sure you don’t over whip it and get butter}
Whip the cream and sugar {reserve a little to add later once you taste the sweetness} to stiff peaks. Low fat cream available in India takes quite a while to beat up if the weather is warm. It sometimes even fails to oblige. Feel free to use whipping cream if you like.
Assembling
Divide the coffee cream into 2 bowls, one for filling and the second half for frosting.
Place a layer of vanilla sponge on your cake plate/ dessert platter. Paint lightly with coffee syrup. Put a generous dollop of coffee cream and spread uniformly to the sides.
Top with a layer of coffee sponge. Repaet until you use all layers, alternating between vanilla & coffee.
Frost the sides and top of the cake with the remaining coffee cream. Pipe some rosettes on top if you like, garnish with chocolate flakes. Finish the cake with a piped chocolate lace border if desired.
Chill until ready to serve. Leave out for about 30 minutes prior to cutting.

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Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India

May 6, 2011

Baking| Espresso Chocolate Chip Cupcakes … Espress-o-love for Mother’s Day!!

“Mothers are those wonderful people who can get up in the morning before the smell of coffee.”
Author Unknown

Expresso Love. Have you heard the song? Its sung by my favourite band of all time, Dire Straits, whose timeless, classic music never ceases to amaze! Money For Nothing, Sultans of Swing … yank them up to the ‘are you crazy levels‘ and its nirvana for me!! Similar to the effect coffee has on me. Espresso love … Those who have known me for long, know that coffee is my favourite flavour of all time. There was a time when every celebration cake was coffee or espresso. Then came food blogs … each offering fresh perspective, new insights, flavours I had never dreamt of using. Now fruits of the season charm me and prod me to pick them off shelves. Good days are back again and we’re treading slowly into stone fruit season. I made a delicious chocolate & cherry dessert yesterday; should be my next post! Here’s a sneak peek…Yet I couldn’t let the mother in me not post about coffee this week. I was googling for coffee or espresso muffins, one link led to another, and I halted at a tempting site espresso machine reviews. I don’t own an espresso maker, though I do have a coffee maker of sorts; the reviews made me want to own one of those beauties!The lad decided to explore the site further and offered to buy me one for Mother’s Day! He read the reviews and zeroed in on the rancilio silvia review. “Would you like this one Mama?”, the ever charming creature queried. Ever since I ordered the misplaced pinch cap for my Sigma lens from ebay and it was shipped from the US, he thinks we can ship anything in! It’s a great idea, but one who is oceans apart from those mean machines, these espresso dark-chocolate chip cupcakes are good enough, for now at least. Are you a coffee junkie? Does your morning begin with a cuppa coffee? Mine does. Coffee just makes things better! These muffins are great for a coffee loving Mum! Nothing like a deep, delicious espresso cupcake to make the day complete. Dark chocolate pairs beautifully with coffee, and IMHO, a creme chantilly topping might compliment these cupcakes nicely too. I love the cases too, and have to thank my friend Bina for sending these vibrant and beautiful liners to me. I love the colours Bina!

Recipe: Espresso Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with a Chocolate Espresso Ganache

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup vanilla sugar
1 tbsp espresso powder {or 2 tbsp coffee powder}
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup milk, room temperature
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C. Line {or grease} a 12 mold muffin tray
With a fork, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Reserve
Beat the butter, vanilla sugar, espresso powder, vanilla extract and egg in a large mixing bowl.
Add the flour mix and milk, and blend on low speed until smooth, 30 seconds.
Fold in the chocolate chips
Spoon into muffin cases upto 2/3 full.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until springy to the touch. Cool in the tin for about a minute before putting the muffins onto a wire rack to cool completely.Top with ganache if desired. {Recipe follows}

Recipe: Chocolate Espresso Ganache

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

100gms dark chocolate, room temperature
50ml low fat cream
1/2 tsp espresso powder

Method:

Place the chocolate and cream in a heat proof bowl, and microwave on full power for 30 seconds. Stir, and give it another 10-15 seconds if need be.
Add the espresso powder and blend well with a spoon until smooth and shiny. Cool and use.

Don’t miss a post Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India