Mango Pear and Chocolate Crumble

Just a minute more and today would have turned into non post day.

I saved my crumble from burning just about in time. My bad, I got carried away chatting with my dear hubby who is back from work after 15 days. And my sister who was feeling homesick and has extended her weekend.

So the foodies are back and my oven time has started.

It's a pain to bake for me alone. Specially when I am trying (not so much) to come back to my original self post pregnancy.

So last week to keep myself away from sweets and more sweets, I kept myself busy with window shopping for best of the Vegan and Egg-less recipes online and organizing and reorganizing my shopping list for the baking marathon this coming week.

Mint Lemonade Popsicles

Its a long month. Monsoons have decided to play Peek-a-boo with us and Sun is stronger than ever. In this heat lemonade has become a regular feature at home. And with repetiton of the same drink every day its on a verge of loosing its charm. 

We seriously can't have that..now can we?

Java Plum Frozen Yogurt

In passing during one of our tea time talks, I'd mentioned my love for Jamun and its soaring prices to Dad. Its sad to see that a fruit which used to color our roads Purple during season is hard to find anymore. 

I'd forgotten when was the last time I actually saw a Jamun tree on the sides of the road and the entire road colored Purple.


And then two days later I was mesmerized and holding this huge bag full of Jamun. It was a gift from his colleague who has a tree in his backyard...His backyard!!

We are a family of Fruitaholics. And it was becoming clear with every passing minute that this bag is going to be empty before I can even come up with an idea to what I want to do with it.

  

In this heat with uncertain power supply I was not going to let these Java plums go waste. So later that evening search for making an ice-cream started.

I don't have an ice cream maker so I went to Frozen Dessert expert's Blog and found out the way to make one without a machine.

It was a long process, but I took my chances. Anyways I wasn't getting much of the sleep with an infant and used every wake-up call to go churn the frozen yogurt until I was dead on my feet.

It tasted just like it was suppose to. Little sweet, tangy and sour and left amazing purple color on our tongues.    

The recipe was sourced from David Lebovitz

Recipe follows:

250g Java Plum/ Jamun
6 Tbsp Sugar
11/4 Cup Plain whole milk Yogurt
1/2 Tsp Fresh Lemon Juice

Procedure:


Carefully deseed java plums in a small bowl and mix with sugar until it dissolves. Keep them aside.

Transfer plums with yogurt and lemon juice to a blender and blend until its a smooth mixture.

Prepare an Ice bath and pour the mixture in a baking dish to chill.

Transfer the dish to the freezer. After an hour, check the dish.

As it starts to freeze, remove from the freezer and start stirring it with either a sturdy spatula or a hand mixer and break every frozen lump to the thick smooth mixture.

Keep repeating the procedure every hour until the ice cream is frozen. It should take about 3-4 hours.

Transfer the Ice cream to an air tight container. Ready for use.

Vanilla Pineapple Cake

If anything can prove that simple recipes are the most difficult ones to prepare. Pineapple cake is one of them.

My dear husband for one, loves this cake and his logic to test a new bakery is to taste their pineapple pastry. If its good, then its worth trying something else. If not, anybody can make a chocolate cake!

So yeah, I had some big shoes to fill in because he never fails to remind me on that moist and soft pineapple pastry he had in Ooty or that super creamy and moist pineapple cake he had at his friends Birthday.

This summer has been grueling. In this summer heat, I was expecting too much from my fresh cream. Yes I blame it all on weather! 

If it wasn't for Martha Stewart's whipped frosting, well I was in no mood to write another disaster.
I still blame everything on this weather. And this also proved my theory 'Easiest recipes are the most difficult ones to recreate'.

So I did not pass my test but hey! this was my first try. And I'm sure you will be reading more of Pineapple cake recipes on this blog.

For one this has become a challenge now! I have to surpass Virtue Bake's Pineapple pastry.
And I want to win over the worst Pineapple cake critic.

The recipe was Adapted from Land O' Lakes


Recipe follows:

For the Cake:


3 Cup All Purpose Flour
2 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 1/2 Stick Unsalted Butter
1 Tsp Salt
4 Large Egg
2 Egg Yolk
1 Cup Granulated White Sugar
2 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Milk

For the Frosting: 

3 Egg Whites
1/3 Cup Water
A pinch Salt
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Tsp Vanilla

Additional:
Pineapple Can

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350 Degree F (180 degree C). Grease and line two 8 - inch cake pans.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl beat Butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add Sugar and beat for another 2 minutes until incorporated.
Then add Eggs one by one. Scrape down the sides, add yolk and vanilla beating for few more minutes.

Putting speed on low add half of the dry ingredients to the batter. Scraping down the sides add milk and then the rest of the dry ingredients until well incorporated.  

Divide the batter evenly into prepared pan and Bake for about 25 - 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Let the cakes cool at the room temperature.

For the Frosting: On a double boiler, Cook egg whites with sugar, salt and water stirring continuously until sugar is dissolved. 


Transfer to a large bowl and beat until it becomes glossy with stiff peaks. Add vanilla and beat until just combined. Do not over-beat. 

For assembling: Place one cake layer on the serving plate and soak it with pineapple juice following with pineapple pieces. Spread about 1/2 a cup of frosting on the layer. Repeat this process with the second layer too. Smear the rest of the frosting on the sides of the cake.  


Cover and refrigerate the cake. Leave out in room temperature for a while before serving.