Autobiography of a cake

Life of every celebration is with me. I enjoy the limelight in every event and party as people associate me with joy and happiness. Without any further ado, let me introduce myself. Hi everyone !! I am your beloved cake. I take the opportunity to share the story of my life with you all.

The story of my birth begins when somebody decides to celebrate a certain event like birthday, anniversary, wedding etc. Sometimes people make me just to satiate their cravings as I am very yummy and delicious. I act as a soul food for them. Reasons of my birth are many. The list is very long.

First of all my spongy base is prepared. Its main ingredients are all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, butter and condensed milk. First of all flour, baking soda, baking powder are mixed together in a bowl. Then in another container melted butter, condensed milk, vanilla essence and sugar are mixed together to get a liquid paste. This liquid paste is transferred to a bowl containing mixed dry items and a batter is prepared.

In a greased pan this batter is poured and kept inside in a preheated oven for 35-40 minutes till it is baked properly. A rich aroma of baked flour and vanilla essence fills in your surrounding and gives pleasure to your senses. The process of my birth is half complete when my base gets ready.

My base is taken out of the pan to cool down. Once I cool down, my base is cut into equal layers. These layers are kept one above the other and are frosted with cream. Creams of different flavours can be used to give me variety. My name keeps changing with the change in flavour of the cream. I am created in different shapes, sizes and flavours. It depends upon the creativity of my creator. Once my frosting is done and I am decorated with cream and other elements, I become ready to be taken to the special event for which I was made.

I get placed on a decorated table in the centre of the party hall and receive everybody’s attention and appreciation. And then finally I am cut, with people hooting and cheering in joy. A small part of me is served on everybody’s plate. This is my story in which I witness joy and celebration of life and give people memories of a lifetime to cherish. My life is short but it is worth it. And that’s how it should be.

Eggless Choco Lava Cake Recipe

Have no idea what you are going to do  this weekend? Well, we are here to help you. Try out the eggless Choco lava cake recipe at the comfort of your home and reward yourself with delicious as well as comforting choco lava cake.

What makes it even more special is the chocolate filling inside it, which melts immediately inside your mouth. So let’s get started with our quick and easy recipe.

Preparation Time   10 minutes

Cooking time            40 minutes

Serves                        3               

Ingredients

·      Half cup all-purpose flour

·      3 tablespoon cocoa powder

·      1 pinch salt

·      ¼ teaspoon baking soda

·      ½ cup cold water

·      1/3 cup sugar

·      Two tablespoons edible oil

·      ½ teaspoon vanilla essence

·      ½ teaspoon lemon juice

·      100 grams chocolate

Method

·      In a bowl mix all purpose flour, salt , cocoa powder and baking soda

·      In another bowl mix sugar, cold water, edible oil, lemon juice and vanilla essence properly.

·      Now mix the items of above two bowls together in a proper way.

·      Transfer this batter in greased muffin cups.

·      Next place the chocolate squares in the batter and immerse them inside the batter by gently pressing.

·      Preheat the oven and bake the batter at 200 degree Celsius for 30 minutes

·      Remove the muffin cups from oven and let them cool for 2 to 3 minutes

·      Next invert the muffin cups and let the lava cake fall on a plate.

·      Your choco lava cake is ready to be served !!

·      Now please eat it J

BAKING THERAPY

Amidst  our fast and  busy lives , tight schedules  and targets to be achieved , we all need a break to purse hobbies which can make us feel good. Baking acts as an excellent stress buster, thereby  helps  calm your nerves and make you feel good.

Therapeutic properties of baking have been proved by many researchers . It is meditative , as it takes away your attention from other things . You have to be attentive while baking as it is all about using right ingredients in right proportion.

The smell and aroma of baked items has a very soothing effect on  mind of the baker. The ambience created while baking is unmatchable. Aromatic properties of baking acts as an instant mood booster.

Baking lets you explore your creativity, as with creativity and application of new ideas , you can produce many new varieties of products. Creativity and happiness go hand in hand and creativity makes people happy and healthy.

What makes it even more magical is the final output. The sight of  final baked product instantly brings smile on  face of the baker. The happiness  magnifies even more , when you get appreciated for your work from the very person , for whom you were baking. So don’t think  twice to bake your next cake and get your hands dirty !!

Visit our website www.avonbakers.com  for online cake delivery in Delhi , Noida , Meerut , Ghaziabad , Faridabad , Gurgaon and Modinagar.

5 Offbeat Cake Flavours

                           

The ultimate taste is given to the cake by flavour. A perfect cake passes the test only when it tastes as good as it looks. There are many flavours like chocolate , vanilla , pineapple , butterscotch , white forest , black forest etc . to name a few.

 But if you are an explorer and want to try out some unique  and offbeat cake flavours , then we are here to help you. We will discuss about  five  very offbeat flavours in the world of cakes.  You can also order cakes online  in these flavours at our website www.avonbakers.com

   1.   Red velvet

This  flavour is somewhere between chocolate and vanilla and is prepared with white cream frosting. It gives a red hue to the cake sponge because of which it has been named Red velvet.

   2.   Lemon

  

             If you are bored of rich and heavy flavours , its high time you try tangy , light and zingy lemon flavour cake. It is usually prepared with lemond buttercream icing . This citrous flavour is a real winner and simply magical.

    3.   Carrot

This soft, dense cake is moist and has a lovely consistency due to grated carrots and nuts being main components of the batter. It is made with a cream cheese frosting. Carrot cake is a great alternative to the more common flavors such as chocolate and vanilla.

   4.   Blueberry

This sweet and tangy flavour gives the taste of blueberries. Its neither too sweet nor too acidic. It is fruity sweet acidulous  flavour but delicate. Go for it, you will not get tired of vaping it!

   5.   Pink Champagne

  

  As its  name suggests , this flavour cake is uses champagne  instead of water in the batter and the colour of sponge is pink in colour which is obtained due to food colouring .

10 most important baking tools

Baking is an art, which gets perfect with practice. But an artist is nothing without his tools. Likewise art of baking also requires necessary tools. Right instruments and tools can make baking fun , easy and efficient . And the final output can be astonishing !!  Here we are providing the list of the most basic and important baking tools. So bring out the artist in you and surprise the world. Here we go !!

   1. Whisk

                    Whisk is a baking tool which is used to blend baking ingredients together. This process of incorporating air into the mixture is also called whisking or whipping. Whisk is generally made up of stainless steel. These days electric whisks are also available in the market.

      2.   Spatulas

               Spatulas are an invaluable tool in the world of baking. Their use ranges from mixing, spreading , lifting to transferring. Different spatulas are used for different tasks at hand. Metal Spatulas are usually needed for turning and transferring. Their main purposes are to flip, scrape and serve . Rubber spatulas are used for scraping and smoothing purpose. Frosting spatula is used for applying frosting on the cake.

      3. Pastry Bags and Piping Tips

                              

Pastry bags are used for decorating the cake. These are usually cone or triangular shaped , handheld bags made of plastic. you make different decorations depending upon the nozzle you use. There are different type of nozzles like leaf nozzle, flower nozzle , open star, closed star nozzle , Round ,petal, basket, ruffle and multi-hole nozzle.

     4.   Pans

         Pans help in giving shape to the base or sponge of the cake. The cake batter is poured into these pans and then baked. Many different shapes and sizes of pans are available in the idea. There are different kind of pans like baking sheet, loaf pan, pie tin , round cake tin, cupcake and muffin tins , tart pans, fancy pans.

  5.  Mixing Bowls

                  

                       Mixing bowls are used to mix dry and liquid ingredients to prepare the cake batter. They come in different sizes and are made up of ceramic, plastic, glass, copper and stainless steel. Bowls are also used to beat eggs, prepare whipping cream and mix salad and dressing.

      6.  Rolling Pin

                   

                    This tool is used to give shape and flatten the dough. They come in many styles and are made up of different materials. There are 3 types of rolling pins  : Rolling , Rod and textured.

7.    Cooling Racks

                      

                           Cooling racks are used to cool down the cake bases, muffins, cookies and cupcakes once they are baked and removed out of oven.

       8. Pastry Brush

                      Pastry brush is used to spread butter , oil or glaze or egg wash on the food. Bristles of pastry brush are made up of plastic, nylon or silicon.

  9. Standing Mixer

                 Standing mixers are large in size with a more powerful motor . A bowl is attached with the these mixers which is locked in a place while the mixer is operating .It is used for general whipping , mixing and kneading tasks.  

       

10.    Parchment Papers

                                  

It is also known as silicon paper and is used to line the baking tins. This is a non-stick paper which is also grease proof and moisture-proof.

                   

                         

If you are interested in more such interesting blogs please visit our wesite www.avonbakers.com.                

                        

10 Most Basic Baking Ingredients

Here  we present another weekly Blog from Avon Bakers. This article is written especially for the beginners who want to set foot in the world of baking. Stock up these items permanently in your kitchen as you will always need them while baking anything.

   1.    FLOUR

Flour is the most basic ingredient used in all baked goods. There are many varieties of flours available , ranging from cake flour, pastry flour, bread flour to self-rising flour. Choice of a flour, to bake any particular baking item, depends upon protein content , added agents and processes used in making the flour.

Cake flour has less protein and high starch content .It is basically used in making cakes, quick  breads , cookies and muffins.  Bread flour has high protein and gluten content which makes it suited to make yeast products. Pastry flour  is used to make  cookies , biscuits and pie crusts for a tender but crumbly pastry. Self-rising flour has low protein content with added baking powder and salts.

  2.    SUGAR

Sugar plays a very important role in baking process . It not only adds sweetness to the baked item but also adds volume, tenderness, texture, color, and acts as a preservative. Generally four types of sugars are used for baking. They are granulated sugar, confectioners sugar, superfine sugar and brown sugar.

Granulated sugar is also known as white sugar and table sugar. It is widely used sugar which is derived from sugar cane or sugar beets. Confectioner’s sugar is also know as icing sugar or powdered sugar. It is powdered granulated sugar with added cornstarch. Superfine sugar is also known as castor sugar .It has very fine granules. Brown sugar has moist texture and is made by adding molasses to the granulated sugar. Its colour varies from light brown to dark brown depending upon the amount of molasses used.

  3.    BAKING POWDER

Baking powder is a dry chemical leavening agent which is  used for increasing the volume and lightening the texture of baked goods. It's made up of bicarbonate of soda ,cream of tartar and cornstarch.

  4.    BAKING SODA

Baking soda is also known as bicarbonate of soda or sodium bicarbonate . It is a leavening agent . It is added to baked goods before cooking to produce carbon dioxide and cause them to rise. 

   5.    VANILLA ESSENCE

 Vanilla essence is used as flavoring agents in desserts, breads, cakes, puddings, frostings, etc. 

   6.    YEAST

 Strains of yeast are used as a leavening agent in baking bread and bakery products, where it converts the fermentable sugars present in the dough into carbon dioxide and ethanol. 

7.EGGS

Eggs play a very important function of holding other ingredients while mixing and baking .They maintain the tender structure of the baked product.

8.BUTTER

Another all-round baking ingredient is butter . It not only gives the flavor to the baked good but also makes it light, tender and fluffy. Shelf life of product gets prolonged with this.

9.UNSWEETENED COCOA POWDER

It is used to give intense chocolate flavor to the baked good. It is also used in making chocolate icing and cake fillings.

10. SALT

Salt plays a very important role of controlling the fermentation rate of yeast. It not only adds overall flavor but also strengthens the gluten in the dough making it less sticky.

That’s  it folks !!