Diwali Diya Cake

This diya (clay lamp) shaped cake was made for a Diwali party I attended in Chicago last year. It was my first attempt at constructing a new shape.

Diwali has so many happy memories for me like eating delicious sweets, getting new clothes and watching fireworks! My mom would always have sparklers for us to light up.

Hope you have a joyous and memorable Diwali!

Chocolate Truffles!

Happy New Year!

I thought I would start 2008 with a post on something sweet and special which will hopefully set the tone for the year. I made chocolate truffles during the holidays when I read an easy sounding recipe from the New York Times.

It was a lot more work than described in the instructions but they tasted really good. The truffles I made were bittersweet chocolate ganache coated with milk chocolate. I think you could make this ganache with a lot of variations by adding different flavours to it like orange, mint or even chili (for those of you who read my chili hot chocolate experiment last year)!

Instead of rolling the truffles in cocoa powder I coated them with milk chocolate which hardened to create a beautiful shell. Make sure you put them on wax paper after you coat them in chocolate so they are easy to remove once it has cooled and hardened. I learned that the hard way. I warmed a knife in hot water to ease them off the plate.

Here is the recipe from the NY Times:

Time: 30 minutes, plus at least one hour’s chilling

7/8 cup heavy cream

8 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Unsweetened cocoa powder as needed.

1. Heat cream in a pot until it steams. Put chocolate in a bowl, pour hot cream on top, and stir until chocolate is melted and incorporated into cream.

2. Chill until solid all the way through, 1 to 2 hours. Using a chilled melon baller or latex gloves to prevent the ganache from melting or sticking to your hands, scoop out about a tablespoonful and quickly roll it into a ball. Repeat, lining truffles on a plate or a baking sheet.

3. If truffles become too soft to handle, place them in refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes. Roll them in cocoa powder, confectioners’ sugar or a mixture of sugar and ground cinnamon. Serve immediately or store, wrapped in plastic, in refrigerator for up to four days.

Yield: About 1 1/2 cups ganache, or 24 truffles.

I also added a bit of butter to the ganache because I thought it would give it a nice sheen but I think it made it a little too soft.

Also make sure the cream isn't too hot because the chocolate will separate.

These are delicious and beautiful sweets that are the perfect size for holiday indulgences.

Hope you enjoy experimenting in 2008!

Orange Chocolate Cupcakes

I went to Washington DC for American Thanksgiving. Shankar's brother and sister-in-law, Mony and Radhika have a tradition of hosting it.

I was most excited to see the cutest 3 year old around, Sandhya. I had a great time decorating cupcakes with her. Radhika had baked some delicious orange chocolate cupcakes and I made a orange vanilla buttercream to complement it. The icing turned out quite well because of a suggestion to add some whipping cream! It tasted really good. I will have to experiment more with whipping cream in icing in the future. Sandhya decorated them beautifully with sprinkles!
Here is the buttercream recipe:

1/2 cup of butter
2 cups of icing sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4-5 tbsp whipping cream (depending on the consistency you want)
You can add 1-2 tsp of citrus zest or orange liqueur to flavour you icing.

I believe the verdict was "Yummy!"

Congratulations to Mony and Radhika on the latest addition to their family. Can't wait to meet little Gitanjali:)

Mehendi Design Cake

Kanchana has always wanted to decorate a cake with a mehendi design. We decided to use the base of the tiered wedding cake I made to experiment. Chocolate frosting was the perfect icing to get the mehendi effect. I think Kanchana did a great job even though she has never decorated a cake before. I told her some of the tips I learned from class about pressure control and bag handling but I think her expertise in mehendi design helped her the most.

We used some pomegranate seeds for the jewel toned accent colour. I think it looks pretty cool!

Class Finale- Tiered Wedding Cake!

I made a tiered wedding cake at my last cake decorating class. It was an amazing culmination of our course. Our instructor, Maria, was so sweet and encouraging and gave us great feedback and tips on how to make different cakes. I am so happy Renu and I took the class. We learned so much about the artistry behind cake decorating.

I used fake flowers on the bottom tier but the top tier roses are made of fondant. The cake was a layer of chocolate and a layer of vanilla with a strawberry vanilla buttercream filling.
I gave the top layer to my friend Subha. She told me when she gets married she wants me to make her cake!
Kanchana and I decorated the bottom layer with a mehendi pattern. It looked very cool. I will have to post pics of it!

If you are interested in cake decorating I recommend the Wilton courses. They are pretty intense for 4 weeks but the skills you gain will last you a lifetime:)

Wedding Gift Box Cake!

I am taking Cake decorating course 3 right now which teaches how to use fondant and make wedding cakes! Our first cake was this beautiful gift box. The 3D ribbon adds a point of visual interest to the cake. The smooth texture of the fondant adds a very professional look to the cake as well. I bought Wilton fondant from the store. It has the texture of playdough when you have kneaded it to a workable consistency. The flowers were cut out with cookie cutters that came in the course package. The cake was chocolate with a strawberry filling!

My friend Priya had her civil ceremony yesterday so Subha and I went over to see her. Congratulations Priya and Arun! Looking forward to the Hindu wedding. Hopefully I will have mastered the tiered cake by then:)

Berry Birthday Cake!

I decorated a cake for Dinaz' birthday last month and brought it to work. A group of us went to her cubicle and surprised her with a cake and a rendition of Happy Birthday! She was definitely shocked.

Maileen helped me with the assembly of the raspberries and blackberries. I think it looks simple but elegant.

I had an idea to try to have some chocolate sauce on the side but it didn't work out (it got burnt in the microwave). I'll have to try it for a party I have at home.

Fruit is a wonderful way to decorate a cake and bring in some fresh flavours. Use whatever is in season and I guarantee it will be a hit. Try it on your next cake!