Orange,Kiwi Cake Baked in Pressure Cooker

The street cars are
Like frosted cakes —
All covered up
With cold snowflakes.

Although this is not the condition in most parts of India but we Indians do eagerly wait for Christmas as much as for Diwali, Holi, Dussera, Id, etc. Each festival brings us happiness and a sweet aroma of varied sweets.Diwali ke Laddu, Holi ki Gujia, Dussera ka Rasgulla, Id ke Simaiya and Christmas Cakes. This Christmas I baked a cake. As in winter fresh fruits are available I flavored my cake  with a squeeze of Orange juice and sweetness of Kiwi.

Its very true that “need is the mother of invention”.  My grandma did not have oven in the good old days, but she used to bake cakes in pressure cooker. So I tried it as I too don’t have a cake oven at my home. But this cake is equally delicious as the cake baked in oven.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup All purpose flour(Maida)
• 1/2 cup Condensed Milk
• 50 g Butter (preferably a salted)
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1 tea spoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 cup fresh Orange Juice
• 12-14 Raisins
• 12-14 cashew-nut chopped
• 1-2 Kiwi skinned and cut in round shape.
• 2 cups of salt

Take a bowl pour the butter into it. Add the sugar to it. Whip well so that it turns into a frothy mixture. Sieve All Purpose Flour and baking soda in another bowl. Add this to butter-sugar mixture. Start whipping. Add the Condensed milk, Orange juice and Milk to it. Whip well till it turns to a smooth thick batter. Take  a metal bowl (Preferably of Aluminum). Grease it with butter and dust the whole tray. with All Purpose Flour. Tab of the extra flour sticking to it.Pour the smooth batter to the greased bowl. Scatter the raisins on the top of the batter Spread  uniformly the 2 cups salt to the base of the pressure cooker and Pr-Heat the cooker for 5-10 minutes on low flame. Now with utmost care place bowl with batter in the cooker. Cover it and place it on flame opening the whistle. Simmer the gas and let it bake for 45-50 minutes on low flame.  Let the cake cool down. Garnish it with kiwi and the cake is ready.

Eggless Chocolate Muffins

A muffin is an American English name for a type of bread that is baked in small portions. Many forms are somewhat like small cakes or cupcakes in shape. Chocolate muffins are rich and tender, high-rising, and deep chocolate, both in color and flavor. I recommend them anytime of the day when you feel like treating yourself to something really special. And, by the way, they don’t need to be decor or frosted with fudge icing.

Everyone loves freshly made muffins and these quick and simple chocolate muffins with delicious chocolate flavor are made in just few easy steps.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups All purpose flour (maida)
• 2 tbs Butter
• 1/2 cup Condensed Milk
• 4 tbs Cocoa Powder
• 1cup Milk
• 3/4 cup Refined oil
• 2 tbs Vanilla Essence
• 2 tea spoon Baking soda
• 1/2 cup Sugar powder
• 2 tbs Vanilla Ice Cream (optional for garnishing)

Take a big deep bowl.  Take a container of a mixer grinder. Add oil and sugar to it. Whip it for few times till the fluid becomes frothy. Leave it for some time. Add the Cocoa powder to the milk and mix them well. Now add the Condensed milk, Butter, Vanilla Essence, Maida, Baking soda and Cocoa mixed milk to the frothy oil. Whip them all together for 12-15 times. Pour the thick free flowing batter in small round bowls or cups. Put them in the microwave for 5-6 minutes. The Chocolate muffins are ready to be served.