No icing on the cake

 HAPPY VALENTINE'S  DAY ❤           The list of special days celebrated all over the world is stretching longer and longer.  When I was in school, I had only rea and heard  about the  national and religious festivals.  As time went ahead , special days like rose ,promise, hug , propose and valentine's days were added to the list . .                 For me every day is special  . I miss hugging my parents ,who are no more and my sister, son and nephew, who are in the states . I do hug my husband and celebrate' Hugs Day .It's ' Chocolate Day' whenever I eat one to satiate my chocolate cravings . I love roses , especially red ones . My hubby is not the kind to pamper me with flowers,  gifts or candlelight dinners 😞But the day I see a rose🌹 in my garden is' Rose Day 'for me  😀🌹  'Propose days is when we propose ides or plans to each other.  Promises are always meant to...

 TRI FLAVOURED CASTILLO CAKE     I had some sugar syrup from a tin of Haldiram's rasgullas , gifted by a friend . As I didn't want to waste it , I decided to bake a cake with it . While looking up the Google, I chanced upon an interesting CASTILLO cake.  So decided to give it a try  .      CASTILLO is a Japanese Cake.  It is made with a kind of sugar syrup, which gives it the softness .  I have used leftover canned Haldiram 's Rasgulla sugar syrup .I have used Cocoa powder for chocolate 🍫layer , strawberry  flavoured custard powder  🍓 for the strawberry layer and  basic batter for the  vanilla layer.            The cake batter was poured in layers in the greased and lined cake dish . A toothpick was moved  only along the edges in a swish swash movement  and baked  Here are the instructions  FOR THE BASIC BATTER  DRY INGREDIENTS ( Sieve 2 _ 3 times and ...

 WISH YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS 🎄🎊🎁⚡🌹🎉🥳💐🍰⛄🎂 May this Christmas season bring you closer to all those that you treasure in your heart. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year! 🎄⛄🎊🎉🎉🎊🎊🥳🌹💫🎅⭐🌟🎈🎈🎁🎁🎁🎁💐💐🎉🎉🎉🎊🎊🎊⛄⛄⛄⛄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 PUMPKIN CHRISTMAS CAKE 🎂 This is an eggless,  oil less,  butter less and dairy free  cake  INGREDIENTS  NEEDED TO MAKE THE CAKE 👇👇 Apple                   1 medium size ( pureed) Pumpkin              1cup (grated ) Jaggery                  1cup( chopped) Dates                      1 cup( chopped)  Flour (I have used whole wheat flour)  1.5 cups  Semolina                   1/2 cup  Baking powder          1 tsp Baking soda  ...

 SOHAN HALWA AND LADDOO CUPCAKES              ( made in the  airfryer) Diwali and  Bhai Dooj are the time for  sweets and dry fruits.  But what do you do when these pile up with no one wanting to eat them anymore .Even my help has refused to take them home ( Didi ab aur meetha nahi khaya jata ) .          I googled  for recipes with  leftover sweets  and thankfully found a few recipes of  eggless cakes / cupcakes with  leftover laddoos n burfis.  I had a box of besan laddoos and last few pieces of sohan halwa  which I used in the batter  ( instead of custard powder) and for the topping               Made a batter with flour ( I have used whole wheat flour/ atta) , baking powder ,  baking soda , yogurt,  sugar  and few  crushed laddoos and sohan halwa  .  I made cupcakes in the airfryer and toppe...

 SWEET POTATO  CAKE (EGGLESS ) The season of sweet potatoes is back again  .  So decided to make something sweet instead of the usual  sweet potato chaat or tikkis. So made this  eggless , oil less/ butter less and  sugar free healthy  cake .  WET INGREDIENTS _ Blend together in blender into a puree Boiled , peeled and roughly chopped sweet potato      _       1 cup  Apple       _        1 medium Dates ( roughly chopped and soaked in warm water)      1 cup  Honey       _       according to requirement to adjust the sweetness     Vanilla essence  DRY INGREDIENTS  _ Sieve together  Whole wheat flour    _ 1.5 cups  Baking  powder        _   1 tsp Baking soda              _    1/2 tsp...

 SWEET RICE CAKE ( Made with ready-made Dosa Batter) It's called Pithaguri cake in Assamese  ( Pithaguri means rice flour) & poda pitha in odisha  Ingredients readymade dosa batter -     2    Cups   Grated jaggery                _ 1&1/4cups semolina (suji)                _   1Tbsp             Green cardamom powder _1/4tsp   coconut powder                 _ 3/4 cups   Dry fruits and raisins  Honey for drizzling  Method  1)Melt 1 cup of the grated jaggery lightly in a non-stick pan. 2)Add coconut to the melted jaggery  3)Mix well and keep aside to cool  4)Add semolina,  and cardamom powder to the dosa  batter and mix well. Keep aside  4. Add the cooled melted jaggery and coconut mixture to the  dosa...

 SEMOLINA HONEY AND JAM CAKE  WET INGREDIENTS  Sugar _                  3/4 cup Oil      _                  1/3 cup Milk   _                   1/2 cup     Lemon juice      Vanilla essence  DRY INGREDIENTS  Semolina ( fine) _      1 cup  Flour        _                   1/4 cup  Baking powder _        1 tsp Baking soda     _         1/2tsp  OTHER INGREDIENTS  Dry fruits _ chopped almonds,  pistachios,cashew nuts and raisins  Milk to adjust the consistency of the batter if needed  Dry fruits  for garnishing ( 1 _ 2 tbsp coarsely ground) FOR HONEY AND JAM TOPPING  Honey,  jam, ...