Easy Dessert Cake Recipe: Hot Milk Sponge Cake

Sponge cake is a light and fluffy dessert that is made simple in this recipe with the use of box cake mix. With the addition of a few ingredients namely baking powder, salt, eggs, vanilla extract, sugar, milk and butter you can make a professionally made sponge cake in a cinch. This hot milk sponge cake version has a creamy and luscious flavor that can be dressed up in a number of ways. It can be enjoyed on its own with just a dusting of confectioner’s sugar or covered with chocolate or vanilla frosting.

When making sponge cake easy desserts, it is important to mix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately. The eggs and the sugar should be beaten together until thick. The wet and the dry are gradually incorporated together, folding in the ingredients until a smooth mixture is obtained. This will help keep air in the mixture and help the cake rise properly. The result is a light and porous cake that is perfect with coffee or tea. This hot milk sponge cake also pairs well with a cup of hot chocolate. It is the perfect ending to a heavy and rich healthy meals.

Ingredients: 1 box cake mix, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3 well beaten eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup milk, ¼ cup melted butter

Preparation Instructions: 

In a bowl, mix the baking powder, salt, and cake mix together. In a separate bowl, mix the beaten eggs and vanilla together, then add the sugar and continue beating until golden and fluffy. Pour the egg mixture into the dry mixture and blend well. In a saucepan, boil the milk and butter. Stir into the egg mixture. Pour the batter into a greased baking pan and bake for 35-40 minutes in a 350 degree F. preheated oven.

This recipe makes use of box cake mix, which can be bought in the grocery and is available in many different brands. The usual ingredients contained in a box cake include sifted flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, and butter or vegetable oil shortening. Most commercial box cake mix include other additives such as partially hydrogenated soybean oil, modified food starch, cellulose gum, xanthan gum, maltodextrin, and artificial flavors. You can also make homemade box cake mix from scratch. A simple homemade cake mix consists of two ¾ cups flour, ¾ cup fine sugar, 2-teaspoon baking powder, and ¾ teaspoon salt. Simply mix the ingredients together and store in a jar with an airtight lid for later use.

Source: www.gourmandia.com

Easy Dessert Cake Recipe: Apple Cake

One of the classic easy desserts recipe that fills the kitchen and the home with a wonderful aroma, apple cake is sure to please any child or adult and should be a part of any homemaker’s repertoire. This apple cake recipe is made with freshly shredded apples sweetened with sugar and combined with baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger powder, vanilla extract, eggs, vegetable oil, and walnuts to create an impressive dessert that makes weekends or Sundays a bit more special than usual.

Soft, tender with just the right crumb and subtly spicy, this apple cake recipe also makes the perfect cake for the holidays. It makes a gorgeous gift for friends, relative and colleagues. This also makes a wonderful dessert for teatime or coffee time and can be enjoyed for breakfast with some milk. You can use tart apples like Granny Smith to make this recipe since you will be adding sugar to sweeten the apples. Other apples that are ideal for baking and for making cakes are Golden Delicious, Jonagold or Gala apples. You can also use a variety of apples when making healthy meals recipe for a richer and wider spectrum of apple flavors.

Ingredients: 2 cup peeled and shredded apples, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 2 cup flour, all-purpose, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder, 1/4 teaspoon cloves – powdered, Dash of nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 large eggs – beaten well, 3/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup walnuts – coarsely

Preparation Instructions: 

In a large bowl, blend the sugar and apples. Allow to stand for about 30 minutes. In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together. Set aside. Add eggs, oil and vanilla to the apple mixture. Stir well. Add the dry mixture to the apple mixture. Stir until just moist. Fold in the walnuts. Pour the mixture into a greased baking pan and bake in a 350 degrees F. preheated oven for about 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

When baking with apples, the key considerations are flavor and texture. The best apples for making cakes and for baking are those that won’t turn into a watery mush when cooked. They are firmer and have less water content than others. Slightly tart apples are ideal since they taste even more excellent when contrasted with the sugar and the spices. Don’t over mix the batter when combining the wet and the dry ingredients. Mix the dry ingredients well but when you add it to the moist ingredients, only blend them until they are all moistened. Over mixing will result in a dry cake.

Source: www.gourmandia.com

Easy Dessert Cake Recipe: Milk Cake

Milk cake is one of the popular easy desserts in India. It is available in most sweet shops around the country, as well as in neighboring Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. This is a simple recipe that includes full cream milk, tartaric powder, fresh lemon juice, white sugar, and corn flour. The milk cake is flavored with saffron and finely chopped dried fruits. You can also garnish the milk cake with chopped nuts like pistachios, almonds, or cashews. Sweet, soft and milk, milk cake has a touch or sourness. Some like to add cardamom to give it aroma, color and flavor. The saffron in this recipe gives it a beautiful and elegant color and presentation that will complete your healthy meals.

You can prepare this dessert ahead of time and store it at room temperature or store it in the refrigerator as long as you put it in an airtight container. You can serve it at room temperature or chilled. Use a deep plate for setting the milk cake. Ideally, the cake should be a few inches tall, but sometimes it is made only an inch thick, which is fine. Grease a six-inch plate with some clarified butter or Ghee so that it is easier to unmold the milk cake.

Ingredients: 1 liter full cream milk, ½ cup full cream milk to pour in the end, 1/2 tsp. tartaric powder, 2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, 100 grms. white sugar, 1 tablespoon corn flour, 10-12 threads of saffron soaked in little water, 1 tablespoon finely chopped dry fruits

Preparation Instructions: 

In a thick bottom pan, boil milk and tartaric powder with lemon juice. Allow milk to curdle and reduce it to half. Keep stirring to avoid sticking to the base. It should become thick and later throw in some corn flour, milk and saffron soaked in little water. Give it a good stir. Allow thickening before turning off the heat. Transfer the mixture on to a flat tray and cut into diamond shape. Garnish it with finely chopped dry fruits and serve. Store in an airtight container.

The milk is quite delicate so you want to be careful when boiling it. Use a medium fire when you start boiling the milk and then lower it to a simmer. Use a wide and heavy-bottomed pan for even heat distribution and to keep the milk from burning. You have to stir the mixture constantly so as to keep the milk particles from sticking to the bottom and the sides of the pan. Use a wooden spoon or spatula for stirring the milk and mixing the ingredients together. Once done, transfer the mixture to the plate and press on it firmly to form a square shape.

Source: www.gourmandia.com

Easy Healthy Salad Recipe: Warm Baby Beet Salad

A comforting warm salad packed with nutrition that is satisfying enough as light and very healthy meals on its own, warm baby beet salad is made with the roots and leaves of baby beets combined with hard-boiled eggs and snap beans, butter beans, wild garlic and onions, cooked in red wine, mustard, and butter. The easy healthy recipes salad are sprinkled with crumbled feta cheese. Quite an elegant dish, this makes a stellar starter for a fancy dinner or lunch. Serve with a rose wine for a memorable meal.

A smaller version of the common beetroot, baby beetroot can be either yellow or red and has a diameter of about 1.5 centimeters. Baby beets have a finer and more tender texture than the larger beetroots. Their leafy green portion is also edible and has a texture and taste that is similar to spinach. Rich in fiber, folate, iron, magnesium, manganese, and Vitamin C, baby beetroot is a good source of nutrients and makes a healthy food choice. Its tender texture makes in an ideal ingredient for salads. They can also be eaten raw.

Select baby beetroots that are firm and smooth with no damage on the skin. The color should either be dark red or a vibrant yellow. The red baby beetroot variety has a sweet flavor and commonly available all year round, while the yellow variety is less sweet and has a fresher taste. It is in season from October to December. Before cooking, wash the baby beetroots, careful not to puncture its thin skin.

Ingredients: 8 very small beets (Chioggia and golden recommended), including greens, ½ lb. snap beans, washed and chopped into 2” lengths, 1 C fresh, shelled, butter beans, 2 cloves wild garlic, minced, 6 green onions, chopped, 2 tbsp. butter, ¼ C red wine, 2 tsp. prepared grainy mustard, 4 eggs, hard boiled and diced (optional), ½ C feta, crumbled

Preparation Instructions: 

Separate the beet greens from the beet roots. Gently wash the beet roots, being careful of their thin skin. In a large saucepan, cover the beet roots with water and bring to a boil and cook for about 30 minutes (until beets are easily pierced with a fork). While beets are boiling, wash the beet greens and chop them into ribbons (chop the stalks into 2” lengths). In a small saucepan, hard boil the eggs (5 minutes on a rolling boil, followed by 5 minutes off the heat), then drain them and place them in the fridge to cool. Prepare the snap beans, butter beans, wild garlic, and green onions as detailed in the ingredients lists. Peel and slice the cooked beets, and shell and chop the hard boiled eggs. In a large skillet, combine the butter, red wine, garlic, mustard, onions, butter beans, snap beans, and beet greens. Sautee for 5-10 minutes, until beet greens are bright and butter beans are easily pierced with a fork. Layer the sliced beets over the greens mixture, and top with diced hard-boiled egg and crumbled feta. Serve and enjoy.

Instead of boiling the beetroots, as in this recipe, you can also roast it or grill it, which will coax out its natural sugars and make it sweeter and more intense in flavor. While it is best to use fresh baby beetroots, you can also use the canned variety for making this recipe.

Source: www.gourmandia.com