Pound Cake - July Punch

I am participating in the sweet punch group for the first time and it is exciting. I loved the pound cake recipe adapted from the cake bible, when I cross the same on joyofbaking.com. I bookmarked it and copied it down, but never got around to actually baking it. So needless to say, I was excited to be baking this for the first "Sweet Punch" assignment :).

I should have set the oven at 170 degrees C, as opposed to 180 degrees C. I was skeptical about the silicone loaf pan mainly for the dimensions. It is 8.5"x6"x2.5". The volume is the same as a standard 9"x5"x3" pan, but the cake turns out flatter. Moreover due to the flexibility, the side of the silicone pan, did not maintain a straight line while baking causing the cake to turn out in an odd shape.

I dare not post more pictures of this one. My photography skills need a lot of honing. Hubby dear says it has got to do with the lighting. He says I should bake/cook in the morning and photograph the dishes at the balcony for maximum natural light. I should probably try that sometime.

All said and done the cake tasted great and the texture was simple so crumbly and tight, exactly as Rose describes it in her recipe. I prefer to call the book the "Rose Bible" :). Let me repeat the recipe here:

 Pound Cake Recipe:

Ingredients:

3 large eggs, room temperature

3 tablespoons milk, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups (150 grams) sifted cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar

13 tablespoons (1/2 cup + 1/3 cup) (185 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

Pound Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, a 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and butter or spray the paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), place the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar) and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds or until blended. Add the butter and half of the egg mixture. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about one minute to aerate and develop the cake's structure. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Gradually add the remaining egg mixture, in 2 additions, beating about 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate the egg and strengthen the cake's structure.  

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake for about 55 to 65 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the cake browning too much as it bakes, cover with a piece of lightly buttered aluminum foil after about 30 minutes.

Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and cool completely on a lightly buttered wire rack.

The Pound Cake can be covered and stored for several days at room temperature, for one week when refrigerated, or it can be frozen for two months.

Makes one 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf.

To make cake Flour: From 1 cup of all purpose flour, remove 2 tbsps. Add 2 tbsps of corn flour and sift together two-three times.

Verdict: This one is so wonderfully rich and crumbly. It was a hit with my daughter and hubby dear too :)
 

Spinach Garlic Balls

Spinach is such a great leafy vegetable, rendering itself suitable for versatile dishes... I was intrigued by Vardhini's event on Spinach and garlic. I have tasted a spinach and corn roll in Chinese restaurants and wanted to recreate something like that at home. I browsed for suitable recipes and came across innumerable quick starter-snack dishes with spinach. There was a good recipe for spinach-garlic balls, with a lot of western ingredients (thyme, parsley, parmesan cheese etc). I did not even have the patience to look these up and figure out their availability. I just took the basic principle and added our own spices.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

Spinach - 1 bunch

Garlic paste -  1 tbsp
Powdered bread crumbs - 1 cup
Eggs - 2

Processed Cheese - 2 tbsp, Melted
Butter - 2 tbsp, Melted

Spices:
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
salt - to taste
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Kasuri Methi - 1 tsp (optional)
Amchoor (dry Mango powder) - 1 pinch (optional)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C (350 F).
Wash and clean the spinach leaves and chop into small pieces.
Beat the eggs lightly.
In a large bowl, add the eggs and spices and whisk well. Add the melted butter, cheese and garlic paste and stir until combined.
Mix in the chopped spinach. Add the powdered bread crumbs and make a paste. The consistency should be such that you can make slightly firm, 1-inch balls of this paste.
Otherwise add in some more bread crumbs.

Make small 1-inch balls of this paste and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.

This recipe makes 14 such spinach-garlic balls. 

Verdict: This was relished by my daughter and my hubby. It was a hit as a tea snack :)

I plan to try the Eggless version next time with mashed potatoes.

This was supposed to be my entry to Vardhini's event. But I missed the deadline :)

Pepper Chicken

Another Chicken gravy... As I mentioned in one of my earlier recipes, bringing in variations to chicken gravy is very challenging for me :). Here is one recipe that uses only pepper powder and has no grinding etc required. It is a really quick recipe provided you have cleaned and cut chicken pieces.

Ingredients:

Chicken - 350 grams

Onion, large - 1

Tomato, large - 1

Pepper powder -  1 1/2 tsp

Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1 pinch

Ginger paste - 1/2 tbsp

Garlic paste - 1/2tsbp

Oil - for frying

Water - 3/4 cup to cook the chicken

Coriander leaves - for garnishing

Method:

Wash and clean the chicken pieces well and keep aside. Coarsely chop the onions and tomatoes. Heat the oil in a cooker and add the chopped onion and tomato pieces. Fry for a few seconds and then add ginger and garlic paste. Fry well until the raw smell is gone. Add the Pepper, cumin and turmeric powder and put in the chicken pieces. Keep frying the chicken pieces until the fat dissolves and raw smell is gone. Add 1/2 cup of water and close the lid. Allow two whistles and turn off the flame. When the cooker cools down, check the consistency of the gravy and add another 1/4 cup of water if needed and bring to a boil. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with Chapati.

Verdict: Well, my daughter relished three pieces of chicken from her dad's plate, that I had to give hubby dear a second serving :).