Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

So how was your Christmas? Mine was great filled with loads of fun, lots of gifts and cartloads of happiness and love and we are all set to receive the new year with the same spirit. Last two weeks were super busy with pappu's holiday party and Christmas baking and then followed by his Christmas holidays. This week has been a rollercoaster ride, first it was pappu down with the flu and then it came down to me. Boy O Boy, how I wish I was resistant to the cold.
Its been simple rasam saadam for the past one week and only today did I make something yummy, something simple and something that reminded me of my mom, childhood and nagercoil.

Coming to this recipe, I made these for my son's Chirstmas party. The kids enjoyed these totally diving in head first into the frosting. I don't know what but there is something about carrot cupcakes and cream cheese frosting that makes it totally divine and irresistible. This recipe is a keeper and it makes the softest of the soft cupcakes and the smoothest frosting that pairs perfectly with these cupcakes.

Adapted from here ~*What U Need*~ All purpose flour - 1 1/4 cups Baking powder - 1/2 + 1/8 tsp Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon - 1/2 + 1/8 tsp Nutmeg - 1/4 tsp Ground cloves - a pinch Salt - 1/4 tsp Carrots - 1/2 lb, peeled and grated Granulated sugar - 3/4 cups Light brown sugar - 1/4 cup Large eggs - 2 Vegetable oil - 3/4 cup For the frosting: Cream cheese - 6 oz, not softened Unsalted butter - 4 tbsp, room temperatue Vanilla extract - 1/2 tbsp Confectioners' sugar - 2 cups How I Made it: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line one cupcake pan with paper liners. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt; whisk together and set aside. Add the carrots to the bowl with the dry ingredients and set aside. In a stand mixer, whip the sugar and eggs until light and frothy. Add the oil with the mixer at medium speed. Beat till the mixture is light. Stir in the carrots and dry ingredients until incorporated and no streaks of flour remain. Scoop evenly into the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for about 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan at least 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla extract. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, add milk to bring to the desired consistency and then beat until smooth. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.

Serve with love!!!

So thats it Folks... With Love,
Vimitha
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Lemon Poppy Seed Sour cream pound cake

My first experience with a lemon pound cake was a failure. It was not good, it was artificial and there was this lingering aftertaste which just made me go yuck. I mostly withhold myself from buying cakes from the grocery but that single slice of lemon cake was so tempting and with that bright yellow color and speckles of lemon zest peeking out, I had to give in. And since it was a single slice I knew that it would not go to waste. But one bite and I knew that it was goner.

Something told me that that should not have been my first lemon cake. The all-time famous Starbucks lemon pound cake just didn't seem right and made me skeptical. I knew it had to be homemade for me to get the flavor profile in the cake right. This cake is what I have waited for in my life. Make this in winter and you will savor spring in very bite. Make it during spring and it will freshen and liven your senses. Make it anyday, for guests or family or friends or for yourself, it will elevate your mood right away.

~*What U Need*~ All purpose flour - 3/4 cup Baking soda - 1/8 tsp Salt - 1/8 pinch Unsalted butter - 1/4 cup, room temperature Granulated sugar - 1/2 cup Large eggs - 1, room temperature Lemon juice - 1/8 cup Lemon zest - 1/2 tbsp Sour cream - 1/4 cup For the glaze: Cream cheese - 2 oz, at room temperature Icing sugar - 4 tbsp Milk - 1 tbsp or as needed How I Made it: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a mini loaf and a small ramekin(just in case you have excess batter). Dust pan with flour and tap out the extra. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the sugar gradually and beat for 5 minutes. Add the egg and mix until combined. Rub the lemon zest with 1 tbsp of sugar so that the sugar becomes fragrant and the zest releases its oils. Beat in lemon juice and zest mixture. Stir in the dry ingredients with a spatula. Finally, add the sour cream and fold it in to the batter. Spread the batter evenly in the pan. Bake for about 20 -25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Release the cake and remove it. Cool it completely on a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar or glaze if desired. For the glaze, mix everything till smooth and pouring consistency. Place the cake over a wire and pour the glaze over. Allow to set.

Serve with sweetened whipped cream.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

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Mango Cheesecakes with Mango Glee

Well Valentine's day is around the corner and you will be having that uncanny feeling to do something nice and romantic to conquer your man. And what better way than food or to be more precise desserts. I have been getting a few requests to share dessert ideas that have no chocolate in them. Well not my kind but I liked the idea. Valentine's day is all about chocolates but this year I thought of taking the road less traveled and in comes mango. These mango mini cheesecakes are the perfect end to your valentines day dinner and what is great about them is that these are make ahead desserts. Grab one and share it between your love and all is well in the world.

This recipe doesn't make too much of cheesecake which is fine for us but if you are feeding a large crowd then triple the recipe and bake in a 8 inch or 9 inch springform pan. Also if are a fan of portion control then make them into cupcakes. All you need to do is reduce the baking time to 18-22 mins.

Prep time: 15 mins; Cook time: 25 mins; Makes: 3 mini cheesecakes ~*What U Need*~ Graham cracker crumbs - 3/4 cups Unsalted butter - 3 tbsp, melted For the filling: Mango puree - 1 1/4 cup Cream cheese - 8 oz, room temperature Sugar - 1/4 cup Sour cream - 1/4 cup Lemon juice - 1 tsp Egg - 1 All purpose flour - 2 tbsp For the Mango glee Mango puree - 1/2 cup Lemon juice - 1 tsp Water - 3 tbsp Gelatin powder - 1 tsp How I Made it: Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl add melted butter and crumbs and stir until evenly moistened. Press the crumb mixture firmly onto the cheesecake pans. Bake for 6-8 mins or until golden brown. Cool completely. For filling: Lower the oven temperature to 300F. Beat cream cheese, sour cream, sugar , salt, and lime juice in large bowl until smooth. Add egg and beat well. Add flour and combine. Add the mango puree and beat until well blended. Pour evenly into the springform pans. Bake for 30-35 mins. The edges will be set but the center might have a slight jiggle. Cool completely. Sprinkle gelatin over the water and allow to bloom for 5 mins. Add mango puree, lemon juice in a saucepan and bring to boil. Once it starts boiling add gelatin and combine very well. Set aside for cooling for about 15 minutes. Then gradually add glee over the cooled mango cheese cake. Refrigerate uncovered overnight.

Serve chilled!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

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New York Style Cheesecake

Baking a perfect New york style cheesecake has always been in my to do list. I love cheesecakes and the pumpkin pie cheesecake from Starbucks is a must have whenever I visit the place. There is something about cheesecakes that makes me crave for another bite. New york style cheesecakes are known for it denseness and richness. It is not difficult to make a cheesecake but it is difficult to make one without a cracked surface. Temperature plays a major role in getting that perfect cheesecake. You will be baking at a very low temperature till the batter sets with a slight jiggle. Perfect on its own, cheesecake can also be served with a sour cream topping or berries of choice. Most of the recipes that I came across uses 4 cream cheese packages which sounded too much for us and so I scaled down the recipe to suit our needs.

~*What U Need*~ Graham cracker crumbs - 3/4 cup Melted butter - 3 tbsp Sugar - 1 tbsp For the filling: All purpose flour - 2 tbsp Sour cream - 1/2 cup Vanilla extract - 1/2 tbsp Cream cheese - 2(8 ounce) packages White sugar - 1/2 - 3/4 cup Whole milk - 1/3 cup Eggs - 2 Lemon juice - 1/2 tbsp Lemon zest - 1/2 tsp Orange zest - 1/2 tsp How I Made it: Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 8-inch springform pan. Mix graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a bowl until evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture into the bottom and about 1/2-inch up the sides of the springform pan. Beat cream cheese till smooth. Add the sugar and whisk well. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Beat in the flour, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Stir in the milk. Stir in lemon zest, and orange zest and whisk until just incorporated. Pour mixture into prepared springform pan. Bake in the preheated oven until the edges have nicely puffed and the surface of the cheesecake is firm except for a small spot in the center that will jiggle when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour. When the cheesecake is done, turn off the oven and let it cool in the oven for 3 to 4 hours. This prevents any cracks from forming on the top of the cheesecake. Cool completely and refrigerate overnight.

Slice and serve.

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With Love,

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Funfetti Cheesecake Sugar Cookie Bars

Generally the recipes that you see here on the blog are a week old just because I need time to sit, compose and edit my post and pictures. And with a hyperactive toddler in hand, time seems to be flying. Moreover he hates when I spend time on the laptop. All he does is comes over and with a stern voice says "close". So I generally edit a post when he takes his afternoon nap and that 2 hours is just not sufficient. But then there are certain recipes that needs to be shared immediately because they are 'yummy' and when they are certified yummy by a two year old, it has to go on the blog ASAP. Like these cookies bars.

Pappu has started learning colors. Well, its been a while and whatever he lays his eyes on, he immediately screams out the color. He loves his building blocks mainly because of the assorted colors and he loves anything and everything colorful. And these cookie bars were no less. Whenever he took a bite he would keep chanting all the colors that he saw on the bar.

Adapted with own changes from here Prep Time: 20 mins; Cook Time: 25 mins; Yield: 6 large squares ~*What U Need*~ for the sugar cookie dough: Unsalted butter - 1/4 cup, softened Granulated sugar - 1/2 cup - 2 tbsp Large egg - 1/2 Vanilla extract - 1 tsp All purpose flour - 1/2 cup + 6 tbsp Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Baking powder - 1/4 tsp Salt - a pinch Funfetti sprinkles - 1/8 cup for the cheesecake filling: Cream cheese - 2 oz, softened Sour cream / greek yogurt - 2 oz Remaining 1/2 of the egg Powdered sugar - 1/4 cup Funfetti sprinkles - 1/8 cup How I Made it: to make the dough: Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add egg and vanilla to the butter and beat well. Add the dry ingredients and stir gently until the flour is incorporated. Stir in the funfetti. Chill the dough for atleast 2 hours or overnight. to make the filling: In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sour cream until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and vanilla and beat well. Add egg and mix just until combined. Line a small cake pan with parchment paper leaving to hang on the sides. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Press 3/4th of the cookie dough onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Pour the filling over the crust. Sprinkle with 1/8 cup of funfetti. Crumble the remaining cookie dough in your hands and place over the filling. Sprinkle additional 1 Tbsp of funfetti over the topping. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Cool completely in the pan. Cut and serve. Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 3 days.

Serve with love.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

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Strawberry Cheesecake Icecream

Be it summer or winter icecreams are always welcome at home. Pappu loves 'iceseem' to the core. And whenever he wants a scoop he goes to the refrigerator and says "kadaa thora iceseem kudu". Thats open the door and give me icecream in our native language. Thats how much he loves his icecream. Well, I am no less. Now coming to this flavor, I love icecream, hubby loves cheesecake and pappu loves strawberries. So combining the three into an icecream for the season sounded just right.

To say that I am totally in love with this icecream is an understatement. I am mad about the flavor pairing. I steal a scoop whenever I pass by the refrigerator and I steal from the kid's share too. The icecream is creamy, slightly tangy and the itsy bitsy white chocolate graham crackers adds to the texture... 

~*What U Need*~ Strawberries - 8 oz, hulled, sliced Cream cheese - 5 oz Heavy Cream - 1 cup Lemon juice - 1/2 tbsp Sugar - 1/2 cup Strawberries - 2 oz, Hulled And Finley Diced Sugar - 1 tsp Honey Graham crackers - 3 sheets White chocolate - 1/4 cup Heavy cream - 1 tsp How I Made it: In a blender, puree the strawberries, cream cheese, cream, lemon juice, sugar and salt. Pour into a stainless bowl and place in the freezer. After 1 hour, take the container out and whisk to break all the ice crystals. Repeat this for every half an hour till the icecream is frozen. For the mix-ins: In a small bowl combine the strawberries and sugar, mix well and place in the refrigerator. Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler with the cream. Cover the graham crackers with melted chocolate and place in the freezer. Once completely frozen, chop into pieces. Before the final cycle of whisking the icecream add the strawberry and graham cracker pieces. Freeze till completely frozen...

Scoop and serve!!!

So thats it Folks...
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Cheesecake sourcream Cupcakes | HBC #10

I first thought that I would skip this month's challenge. But the cheesecake cupcakes looked so cute to be left out. This month's HBC challenge was set by Siri of the brave cook and it was quite an adventurous collection from whoopie pies to macarons to layered neapoliton cakes to this cheesecakes. The huss and I are suckers for cheesecakes and we have our fair share from the Cheesecake factory or bakers square every month.

So these cheesecake cupcakes are not exactly the ones from the challenge but improved to accommodate that ingredients which I had in my pantry. The cream cheese had somehow skipped my mind during grocery shopping and all I had was only half a block of cream cheese which was actually the remnants of a dip that I had made. I knew that running to the grocery store was out of question and so I decided to replace the lost amount with some sour cream. I added the zest of an orange cos I love the sweet note that orange gives to anything baked. As for the topping, all I had was some orange jam which I have been saving for the couronne thats been long time in my mind and so I made my own jam. Thanks to the freezing that I did in summer, I still have loads of blueberries, raspberries and cherries on hand.

Adapted from here ~*What U Need*~ Philadelphia cream cheese - 4 oz Light sour cream - 1/3 cup Granulated sugar - 1/4 cup or more Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp Grated orange zest - 1/2 tsp Egg - 1, room temperature Vanilla wafers - 6, I used nila For the raspberry jam: Raspberries - 1/2 cup, I used frozen Sugar - 3 tbsp How I Made it: Preheat oven to 350F. Place a paper cupcake liner in each of 6-cup muffin pan. Place a vanilla wafer, flat-side down, in each muffin cup. Beat cream cheese until fluffy. I used my stand mixer. Add sour cream and beat well. Next in goes the granulated sugar and vanilla extract. Beat till smooth. Add the egg beating well after adding. Add the orange zest and mix well. Spoon cream cheese mixture over wafers. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely. In a medium saucepan, take the raspberries and sugar and cook till it reaches jam consistency. Cool completely and top each cheesecake with 1/2 tbsp of the jam.

Serve chilled!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

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Strawberry Cream Cheese Rolls

There are days when we like to indulge ourselves and then there are days when we like to go all healthy with only salads for lunch and guacamole with baked tortilla chips for snack. It was one of those days last Saturday. And by evening we wanted something sweet, something rich, something buttery and something delicious. The huss suggested cinnamon rolls. The suggestion was taken into consideration but I made my own changes.

I love the tang that cream cheese gives to frosting the favorite combo being with carrot cake. I had bought a pack of cream cheese promising the huss that I would make him a low fat version sometime soon. But as they say promises are meant to be broken and the day never came. Finally when he said cinnamon rolls, something else struck a chord in me and I took out the cream cheese block with a blurred image of how my rolls should look. I was not sure of the rolls, how to fill it nor how to call it, all I knew was that this instinct was pushing me hard.

I like more filling to dough with every bite and so I rolled the dough thin to accumulate more filling. But this is totally upto you. I got 8 rolls on the whole for the below recipe which was perfect for dinner and breakfast. Yeah, you heard that right we had dessert for dinner ~ 2 rolls each, a cup of milk and the job was done. I didn't frost the ones that we had for dinner but I totally regretted it when I took a bite of the frosted rolls in the morning. The frosting takes these rolls up a notch which is what you will want when you need to indulge in something rich and sugary.

~*What U Need*~ For the dough: All purpose flour - 1 1/4 - 1/2 cups Sugar - 1 1/2 tbsp Salt - 1/2 tsp Instant dry yeast - 1 teaspoon Water - 1/4 cup Whole milk - 1/8 cup Butter - 1 tbsp Egg yolk - 1 or 1/2 of an egg Filling: Strawberry preserve - 1/2 cup Sugar - 3 tbsps Cream cheese - 2 oz, softened to room temperature How I made it: Set the 1/2 cup flour aside. In a food processor, add the remaining flour and salt and give it a pulse. Heat the water, milk, sugar and butter together in the microwave until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot to touch. Add the yeast and set aside for 10 mins till frothy. Now add this to the flour along with the egg and pulse till combined. Add enough flour till you get a smooth dough. I added only 1/3 cup so it depends on your place. Give it a couple of more pulses till you get a smooth elastic dough. Place in a greased bowl and allow to double in size in a warm place, about 1 - 1 1/2 hours. Meanwhile prepare the filling. Mix the sugar and the cream cheese till smooth. Bring the strawberry preserve to room temperature. I used fresh homemade strawberry preserve by cooking 1 cup of strawberries with 3 tbsps of sugar till it reached a jam consistency. You could use store bought too. Once the dough has doubled, punch it down and roll out till you get the desired thickness depending on the number of rolls needed. Spread the cream cheese evenly followed by the strawberry preserve. Roll tightly and cut into 8 rolls. Place this in a greased pie dish. I placed 6 rolls in a 6-inch pie dish and the remaining 2 rolls in a mini loaf tin. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for another half an hour. After the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375F. Bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned. To make the glaze dissolve 3 tbsps confectioner's sugar with 1 tbsp of cream cheese and desired amount of milk till you get a glaze of desired consistency and drizzle over rolls. This is purely optional but I would recommend you not to skip it.

Serve warm!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

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