"Sweet"ness in Life

I'm not a Sweet tooth person but once in a while everyone needs their fair share of sugar in veins to keep the spirit high! I don't have a big list of my favorites but still a little making and baking won't hurt anyone :) sharing few cakes/sweets recipe which I occasionally try!

1) Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Upside down cakes are always glamorous, since you can see the fruity goodness showing off on the top. Decorate with Cherries and serve with a scoop of our Classic vanilla ice-cream.

Ingredients

½ tsp-Yellow Food Colour (optional)

200 g-Maida (all purpose Flour)

100 g-Butter

6-Pineapple Slices

1 tsp-Baking Powder

1 tsp-Soda Bicarbonate

1/2 tsp-Pineapple Essence

1 tin (400g)- Sweetened Condensed Milk

5-6 tbsp-Sugar for caramelisation

1 cup (150 ml)-Aerated Soda

How to make

Preheat oven to 180° C. Grease the cake tin/dish. Arrange the pineapple slices at the base. Heat sugar in a pan till it melts and becomes brown. Pour this hot caramel over the pineapple slices and keep aside.

Melt butter, cool slightly. Add the condensed milk and beat well, add the essence. Sieve together maida, baking powder and soda bicarbonate. Add some maida to the milk mixture and then add some aerated soda and mix well. Repeat, alternatively maida and aerated soda till both are used up.

Pour batter over pineapple slices in the cake tin/dish and bake at 180°C for 45 minutes or till cake is done. Remove from oven, loosen the sides of cake using a knife and immediately turn onto a plate.

2) Vegan Banana Pancakes

Serve with maple syrup, sliced fruits or dusted with powdered sugar for a soulful desert experience.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour (you can replace up to 1/2 a cup with whole wheat)

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

2 tbsp baking powder

1 cup mashed bananas (1 large or 2 small)

1 cups rice, soy, coconut or almond milk

3 Tbsp oil

How to make

Pour the flour, salt, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and baking powder in a large bowl and combine. Mash the bananas. Mix in the bananas with milk.  Stir until combined. Let the pancake batter sit for 5 minutes before using. Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees.

Heat a large pan with 1-2 Tbsp of the oil over medium heat.  Once the pan is hot add a 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake.  Cook until bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pancakes. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Remove pancakes and place on a baking sheet in the oven to keep warm. 

3) Lime Pie

This light, limey pie has a cheesecake feel to it and is the perfect summer dessert. 

Ingredients

1/2 tin (200g)- Sweetened Condensed Milk

100g /15 biscuits-Low Sugar Biscuits

6 tbsp-Butter Melted

1/3 cup (50ml)-Lime Juice

1 cup (150ml)-Fresh Cream

How to make

Crush the biscuits finely, add the melted butter and mix well. Press this onto a greased shallow glass dish/loose bottom pie dish and chill for 15 minutes in the refrigerator. Whisk the condensed milk and lime juice together until thick.

Whip the cream till soft peaks form and fold into the condensed milk mixture, gently mix till combined. Pour onto the chilled biscuit layer and freeze for 1-2 hours or until set. (Optional: Swirl the green colour through the cream mixture to get a marbled effect).

4) Apple Crumble

Serve warm with chilled vanilla custard sauce. What makes this recipe extra yummy is the combination of the apple crumble with the vanilla custard sauce. 

Ingredients

Apples - 500gm (about 2-3 medium-sized apples)
Wheat flour / atta - 1 cup
Salted butter - 100gm + a bit for greasing
Sugar - 2 tbsp + 2 tbsp
Salt - a pinch
Lemon juice - a few drops (optional)
Cinnamon stick - 1 (optional)

How to Make

Wash peel and chop the apples. Add a few drops of lemon juice to prevent browning. Mix in 2 tbsp sugar and cook on low heat until soft and mushy. Set aside to cool. Mix salt and 2 tbsp sugar with the flour. Lightly mix in the butter without kneading until you get a mixture that resembles bread crumbs.

Grease a pie dish/cake tray with butter. Lay the cooked apples evenly. Add the flour mixture evenly on top and press down gently. Sprinkle sugar on top. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for 25-30 mins.

Vanilla Custard Sauce
Blend vanilla flavoured custard powder with 1.5 cups of milk and 4 tbsp sugar (to taste). Cook on a low heat until pouring consistency. Cool, chill and serve with warm apple crumble.

Thanks for reading

Mugdha