Blueberry Lime Lassi Popsicles Recipe

makes 4 popsicles

Ingredients
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/16 teaspoon (tiny pinch) ground cardamom, optional
A pinch of salt
1 cup full fat yogurt
Juice of 1 lime

A popsicle mold that can hold 4 popsicles
4 wood popsicle sticks

Method
1. Place the blueberries, sugar, salt and cardamom if using in a heavy bottom pan. Cook on medium heat until the berries are soft and mash easily, about 4 minutes.
2. Let the berry mixture cool to room temperature. Then pour it into a blender, along with the lime juice and yogurt. Blend until very smooth.
3. Pour the lassi into popsicle molds and freeze until semi-solid, about 1 hour. Now insert the popsicle sticks half way into the mold. Return to the freezer and let the popsicles freeze solid, about 4 hours.

No-Cook Version
1.Blend all ingredients in a blender until very smooth. Pour the lassi into popsicle molds and freeze in the freezer.
2.When the popsicles are semi-frozen, about 1 hour, insert the popsicle sticks half way. Freeze until the pops are solid, about 4 hours.

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Diwali is around the corner and this besan laddoo or laddu is one of the easiest sweets you can make to celebrate. Diwali is the Indian festival of lights. It celebrates the victory of good over evil and light over darkness. Its one of India’s most important festivals and we celebrate it with fire crackers, new clothes and by sharing sweets and snacks. If you are looking for a simple Diwali sweet recipe, try this besan laddoo. Its gluten free too!

Besan laddoo is made with chickpea or garbanzo or gram flour, ghee, sugar and cardamom. It takes about 30 minutes to make, but most the work is just stirring. There really is nothing complicated about this sweet. If you are new to making Indian sweets, this is a great one to start with.

Some tips
- Make sure you use medium-low heat and stir the flour and ghee  mixture constantly to prevent burning

- You can use fine ground besan or the coarse ground variety. Both work. But I like the fine ground besan, it makes the laddoos melt in your mouth. If you like more texture in your laddus, use the coarse besan.

- The laddu mixture is ready when it turns golden starts to smell nutty. This will happen approximately around the 30 minute mark. If you can smell the besan getting toasted and nutty, taste a small pinch of it. It should taste cooked and not raw. Then its done and ready for the sugar and cardamom.

- When forming the laddoos, if they are too dry and falling apart, add extra ghee to the mixture one teaspoon at a time, mixing well after each addition, untill you can form it into balls.

How to Make Besan Laddoo – a Video 

http://youtu.be/tRWTPOZwJ5Q

Besan Laddoo Recipe

makes about 15

Ingredients
1/2 cup ghee or melted butter (melt 1 stick of unsalted butter). But I recommend you use ghee.
1 1/2 cups besan (chickpea or gram flour)
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
1 tablespoon slivered almonds, or cashew halves, optional

Method
1. Take a large non-stick skillet and add the ghee or melted butter to it. Heat it on medium-low heat. Once the ghee or butter is warm, add the besan (chickpea or garbanzo flour).

2. Cook this mixture on low-medium heat, stirring constantly. The laddu mixture is done when it looks golden and smells toasty and nutty. This will take 20-30 minutes. Look at the video above to see the different stages of the mixture cooking, and how it looks when its done.

3. When the laddu mixture smells toasted and looks golden, taste a little. It should taste cooked. There should be no sour after taste, if it tastes sour or raw, you need to cook it more. When the mixture is cooked, turn off the heat.

4. Let it cool for about 3 minutes. Then add sugar and cardamom, and mix well. Taste the mixture. If you want, you can add more sugar and or cardamom at this point.

5. Let it cool completely. Then gather about 2 tablespoons of the mixture in your palm of your hands, and press it to form a ball. (See video above).

6. If the mixture is too dry and wont form balls, or if the balls crack or dont hold together, you need to add more ghee or melted butter. Add 1 teaspoon of ghee or melted butter and mix well. Now try to form balls again. If its still too dry, add another teaspoon of melted butter or ghee and mix well. Try again. Keep doing this till you can form the mixture into balls. You shouldn’t need to add more than 2 teaspoons (if that) of ghee or melted butter for this recipe. And make sure you don’t add so much ghee that the laddoos become oily. And add the extra ghee or melted butter only if you need to.

7. When the laddoos are shaped, press an almond sliver or cashew half onto the top. This is optional.

8. Store laddoos in an air tight container, they will keep for a week.

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These chocolate cardamom fudge balls recipe take just 5 minutes of work. And the results are mouthwatering. I’m making this for Diwali the Indian festival of lights this year, so I added a little Indian twist to it by adding the cardamom, because nothing reminds me more of Indian desserts than cardamom. This fudge recipe will be great for Diwali,, or simply as an easy sweet treat.

You melt together chocolate chips, condensed milk, cardamom and butter in a pan. When it all melts, let it cool a little and form into delicious chocolatey cardamom fudge balls. Easy, no?!

Cardamom powder is available in Indian stores. You can also make your own – break open cardamom pods, and remove the seeds inside. Using a spice grinder, grind the seeds into a fine powder. I grind extra cardamom and sprinkle it on my morning coffee. 

Other flavoring ideas
Keep everything in this recipe the same, except for the cardamom. Substitute the cardamom with one of these:
Mexican style fudge – 1/4th teaspoon powdered cinnamom, and a good pinch of cayenne pepper
‘Regular’ flavored fudge - A few drops of vanilla extract
Salted chocolate – 1/4th teaspoon sea salt sprinkled on top of the rolled fudge right at the end

Chocolate Cardamom Fudge Recipe

makes about 24 walnut sized balls

Ingredients
one 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
6 oz semi sweet chocolate chips (about 1 cup)*
6 oz bitter sweet chocolate chips (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour, optional
1/4th cup slivered almonds, optional
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom, see post above for other flavor ideas

* This makes a pretty sweet fudge. If you like it less sweet, use more bitter sweet chocolate and less semi sweet (but keep the total amount of chocolate chips the same – 12 oz or about 2 cups)

Method
1. Place all ingredients in a medium non-stick skillet. Heat on low heat, stirring occasionally till everything melts, about 5 minutes.

2. When the fudge looks completely melted, smooth and silky, remove pan from heat.

3. Let the fudge cool till its cool enough to touch. Then roll it into walnut sized balls. Place them in a single layer on a plate or cookie sheet.

3. Let the fudge balls cool completely. Store in an air tight container.

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I learned this easy milk powder gulab jamun recipe from my husband’s aunt when she was visiting us. I’ve tested this recipe several times and finally have the one for perfectly juicy, soft gulab jamuns to share with you! Traditional gulab jamuns are made with khoya, which is reduced, almost solid milk. Using milk powder or dry milk instead of khoya makes this Indian dessert a little lighter and also easy to make from grocery store ingredients.

The sugar syrup is easy to make – just boil sugar, water and cardamom powder together. You can also flavor the syrup with rose water and or saffron if you wish. If you find the syrup too sweet, just add more water!

Heres the trick to make gulab jamuns soft, and juicy. Add vinegar to the dough. The acids in vinegar, when combined with baking soda, will make the jamuns airy and soft so they absorb the sugar syrup better. They will also be lighter and less dense than khoya gulab jamuns.

Make sure you fry the jamuns on low heat, so that they cook through on the inside.

But I know what you are asking..Can I BAKE gulab jamuns?

Umm..yes, and no. See the photo below – I baked a ball of the dough on 300f for about 7 minutes (or till it browns and rises). See the difference? The fried gulab jamun browns evenly and looks better. The fried one also absorbs the sugar syrup much quicker.

If you want to try baked gulab jamuns – bake the balls (after step 7 in the recipe below) on a silicone baking mat at 300f till they are brown and risen, about 7 minutes. Then remove from oven and let them cool. Remember, they wont look pretty like the fried ones! Once cool, drop them in the sugar syrup. Let them soak for atleast an hour before serving. Baked gulab jamuns will get soggy quickly, so dont keep them more than a day.

More milk powder gulab jamun recipes..
A video and recipe for gulab jamun by Manjula’s kitchen
A gulab jamun recipe using milk powder and bisquick on Indian food forvever
The ladies at Show me the Curry have a gulab jamun recipe using yogurt

Milk Powder Gulab Jamun Recipe

Makes about 24 small sized gulab jamuns

Ingredients
For sugar syrup
2 cup sugar
2 1/2 cup water
4 cardamom seeds, powdered in a mortar and pestle
A drop of rose essence, optional
A small pinch of saffron threads, optional

For the jamuns
1 cup unsweetened milk powder or dry milk (not coffee creamer)
1 tablespoon butter at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons flour
A pinch of salt, optional
1/2 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1/3 cup whole milk

Method

1. Place the sugar, water and cardamom powder in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and watch for the sugar to dissolve. Once its dissolved, boil for another minute. Turn off heat and add rose essence and or saffron, if using. Set the syrup aside.
2. Now make the Jamuns. In a mixing bowl, add milk powder or dry milk, baking soda, flour and salt. Mix well.
3. Then add butter and vinegar. Add milk a little at a time and mix till it forms dough. You may not need all of the milk.
4. When a soft, sticky dough forms, stop adding milk. Cover and let the dough stand for about 20 minutes.
5. After resting, the dough will be less sticky, airy and a little firmer. If its too lose, sprinkle a little flour. If its too dry, add a little milk.
6. Knead the dough a few times.
7. Dip your fingers in oil or ghee, divide the dough into 24 even pieces and roll them into balls. Dip your fingers in oil as and when needed to avoid sticking.
8. Heat enough oil to deep fry in a saucepan pan on medium-low heat. Drop a small pinch of the dough in the oil to test the temperature. The dough should sink to the bottom and then slowly rise to the top. If it sits in the bottom of the oil without bubbling, the oil is not hot enough. If the dough rises and browns too quickly, the oil is too hot.
9. Add the jamun balls a few at a time and fry in oil on medium-low heat. Stir and turn the jamuns frequently so they brown evenly.
10. When brown, remove from oil using a slotted spoon and drain on several layers of paper towels.
11. Repeat with all the dough. Let fried jamuns cool.
12. Add the jamuns to the sugar syrup. Stir gently so the jamuns are well coated in syrup.
13. Cover and let the gulab jamuns soak in the syrup for atleast an hour before serving. Gulab jamuns will keep for several days at room temperature.

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I really shouldn’t have made these cookies. I can’t stay away from them now! These buttery cookies with crunchy bits of cornflakes are an easy, eggless treat that you can make in no time. You can even make the cookie dough ahead of time and bake it when needed.

If you’ve been reading my travel posts, you may know that I am part of the wonderful Couch Surfing community (a network that connects travelers with local hosts all over the world). Now that I’ve returned from my trip to Israel and Bethlehem, I’ve opened up my house once again for hosting travelers.

I recently hosted two French girls, who are backpacking and couchsurfing their way across America. (How cool is that!) When they arrived, I made them a big pot of farfalle pasta with lots of steamed vegetables, all  tossed in garlic, olive oil and fresh basil. For dessert, I made them these addictive cornflakes cookies.

These cornflakes cookies are really easy to make, and you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry right now. Plus, they are eggless! Since there are no eggs in this cookie recipe, I added baking powder as the leavening agent, and it works very well. I also like to chill my cookie dough before baking, this helps with two things:

- Chilled cookie dough will hold its shape better in the oven; the cookies it wont spread out get flat if the dough was chilled

- Chilled cookie dough also makes a flakier more buttery cookie

If you are in a hurry, you can certainly bake the cookies without chilling. Just spread out the cookies farther apart, because they will spread in the oven.

I also like to make these cookies mini sized - just about double the size of a quarter. They cook much faster in the oven.

These eggless cookies are a cross between the Indian Nan Khatai biscuit and the Chinese Cornflake cookies. The cornflakes makes these cookies delightfully crunchy. Feel free to experiment with this recipe and use other types of cereal!

Eggless Cornflakes Cookies Recipe

Makes 32 mini cookies

Ingredients
½ cup softened unsalted butter
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup + 1/2 cup cornflakes
32 cashew halves

Method

Preheat oven to 350f

Make sure the butter is soft. If you are using butter that has been refrigerated, leave it outside till it becomes soft.

Place the softened butter and sugar in a bowl, and beat with a wooden spoon till it is well mixed, about a minute. Then add vanilla and mix well.

Place a sieve over the bowl, and sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl. Stir till everything is combined and the dough comes together.

If the dough is too crumbly and dry, add 1 tablespoon of water, and gently knead. Then form a ball, cover the bowl with a lid, and refrigerate the dough for an hour (or up to 12 hours).

While the dough is in the fridge, prepare the corn flakes. Take 1 cup of cornflakes, place it in a ziplock bag, and roll a rolling pin over it to crush the cornflakes well. You’ll be using these crushed cornflakes to coat the cookies.

Remove cookie dough from the fridge, and add ½ cup cornflakes (uncrushed). Using your hands, gently knead and incorporate the cornflakes into the cookie dough. Its ok if some of the cornflakes get broken up in the process.

(If the cookie dough straight out of the fridge is too stiff, break it up into smaller pieces, add 1 tablespoon water, and knead gently. Then proceed with adding the cornflakes)

Divide the cookie dough into 2 equal halves. Roll one half into a long log. Cut the log in half. Then cut each half again. You will have 4 even sized pieces now. Cut each one into 4 equal parts. You will end up with 16 pieces.

Do the same for the other half of the dough. When you are done, you will have a total of 32 small pieces of cookie dough.

Roll each piece into a ball. Dip it in the bowl with the crushed cornflakes and roll it around to coat. If the crushed cornflakes don’t stick to the cookie dough, take 2 drops of water in your fingertips, and coat the cookie dough ball with water. Then roll in cornflakes.

Repeat for all the cookie dough balls. Then gently press a cashew half into the top of each one.

Arrange the cookies on two parchment (or silpat) lined baking sheets, making sure they are spread out (they need space to expand in the oven; otherwise they will all stick together).

Bake in the in the middle rack of the oven. Cookies are done when they start to get lightly golden, and when you can smell them. This should take about 12 minutes, but cooking time will vary depending on the oven.

If you over bake the cookies they will get too crunchy (but will still taste the same).

When they are done, remove the cookies from the oven and cool on a wire rack. They will still be soft when they come out of the oven, but will firm up once they cool.

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I learned this recipe from Veena aunty, my mother’s friend in India. She is such a fantastic cook, and always so eager to teach others her recipes. I always learn new recipes from Veena aunty when I’m in India. I’ve adapted and simplified the original recipe I learned.

After you try this easy eggless chocolate pudding recipe, you won’t be buying that boxed stuff anymore! The great thing about this recipe is that you can use anything from 2% milk to whole milk. And you can vary the sugar to your liking.

Tips for a fool proof eggless chocolate pudding

-          Cornstarch as well as cocoa powder will form lumps easy. To avoid this make sure the milk is at room temperature

-          If there is a big temperature difference between the cornstarch mixture and whatever it is going into, it will form lumps

-          Despite taking precautions, if your cornstarch mixture does form lumps, you can easily rectify it by passing the mixture through a strainer and breaking up the lumps using the back of a wooden spoon

-          Make sure you use standardized tablespoon and cup measures for this recipe

-          The pudding will form a thin skin as it cools in the fridge. I quite like this pudding skin. But if you don’t, cover the pudding cups with plastic wrap so that the plastic wrap is directly touching the surface of the pudding. Then refrigerate. This will prevent skin formation

-          My recipe calls for unsweetened cocoa powder. If you decide to use sweetened cocoa powder, reduce the sugar in this recipe by half. When the pudding is cooked, taste it, and add more sugar according to taste.

-          Cornstarch brands differ in ‘strength’. So you may get a slighter thinner or thicker pudding than mine. But it will still taste the same.

How to prevent chocolate pudding from sticking to its cup

Have you ever had a chocolate pudding and the only way to get all of it was to scrape the sides of the dish? Pudding, because of its consistency has a tendency to stick to the sides of its dish. This can make cleaning up a pain. The solution is simple. I learned this great little tip from Veena aunty, my mother’s friend.

Wet the insides of the pudding serving dish with water. Then pour in the pudding to set. The wet inside surface of the dish will keep the pudding from sticking to the dish, and cleaning it will be a breeze!

Above: see what I mean? The pudding comes away from the inside of the cup easily!

More eggless chocolate puddings..

My friend Radhika’s eggless chocolate pudding recipe on Just Home Made

Smitten Kitchen’s chocolate pudding recipe using melted chocolate

Easy Eggless Chocolate Pudding Recipe 

serves 2-3

Ingredients
2 ¼ cup milk at room temperature, anything from 2% to whole milk is fine
2 tablespoons cornstarch (corn flour)
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, I like Ghirardelli
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Make sure the milk is at room temperature. If you are using cold milk, place it in a medium saucepan and heat on low, till it reaches room temperature. Dip your finger into the milk, it should not be too hot or too cold.

Place the corn starch and cocoa powder in a bowl. Pour approximately half the room temperature milk into the bowl. Using a fork or small whisk, whisk well till the corn starch and cocoa powder dissolve into the milk and form a slurry. Try to break up any lumps, but if some lumps are remaining, that’s ok. Set the slurry aside.

Add the sugar and vanilla extract to the other half of the milk. Cook on medium heat till the milk gets hot and steamy, but not yet boiling – about 5 minutes.

Place a strainer over the saucepan with the hot milk. Pour the cornstarch and cocoa slurry through the strainer.

Using a wooden spoon, push the cornstarch cocoa slurry through the strainer. Break up any lumps and push them through. Make sure you scrape up the underside of the strainer so that you get all the slurry.

Using a whisk, whisk the pudding so everything is well blended. Keep whisking till the pudding boils. Let it boil, while whisking, till the pudding thickens and gets glossy, about 1 minute.

Turn off heat and taste the pudding. If you would like it to be sweeter, add more sugar now, and whisk well. Remember that the hot pudding will always taste slightly sweeter than when it is cold.

If you feel the pudding is too thick, you can whisk in a little more room temperature milk at this point. Remember, the pudding will get firmer once it cools.

Take 2 individual serving cups. Fill them with water. Pour out the water. This will wet the insides of the cups and prevent the pudding from sticking to the insides, making washing up easier.

Pour the hot pudding into the 2 wet cups, dividing it equally. Cover with foil and place in the refrigerator to cool. When the pudding is completely cold (about an hour), it is ready to serve.

Top with roasted nuts, shaved chocolate, whipped cream or fresh fruit.

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..a guest post by Pavithra of Dishes from my Kitchen

I have just completed a cross country drive across America (read about it here and here!) and moved to Portland, OR. While I’m settling in, I’ve asked my good friend and talented blogger, Pavithra to guest post today. Pavithra and I made an instant connection because we are from the same city in India. And I have followed her beautiful blog and seen it grow into a hugely popular destination for Indian food lovers. You are going to love this sweet yogurt recipe! Take it away Pavithra.

First of all I should say thanks to Sala for giving me an opportunity to do this guest post. I am truly honored! Who can say no when your favorite blogger friend asks you to guest post?

I am here today with very rich dessert but really simple to make. Mishti Doi is a Bengali dessert. Bengal is a part of East India and Bengalis are very famous for their sweet preparation. Mishti Doi is among their well known dessert, I have enjoyed having them from my childhood days. Whenever my dad visits Bangalore he will never miss to have them, similarly whenever he takes us to Bangalore we used to enjoy them in a cute earthen pot in a famous Bengali sweet shop.

Mishti Doi is a sweet yogurt. It is made with milk and sugar. A part of sugar is caramelized to give lovely caramel flavor. This is a very popular dessert. Earthenware is always used as the container for making this because the gradual evaporation of water through its porous walls not only further thickens the yogurt, but also produces the right temperature for the growth of the culture. Very often the yogurt is delicately seasoned with a hint of elaichi (cardamoms) for fragrance, but this is absolutely optional. I some times make with Saffron, elaichi or just with caramelized sugar. You can prepare the way you like.

I am giving you two ways of preparing this delicious and flavorful yogurt. If you have evaporated milk and condensed milk handy then go for ver I else you can do the ver II.

Mishti Doi Recipe 1

makes about 4 cups

Ingredients
 1 can (12 oz) Evaporated Milk
 1 cup boiled whole milk
1/2 can (7 oz) Condensed Milk 
2 tablespoons Sugar
1 tablespoon Water
1/3 cup Yogurt

Method
Preheat the oven to 175 degree Fahrenheit and switch off the oven.

1. Pour the evaporated milk and whole milk in a vessel.
2. Heat them until it is above body temperature.
3. To this add the condensed milk.
4. In the mean time heat 2 tbsp of sugar in a pan on low heat until the sugar is caramelized to nice golden brown. Turn off heat. Now add 1 tbsp of water and stir with a spoon.
5. Add this caramelized sugar to the milk mixture.
6. When the milk mixture is warm add the yogurt and blend well.
7. Pour them in individual serving containers.
8. Close with lid or foil. Let the yogurt set overnight in the preheated oven (dont turn on the oven!)
9. Then refrigerate set yogurt for at least few hours before serving.

Mishti Doi Recipe 2

If you don’t have the condensed and evaporated milk called for in recipe1, no worries here is another recipe for mishti doi without using condensed milk or evaporated.
Makes about 4 cups

Ingredients
3 cups whole milk 
3/4 cup Sugar
1/3 tablespoon Plain Yogurt, whisked
1 tablespoon Water

Method
1. Heat the milk in the heavy bottom pan. Reserving 1/3 cups of the sugar for caramelizing and add the rest to the hot milk. Let boil and reduce to half the quantity.
2. In the mean time heat reserved 1/3 cup of sugar in a pan on low heat until the sugar is caramelized to nice golden brown. Turn off the heat. Now to that add 1 tbsp of water and stir with a spoon.
3. Add this caramelized sugar to the milk and stir until well blended.
4. Let the milk cool just until it is warm (but not hot). Then add the yogurt and mix well.
5. Pour in serving dishes/ pots and set overnight in a warm place*.
6. Once the yogurt is firm, put it in the refrigerator for few hours before serving.

Notes
- Mishti Doi taste’s best when served in earthen pot but it’s optional. But we love making them in earthen pot it really comes out very creamy its my personal experience.
- *Using the warm oven is optional, if the weather is really hot just put the pot in a cool dry place and let them set overnight. If the weather is very cool then opt for oven method to set the yogurt.
- If you want to flavor the yogurt using cardamom or saffron, just omit the caramelization part of sugar. Instead add less then 1/4 tsp of cardamom powder or Saffron (mixed with hot water) to the milk mixture before the yogurt is added

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I am delighted with this variation on regular kesari (also called sooji halwa). Pineapple juice adds a hint of fruity flavor to kesari, making it unique. Be sure you read my note on sugar** before you make this recipe.

Pineapple Semolina Pudding or Pineapple Kesari Recipe

serves about 8

Ingredients

4 cups fresh or canned pineapple juice*
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons ghee
1/2 cup cashewnuts
1 cup semolina (rava or sooji)
1 cup sugar**
a pinch of saffron threads

* To make juice from fresh pineapple, blend 2 cups chopped fresh pineapple, with about 3 cups water to make a puree. Strain the juice, and measure out 4 cups.

**This will make a not-too-sweet dessert. If you want it sweeter, feel free to use more sugar, but keep in mind that how much sugar you need will vary slightly depending on how sweet your pineapple is. You may need to use less sugar if you are using canned pineapple juice.

Method

Heat a heavy bottomed wok or saucepan with 1/4 cup ghee. Add cashewnuts and fry on low heat till the nuts are golden. Using a slotted spoon, remove the the cashews from the ghee and place in a bowl.

Add semolina to the ghee. Stir on medium-low heat for about 3 minutes or till the semolina is toasted. Remove the semolina into a bowl. Wipe the pan clean.

Pour in pineapple juice and sugar. Bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Reduce heat to low, and add the toasted semolina. Cook, stirring constantly on medium heat, till the pudding thickens – about 5 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on how coarse your semolina is.

When the pudding starts to thicken, add 2 tablespoons ghee and stir. Remove from heat. Stir in fried cashew nuts.

Sprinkle saffron on top.

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I was thrilled when Sala invited me to guest post on her blog. Not only because I was excited at the opportunity to contribute to her diverse collection of mouth-watering recipes and stunning photos. But also because she has become a dear friend to me in a short period of time. Starting with an early exchange in which she readily shared photography tips with me, Sala has been nothing but fun, warm, and generous through all of our interactions. I’m really glad that we live near each other, so we’ve been able to become friends in person and not just online. Thank you, Sala, for being a great friend, and thank you all as well having me here today!

I’ve always held a fascination for chestnuts. On one hand because they seem so sophisticated and European to me, especially in French desserts like Mont Blanc. On the other hand because they remind me of my early childhood in China. I recall smelling the fragrance of freshly roasted chestnuts as a little girl and growing excited anticipating the delicious stew of vegetables, meat, and chestnuts to come.

For today’s treat, I have chosen the more sophisticated route with a cake roll that is simple yet elegant. Though I’m more accustomed to using natural cocoa in my baked goods, the milder flavor of Dutch-process cocoa is preferable here, as it leaves the spotlight to the real star of the show: the chestnut cream. I particularly enjoy that this cake is light on the tongue, leaving you satisfied but not weighed down. If you’re looking for less conventional way to enjoy your chocolate cake, I hope you’ll give this a go =).

Chocolate Sponge Cake Rolled with Chestnut Cream Recipe

[Printable Recipe]

Adapted from Gourmet Traveller

Serves 6 to 8

XIAOLU’S NOTES: The homemade chestnut puree recipe makes more than you will need for this recipe. Extra puree can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks and frozen for up to 1 year.

4 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar (preferably extra-fine/caster)
1/2 cup MINUS 1 Tbsp (65 g) cornstarch
5 Tbsp (35 g) Dutch-process cocoa, plus extra for dusting
1 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup PLUS 2 Tbsp heavy cream
1 1/2 Tbsp powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup sweetened chestnut puree (Recipe below OR storebought is fine)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the base and sides a 12 x 16 3/4-inch jelly roll pan and line with parchment paper, cutting into the corners to fit and allowing the parchment to hang at least 3/4 inch past the tray’s edges.

Whisk eggs and sugar using an electric mixer until thick and pale (about 5 to 6 minutes). Sift cornstarch, cocoa, flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda together into a separate bowl. Then gently fold dry ingredients into the egg mixture with a spatula. Fold in butter.

Spoon batter carefully into lined pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake in the middle rack of the oven until the cake springs back when lightly pressed (10 to 12 minutes). Remove from oven and carefully turn cake out onto a tea towel lined with fresh parchment paper. Peel off the other parchment paper from the cake. With the short side facing you, roll the cake within the tea towel to form a log. Let stand until just cool (8 to 10 minutes).

Whip heavy cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form (refrigerate if not using immediately). Unroll cake and spread it with an even layer of chestnut purée, then spread only the 1/2 of the cake closest to you with cream, leaving a 3/4 to 1-inch border around the other edges as well. Reroll, dust with cocoa powder, and serve immediately.

Homemade Sweetened Chestnut Puree

Adapted from Kopiaste (click over for great step-by-step photos)
Makes about 2 to 2 1/4 cups

400 g boiled and peeled chestnuts [I bought precooked vacuum-packed ones]
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup sugar, or to taste
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Fill a medium to large saucepan with 2 inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Place all ingredients EXCEPT vanilla into a large Pyrex glass or other heatproof bowl that has a rim wider than the saucepan and which will not touch the simmering water when placed over the saucepan. Cover with a heatproof lid and let mixture boil for about 1 hour, checking occasionally to stir and make sure milk does not boil over.

Drain and reserve milk and let chestnuts cool slightly. Puree the chestnuts using a potato masher or in a food processor. Mix vanilla into the reserved milk, then add milk back into the puree a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency and sweetness is reached. Allow to cool completely, then refrigerate or freeze until needed.

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Watching snippets of the royal wedding on TV, and seeing Prince Williams groom’s cake – a chocolate biscuit cake – reminded me of the chocolate biscuit cakes of my childhood. Because my mother grew up in the UK before moving to India, we had a lot of British treats in our home in India. Chocolate biscuit cake was one of them. This recipe is simple to make, and requires no baking (which is why it’s also called a fridge cake).

As kids in India, we used to make this recipe with Indian Marie biscuits. We’d dip them whole into chocolate sauce, and stack them up – towers of chocolate biscuit goodness!

If you can find British digestive biscuits, they are the BEST for this recipe. I was thrilled beyond belief to find British McVities digestive biscuits in the International aisle of my local grocery store! I believe you can also find them at world market.

A digestive biscuit is a coarse wheat cookie, flaky, no too sweet and oh-so-delish. I wonder why it is “digestive”; must be because it has a bit more fiber than a regular cookie.

Substitutes for British digestive biscuits

- American graham crackers
– British rich tea biscuits (my second favorite for this recipe)
- Indian Britannia digestive biscuits
- Indian Marie biscuits

If you are using butter cookies or graham crackers, remember that they are sweeter, you might need less. Also taste and adjust the sugar as you go if you are using any of the substitutes.

You can glaze this cake with a chocolate ganache, but I skipped that step because the cake is quite rich as it is.

More yummy chocolate biscuit cake recipes..

Official Buckingham Palace chocolate biscuit cake recipe by Darren McGrady, former personal chef to the royal family
Chocolate biscuit cake recipe on Oprah.com
Chocolate biscuit cake recipe on Daily spud
Royal wedding groom cake recipe by Brown eyed baker
No bake English chocolate biscuit cake recipe on Joy of baking

Royal Chocolate Biscuit Cake Recipe

serves about 8

7 oz. McVities digestive biscuits (about 12 biscuits). See above for substitutions.
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (milk chocolate)*
2 oz. dark chocolate (60% cocoa)*
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons milk
4 tablespoons sugar or honey

*You can vary the milk chocolate: dark chocolate ratio if you like. Just make sure the total amount of chocolate (milk&dark) is 8 oz.

Break each biscuit into about 10 pieces. Place the broken biscuits in a bowl.

Melt all the other ingredients together in a double boiler –pour about 1 cup water into a saucepan or pot and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and keep the water on a gentle simmer. Select a bowl that will fit over the saucepan, without touching the water (the steam from the water will melt the chocolate in the bowl).

Add all ingredients except the broken up biscuits, to the bowl over the simmering water. Whisk frequently, till everything is melted and you get a smooth sauce. Be careful not to get any water into the chocolate sauce.

Remove the bowl from the saucepan, and let the chocolate sauce cool for about 15 minutes. Gently fold in the broken up biscuits.

Line a loaf pan or cake tin with a large piece of glad wrap/cling film so that there is an over hang on all sides. Pour the cake mixture over the glad wrap and gently press down using a spatula, and flatten out the top. If your cake mixture is still warm, let it cool completely before proceeding.

Then fold the overhanging glad wrap over the cake. Using your palms, gently press down to compact everything. Refrigerate for 3 hours or till the cake is set.

Remove the glad wrap, cut into slices or cubes and serve.

Store chocolate biscuit cake in the fridge.

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To enter

- Leave a comment below and tell me what was the best dessert youve ever had.
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Contest ends Friday, May 6th 2001 9pm EST. US residents only. One random winner be picked. Check this post for winner announcement.

*Oikos sent me coupons to try the yogurt, and it is lovely

This giveaway has ended, the winner is comment #36, Usha!

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