Chocolate Strawberry Cake

Choco Chips Cup Cakes - a Favorite for All!

When I am not in mood for a long baking project, I bake cup cakes! And when I don't have enough time to write a long blog, I write on these cup cakes projects!!! LOL...

So here is a simple and quick cup cakes, which I have baked quite some time back. This is not a latest bake, so I have only 2 pics to share with you all. Next time, I bake this choco chips cup cakes - I'll surely take step-by-step pics for you - I promise.

Coconutty Strawberry Cup Cakes and a Bleeding Heart!!!

Cupcakes are the first love of my kids... why only kids, I think, everyone loves to eat cupcakes! The cute and simple look of the cupcakes, the varied flavors and the easy-to-make nature -  all these have made the cupcakes so popular, I guess! 

All my baking projects are done in my microwave - and for the cupcake projects, I do really feel the need of an OTG. Because, in a microwave you cannot bake more than 8 cupcakes at a time. And 8 is not at all a considerable count, when it comes to cupcakes... you know, what I mean! So, I have bought another set of 8 cupcake moulds, which make it 16... at least this count of cupcakes will last for couple of days for my family. 

This strawberry cupcake recipe is so unique, probably you've never tasted it. The regular cake shops generally don't keep cupcakes, even if they do - you'll not get this one, I am sure. So the only way to taste this super-simple strawberry cupcakes, is to make them at home. 

I have learnt this recipe from my baking guru, Lynette. During the fondant class, she wanted to treat us with something unique, as the after-class snacks and then she brought these lovey-dovey cutey-cutey cupcakes. We were simply amazed to see her skill - these cupcakes were absolute delicacy and yet so simple to make. Perhaps that's the mastery of any art, which teaches you to make elegant yet simple art pieces - and baking is an art!!!

Coming back to the recipe - prepare the cupcake batter - it will be a simple vanilla batter which I've mentioned earlier in my blog - The Basic Vanilla Cake. Additionally for the decoration purpose you will need -

Strawberry Crush - 2 cups

Water - 4 cups

Desiccated Coconut - 2 cups

Preheat your oven at 160C. Do not put cupcake liners on the cupcake moulds. Butter the cupcake moulds nicely and then pour the batter into the moulds. The moulds should be only 3/4th part filled with the batter, as you need to keep some space for the cupcakes to increase in size while baking. Place the moulds inside the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 mins at 160C. Bring out of the oven and carefully remove the moulds. Place the cupcakes on a flat plate or sheet and allow them to cool at room temperature.

In a big bowl, mix the strawberry crush with water. 

Spread the desiccated coconut in another large plate. 

Take each cupcake, dip them in liquid strawberry crush for a minute or so and then immediately, roll over the desiccated coconut. Spread some amount of coconut on top too. Do this for all the cupcakes. As a final decoration, spread 1 teaspoon of strawberry crush on top. As an alternate, you can put 1 fresh strawberry slice on top. Allow the cupcakes to chill inside refrigerator for at least 4-5 hours before serving.

I had made only 16 cupcakes, so I had some extra batter. I decided to make another heart-shaped cake with that. 

And here is what came out from the microwave.

Again sprinkled the desiccated coconut on top and drizzled some amount of strawberry crush... which ultimately looked like a bleeding heart!!! Huh....

Happy baking! See you again!!! :)

Fun with Fondant - A Weekend Spent Well!!

Today I am not going to describe any cake recipe or baking tips. It's going to be a colorful post, with lots of bright and beautiful images. Yes, you have guessed it right - it's the fondant decoration for the cakes.

As I have mentioned many times, that I am still learning. Many of you are getting inspired from my blog and started baking for the first time - that is really a great achievement for me. When I started this blog, I never knew - it will be popular and more than that, inspirational - for so many of you. I am so, so happy that at least it is serving a purpose!

So, back to my story! I never had any experience of using fondant in decorating cakes, but I have seen many of the expert bakers are using this technique and they are making so exquisite cakes... just unbelievable! Being a member of the Home Bakers Group Pune (in Facebook), I got the opportunity to see this beautiful art pieces - they are not just cake, but something more than that. In fact, I cannot think of cutting these cakes to serve - they should be kept for display, forever in some museum! That's my idea of using fondant.

Anyway, I was planning to join some course to learn some basic technique of using fondant and I got my chance. One of the best and renowned home-bakers of Pune - Lynette Dias, was conducting this class for 2 days over the weekend. Weekend was the best time for me, so I decided to join the course. I was like - no matter whatever the situation is - I am going to do it! And I took the right decision. It was such a great experience to learn so many new things and moreover it was fun to spend a weekend out of the daily chores of work-cook-sleep. It was a real stress buster for me. We were 4 ladies in the group - and all of us felt like we have gone back to our childhood days to play with colorful play-doughs.

Making a Tiger

Yes, the process of creating these beautiful, cute, little figurines using the colored fondants are exactly same as playing with play-doughs. If you have done that in your childhood time, then you are going to be a pro in some time. But obviously you have to rack your brains, to get all these unique themes of decorating cakes.

The Tiger and The Lion

We did few figurines on wild animals and then we moved to our project cakes. Our teacher, Lynette - gave us few options for the project cakes and among that I selected the mermaid cake. Actually the day before, I was thinking that if there is an option then I'll go for a mermaid cake or a family cake  - showing a couple and two daughters. However, the family theme could have been more difficult, because preparing the mermaid was almost a 2 hours job. By the end of the first day, we were ready with most of the figurines.

A Teddy Bear and A Cute Doggy

The Mermaid

The second day was kept for icing the cake with ganache, covering with fondant and placing the figurines. Basically the total assembling of the cake was done in the second day. In second day, I had prepared few more aquatic items like octopus, a big fish and sea weeds. Ultimately the cake was assembled and it was really looking so gorgeous. Everyone's cakes were looking brilliant and gorgeous. Without Lynette's guidance, it was completely impossible. Thank you so much, Lynette!

My Mermaid Cake

Octopus and The Big Fish

I brought my project cake back home and my family-members could not believe that I made that cake. I had to cut that cake, but I made sure to remove these cute-little figurines first. These are still lying in my refrigerator and I don't think, I'll ever be able to throw them up in kitchen garbage-bin... I'll store them as long as I can... :)