Marble cup cakes

Cupcakes with streaks of vanilla and chocolate flavors.

I was looking for a simple recipe which would satisfy my sweet tooth and give a boost to my zeal for baking. I find the swirly duo of chocolate & vanilla in marble cakes very pleasing. It occurred to me, why not try them as cupcakes. So here's the recipe for it. Give it a shot and you will be pleased with the results just like I was.

Serves 14-16 cupcakes.

Prep Time : 25 minutes
Cook Time : 30 minutes

Ingredients

• All purpose flour - 2 cup ( Self-rising flour could be used instead )
• Baking soda - 2 teaspoon ( Skip this if you are using self-rising flour )
• Milk - 1 cup at room temperature
• Butter -1/2 cup( 1 stick ) unsalted at room temperature
• Vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon
• Unsweetened cocoa powder - 1/3 cup 
• Boiling water - 1/4 cup
• Sugar - 1 cup
• Eggs - 3
• Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

Steps followed :

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the muffin tray with paper liners.

In a large bowl, take the sieved flour. Add baking soda and salt to it and mix it lightly. If you are using self-rising flour, skip adding the baking powder.

In another bowl, take the butter and granulated sugar and blend it until you get a creamy mixture. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat them till the mixture is fluffy. Add the vanilla essence and give the mixture a final stir.

Now add flour mixture in small quantities to the vanilla mixture, alternating with additions of milk. See to it that no lumps are formed.Stir and beat gently until they are combined well and you get a smooth mixture. 

Divide 1/3 rd of the batter and use this part to make the chocolate batter. Mix cocoa powder in boiling water.  Once the cocoa mixture is well combined, stir it into this reserved 1/3rd part of the batter. 

Fill the lined muffin cups with vanilla and chocolate batter, alternatively. Do not fill the cups fully. Let it be 3/4th filled, so that the cup cakes have enough space to puff up while it bakes. With a tooth pick, give a swirling motion to the batter to get a marbled appearance.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. You can see the curst getting a light gold color as it bakes. Insert a knife/tooth pick in the centre to check if the cup cake is baked enough. If the tooth pick comes out clean, it means its done. 

You can remove the cup cakes from the tray once they have cooled. Swirling dark n white marble cup cakes are up for grabs. Enjoy!

Banana Bread

A bread variety made with ripe bananas and nuts.

Banana bread is perfect for a quick breakfast, as a light snack, or even as a low-calorie dessert.It is a very easy recipe to use the over-ripened bananas which are not very pleasing to eat as is. The nuts, add the extra crunchiness and makes the bread very interesting. 





Serves 4

Prep Time : 20 minutes
Cook Time : 30 minutes

Ingredients

• All purpose flour - 1 cup ( Self-rising flour could be used instead )

• Baking soda - 1/2 teaspoon ( Skip this if you are using self-rising flour )

• Unsalted Butter - 1/4 cup

• Sugar - 1/4 cup 

• Eggs - 1

• Bananas - 1 cup ,mashed overripe

• Vanilla essence - 1/4 teaspoon

• Nuts ( walnuts/almonds ) - 1/2 cup ,chopped 

• Pinch of salt

• Oil to grease the pan.

Note : I used a 5 x 3 Inch mini loaf pan/muffin tray. The measurements are suited for a mini-loaf rather than a full loaf

Steps followed :

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare the pan for baking by lightly greasing all the sides of the pan with oil.

In a large bowl, take the sieved flour. Add baking soda and salt to it and mix it lightly. If you are using self-rising flour, skip adding the baking powder.

In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add the egg to it and stir it well, until the mixture is fluffy.Next, add the mashed bananas and vanilla essence and blend it well.

Gently, stir in the banana mixture into flour mixture. See to it that no lumps are formed.Add the chopped nuts.Stir lightly, just to moisten till you get a uniform smooth batter.

Pour the batter into greased loaf pan.Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. You can see the crust turning golden. Insert a knife/tooth pick in the centre to check if the bread is baked enough. If the tooth pick comes out clean, it means its done. 

Remove the banana bread from the oven. Let it cool for 10-15 minutes. 

Invert it on a plate from the loaf pan once it is cooled. Slice it up as you like. Banana Bread is ready to be served.

Fruit & Yogurt Parfait

Yogurt parfait can be perfect for an evening snack or as a dessert. Its simple to make, and its a very healthy and refreshing recipe to cheer you up.

Serves 2

Prep Time : 10 minutes
Cook Time : 5 minutes

Ingredients : 

• 1 apple 
• 1 banana
• 1 cup strawberries or any seasonal berries of your choice
• 1 orange
• 2 cups yogurt. You can use greek yogurt instead
• 1/2 cup granola cereals or corn flakes
• 1/2 tea spoon cinnamon powder 
• 1/2 cup dried raisins/cranberries
• 1/2 cup almond flakes, or some nuts
• 1 tablespoon sugar or honey

Steps followed :

Chop the apple into small pieces. (You can use ripe apricots, instead of apples as well). Sprinkle sugar on top of it on a pan and sauté it little bit, until the sugar melts and forms a uniform coating around the apples. Keep it aside. Sprinkle cinnamon powder and toss it a bit. You can skip this step and use the chopped apples directly.

Chop the banana into small pieces. Also chop the strawberries or any other seasonal berries into halves and keep aside. Clean and cut the oranges into small pieces.

Add honey and whip the yogurt thoroughly.You can skip this step, if you are using flavored yogurt. I prefer plain yogurt, as it brings out the taste of the fruits.

Use a wide enough glass. Add a layer of whipped yogurt at the bottom. Add the sautéed apple and banana. Again layer it up with yogurt. Then goes a layer of nuts/almond flakes. Finally another layer of yogurt. Top it with cereals, dried cranberries or raisins and almond flakes. Garnish with orange pieces and honey. Serve it chilled.