FONDANT BIRTHDAY CAKE

RECIPE FOR THE PERFECT VANILLA BUTTER CAKE FOR FONDANT COVERED CAKES & CAKE CARVINGS:

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups All purpose Flour

3 Eggs

1/2 cup Butter(113 grams)-1 100gram box of Amul Butter would do

3/4 cup Milk

3/4 cup Sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

METHOD

1.Grease and flour a 9" cake pan. Preheat your oven to 180 degree C/350 degree F.

2.Cream butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs,milk and vanilla essence until well combined

3.Sift together flour and baking powder. Add it to the wet ingredients,beating on low speed just until combined or just fold it in.

4.Bake for 40 min or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

The resultant cake will have a thick outer crust and therefore does not produce too many crumbs while carving or dividing the cake into different layers.Despite the thick outer crust the cake's inside is quite moist and has just the right density for decorated cakes. I baked two batches of this for the above fondant covered birthday cake.

Birthday cakes are incomplete without a good filling. I've given the recipe of Cream Patisserie which tastes just like vanilla custards and went amazingly well with the vanilla butter cakes.

SOURCE: Chef in Disguise - I got all the recipes for this star fondant birthday cake including the filling and the fondant recipe from this blog and Sawsan has been extremely supportive! I owe her big time for this birthday cake which is my first attempt at fondant.

CREAM PATISSERIE( Source: Joy of Baking )

INGREDIENTS

3 Egg Yolks

1 1/4 cup Milk

1/4 cup Granulated Sugar

2 tbsp All purpose Flour

2 tbsp Corn Flour(Corn Starch)

1 tsp vanilla essence

METHOD

1.In a medium-sized heat proof bowl, mix the sugar and egg yolks together with a spatula. immediately sift in the flour and corn flour  and mix until you get a smooth paste.

2.Meanwhile, bring milk to boil in a saucepan and remove from heat just as it starts foaming up.

3.Immediately whisk in the milk to the egg mixture ,pouring in a slow and steady stream. Mix constantly and quickly to prevent curdling.(Incase it does curdle,pour it through a strainer)

4.Pour the egg mixture into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, whisking constantly. When it boils, whisk mixture constantly for another 30 – 60 seconds until it becomes thick.

5. Remove from heat and immediately stir in the vanilla essence.

 6. Pour into a clean bowl and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a crust from forming. Refrigerate after it cools to room temperature if your using it on your cake the next day.

Fondant cakes require a crumb coat for the fondant to hold on to, you could choose between ganache or buttercream icing for this purpose. I chose a chocolate buttercream icing ,recipe follows:

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM ICING

INGREDIENTS

3 cups Powdered Sugar/Icing Sugar

1 Cup butter (2 100grams box of Amul Butter would do)

1 tsp Vanilla Essence

1/2 cup Cocoa

2 tbsp Milk/Cream

METHOD

1.Cream butter with vanilla essence.

2.Sift in the cocoa and powdered sugar/icing sugar.Beat well and add milk/cream. Beat until combined and the buttercream has reached a thick,yet spreadable consistency.

Go ahead and smear it over your filled cake. Place it the fridge for 15 min and run a hot knife over the icing to get it smooth and even. Please remember that uneven icing or ganache will show through the fondant.

MARSHMALLOW FONDANT RECIPE

300 grams Marshmallow

5-7 cups of powdered sugar(You may need more,so make a few extra cups before hand)

1 tbsp Water

1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence

Dalda(Vegetable Shortening/Crisco) enough to grease your hands,bowl,spatula and workplace

METHOD

1.Melt the marshmallows and 1 tbsp water in a well greased microwave safe bowl in the microwave ,stopping every 30 seconds to give it a good stir. Mini marshmallows usually melt in 2min, but time may vary.

2. Once the marshmallows have melted,add in the vanilla essence and stir in 4 cups of powdered sugar.

3.Grease your workplace and your hands well with veg shortening and transfer the marshmallow mixture onto your workplace. Knead well and add in more powdered sugar if you find  the dough too sticky or soft.

In case the dough is hard ,just add drops of water until you get it smooth enough. 

4.You'll know that your fondant has reached the desired consistency when it feels almost like a play dough,may be a bit more stickier than play dough. The sugar must have incorporated well into the fondant and just flatten out a small piece with your fingers to see if it holds its shape and its easy to press it smooth.

5.Shape into a mound and apply a thin coating of dalda/veg shortening. Double wrap in cling wrap and store in an air tight container.

Allow to rest overnight,but it could be used in a few hours as well. I couldn't wait to see how mine turned out,so i took a piece after 3-4 hours and smeared a tiny drop of red food colour to form pink fondant lollipops on toothpicks. Use a cookie cutter to cut out decorations according to your whim and fancy.

COVERING THE CAKE WITH FONDANT:

1.As I've mentioned earlier, don't leave out your crumb coat. A simple buttercream icing / ganache will do.

2.Add food colour to fondant drop by drop,knead well and keep on adding food colour until you reach the desired colour. Remember to grease your palms with veg shortening/Dalda.

3.Measure the cake and roll out the fondant on a workplace smeared well with a mix cornstarch/corn flour and powdered sugar. It's safest to roll out the cake covering layer of fondant on a greased surface to avoid sticking and tearing while you try to lift it onto the cake. 

4.Place your cake on the work surface right next to your rolled out fondant and gently lift the fondant off the workplace and transfer it onto the cake.Press the surface of the fondant very gently so that it glues firmly onto the buttercream.

5.Cut off the extra fondant using a pizza cutter or crafts knife and smooth out the sides.

6.For adding decorations,use cookie cutters or if you're really confident go ahead and cut out your own designs using a crafts knife on a rolled out fondant. Don't forget to grease your cookie cutters before pressing down on the fondant.

7.You could cut out names as well using a crafts knife.

NOTES:

1.Always remember to divide the work to avoid last minute disasters before a party.

2.You can prepare the fondant a week ahead and just wrap & store in a cling wrap+air tight container at room temperature.

3.The cake can be prepared 2 days before hand and stored at room temperature. However the filling has to be stored in the fridge and should be used within 3 days.

4.Buttercream icing/ganache can also be prepared on the previous day of the party. Remember to store in a bowl covered well with cling wrap and pop it in the fridge. Cool to room temperature before smearing over your cake.

PUMPKIN DATES LOAF

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 cup All purpose Flour
1cup Brown sugar*
1 ¼ cups Fresh Pumkin purée
1/3 cup Vegetable oil
2 Eggs
1/2 cup roughly chopped Dates(lightly floured)
1 tsp Baking powder
½ tsp Baking soda
½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Garam Masala(optional)
½ tsp Cinnamon powder
½ tsp Vanilla extract

Pumpkin Puree

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree C/350 degree F. Grease and flour a 9" loaf pan (I used a 11" loaf pan).

2.Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a bowl & set aside.

3.In another bowl, combine the sugar, the pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk well to combine.

4.Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, whisk just until combined. Fold in the roughly chopped and lightly floured dates. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold the dates into the batter.

5.Transfer the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and pop it into your oven. Bake for about 1 hour, until the top of the loaf is brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Fresh out of the oven

NOTES

* The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup of granulated sugar & 1/2 cup of brown sugar, I used 1 packed cup of brown sugar.

* All-purpose flour could be substituted for Whole Wheat Flour (Atta) for a healthier treat,  but won't taste as good as the AP flour one.

VERDICT: Tastes almost like a moist dates cake, the spices lend it a unique flavour.

MOIST BANANA CAKE

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup All purpose flour
1 egg
1/4 cup oil (any vegetable oil)
1 ripe banana (preferably an over ripe one)
4 tbsp sour cream(Can be substituted with thick yoghurt or buttermilk)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla essence

METHOD


1. Preheat oven to 180 degree C/350 degree F. Grease and flour a 9" cake pan.

2.Whisk together flour,baking soda,baking powder and salt in a small bowl and keep it aside.

3.Mash the bananas in a bowl using a fork . Add egg and sugar to the banana pulp and mix with hand beater for a minute.

4.Add oil and beat on low speed for 3-4 min. Add vanilla essence and sour cream,fold it in using a wooden spoon or spatula.

6. Fold in the dry ingredients kept apart in step 2. Be careful not to mix too much. Mix only until well combined.

7.Spread batter evenly in prepared pan and pop it into the oven. Bake for 35 - 40 min or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

8.Place a paper doily (or a paper cut-out in your favourite pattern) on the cake and sprinkle powdered sugar on top,lift the doily off carefully  to decorate, or hop onto Edible Garden for cream cheese frosting.

SOURCE: Nag's Edible Garden
NOTES
1. Using an over ripe banana makes it easier to mash into a pulp,but sometimes it tastes too sweet so adjust the amount of sugar according to the sweetness of your banana.

Verdict: Gorgeously moist and has just the right amount of banana flavour!

SAVOURY SEMOLINA CAKE

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Semolina(Roasted/unroasted)
1 cup Yoghurt
1/2 -3/4 cup Water
1/2 cup Peas
1 Carrot grated
1 tsp crushed/grated ginger
1/4 tsp turmeric powder(optional)
1/2 tsp red chilli powder(optional)
1 tsp Red chilli flakes
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp baking soda(Soda bicarbonate)
Sesame seeds-a handful(Optional)
Salt to taste
Oil

METHOD

1.Grease and flour a loaf tin,preheat your oven to 200 degree C/395 degree F.

2.Mix semolina, carrots, peas, ginger, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt in a bowl. Add water and yoghurt,mix well with a wooden spoon(If your yoghurt is really thick, add 3/4 cup of water,if not 1/2 cup of water would be enough).

3.Heat oil in a pan and pop mustard seeds in it, once the mustard seeds have popped add in cumin seeds immediately. Once the cumin starts giving out its aroma,remove pan from heat and stir it into the batter prepared in step-2. 

4.Stir in baking soda and immediately pour into your greased loaf tin and smooth out the batter. Sprinkle sesame seeds generously on top of the smoothed out batter.

5.Pop it into your oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top turns golden brown. 

 NOTES

Recipe Source : Anjum Anand's Indian Cooking Made Easy Video-Savoury Semolina Cake

* I baked this cake twice and I added the turmeric & red chilli powder the second time just to add more colour as my first cake appeared quite pale.

*Use a smaller loaf tin and maybe 1/2 tsp of baking powder as well for a taller loaf.

This cake is not just a healthy tea time snack, its the easiest way to sneak in vegetables for your kids and family. It's a highly adaptive recipe as well, you could add in onions or other veggies of your choice. This cake is best served warm along with pickle/chutney of your choice.

WHOLE WHEAT MANGO BREAD

INGREDIENTS

Whole wheat flour-1 1/4 cup
All purpose flour-3/4 cup
Baking soda-1 tsp.
Salt-1/2 tsp.
Cinnamon powder-1/4 tsp.
Sugar- 1/2 cup
Coconut grated-1/4 cup
Cashew nuts-10-12
Raisins-8-10(optional)
Mango puree-1 cup(2-3 mangoes)
Egg-1 (beaten)
Coconut oil/melted butter-2 tblsp.
Yogurt-1/3 cup

METHOD

1.Preheat oven to 325 degree F/gas mark 3 and grease 9*5 inch loaf pan.Puree mangoes in a blender till smooth.

2.Combine/ whisk together ww flour, ap flour, baking soda, salt,sugar and cinnamon powder(dry ingredients) in a large bowl. Add cashewnuts, raisins and grated coconut and mix well.

3.In another bowl, whisk together mango puree, egg, yogurt and coconut oil(wetingredients).

4.Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until well combined.

5.Pour into loaf pan and bake @ 325 F for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes clean.Cool for 10 minutes.

6.Remove from loaf pan and cool completely before slicing bread.

NOTES

1.Instead of cashew nuts, you can use walnuts, pecans or nuts of your choice.

2.Baking time varies from oven to oven. It took about an hour in our oven, always do tooth pick test.

ULTIMATE CARROT CAKE

INGREDIENTS

3 cups finely grated carrots

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 1/4cup brown sugar

4 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla essence

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup chopped dried fruit (I used apricots and raisins)

1 cup olive oil/any vegetable oil

METHOD

1.Grease a 10"cake tin and line with baking paper((The original recipe calls for two 9"cake tins). Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.Grate the carrots finely. Add dried fruits to the carrots and keep aside.

3. Whisk together both the sugars,oil,eggs and vanilla.

4.In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda,salt and spices and add it to the wet mixture. Mix gently with a wooden spoon until well combined.

5.Fold in the carrots,dried fruits and coconut.

6.Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick/skewer comes out clean. Let cakes cool completely in the pans on a wire rack. 

P.S.- Recipe adapted from Zoe Bakes

NOTES:

* Original recipe uses sweetened shredded coconut, if you find it difficult to find it, fresh shredded coconut would do just as well as it makes the cake more moist.

* For cream cheese frosting recipe, hop on to Zoe's blog.

* To prevent the dried fruits from settling at the bottom of the cake while baking, lightly coat them with flour.

* Mom advices soaking dried fruits in warm water for around 30min to soften them and make them melt in your mouth while biting into the cake.)

VANILLA SPONGE CAKE (Eggless)

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 Cup All purpose Flour

1 Cup Thick curd (I used labneh)

3/4 Cup Granulated sugar

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 1/4 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 Cup Oil

1 1/2  Vanilla Essence

METHOD

1.Grease and flour a 8' pan.Preheat the oven to 200 degree C.Sieve flour and keep aside.

2.Cream curd and sugar together at medium speed or just whisk away until the sugar's completely dissolved in the curd.

 3.Add baking powder and baking soda. Mix well with a balloon whisk. Leave aside for around 5min till bubbles start appearing.

4. As soon as the bubbles appear or you feel like the mixture has sort of doubled up,add oil and vanilla essence. Mix well until combined.

5. Add flour in 4 portions and fold in using a wooden spoon or spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared and smooth it out with a spatula. Pop it into your preheated oven and bake at 200 degree C for 10 mintues,then reduce the temperature to 180 degree C.

6.Bake for 30-35 min or till the top turns golden and toothpick test comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 min and then transfer to cooling rack.

To get really neat and firm slices, wait for atleast 3-4 hours. I just sprinkled powdered sugar on top, but if you want to frost the cake, it is advisable to refrigerate overnight.

P.S.: I never expected an eggless cake to turn out so soft and yummy,the texture was perfect. 

Source: Sharmispassion 

BASIC BUTTERLESS CAKE

Ingredients:
1/2 cup milk
1 cup plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon grated lemon zest/ vanilla essence
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar

Directions:
1.Heat through the milk in a small plan until bubbling at edge. Preheat the oven to 180C.-4gasmark
2.Sift flour with baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3.In a small bowl, mix at high speed, eggs, until thick and lemon colored. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture is smooth and well blended...about 5 min.
4.At low speed, blend in flour mixture until smooth. Add warm milk and lemon peel, beating until combined. Immediately pour batter into greased, 9-inch cake pan.
5.Bake 30 min, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely. Decorate with powdered sugar and grate any chocolate of your choice on top and enjoy without feeling guilty!

SUPER MOIST CHOCOLATE MAYONNAISE CAKE

INGREDIENTS

For the Cake:

2 Cups Flour
1 2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp vanilla essence
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1 1/3 cup water
1 cup mayonnaise

INSTRUCTIONS

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.Grease & flour bottoms of 2 pans of the same shape and size. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, soda & powder, set aside.

3.In a large bowl with mixer at high speed, beat eggs, sugar & vanilla, scraping sides of bowl occasionally, for 3 minutes or until smooth & creamy. Reduce speed to low; beat in mayonnaise till well blended. Add flour mixture in 4 additions alternately with water, beginning & ending with flour mixture.

4.Pour into prepared pans.

5.Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center.

For Chocolate Ganache:

8 oz semi-sweet or dark chocolate(I even use milk chocolate sometimes)

8 oz heavy cream

METHOD:

Combine chocolate and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 2 minutes and stir. Heat for an additional 1-2 minutes or until chocolate has melted completely and can be whisked and incorporated into the cream. Ganache usually thicken as it cools and when it’s completely cool, it will be thick and fudgy. If there's any leftover, store it in an airtight container and use it for a batch of cookies or enjoy it with some fresh strawberrys!Yum!!!

ASSEMBLING:

Pour 1/3 of the prepared ganache over one of the cakes(or smear the ganache if you've allowed it to cool and thicken before assembling the cake). Let it sit for a minute or two,then carefully top with the other cake and spread ganache over the entire cake. Transfer to a serving dish and indulge in pure chocolate bliss!;)