Butter-cream milk-chocolate frosting for cakes

First of all, a very Happy Mothering Sunday to all you fabulous ladies! I got to enjoy some baking time with my family here as a Mother's day present. I am over the moon to have this quality time as opposed to some commercial off the shelf gift. We had a fantastic time making a chocolate cake and chocolate frosting (buttercream, is there any other?!) and putting them together and in the process eating at least half the frosting! All three of us do not care for the commercial frosting. We find them too sweet. Both Anjalie & I are not fans of dark/bitter-sweet chocolate. So we girls out voted Naz to have a milk-chocolate frosting instead. Since Naz finds the cream-cheese frosting a bit overwhelming due to the tangy taste, we decided on the milder butter-cream frosting and, yes, we did make it less sweet. Here is our recipe (which we have always loved) but feel free to add more sugar if you want it sweeter. To match the sweetness you get in the commercial product you might have to double the amount of icing sugar used in this recipe.

You will need (for the frosting):

225 grams butter (1 Cup) at room temperature -not melted

210 grams (1.5 cups) icing sugar

1-2 tsp milk/cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup milk chocolate powder (any hot chocolate will do) - I used cadburys

100 g milk chocolate - melted & cooled

Quick and easy chocolate cake in Microwave (egg free)

Today being Valentine's day, Anjalie said she "felt" for chocolate pudding. So we decided to make a quick and easy chocolate cake in a mug for dessert tonight. We had tried this at our Vegan friend's house, two years ago, and had really enjoyed it and the recipe is so simple that I was able to recall it tonight. Anjalie made this all by herself with me around to assist with some of the measurements and also to take the hot cup from the microwave. So, of course, by all means feel free to recruit children to make this with you. Have fun making this together!

You will need:
3 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp oil
3 tablespoons milk/soya milk 
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Moist Chocolate cake with Milk chocolate frosting - Fathers Day special

We three of us here at home do not have much of a sweet tooth except for chocolates. We enjoy them in any form or fashion. Moist chocolate cakes are both Naz and Anjalie's absolute favourites. So what other best way is there to say "Happy Fathers day" to Naz other than to bake one for him along with Anjalie? So I did just that! We totally enjoyed it, so, let me share the recipe with you. But before I go to the recipe, let me wish all dads and grand-dads a very Happy Fathers day! Hope you had a wonderful time with your families.

For the cake:
225g butter at room temperature
350g caster sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
350-400 ml milk
300g plain flour
50g unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

For the frosting:
60g butter, softened to room temperature
60g unsweetened cocoa
75ml milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
400g icing sugar
decorations like M&Ms, thousands and hundreds, sugar stars etc.

Easy Chocolate Cornflakes crispy flowers

Toddlers and Preschoolers love to help grown-ups. Kitchen, to them, is often a fascinating place where the grown ups are busy working briskly and there is steam coming from the pots followed by irresistible aroma of yummy food. Most of my pleasant memories of my childhood are about the times I spent in both my paatti's (grand-mum) and Amma's (Mum) kitchen. Little did I know that the little tasks I did to help them was helping me become self-reliant and independent and came in very handy when I left home for further studies. Years later, while talking with my Amma casually, I was told that the very same days were wonderful memories for her of quality time with me! I did not appreciate the depth of that feeling until I had Anjalie. Seeing  how much we enjoy each other's company while cooking and baking I totally understand how much those days mean to my Amma.

Melt in your mouth Chocolate-chip cookies

This recipe is another one where you can involve your children when preparing and is very simple and a yummy treat especially for the Holiday season.

You will need:
350g/12¼oz unsifted flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
225g/8oz butter
175g/6¼oz caster sugar (you can use normal white sugar after blending it in a mill or processor or blender)
175g/6¼oz soft brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute
350g/12¼oz milk/dark/white chocolate chips/chunks

Chocolate Fairy cakes or cup cakes

Who doesn't like fairy/cup cakes? Now add chocolate to it and it becomes a must have. This ia another one of Anjalie's favorites and she helps make them too. We are not big on icing, so, we chose not to use much of it. But use your imagination and you can have fun decorating the cakes with your little one too.

You will need:
100g Self Raising flour (if not, plain flour + 2 tsps baking powder)
20g cadbury's cocoa powder
100g caster sugar (use more if you like them sweeter)
40g butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vannila extract
lining paper for the cakes
muffin baking tin/tray


Preheat the oven to 160 C (fan assisted). Meanwhile, whisk all the ingredients until creamy (takes 3 mins with a wire whisk)

and spoon into Muffin tin lined with wax papers/ cup cake paper.

Cook for 15 minutes until cooked. When a tooth pick is inserted in the middle it should come of clean.

Sorry, if the pictures show only 10 cupcakes, 2 of them disappeared into our tummies before I could grab the camera. Once cooled, the cakes can be decorated with icing, buttons, thousands and hundreds etc...

This recipe makes 12 small cup cakes.