Creating a blog was out of the question for a long time for me, as measuring everything in the kitchen was like biting into an eggshell. I enjoy cooking and don’t want to waste even a slightest bit of enjoyment in that small world of mine. But little did I know that everything will change, when my husband came home with the Oscar nominated film ‘Julie and Julia’( a real life story) where Julie Powell (part played by Amy Adams) challenged herself to make all the 524 recipes from Julia Child's cook book ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’ and blogging all her experiences (The Julie/Julia Project). It was an inspiring movie. A few days later when we were discussing this casually with a friend of ours over tea…everything changed dramatically…..” How about you making at least half of it in one year? Not French but your own. 262 recipes that will inspire others and present it as a blog?” For a minute my mind traveled faster than light… With an experience as a helper in my mother in laws kitchen for 6 years followed by a three year everyday struggle to satisfy the palate of my foodie husband, if I cannot do it then why should I cook? But on the other side with an experience in English literature extending no more than expanding outline stories in English grammar class when I was 18 and two small kids that come in handy at times, will a commitment for the next one year work? Anyway my ‘cook's ego’ didn’t allow me to say no...

So my friends …here I am opening my recipe book, trying to perfect and present 262 recipes in the coming 365 days….A Challenge that will of course tastes good. Come.. Have a walk with me along my journey.. Cheering and inspiring….Forgiving and tolerating…Testing and tasting….for ‘A Tasty Challenge’

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Sunday, December 5, 2010

Lamingtons (Coconut coated Chocolate covered Yellow Cakes)

Recipe No: 135
This is a recipe from my Mother in Law's old cook book. I tasted it for the first time when she made it and I became an instant fan and so was my husband. So I used to make this now and then and many of my friends loved it. This is a real treat for those who love that Chocolate- Coconut combination.         
Ingredients                                              Makes 35 pieces
For the Cake
  • All Purpose Flour/ Maida…..1 1/3 Cup
  • Custard Powder………………..1 Tablespoon
  • Sugar……………………………...1 Cup
  • Milk………………………………..1/2 Cup
  • Baking Powder………………….1 Teaspoon
  • Salt………………………………….1/4 Teaspoon
  • Unsweetened Butter………....1/4 Cup (Avoid Salt if you are using Salted Butter)
  • Egg……………………………….…2
  • Vanilla Essence…………………1/2 Teaspoon
For the coating
  • Cocoa Powder……………………1/2 Cup
  • Icing/ Powdered Sugar.........1 ½ Cup
  • Boiling Water…………………...3/4 Cup
  • Desiccated Coconut……………2 Cups (Unsweetened)
Method of Preparation
To make the Cake
  1. Preheat oven to 350˚F/ 180˚C.
  2. Butter and Flour (or use a cooking spray or line the bottom with Parchment/ Butter paper and Oil it) a 13/ 9 inch baking pan.
  3. Sift together Flour, Baking Powder, Salt and Custard Powder and keep it aside till ready to be used.
  4. Cream together Butter, Vanilla Essence and Sugar really good and add Egg one at a time and beat till light and fluffy.
  5. Add Flour in 3 additions alternating with Milk, starting and ending with Flour.
  6. Once mixed well, pour this into the prepared cake pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or till a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean and the top is slightly browned.
  7. Allow the Cake to cool completely and then cut it into 35 equal sized pieces. Discard the edges if you don’t like that portion.
To make the Lamington
  1. Mix  Cocoa Powder, Powdered/ Icing sugar and Boiling Water till the Sugar is melted thoroughly and the Cocoa powder is well mixed. Allow it to cool completely.
  2. In another shallow plate keep the Unsweetened Desiccated Coconut ready.
  3. Dip each Cake piece in the Chocolate mix and then roll in the Desiccated Coconut.
  4. Repeat this process with all the 35 Cake pieces and serve them at room temperature.
Notes:
  • Don’t over mix the cake batter once the Flour is added, as it will develop the Gluten (a fibrous substance) in the Flour making the Cake tough.
  • Don’t dip the cake pieces in the Chocolate for long as it will absorb a lot of Chocolate Syrup. So dip the cake pieces only for just enough time to have a very thin  and even coating. Roll immediately in Coconut.
  • If desiccated Coconut is not available, then dry some finely grated fresh Coconut either in Sun or in the Oven.
 




Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love…

5 comments:

saregamapa said...

looks delicious....

Vimitha Durai said...

mouth wateringly beautiful... perfect to look at...

sojo said...

Ash, dont know if u noticed, but uve typed unsweetened butter.... iam going to make this today...will let u know how it turned out!!!

sojo said...

Made...twas good... kids loved the yellow cake more than the finished product. Guess adults like the finished product more coz of the coconut coating.....

sojo said...

Ash, I posted the recipe with a link to this page- also linked it to Aipi's bookmarked events.

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