Zebra cake

The Masterchef Australia Season has started all over again and I love, love, love the show. I never miss an episode. Such a pleasure watching people cooking good food and all the more 'beautiful food'. There a so many talented people out there. Good to see wonderfully good food with quality ingredients. Have watched Masterchef USA and India and to be frank, I liked only Australia. The focus is only on food and no cribbing and fussing. I learn so much about food from this show. The judges are fantastic too.
I can just go on and on and on about this but let me just sum it all up with a Big Hurrah! for the Masterchef Australia series.

Now, let me get to my baked goodies. This time round, I want to share the recipe and pics of a  Zebra cake.  I think it looks adorable. I'm impressed with myself. Pat, pat, pat on my back. This cake went straight to a cousin's home. So I could not taste it, but, those who did, said it was fabulous.

What I would do differently next time,
1) make more layers. This time I tried just few.
2) Since I now know how to do it, I would spoon the batter a little neater next time. This time the job was shabby as you can see  :)

The layers were not so clear on the outside . But , when cut, there was this beautiful display of brown and white.The design looked so fashionable.

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 cupsall purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 medium eggs at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup warm, whole milk 
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder.  

  

Directions:

• Preheat  oven to 400 degrees F or 205 degrees C . Line an 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper or butter and dust with all-purpose flour. 
• Sift flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
• In a large mising bowl, beat butter and sugar using an electric mixer set on low speed, until the mixture resembles damp sand (about 3 mins).
•  Beat in the eggs one at a time on medium-high, until wellblended and  a smooth fluffy consistency is reached. (About 7-8 mins)
• Add vanilla and mix.
• Add 1/3 of the sifted flour mixture and milk alternately and mix until you have added it all.
  
• Do not overbeat this mixture. Once the flour is incorporated well, stop mixing. 
• Separate this batter into 2 equal parts. To one part add cocoa powder and mix well.   

  

Now to create the zebra design.  

For this the batter has to be poured in a particular fashion into the mold.

• Take a large spoon or ladle and first spoon the vanilla batter right into the center of  the prepared pan. Tap the pan thrice to spread the batter a little.  
• Next, spoon the chocolate batter right in the middle of the vanilla batter and tap the pan.  
• Repeat these 2 steps alternately till you have added all the batter. (see pic above)
  
• Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean — 25 to 30 minutes. 
• Cool cake completely on a wire rack.

Chocolate chip cookies

An all time favorite cookie . You must be wondering - Is there anything at all that she doesn't like? I am not answering that because right at this instant, I can't think of anything I dislike, as my mind is now full of choc choc choco chocolate chip cookies.
I love the flavor of brown sugar in cookies and this is one recipe which involves that ingredient. I remember, precisely, the very first time I had chocolate chip cookies. I was a teenager in my 8th grade. A friend, Divya, brought some of these delicious cookies to school which her mom had baked. I fell in love with them. I completed my board exams 2 years later, and we parted ways. And ever since, I have never tasted a cookie better than those that Divya brought. Till date, no cookie has beaten that taste which still remains vivid in my mind and taste buds.

Divi and I are still in touch today but unfortunately, not geographically close enough, to share those mmmm.....mmmm...cookies.

This recipe makes great chocolate chip cookies..........kinda close to those I remember from years before. Enjoyeeee!
Before the wonderful recipe, there's wonderful news. My, my!...........and here's one more award for me . I'm all smiles. Muneeba, the author of anediblesymphony.blogspot.com has presented me with this award. I feel that each award comes with a pair of wings too. Because , it always makes me fly high up into the sky:) It's been a great month for me and many thanks to Muneeba and to everyone who wishes well for me.

Have a great weekend guys:)

NOTE: Do not use an electric beater for this recipe. You just need to mix with a wooden spoon or ladle .


Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 large eggs,beaten •
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda •
• 3/4 teaspoon salt •
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips •
• 1 cup chopped walnuts ( optional)
  

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Mix sugar, brown sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs in a large bowl by hand.
• Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt. The dough will be very stiff.
• Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2-inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until light brown. Let cool completely on wire rack, then remove from cookie sheet and store.

Note: Make note of the2-inch space between cookies while spooning them out onto the cookie sheet. If sufficient space is not left then, you will end up with a big bar instead of small cookies.

Luv 'n' luc'

smitha