Pineapple upside down cake

          Easy Pineapple Upside Down Cake 

This vibrant cake has it all, the look, taste and flavors that make us want some more! I have made this cake use yellow cake mix and some simple steps, the result is a well baked cake :)

My hubby's birthday and you will be surprised he doesn't like chocolate, so I decided to make this pineapple upside cake. We went to an island for a picnic with friends and some hiking too :) It was a fun time and after having sandwiches and wraps , this cake was a delight to all!

Ingredients 
1 (16 oz ) yellow cake mix
2 Eggs
1/4 cup butter 
1/4 cup oil for adding to cake mix
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 (16 oz tin) Pineapple rings in their own juice
1 (8 oz) jar of Maraschino cherries (drain the juice)

                                                 

Add light brown sugar to melted butter 

Pineapple slices and cherries 

Add prepared cake batter 

Baked Upside down  Cake 

Pineapple Upside Down Cake 

Sliced 

Method 
1. Cut out butter and add it to the bottom of the cake tin. Place pan in the preheated oven, till butter melts. Remove cake tin and spread light brown sugar over melted butter.
Evenly space the drained pineapple slices, you can add the drained cherries, at this point.
2. Follow the cake batter recipe from the cake box and prepare cake batter.
3.Pour the prepared cake batter all over the pineapple/cherries.
4.Place in the oven to bake as per instructions given on yellow cake mix box.
5. Remove from oven once baked. Place a plate carefully and turn the cake upside down and carefully remove from cake pan.
This step needs to be done quite soon as we remove cake from oven, or else brown sugar can get hardened and difficult to remove.
Cut in slices and enjoy with family and friends.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Chocolate lovers favorite dessert. Easy to prepare and is gluten free too!! The baked cake comes out light,crisp on the outside and moist in the inside. The recipe includes simple ingredients, and  is a perfect dessert for sweet indulgence!!

Ingredients

12 ounce plain Chocolate chopped
1 1/2 stick unsalted butter
6 Eggs, separate egg whites and yolks
1 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 tsp Coffee powder
Coco powder for dusting the 8 inch cake pan
1/4 tsp Pure vanilla essence 
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup confectioners sugar for dusting over the baked cake (optional)
Mixed berries (optional to add on the top)





                                               

Ingredients

Melt Butter and chocolate in microwave

Separate egg whites and yolks

Add egg yolks to melted chocolate

Beat egg whites 

Add whipped egg whites to cake batter

Fold in care fully the egg whites

Dust cake pan with coco powder

Add prepared cake batter to cake pan

Dust baked cake with confectioners sugar and add raspberries and blueberries 

Method:
1. Preheat  oven to 350 F . Using two bowls, separate egg whites from yolks, using a hand beater, beat  egg whites till they form soft peaks.Keep aside.
2. In a medium bowl,add broken pieces of chocolate,  add butter, stir together and microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, remove from microwave and stir to melt the chocolate.
3. Add egg yolks one by one to  melted chocolate. Next I like to add coffee powder as it enhances the flavor of  chocolate. Also add salt, and vanilla essence.
4. Add sugar to the beaten egg whites and next add this egg whites to the cake batter. Fold in the cake batter, don't over mix.
5. Dust a round cake pan, approx 8 inch in diameter, with coco powder. Pour cake batter and bake at 350 F, for 1 hour and to test if it is ready, put a toothpick in the cake, and making sure it comes out little wet but not too gooey. Cool the cake on a rack, and later dust with confectioners sugar on the top, and you can add some berries too for the added touch.
Alternately, instead of putting confectioners sugar and berries, you can add vanilla frosting or other fruits of your choice too!

Vanilla Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting & strawberries

  Happy Valentine Day !!
 Made these cupcakes for friends on Valentine's Day  , what better time than this to enjoy home made cupcakes, and don't forget to decorate them with sweet strawberries and cream cheese frosting.
Whenever I think of cupcakes, I think about all the lovely ingredients, used to make them so colorful and creative !!!

I searched this recipe on the net and found some that used store bought cake mix, as I prefer making them from scratch, I  made some changes to suit my style... do feel free to try out this recipe .

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup All purpose  Flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter 
1 cup sugar
1 Egg
1/2  cup butter milk
1/2 tsp.  vanilla extract

Cream cheese Frosting:
4 ounce cream cheese 
4 ounce unsalted butter
2 cups powdered sugar 
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup sweet fresh strawberries for decorating 

Method:
1.Preheat oven to a baking temperature of 350 degrees. Line up a 12 cup cake baking tray or 2 tray's with  6 cups, each  lined with paper cups.
2. In a large bowl, add butter , using a hand mixer, add in  sugar and mix till they are well combined, and smooth. Butter should be at room temperature.
3. Sieve  flour, add in baking soda and baking powder, and keep aside.
4. Add an egg to butter, sugar mixture, add vanilla essence and beat until well combined. Next add in half of the flour mixture, pour in milk, add in the remaining flour and stir till well combined. 
5. Using an ice cream scoop or using a spoon , distribute batter evenly into the paper cups and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Take out of the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting them.

Cream cheese frosting:
1. Beat cream cheese that is at room temperature, in a bowl along with unsalted butter and vanilla extract. Next add in the powdered sugar , continue adding sugar till the frosting tastes sweet enough.
You can add a few drops of red colour (food colour for cakes) if you prefer a pink colour icing on the cupcakes :)
Also use a piping bag with a star tip to create beautiful icing on the cupcakes...enjoy !! Happy baking and spread the joy of sweet things 
Cool the cupcakes, and then using a large pastry bag, fitted  with a star tip, add frosting to fill the bag , half way full. Start from the centre of the cupcake to the outside to create a beautiful swirl.
Add some thinly sliced strawberries on the top.

                                                 

Ingredients

Baking in the oven

Yippe!! cupcakes ready 

Enjoy cupcakes with friends and family :)))

Trifle Pudding

Trifle is an English dessert, prepared with custard milk and cake,  fruits  that are layered. The dessert is very refreshing and a perfect dessert for a party gatherings and just for your own self too. 

Ingredients
1 medium plain sponge cake (store bought)
16 oz  container of cool whip cream ( preferably light )
1 packet raspberry jelly
1 packet ready vanilla pudding mix
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 small can pineapple slices ( in syrup)
1 cup whole milk
1 cup fresh strawberries sliced into halves.
1/2 cup Blue berries (optional)

Trifle Pudding

Method:
1. Using  instructions, given on the pudding mix box, prepare custard by heating 1 cup milk on low to medium heat,add pudding mix contents ,stir continuously for 4 to 5 minutes, until the milk thickens and custard forms. Add 1/4 tspn of vanilla extract. Cool and  refrigerate for an hour.
 2. To prepare Jelly , heat 2 cups of water ,as it begins to boil, lower  heat and start adding  contents from jelly packet,stir and pour into a glass bowl, allow to cool before keeping in the refrigerator to form jelly.

 (You can use a flavour of your choice for Jelly, but since we are using strawberries I thought Raspberry and Strawberry go well)
3. Slice the strawberries, cut the pineapple slices into halves. Layering of Trifle
1.Using a transparent bowl. Place cubed pieces of  cake, arranging to create a layer at the  bottom of the serving dish. Add 2 to 3 spoons of  pineapple juice to sponge cake pieces, will help to  keep them moist. Next add sliced pineapple slices and for next layer add a layer of prepared jelly. 
2. Follow with  a layer of fresh sliced strawberries, to this add a layer of prepared pudding mix. Repeat the layers again by starting with cake cubes . For the top layer, cover with a layer of cool whip,decorate with sliced strawberries.  Allow to refrigerate for an hour before serving. 

Red velvet cupcakes

Classic red velvet cupcakes frosted with fluffy cream cheese frosting is a favorite of all...Perfect for entertaining and creating a show stopper for guests and children!!! Easy to make and step by step recipe, try it out and be surprised at how easy this recipe is ....

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup buttermilk (at room temperature)

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 ¼ cup sugar

1 tablespoon red food colouring

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 stick (3 oz) of unsalted butter

1 cup store bought Cream Cheese Frosting

                                                     

Ingredients

 Ready to  put batter in to Baking  pan 

Just Baked :))

Ready Red velvet cupcakes 

Directions:

    1.   Preheat the oven (350 degrees F). Prepare cupcake pan by lining with paper liners.

    2.  Combine the buttermilk, vanilla extract, red food colouring  and vinegar together in a bowl.

   3.    Sift together the following ingredients in a small bowl: cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

      4. Using an electric mixer beat together the butter and sugar on medium for 1 minute. Then add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until the ingredients are combined. Turn down the speed to low, and add the dry ingredients and wet ingredients in parts. Mix until the ingredients are combined.

    5.  Using a spoon, scoop the batter into the lined cupcake pan. Fill each cup about halfway with the batter.

     6.  Bake for about 18-20 minutes. To check if cupcakes are ready, insert a toothpick in the centre and check if it comes out clean.

  7.  Cool completely and frost the cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

    8. Take one cupcake and crumble it. Use these crumbles to garnish the cupcakes.  Makes approximately 24 cup cakes. Preparation time is 20 minutes and Bake time 20 minutes.