Cooking with Shail

Hey guys back after a break. I just love baking cakes. Initially I did not have a oven at home. I learned how to bake a cake in an deep pan and the results were amazing. My friends and family loved my sponges. Hence started my journey into baking cakes. I have been baking since 9 years but everyday is a new day in baking. There are so many new techniques out there for making beautiful and amazing designs that sometimes I feel lost with my humble skills. But being humble has helped me keep to my roots and hence this recipe is one of my humble recipes which is easy to make for any new baker and will encourage you to love baking. I belong to a pure vegetarian background hence my cake recipe is vegetarian recipe.

Ingredients:

For Sponge:

Milkmaid/Condensed Milk- 200 gms

Unsalted Butter- 75 gms

Baking Powder- 1 tsp

Baking Soda/Soda Bi Carb- 1/2 tsp

All Purpose Flour/Maida- 150 gms

Vanilla Essence- 1 tsp

Milk- As required

For icing:

Whipping cream – 500 gms

Rose essence- 1 tsp

Other items:

Round 8″ baking tin

Oil

Rubber Spatula

Palette Knife

Knife for cutting cake

Piping Bags

Rose petal nozzle

Colored sprinkles for decoration

Chocolate Vermicelli for decoration

Red color

Method:

For Sponge:

1) In a mixing bowl take the milkmaid and butter and beat well. The butter should be at room temperature.

2) Now add the baking powder and baking soda and mix well. Cover the bowl and leave aside for five minutes.

3) In another bowl sieve the all purpose flour.

4) Add this flour gradually in the milkmaid mixture and keep mixing till there are no lumps. If the mixture feels stiff add milk gradually. The batter should be of pouring consistency and there should be no lumps.

5) Add the vanilla essence and mix well.

6) Take the baking tin and rub some oil in the tin. Now dust the tin using the all purpose flour.

7) Pour the batter in the tin. Take care that the batter should not be more than half of the height of the tin. The batter should be half of the tin or less then half only then it will have space to rise properly.

8) Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degree Celsius for 25 mins. Once done check by inserting pin/toothpick in the center if it comes out clean then the sponge is ready.

For Icing:

1) In a deep vessel add the whipping cream. Remember the whipping cream should be chilled. You can use any brand whipping cream.

2) Start whipping the cream using electric beater. Initially start with speed 1 then go to maximum speed. Beat the cream till it form hard peaks. The entire time the cream is whipped it should be chilled. If it is summer season place the vessel in which you are whipping the cream in a wider vessel containing ice cubes and maintain the chilled temperature of the cream.

3) Once whipped the cream will double in volume.

4) Add rose essence and mix gently by folding the cream using a spatula.

5) Take some of the cream in another bowl and add red color. Put this colored cream in a piping bag having rose nozzle and keep in fridge.

6) Keep rest of the cream in fridge.

For Decoration:

1) Cut the cake horizontally in two halves.

2) Add the whipped cream and sandwich by the other half. Cover the entire sponge from the outer side completely and decorate with sprinkles and vermicelli.

3) Make a rose using the cream kept aside in piping bag and place it on the cake.

4) Leave the cake in the fridge for an hour for setting. Serve chilled.