Dubai Miracle Garden

After long time i have visited such a very nice and beautiful place which is full of mind blowing flowers. What a beauty. I have no words to explain the beauty.

Dubai Miracle Garden

After long time i have visited such a very nice and beautiful place which is full of mind blowing flowers. What a beauty. I have no words to explain the beauty.

Dubai Miracle Garden

After long time i have visited such a very nice and beautiful place which is full of mind blowing flowers. What a beauty. I have no words to explain the beauty.

Dubai Miracle Garden

After long time i have visited such a very nice and beautiful place which is full of mind blowing flowers. What a beauty. I have no words to explain the beauty.

Ice Cream

Now time is almost 12 am and is cold too. I just finished enjoying an ice cream. For some people it might sound ridiculous when I say I had an ice cream in the mid night.

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Red Velvet Cupcake

A Red Velvet Cake is very dramatic looking with its bright red color that is offset by a creamy white frosting.

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If we look beyond the striking appearance of this Red Velvet Cake, we will find that it has a mild chocolate flavor with a moist and tender crumb. The mild chocolate flavor comes from adding a small amount of cocoa powder to the batter and buttermilk gives it a moist and tender crumb. If you are not familiar with buttermilk it has a nice thick creamy texture with a rich tangy buttery taste that makes baked goods tender. You can make your own buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar, cider vinegar, or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk. Let this mixture stand 5 to 10 minutes before using.

If you follow this recipe you will never go wrong. You can make as cupcakes or cake. Traditionally cream cheese frosting only sued for this red velvet cakes. Whoever do not like the cream cheese frosting can make whatever the frosting you prefer or can simply drizzle some icing sugar on top. The below recipe will make about 12 regular cupcakes or 24 mini cupcakes.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Image result for red velvet cupcake

Ingredients for the cupcakes:
  • 55g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
  • 150g granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tbsp or 10 g unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp gel paste food coloring (add more if necessary)
  • 1/2 cup (120 mL) buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk + 1 tsp vinegar mixed together and set aside for a bit)
  • 150 g all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tbsp vinegar
For the frosting:
  • 225g cream cheese at room temperature
  • 55g cup unsalted butter, soft at room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 115g confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
  • Preheat the oven to 350 F or 180 C and line a cupcake tray with cupcake cases
  • In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.
  • Add the egg and vanilla and beat well until pale light and fluffy.
  • Add in the cocoa and salt, and mix well. The batter may resemble chocolate cake batter especially if you are using dark cocoa, but fear not because the food coloring will transform the batter into a deep shade of red.
  • Stir in the food coloring, adding in more if you need to, until you get your desired shade of red.
  • Now, pour in the buttermilk, alternating with the flour in three intervals, starting with the buttermilk and ending with the flour. Mix just until combined, as over mixing after the flour is added will result in a tough, dry cupcake
  • Finally In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter
  • Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners, about 2/3- 3/4 of the way full. You should end up with exactly 12 cupcakes
  • Bake for 20-25 min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and cool completely before frosting
To make the frosting:
  • Blend the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth
  • Add the confectioner’s sugar gradually until you get soft peaks- at that stage stop.
  • Finally, squeeze in the lemon juice
  • Pour the mixture into a piping/ziplock bag, snip off the end and pipe dollops of the frosting atop the cooled cupcakes. You can also just smear the frosting using a butter knife.
  • Serve topped with colored sugar or crumbled up cupcake.
I personally do not prefer cream cheese frosting. so i tried some mini cupcakes with whipped chocolate ganache & it tasted awesome.

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What is Cream of Tartar & Its Substitute

Cream of tartar is one of those mystery ingredients you might have seen in your grandma’s pantry without knowing what it’s used for. After all, its name doesn’t give you a clue not like baking powder or baking soda. Yet just a touch of it makes a big difference in your baking and cooking.

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Cream of tartar is the powdered form of tartaric acid, a substance that forms at the bottom of barrels when making wine. It is added to recipes for three reasons

To stabilize egg whites, when whipping them for meringue
It's the ingredient that helps meringue maintain its high peaks, even after a trip through the oven

To act as a leavening agent
To act as a leavening agent in cookies, pancakes and other yeast-free baked goods. Combine cream of tartar with baking soda, and you get a chemical reaction that makes your treats fluffier.

To prevent the sugar in frostings, icings and syrups from crystallizing
 In the case of frostings and icings, this results in a creamier texture

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Cream of Tartar Substitutes

If you don't have any cream of tartar in your pantry, you can use one of these substitutes in its place

For beating egg whites - Use an equal amount of white vinegar or lemon juice, or omit the cream of tartar from the recipe entirely

As a leavening agent - Replace the baking soda and the cream of tartar called for in the recipe with baking powder. Use one teaspoon of baking powder to replace 1/3 tsp of baking soda and 2/3 tsp of cream of tartar. Since baking powder is really just a mix of cream of tartar and baking soda, this substitution won't change your recipe at all.

For frostings and syrups - Leave the cream of tartar out. No substitution is necessary. If you're making a simple syrup that you plan to store for an extended time, it may crystallize eventually, but that can be easily remedied by reheating it in the microwave or on the stove

What is cream of tartar’s shelf-life?
As long as you keep your cream of tartar in an air-tight container, away from heat sources, it should keep indefinitely. When in doubt, you can test it by looking at it and smelling it. It should look white and powdery, and it should smell mildly acidic