Vegan Starbucks Style Banana Bread

Ingredients 

Flour 2 cups (260 gms)
Sugar 1 cup (200 gms)
Baking Soda 1 tsp
Salt 1/4 tsp
Banana Mashed 1 cup (about 2-3 bananas)
Pecans (or use Walnuts as in Starbucks) 3/4 cup divided
Vanilla Extract 1 tsp
Oil 1/2 cup

Method of Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 175 C (350F). Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin (9*5*3 inches). Dust with FLour

2. Add all the ingredients to a mixer and beat well.

3. Pour into the pan.

4. Now the baking time is a little tricky. It depends on your banana, flour, oven etc. I have seen recipes saying from 45 min to 70 min. Mine baked for about 65 min. So please check occasionally and figure out what works best for you. 

Coconut Cardamom Chocolate Cookie

To me, winter is a time to bake. You know, like mad. Friday nights as I mentioned before are soup and bread in the winter. Its so dark and gloomy outside. A bit of baking is all I need to cheer me up. I have been away for so long, it feels like I don't belong here. Am sure once I connect with fellow bloggers and friends like old days, I will feel at home.

White Chocolate Coconut Lime Cookies - Starbucks Copycat - Eggless

When I got my first oven, I dreamt of baking cookies for my child. Forget the fact that I did not have a child at that time. Or the fact that I did not know how to bake. Slowly over the years I have learned to bake, to get over the fear of baking.

Last week we were in Starbucks and there were some sample cookies to try. The moment my son and I ate those cookies we knew we were baking them. They were so refreshing, very tropical, super yumm. On the last day of holiday we got our acts together and baked these awesome cookies. Only problem with these cookies is that you cannot stop eating them.

Potato Onion Seeded Bread - Vegan Option

Bread baking has become a weekly ritual at home. We all love the aroma of freshly baked bread. I think I may have told you this before. Earlier, I used to bake/buy bread to go with all the soups that I make. These days, I have a feeling that I make soups to go with all the awesome breads that I bake.

With so many varieties of breads to bake and soup to make, I will be doing this for years to come. My Friday dinners are sorted out :-)

Kanel Snegle and Kanelbullar - Swedish Cinnamon Snails and Rolls

Let me start my Christmas recipes with the awesome Cinnamon Rolls! This month’s bread for our group We Knead to Bake is the Kanel Snegle (Cinnamon Snails) or Kanelbullar (Cinnamon Buns) which is the Swedish version (and probably the original version) of the popular American Cinnamon Rolls. The Swedish version are and not sticky like their American counterparts and are also less sweet. They’re are delightfully aromatic, soft and moist, and perfect with a cup of tea/ coffee whether for breakfast or in the evening. Recipe from here. 

Soft Dinner Rolls - Laadi Pav

Dinner rolls are just perfect for soups or just to pass around the table, to eat with butter or just to dip in some olive oil as a pre dinner snack. And here is the perfect recipe for a super soft fluffy dinner roll.

As an Indian, the dinner roll ofcourse takes a whole new meaning. Yes, Pav. Pav Bread is used for the famous chaats of Mumbai like Pav Bhaji, Misal Pav, Vada Pav etc. Check out the recipes for all the chaats in my site. Hope you try some of them

If you are looking for a hard rolls (no they are not hard inside, harder shell and soft inside) for sandwiches, check out here.

Recipe from here

Ingredients

Bread Flour (Or All Purpose Flour) 420 gms to 480 gms (3.5 - 4 cups)
Instant Yeast 1.5 tsp
Salt 1 tsp
Sugar 1 tbsp
Milk 1.5 cups
Butter 1.5 tbsp
Butter for Brushing 1 tbsp

Method of Preparation

1. Take the flour (420 gms - 3.5 cups), yeast, salt and sugar in a bowl. Mix well.

2. Warm the milk and butter together till it is warm and the butter melted. Mix well.

3. Add the milk to the bowl and knead well till it starts to come together. I use my stand mixer to do this. You can do by hand as well.

4. When it starts to pull together, add the extra flour as needed till you get a soft dough, just short of being sticky. I needed 3 tbsp of flour.

5. Shape into a neat round and place it in a well oiled bowl. Cover and let it rest till it is doubled in size (about an hour or 2).

6. Punch out the air and divide the dough into 15 equal portions. I find it easier just to weigh the dough and divide the weight by the number of pieces I want. Then divide each portion to that weight. I know it kind of sounds obsessive. But once you do 3-4 pieces you get an idea and you do not need to weigh and you get really uniform bake on the rolls.

7. Grease a 9*13 baking tray with some oil.

8. Shape each portion into a perfect round. Place it on the baking tray in a 5*3 rows and columns, fairly close to each other, but leaving a little space



9. Cover and let it rise till doubled. It will take another 30-45 min.



10. Preheat the oven to 220 C.

11. Bake the rolls for 10 min. The top would start to brown by now.

12. Take it out. Brush with the melted butter.

13. Bake for another 5 min till it is nicely browned on the top.



14. Let it cool on the tray for a few min and the cool on a wire rack.

Serving Suggestion - Check out the recipe for Bhaji here (coming soon). Its a popular Mumbai street food using this bread!

Khaliat Nahal - Middle Eastern Honey Comb Bread - Sweet and Savoury Versions

Khaliat al Nahal (also known as Khaliat Nahal) translates as Bee’s Hive in Arabic. This is because the buns are baked close to each other in a round pan where they form a honeycomb like pattern. They’re traditionally made sweet and glazed with honey flavoured syrup, though savoury versions are also made. Traditionally, the filling used in this bread is a small piece of plain cream cheese. I have used some Cheddar Cheese in one batch and made the other batch without any filling



You can choose to do any filling of your choice. As I mentioned before, a cream cheese filling is traditional. But you can play around with options. I sued Cheddar cheese. You can use veggies or Paneer as well. As for the syrup, traditionally as soon as the bread comes out of the oven, pour the prepared syrup. I wanted to make an all in one bread. So I kept the stuffing neutral - just cheese. No spices. I made the bread with a little salt and a little sugar. Not as sweet as the sweet version. And served the sugar syrup as a dip along with some soup. So both in the same bake right?



Sugary Goodness! This one is a bread bite with sugar syrup poured all over. It was soooo good. I would highly recommend trying the sugar syrup with this bread.



Ingredients

For the dough
Lukewarm milk 1 cup
Fast acting Instant yeast 1.5 tsp
Sugar 1 tsp *
Strong White Bread Flour (or all purpose flour) 325gms (2.5 cups)
Salt 3/4 tsp *
Butter, melted and cooled 40 gms
Milk for brushing the dough 2 tbsp
White sesame seeds for sprinkling on top 2 tbsp

Note : If making as just sweet bread, use 3tbsp of sugar and 1/4 tsp of salt. I made it with 1 tsp sugar and 3/4 tsp salt.

For the filling
Cheddar Cheese - about 80gms, a very small bit per bread. I stuffed only 1/2 the above recipe.

Sugar Syrup/ Glaze
Sugar 1/4 cup
Water 3 tbsp
Saffron a pinch
Honey 1 tsp
Lemon juice 1/2 tsp

Method of Preparation

1. Add flour (reserve 1/2 cup and add as required), yeast, sugar, salt and butter in the mixing bowl. Mix well. If using active dry yeast, proof it using the warm milk.

2. Add the milk and combine till well kneaded. Add the reserved flour as needed. I used the whole 2.5 cups of flour.

3. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a well-oiled bowl, turning it to coat completely with the oil. Cover and let it rise till double in volume, for about an hour.

4. Turn the dough out onto your work surface. You won’t really need to flour it as the dough is quite manageable as it is. Cut it into 2 halves. Work with 1 half keeping the other covered. 

5. With your palms, roll out each half a rope. The size of each piece and the number depends on what size tray you are using and how many circles you are going for. I made mine in 2 small 7" sandwich tins. So each portion I divided into 19 small balls. It will be very small balls. Once baked it was the size of a small lemon. 

And oh, I weighed the dough, divided into half. Then just divided the weight with 19 to get the weight of each portion. Was easier that way for me.

6. Flatten each ball and add a piece of cheese or any stuffing of your choice. Cover and make into a ball. Roll it within your palm.

7. Place the balls in a baking tray in a pattern. I did one in a centre, 6 around it, then placed another layer on the top, trying to align with the middle and top.

8. Let it rise for a second time for about  30 min.

9. Brush on the top with milk. Sprinkle some sesame seeds.

10. Bake for about 25-30 min till the top is browned.

11. Let it rest for 5 min and then cool on a wire rack.

Serve with some soup or drenched in sugar syrup

Sugar Syrup : To make the syrup, in a pan heat the sugar and water with the saffron till warmed and sugar is dissolved. Switch off and add the honey and lemon juice. 

 It is baked as part of the group 'We Knead to Bake'. We are baking a bread a month with the recipes from Aparna and having a blast! Here is this month's link

Cinnamon Sugar Soft Pretzels and Garlic Parmesan Pretzel

A pretzel is a type of baked bread product made from dough most commonly found in a unique knot-like shape. Pretzels originated in Europe. The traditional pretzel shape is a distinctive symmetrical looped form, with the ends of a long strip of dough intertwined then, twisted back into itself in a certain way. Now, pretzels of various shapes are available around the world. Pretzels are often seasoned and flavoured with various salts, sugars or other various seeds or nuts.



There are usually 2 types of Pretzels - hard and soft ones. Today's recipe is that of the Soft Pretzel. It is baked as part of the group 'We Knead to Bake'. We are baking a bread a month with the recipes from Aparna and having a blast! Here is this month's link



Ingredients(Makes 12 Large Pretzels or 36 Pretzel sticks)

Flour 31/4 cup (425 gms)
Instant Yeast 2 1/4 tsp ( 7gm packet)
Sugar 3 tsp
Warm Milk 1 cup
Salt 1/2 tsp

For Soda Water
Water 6 cups
Baking Soda 2 tbsp

For Topping
Sugar 1/2 cup
Cinnamon 1 tsp
Melted Butter 4-6 tbsp (as needed)

Method of Preparation

1. In a stand mixer (or a bowl) add flour, yeast, salt and sugar. You can just start with 3 and add 1/4 if needed. I started with 31/4 and so had to add an extra 3 tbsp of milk to make a soft dough.

2. Add milk and knead into a soft dough for about 8-10 min. If you are using Active Dry Yeast instead of Instant Yeast, remember to proof the yeast with the warm milk along with salt and sugar. Add the mix to the flour in the bowl.

3. Form the dough into a ball and place in a large oiled bowl, turning to coat the dough with oil. Cover and allow the dough to rise for about 40 minutes or until doubled in size.

4. Deflate the dough and divide dough into 12 equal portions. If you are making 'pretzel' shaped ones, then you will get 12 pretzels. I made half in the Pretzel shape and rest in the form of Pretzel Sticks. For making sticks, divide each portion into 3 portions. So I got 6 pretzels and 18 sticks.

5. Work with one portion at a time and cover remaining dough to prevent it drying. Roll each portion into an 20-inch-long rope with tapered ends.

6. Cross one end of rope over the other to form a horse shoe shape.

7. Twist the rope at the base. Fold the ends over the circle and into a traditional pretzel shape, pinching gently to seal.



8. If you want to make the Pretzel sticks, just roll each of the smaller portion into logs.

9. Place pretzels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover and let rise 10 minutes (pretzels will rise only slightly).

10. Put the 6 cups of water and baking soda in a non-aluminium pan and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer.

11. Gently lower a pretzel into the simmering water. Cook on each side for about 15 seconds. The pretzel will swell/ puff up a bit.

12. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon, drain all the water and place it back on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pretzels.



13. Preheat the oven to 220C. Bake for about 12 minutes or until pretzels are deep golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. If making Pretzel sticks, they were ready in 10 min.

14. Melt the butter and keep ready. Mix the sugar and cinnamon and keep ready.

15. As soon as it comes out of the oven, dip in the butter and then dip in the sugar/cinnamon mix.

I also made some of the Pretzels savoury with Garlic Parmesan Flavour. Add Garlic powder to the melted butter. Dip the warm pretzels in the butter mix and then in Grated Parmesan.

Mini Checker Board Cookies - Chocolate and Almond Butter Cookies - Eggless Cookies

Checker Board Cookies are so pretty to look at. The more the squares, the better they look, don't they? There are some versions with a dark or white wrap on the outside. I have been dreaming about baking them for ages. Was not bold enough to try a complicated design. Just started off with a 2*2 square.  All in good times :-) This is a beginner version of the cookie and is very very easy to make.



Like I told you before, Avant Garde Cookies have completed an year of cooking together and we are celebrating this month with a lot of specials. Week 1 was Cakes. Check out all our cakes -

Anu - Jamaican Banana Layer Cake
Radhika - Vanilla Sponge Cake with Chocolate frosting
Jayanthi - Tres Leches
Kavi - Oreo Cream Cake
Me - Dinosaur Cake (Vanilla Sponge with Buttercream Frosting)

Now for Week 2, it is cookies!! My son and I had loads of fun baking these. He called it day and night cookies :-) These cookies are nothing but variations of butter cookies or ice box cookies as they are called because of the chilling that is required to cut them into slices. Usually it is cooled in the fridge overnight, but I took a short cut and used the freezer :-) Works well actually.



Ingredients

Butter 113gms (1/2 cup)
Caster Sugar 100gms (1/2 cup)

Yogurt 1/4 cup
Vanilla Extract 1 tsp

Baking Powder 1/4 tsp
Baking Soda a pinch
Salt a pinch

All Purpose Flour 195gms (1.5 cups)

Almond Powder 2 tbsp
Cocoa Powder 2 tbsp



Method of Preparation

1. Beat the butter and sugar till light and fluffy.

2. Add the yogurt, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well.

3. Add the flour and mix till every thing is combined together. The dough will be very soft at this stage.

4. Split the dough into 2 sections.

5. Add Almond Powder to one portion and mix till combined.

6. Add the Cocoa Powder to the other portion and mix till combined.

7. Shape both into logs and wrap in cling film. Place in freezer for 30-45 min till it sets a little. The square of the log should be the size you want your final cookies to be.

8. Cut the logs into 4 portions.

9. Arrange the strips - chocolate and almond at base. and another almond and chocolate on top. Press them gently to make it stick.

10. Wrap again and place in freezer for another 30 minutes.

11. Slice into thin slices and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. I got about 4 dozen miniatures out of this. So I used 2 sheets.



12. Preheat the oven to 175 C.

13. Bake them for about 8-9 min. They will be very soft when they are done. It will become crunchy when they cool. So do not over bake.



Notes :

1. The bake time depends on how thick or thin you cut the cookies.

2. Make sure that the white portion does not change colour. If it browns, you have baked too long.

3. The cookies will not expand in size much, so you can arrange them near each other. Just leave a little space. 

Savoury Kugelhopf - Savoury Gugelhupf - A Savoury Bread with Sundried tomatoes and Onions - Eggless Bake

A Kugelhopf (also spelt as Kugelhupf or Gugelhupf) is a yeasted sweet cake well known in the Alsace region of France, as well as in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, and variations of this are also found in some countries of Eastern Europe. The most common story about the Kugelhopf is that Marie Antoinette (the same lady of the “let them eat cake” fame!) brought it from her home country Austria, to France upon her marriage to King Louis XVI.

The Kugelhopf is typically baked in a special pan that that is round with a hole in the centre, somewhat like a bundt pan but heavier. Since it is a yeasted cake, the Kugelhopf has a dense bread-like texture and is made from a somewhat enriched dough like brioche but is not as rich. It is considered similar to a coffee cake that might be eaten for or with breakfast, or could be part of an afternoon snack with coffee. 

This savoury version is also good for breakfast, as a snack or with a simple soup. A lesser known version of the Kugelhopf is its savoury Alsatian version called the Kugelhopf aux Lardons. “Lardons” is the French word for bacon, and this version is typically made with onions, ham/ bacon, walnuts and herbs. I have used a loaf tin to bake this. 
  

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour 3 -31/2 cups

Instant Yeast 2 tsp 

Salt 1 tsp

Butter, at room temperature 75gms

Warm Milk 3/4 cup

Eggs 2 (replace each egg with 1 tbsp of flax seed powder dissolved in 3 tbsp of water)

Oil as required for sauteing onions and for brushing pans

Onions, finely chopped 1 (about a cup)

Sundried Tomatoes, finely chopped 1/2 cup

Pumpkin Seeds 2 tbsp

Sunflower Seeds 2 tbsp

Black Pepper, powdered 1 tsp

Dry Italian Herbs 1 tsp

Method of Preparation

1. In a stand mixer (or processor or by hand) mix 3 cups of flour, yeast, and salt.

2. Then add the butter, a little at a time, and process till incorporated.

3. Add the warm milk and process till mixed. 

4. Now add the eggs (or flax seed mixture) and process till mixed. You will now have a soft and sticky dough. Knead some more, adding more flour, a little at a time and just enough till the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. I did not add any more than the original 3 cups

5. Your dough will be very soft, elastic and just short of sticky. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover and let it rise until double in volume. This can take from 1 1/2 hours to 2 1/2 hours. Mine was done in 1 hour.

6. In the meanwhile, heat oil in a pan and sauté the onions with a pinch of salt till they turn golden brown. Remove and let it cool.

7. Grease a loaf tin (or a kugelhopf mould or bundt pan).

8. Once the dough has risen, deflate it. Then work the stir-fried onions, sundried tomatoes and the seeds along with black pepper and herbs into the dough. The best way to do this is to flatten the dough out and spread all this over the surface, fold the dough over and then knead it. This will ensure a more uniform incorporation of the “filling”. Do not add more flour!

9. Roll the dough into a longish log, long enough to fit into the mould comfortably. Lift the “log” of dough and place it in the mould. 

10. Cover and let the dough rise for about an hour or so, until it reaches the edge/ rim of the mould. (mine was done in 30 min).

11. Preheat the oven and bake the Kugelhopf at 200C (400F) for about 35 to 40 minutes until the top is golden brown and sounds hollow when it is tapped. I stopped mine at 30 min, but feel I should have left it for another 5 min. 

12. Unmould the Kugelhopf and let it cool on a rack. Slice and serve. This Kugelhopf should serve about 10.

Recipe and Step by Step Instruction by Aparna

Peanut Butter Jelly Brownie

Brownies are so easy to make and kids (and bigger kids) love it. Pair it with some Vanilla Icecream and it is a perfect treat! When our Groovy Gourmets decided to make a Brownie with a difference, I wanted to try adding some Strawberry Jam to it.. Well, the idea extended to making a Peanut Butter Jelly Brownie.

Who does not like Peanut Butter Jelly Sandwich? Convert your childhood love into a super easy Brownie.

I have adapted my Triple Chocote Brownie to make this Low Fat Healthy Brownies!



Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
All Purpose Flour 130 gms (1 cup)
Cocoa Powder 23 gms (1/4 cup)
Castor Sugar 90 gms (1/3 c + 2 tbsp)
Baking Powder 1 tsp
Baking Soda 1/4 tsp
Salt 1/4 tsp

Wet Ingredients
Warm Milk 1/3 cup + 2 tsp of coffee (Soy Milk for Vegan)
Yogurt 1/2 cup (Soy Yoghurt for Vegan)
Oil 1/4 cup
Vanilla Extract 1 tsp

Topping

Peanut Butter 3 tbsp
Strawberry Jam 3 tbsp

Method of Preparation

1. Brush a 8 * 8 square baking pan with a little oil and line it with Parchment Paper (such that a bit of paper hangs out on two sides of the pan). This will help in easily taking the brownie out. Dust it with some flour.

2. Preheat oven to 150C.

3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt).

4. In another bowl, mix the milk + coffee, yogurt, oil and vanilla.

5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Give it a mix till combined well.

6. Pour the batter to the prepared pan. Spread it gently with a spatula.

7. Give the pan a tap on the counter to let any air bubbles escape.

8. Add dollops of peanut butter all over the batter. Do the same with the jam. Using a tooth pick gently swirl it.

9. Transfer to the over and bake for 30-40 min till a  toothpick comes out clean. I baked for 35 min.

10. Take out of the oven and leave it in the pan for an hour.

11. Once cooled, take out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into 16 squares.

Mini Apple Pie - Individual Serving Size - Perfect Party Treat!

Making these Apple Pies have been one of my best baking projects ever. Well, you might think it is cause of the taste. It tasted awesome and it was simple to make. But no, that was not why I am so happy today. We woke up early this morning and made these together. My husband, little one and I had a fun morning making these Super Cute Pies. When we were done, the house was smelling so good. Am feeling really happy.





You can choose to make your own pie crust. Its quite simple. Its just a question of mixing flour, butter and water. I just chose to use store bought one this time. Will make my own next time may be.

Avant Garde Cookies chose Pies and Tarts for this week. The moment I heard the theme, I had 2 options that I wanted to try. One was a savoury one and other was this Apple Pie.



For years, I have hated Apple Pies. Don't ask me why. I don't even think it was cause of its taste. As a result, I extended my dislike to all Pies. Then incidentally, I ate a Pecan Pie (from Costco) and fell head over heals in love with it. You might wonder then how I started liking Apple Pie. It is quite a silly way. I had an apple pie from McDonalds as there was not other option for me at that time. And I kind of liked it. Then I thought, if I can like something from McDonalds, then the real deal should be better. Ofcourse it was!



Recipe Source

Ingredients

Ready Roll Short Crust Pastry 2 packs
Green Apples (or any baking apple) 5
Sugar 3/4 cup
Cinnamon 2 tsp
Flour 6 tbsp



Method of Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 200C (400F). Keep a muffin tray ready. No need to grease or flour it.

2. Peal and dice the apple into small bits.

3. Add the sugar, cinnamon and flour to it and give it a toss.

4. Roll out the short crust pastry. If you are making your own dough, just roll it out. I just went for the easy way out and picked it up at the store.

5. Using a 9cm cookie cutter, cut out circles and place them on the muffin tray. Press each circle in muffin tins until all the way up each side, to form little bowls.

6. Spoon in the filling.

7. If you are closing with a lid, cut out another circle with a 7cm cookie cutter. Place on top and using a fork press on the sides to join. Don't forget the little + on the centre to let the steam out.

8. If you are making lattice, cut out 6 strips. Just weave them alternating the weave. Its very easy.

9. Brush with a little milk on top. You can do an eggwash if you choose.

10. Bake for 20 minutes till the top is evenly browned. We are looking for a pale brown colour.

11. Let it cool in the tray for 5 minutes. Then gently pop it out and cool in a wire rack for another 5-10 min.

Serve warm as is or with some Vanilla Ice cream.

Check out the other AGC thoughout this week 
Anusha, Jayanthi, Kavitha, Priya M, Radhika, Priya S

Triple Chocolate and Coffee Brownie - Father's Day Special - Eggless, Butterless Recipe

Father's day is round the corner and if you are looking for a recipe to work with your little one to make for his/her dad this is the recipe for you. The kids and the dad will love you for this. It is very simple to make. Just mix all the ingredients together, pour into a pan, Bake! How simple can it get... My son and I had a lot of fun making it and eating with his dad and my dad! Fun Family Day!



Just cause it is simple does not mean it is not tasty. Its just the opposite. It is 'Triple Chocolate' guys. Did you not read the title!!! Cocoa, White Chocolate and Milk Chocolate. Yumm! And why coffee? Well, coffee just brings out the best in chocolate. The slight bitter taste and the sweetness of chocolate make an awesome combo.



Brownies are kind of a middle ground between cakes and cookies, usually baked in square pans and cut into smaller squares (usually 16 of them). It tastes awesome just as is. You can pair it with a glass of cold milk when serving for kids. Or if you feel indulgent, warm brownies with a scoop of Vanilla Ice cream makes a perfect dessert! Don't you agree?



I had bookmarked a few recipes. And I wanted to try them all, they are all sooo good. But this one caught my eye cause it looked so chocolaty and dark and good. My friends Kavitha and Anu tried this and claimed this to be the best Brownie recipe ever. Now I had to try. I had been lately baking with eggs (recipes coming along, do wait). Which means I cannot enjoy a lot of them (intollerance, won't bother you with details). So I loved the fact that 'The Best Brownie Ever' was eggless! So here you go...



Ingredients
(I used measurements in gms, but have given measurements in cups as well for your convenience)

Dry Ingredients
All Purpose Flour 130 gms (1 cup)
Cocoa Powder 23 gms (1/4 cup)
Castor Sugar 90 gms (1/3 c + 2 tbsp)
Baking Powder 1 tsp
Baking Soda 1/4 tsp
Salt 1/4 tsp
White Chocolate 90 gms (chopped)
Milk (or Dark) Chocolate 90 gms (chopped)

Wet Ingredients
Warm Milk 1/3 cup + 2 tsp of coffee (Soy Milk for Vegan)
Yogurt 1/2 cup (Soy Yoghurt for Vegan)
Oil 1/4 cup
Vanilla Extract 1 tsp

Method of Preparation

1. Brush a 8 * 8 square baking pan with a little oil and line it with Parchment Paper (such that a bit of paper hangs out on two sides of the pan). This will help in easily taking the brownie out. Dust it with some flour.

2. Preheat oven to 150C.

3. Take 2 tsp of flour from the 1 cup of flour and dust the chocolates with it. This will prevent the chocolates from sinking to the bottom.

4. In a large mixing bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt) other than chocolate.

5. In another bowl, mix the milk + coffee, yogurt, oil and vanilla.

6. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Give it a mix till combined well.

7. Pour half the batter to the prepared pan. Spread it gently with a spatula.

8. Add the white chocolates all over the top evenly.

9. Mix the milk (or dark) chocolate with the rest of the batter.

10. Pour the batter into the pan. Give the pan a tap on the counter to let any air bubbles escape.

11. Transfer to the over and bake for 30-40 min till a  toothpick comes out clean. I baked for 37 min.

(When I first checked at 30 min, the pick came out all gooy and I was a little worried. But then I realized that I had hit a chocolate. The other sections were quite dry. So do check at a couple of spots).

12. Take out of the oven and leave it in the pan for an hour. Well, this is the toughest part when baking with kids! :-)

13. Once cooled, take out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into 16 squares.

Eat away!!!

Eggless Banana Raisin Loaf Cake

For the second week this month, AGC are going Hush Hush. My partner for this month, Radhika gave me a cake with banana. :-) She is one who has always inspired me to bake especially with her Lets Bake event and also answering all my questions :-) Thank you Radhika for all the help so far.

When I looking for recipes to make an eggless banana cake, I looked all around. Then I thought - Radhika was not being fair. How can she give me a thing to make that she herself has not made. Then I decided to check at her blog again. And guess what, it is there. I just followed her recipe and baked this awesome cake.



Ingredients

Bread Flour (you can use APF) 11/4 cup
Salt 1/4 tsp
Baking Soda 1 tsp

Banana 2
Sugar 1 cup
Oil 4 tbsp (you can use melted butter as well)
Curd/yogurt 2 tbsp

Milk 1/4 cup
Vanilla Extract 1 tsp

Raisin 1/2 cup



Method of Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Grease a loaf pan.

2. Sift the flour, salt and baking soda. Keep ready.

3. In a mixing bowl, add the mashed banana, sugar, oil and yogurt. Mix well. I mashed with a spoon and then went in with the hand mixer.

4. Now add the milk and vanilla extract. Mix well.

5. Add in the dry ingredients. Mix well.

6. Now finally fold in the raisins. You can add tutti fruity or nuts as well.

7. Pour into the baking tray and bake for 40 minutes.

8. Let it cool completely and then slice and enjoy.

Check out the other AGC thoughout this week 
Anusha, Jayanthi, Kavitha, Priya M, Radhika, Veena, Priya S

Linking this to What's with my cuppa - Event by Nupur

Linking this to I Love Baking