Dates Vanilla Smoothie

A Smoothie is a blended beverage which has a consistency thicker than a milkshake. They can be prepared using milk, yogurt or ice cream. This is a quick, easy and nutritious recipe that can be had for breakfast. I have used yogurt which gives a sour taste to the smoothie. You can omit yogurt and increase the quantity of milk and honey. If not diet conscious you can add ice cream too.

Ingredients

Seedless dates - 10 or 12
Milk - 1/2 cup
Curd - 1/2 cup
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
Honey - 1 tsp
Chocolate shavings - 1 tsp

Method

1. Soak dates in boiling water for 10 minutes or until they become soft.
2. Puree together all the ingredients until smooth. Transfer to drinking glass, sprinkle some chocolate shavings and enjoy!!

Butter cookie

This was the first time I tried my hands on baking. So I was not exactly sure if they were perfectly done. I removed them before the edges begin to brown, but still they were baked perfectly and tasted good! And the recipe is here..

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour (APF) - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Baking powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt - 1/8 tsp
Unsalted butter - 1/ cup (1 stick)

Yields 12 biscuits

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
2. Using a hand mixer, cream the butter until soft. Add the sugar little by little and beat until soft and fluffy. Add APF, baking powder and salt and knead well to a smooth dough. Do not add any water. 
3. Divide the dough into equal balls. Take each dough ball, shape them to round and flaten slightly between palms. Arrange on a greased baking sheet and bake for 15-20 mins or until the cookies are lightly golden brown. Test if the cookies are done by inserting a tooth pick in the center of the cookie, if it comes out clean, perfect!
4. Remove the cookies from the oven, allow to cool on the baking sheet for couple of minutes and then transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet Cake, a bright red colored cake with attractive white frosting tempts you to have a bite whenever I happen to see it. This cake is one of my favorite cakes. This cake has a mild chocolate flavor with a moist tender crumb, which is achieved by adding a small amount of cocoa powder and buttermilk. Traditionally, it is topped with cream cheese frosting. I too tried the same and the combination was heavenly. Now, here comes the recipe!

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour (APF) - 2 1/2 cups
Sugar - 1 1/2 cups

Cocoa powder - 2 tbsp
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp, skip if using salted butter
Unsalted butter - 1/2 cup
Eggs - 2
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Buttermilk - 1 cup
Red food coloring - 2 tbsp (liquid)
White distilled vinegar - 1 tsp

Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream cheese - 8 oz, room temperature
Mascarpone cheese - 8 oz, room temperature
Powdered sugar - 1 cup
Heavy whipping cream (double cream) - 1 1/2 cups
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Take two-9 inch round pans, butter and line with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, sift and stir together APF, cocoa powder and salt. In a separate bowl, beat the butter until soft, add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and beat until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as and when needed.
3. In a separate cup, whisk the buttermilk with red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed alternately add the flour and the colored buttermilk to the butter mixture. 
4. In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda, allow to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter.
5. Divide the batter evenly to the two prepared pans, smooth the top with a spatula and bake for 25-30 mins or until the toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
6. Cool down the cakes completely on a wire rack and then wrap them in a cling wrap and refrigerate atleast for an hour. This helps for easy frosting. Once cooled, do the frosting and enjoy every bit of it!!

Reference: JoyOfBaking