Basket Weave technique

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE4hBly_F7w&feature=related

 Basket weave technique wa sused on the finale cake for Course 2 of the wilton cake decorating class....

Enjoyy
Ash.

Part 2-Wilton cake decorating experience

Part 2 of the wilton course is very exciting; based on what you learn in part 1, this session takes you ahead. In part 1 you get enough practices of handling buttercream icing, course2 takes a step ahead. Royal icing as the name says is a ROYAL PAIN.. but the effects are breath taking....basically the rec is same like buttercream but WITHOUT SHORTENING OR FAT.. any tiny weeny drop of fat will call for the disaster...My teacher made us buy the whole set of icing tips, containers and even asked us to buy brand new vessels to prepare the icing, as any moisture in the air could call for the GB( Garbage Bowl) treatment for the icing.

 Royal Pain icing like my teacher calls it rec is at;

http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Royal-Icing

 For the overall look of the Course 2 the video is uploaded by someone at Youtube;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAZiaQeWLqg&feature=related

Hope you all enjoy my cake tutorials as much as I enjoyed sharing them with you. Once again, MY video shooting is as bad as a Roller coaster ride, so please forgive me for using someone else's video...but again Sharing is learning....

Love

Ash.

Youtube Online video about Icing Borders

Since long my friends have been aksing me about uploading the video's for a crash course on cake decorating. Since, I am no good with the video camera and my hands shake like a fish without water, I am takling help from the mecca of online video sharing.. Youtube...

Hope this helps you get a fair idea about icing borders...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfbJI7QdJ0o&NR=1

Love Ash.

Vegetable Cutlet

THis is a very simple veggie cutlet. the cutlets can be eaten on it's own with a nice cup of tea or coffee, with either sweet tamarind chutney or green chutney. When we were growing up, it was a fixed item on any birthday or a party menu, and these cutlets being so versatile found it's shape in bite size pieces hooked on toothpicks or in a pattie form for any sandwich or a burger.

You will need;

3 Boiled Potatoes, Peeled and mashed and kept aside

1 Cup mixture of boiled peas, boiled corn, boiled beetroot, cauliflower and  capsicum, all chopped into really small pieces

1 tbspn Ginger and Garlic paste

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp chat masala

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp corriander powder

Salt to taste,

1tsp Lemon juice or if you like add 1 tsp Amchur or dry mango powder 

2 tbspn fine Sooji or bread crumbs to coat the cutlets before frying

Oil for Shallow frying in a pan

Take the mashed potatoes in a wide bowl, add 1 Cup mixture of boiled peas, boiled corn, boiled beetroot, cauliflower and capsicum, all chopped into really small pieces, mix well. To this mix add the  ginger garlic paste, cumin powder some corroiander powder, chat masala, red chilli powder, salt and lemon juice (or dry amchur powder if you like) and made small cutlets or tikki's.. and coated each with fine sooji  or bread crumbs and shallow fry in oil.

Njoii on a rainy/snowy day  with some green chutney. Don't forget to invite a few of your close friends.

Love Ash.

PS. I am sending these cutlets to A Girls Diary event; Whats on your kebab platter?

Love Ash

** The round up for the event is announced.

Part 1

As promised I am back with my Wilton Cake class tips and recommendations as well as my experience.
This was my frist time that I worked with the Buttercream icing. It is very friendly and easy to work with, but did not score high on the taste mark for us.. it is way too sweet for my taste buds. BUT for first time decorators it is very forgiving and easy to handle and results are mind blowing. My instructor wa spretty strict and did not like us making any changes to her script...so any creativity test had to be putt off til Part 2 finale cake....The first cake she taught was a simple rainbow cake. with the use of the waves and star nozzle.

The second cake we made had us making the roses. For the roses you need Stif consistency icing. The roses dont hold well if the icing goofs up....to make the icing stiff you nee dto add more confetcioners sugar and to make it loose add couple of TEASPOONS of water. you willl need to try the recipe once to get the hold of things.

The basic Buttercream icing rec is as follows.

http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Buttercream-Icing

Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji is very popular Bombay Street food. For ppl like me, you can call it Wada Pav's cousin...I am so mad about this that at one point of time I even joined the orkut community for Pav Bhaji Lovers....I love this dish coz, it has the potential to stretch the buck in case of an Emergency....like for a party, all u need is to add a few boiled potatoes and extra Pav bahji masala.. and u have increased the quantity to feed another army.....so now will not rant much about my love for Pav Bhaji...wil give you the recipe instead....

2 small Tomato(chopped)

4 small Onion(chopped)

1 Green  Bell pepper(chopped)

1 cup Potato(chopped)

1 cup Vegetables(cauliflower, carrots etc., chopped)

½ cup Peas

2 tsps. Pav Bhaji Masala

½ tsp. Ginger(grated)

½ tsp. Garlic(crushed)

½ no. Lemon

pinch Cilantro(to garnish)

Salt to taste

pinch Vegetable Oil(to shallow fry)

Keep aside 1 chopped onion for garnishing... I use red onions...Cook mixed vegetables, potatoes and peas in a pressure cooker.... Don't add too much water while cooking. ......After the vegetables are done, drain and mash them coarsely. Keep the water and use as stock later on....Heat butter and oil in a pan and fry onion and ginger/garlic. When onions turn translucent, add bell peppers and tomatoes... Continue frying till it turns soft. Now add Pav Bhaji Masala, salt and fry for another couple of minutes... Now you can add the mashed vegetables.... Turn up the heat and continue stirring till everything is well incorporated... Cut Pavs in half horizontally and lightly coat it with butter. Roast them on hot pan or tawa just before serving. Garnish Bhaji with chopped coriander leaves, chopped onions and a thin wedge of lemon...I was small when I has seen this Rec on TV by our very own Masterchef Sanjeev Kapoor in Khana Khajana...
Enjoyyyy and if you have any leftovers spread it on the pav and roast it with butter and have masala pav next day!!!!!!!!
I hardly have any leftovers.....so if you have any,, plzzzzzzzzz invite me to your home!!!!!!!!!!!
Love Ash.

Part 3-Gift Box Cake

Part 3 of the Wilton Cake Decorating classes introduced us to work with Fondant which is nothing but a dough of sugar and Water..IT is very forgiving and end results are amazing....we had to make a giftbox cake with a bow and ribbon. Hoefully, I have achieved what I set out to...Working with Fondant is easy if you keep some basics in mind...Since its made of sugar, IT dries very fast and does not stick to the cake as it breaks... so you nee dto design and plan your cake well in advance...YOU need Crisco or shortening while you knead the fondant and roll it.. grease liberally the rolling pin and the plastic sheet on which you would roll the fondant into a thin sheet..and then frost the cake with buttercream and then cover it with fondant sheet.. make a small pouch of cornstarch and dust the fondant covered cake.. then to put the strips of ribbon and other decorations made out of fondant, take Wilton's Vanilla essence and a small brush.. This will act as glue to help you stick it on the cake..Fondant Covered Cakes look very clean and real.. But I personally like cakes with Whipped cream icing....so Fondant is something I will not be using  a lott... specially if I want to eat that cake......

Till I bake again;

Love Ash.