Lemon Glow Chiffon Cake

Guess what the Baking Partners Challenge is one year old since this group has started. Congratulations to the entire team members to reach this wonderful milestone. Special thanks to Swathi  for starting this group. Each time I learn something very different from the variety of challenges in this group and I am so happy that I am part of this too.

Chiffon cakes are foam cakes, airy and pillowy in texture and combine richness of a butter cake with lightness of a sponge cake.

  

Coming to the cake, this  does require some mind blowing steps which were fun to do, but it is not a hard recipe. If followed correctly, the cake could be made within couple of hours.

This recipe was suggested by Saraswathi of Sara’s kitchen and she adapted this recipe from the book The Cake Bible written by Rose Levy Beranbaum. 

Chiffon cakes are foam cakes that have a soft and spongy texture. This cake is very similar in appearance to angel food cake and is usually baked in the same type of tube pan. Chiffon cakes, unlike angel food cakes, contain both egg yolks and vegetable oil. These two ingredients keep the cake moist, soft and tender that tastes great and keeps well.  

Even when refrigerated this cake remains soft. The reason being that this cake contains oil instead of butter which remains soft even in the refrigerator unlike butter which hardens when refrigerated. . Because of the lower fat level than butter cake and less cholesterol and saturated fat, this could very well be the guilt free cake that you could indulge in. 

        
The chiffon cake was created by Harry Baker, a Los Angeles insurance agent, in 1927.  Baker carefully guarded his secret technique for almost two decades, only selling his cakes to celebrities and the famous Brown Derby restaurant. The popularity of his cakes grew quickly, and he eventually sold the recipe to General Mills in 1947. 

Now, Mr. Baker had two big secrets with his chiffon cake recipe. The first is that chiffon cakes use oil instead of butter, which aides in the airy quality of the cake. It is also nice because the cake can be refrigerated without firming up. The second secret of the chiffon cake is to whip the egg whites separately from the yolks and to fold them ever so gently into the batter.  If done correctly, the results are divine. If not, you can end up with an oozy-gooey mess in your pans.

Peanut Butter Cookies

This is the third Home Baker's Challenge started by Priya Suresh and hosted by Viji.

This month challenge was to bake  cookies and we were give four recipes, I loved the peanut butter cookes and have tried making. Loved the nutty, crunchy  & a flavorful cookie.

Falafel

One of the  famous fritters  made from chickpeas or feva beans across the Middle  East, it is either had like any other fritters as appetizer wrapped in a pita bread as sandwich. 

We at home love to have this hot,  so crunchy and yummy they are, you can use hummus as a dip to have this.

Tricolor Popsicles (Kiwi, Orange & Strawberry)

Popsicles who does not like it, perfect for the summer days, its been so hot these days here anything chilled like fresh  juices, smoothies, ice-creams or popsicles is big treat.

I had some fresh Zespri  kiwi, strawberries & oranges and  I wanted to make this. Try it everyone love to have this. At my place my daughter loved the strawberry part so much but my hubby loved the Zespri kiwi part and he insisted me to make purely  kiwi popsicles  and insisted me not to strain and remove the seeds as he loved it  so much in it.

Makes 4 ice sticks

Time taken : 4 – 5 hours

Ingredients

2 fresh Zespri kiwi fruit

½ cup fresh strawberries
Sugar, to taste
Juice of 1 big lime