Microwave Carrot Rava Ladoo

Hey everyone!! As you can see Jhuls has been the one making all the noise for the past one week.I hope you enjoyed her Roasted Eggplant Fan. I have been running around like a headless chicken!! I am busy this weekend as well with guests at home!! Don't despair!! I have another young, multitalented & dynamic blogger here for you this weekend! Meet Prasanna Hede from Savory Bites Recipes!! She hails from a small town in Goa who migrated to various locations due to her software engineering work , but now is a home-maker and mother who loves sharing her culinary experiments through her blog. Her blog very aptly showcases her talent! When I first met her, I thought she was a little girl!! Looks are deceptive indeed!

Today she brings us dessert!! My favorite rava laddoos!! She has an easy and yummy recipe for Carrot Rava Ladoo. See, there is a vegetable in it too.. then that is a great treat for kids.As for us, a small portion of dessert is allowed every now and then! Check out her blog, Savory Bites Recipes for more delicious treats!! 

I am bringing this to Throwback Thursday #49, Fiesta Friday #130 and Saucy Saturday! Angie's co-hosts this week are Judi @ cookingwithauntjuju and Petra @ Food Eat Love

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 4 mins Total time: 9 mins Yield: 15 medium sized laddoos

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Grated Carrot
• 2 Tablespoon Ghee / Clarified Butter
• 3/4th Cup Semolina / Rava
• 1/2 Cup Khova / Khoya / Mawa
• 1/2 Cup Sugar (Powdered)
• as per need Desiccated Coconut

Instructions:

In a microwave safe bowl,add grated carrot and 1 Tablespoon ghee.
Microwave it for 1 minute.

Take it carefully on a plate and keep aside.

To same bowl,add rava and another tablespoon ghee.
Mix well.
Microwave again for 1/2 minute.
Be careful when handling the bowl,as it will be hot by now.

Now add the grated carrot.
Mix well.

Add khoya and sugar.
Mix well.

Microwave it for another 1 minute.

Mix well and microwave for another minute.

By now the bowl has become hot and food inside will be hot too.
Be careful when handling.

Let it cool.

When cooled,make ladoos and roll in desiccated coconut.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Orange Marble Bundt Cake

My husband's birthday was last week. It was mid-week and since it was a weekday, I was not sure what I was going to make. Of course, one can say that I should have made the cake well ahead of time... But time is a precious commodity for me!! I wish I had 48 hours in a day than just 24! Then I would be able to do everything that I want to do!! Oh yes, with the extra-hours, I need extra energy too.. Of late I have been finding myself less energetic!! Am I growing old??? Work is busy, life is busy.. but that is no reason for me to be tired right?? The reason I am bringing up the topic of my fatigue is because that is the reason why I didn't get a chance to make a cake ahead of time! Of course, in my head I have made several cakes for the past couple of weeks, but when it came to actually making them, I kept putting off for the next day, until his birthday just dawned on me! But, you see I had already bought a cheesecake over the weekend and decorated it as a back-up, just in case I didn't get a chance to bake a cake! Why a cheesecake?? Because my husband loves cheesecake and in case he didn't like my healthy cake!

Well, you see in my mind, I kind of had an idea as to what I want to make: something healthy( read not too sweet) and  something easy to make that doesn't take too much time. I have had this nice Stained glass Bundt cake pan since the Spring!

A close friend of mine had presented it to me for my birthday! It is such a beauty! I have been meaning to bake a cake in it since the Spring!

Isn't she pretty??
I also have been dying to try the new fad that is going around: the naked cake! After thinking about it, I remembered a recipe posted by Sumod Tom a long time ago about a chocolate Bundt cake on a food group called CAL and a recipe for spiced honey orange cake by my dear blogger friend Selma Jeevanji at Fiesta Friday! I did not want to use that much honey! My final product was a combination of  both recipes.

The cake was not only gorgeous to look at, but tasted delicious too! It is pretty simple and quite easy to make!

Servings: 10-12

Ingredients:

All purpose flour: 2 cups
Baking powder: 3/4 tsp
Baking soda: 3/4 tsp
Salt: pinch
Cocoa powder: 1/4 cup
Milk: 1/4 cup
Brown sugar: 1 cup
Butter: 1 cup ( 2 sticks)
Eggs: 5 large
Orange juice: 1/4 cup
Orange zest: 2 tbsp ( from 1 medium orange)
Raisins: 1/2 cup
Vanilla essence: 1 tsp

To decorate:
Powdered  sugar: 2 tbsp
Raspberries: 2 cups
Royal icing flowers: 6-8( you could use fresh flowers).

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.

Grease the Bundt cake pan and keep ready.

Seive together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and keep aside. You could also just whisk it using a whisk. Whisk thoroughly.

Mix the cocoa powder in milk and keep aside.

In a bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar and vanilla essence. Add eggs one by one, beating after the addition of each egg until fluffy.

Now fold in the flour mixture little by little until it is all incorporated. Do not overmix!

Divide the batter into two equal portions.

To the first half add the milk and cocoa mixture and mix well. Again, do not overmix! If the batter is too thick, add a tbsp of milk.

To the other bowl,  add the orange juice, orange zest and raisins. Mix gently but thoroughly. Do not over mix!

Now pour the batter into the Bundt  pan little at a time alternating between the chocolate and the orange flavored ones.

 Start and end with the chocolate batter.

Tap the Bundt pan against the kitchen countertop to get rid of any air bubbles.

Place it in the center rack of the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes it until a skewer comes out clean.
My oven took 40 minutes. Keep checking after 35 minutes and adjust the time accordingly.

When done, take the pan out and let it cool down for atleast 30 minutes before taking it out of the pan and place it on the wire-rack.

Let it cool completely before decorating it.

To decorate the cake, sprinkle powdered sugar on the cake using a sieve. Decorate with flowers ( fresh or edible ) and berries of your choice. I used raspberries and royal icing flowers.

It was a superhit! I was happy with the end product and so was my husband and  the kids!

Enjoy a slice with a cup of tea or coffee! 

I am bringing this cake to my friends at Fiesta Friday! If you did not get a chance to visit the awesome Hyderabadi Dum Chicken Biryani  posted earlier during the week, it is worth visiting!

Cooking made easy:

While making a cake, make sure that you have all your ingredients in front of you and preferably they are all at room temperature. This will get you good results.

Sieving or whisking the dry ingredients thoroughly helps the ingredients mix well and also makes the cake fluffier.

Tip for healthy living:

Eating small frequent meals is better than eating large infrequent meals. This not only  keeps the blood sugar levels steady, also helps us feel more energetic, and prevents us from binge eating! Ideal recommendation is 3 medium-sized meals with 2 snacks. Snack on fruits.

Food for thought:

Beware the barrenness of a busy life. Socrates