Butter Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting - Birthday Cake Ideas

Today's recipe is Butter Cake with Chocolate Butter cream Frosting, the cake I baked for my son's second birthday. Actually my son cut 3 cakes for this birthday. Cake 1 was baked by Thaara with little help from me, though the decoration is all hers. It was cut in the midnight. Cake 2 is this cake, We cut in the evening of his birthday after coming from temple. Then Cake 3, for the Party, which we got from store.

The recipe of the cake I got from Wilton site. I just halved the recipe, since I didn't want a large cake. I made a 2 layered 9 inch diameter round cake, filled it with chocolate whipped cream and then covered it with chocolate butter cream frosting. 

 Butter Cake

Recipe Source: Wilton

What are the ingredients needed?

Butter, 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks)

Sugar, 1 cup

Eggs, 3 nos

Vanilla Extract, 1 teaspoon

Almond Extract, 1/4 teaspoon

All Purpose Four, 1 1/2 cup

Baking Powder, 1 teaspoon

Salt, 1/4 teaspoon

Milk, 1/3 cup

How it is made?

1. Pre heat the oven to 325 F. 
2. Prepare two 9" dia cake pans by greasing and flouring it. 
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together till it is light and fluffy.
4. Add eggs, one by one and continue to beat and add vanilla extract and almond extract and mix well.
5. In another bowl, Sieve together all purpose flour, salt and baking powder.
6. Add the flour mixture little by little to the butter mixture, alternating with milk and mix well to form a homogeneous mixture.
7. Divide the batter equally in the prepared cake pans and bake for 17-20 minutes till it is done.
8. Cool the cakes for atleast 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

Chocolate whipped cream (for the filling & decoration)

Recipe Source: Joy of Baking

What are the ingredients needed?

Heavy whipping cream (cold), 1 cup

Un-sweetened Cocoa powder, 2 Tablespoons

Sugar, 3-4 Tablespoons

Vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon

How it is made?

1. Place the mixing bowl and the whisk in the freezer for atleast 15-20 minutes.
2. In the bowl place sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla extract, to this add 2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream to form a thick paste. 
3. Then add the rest of the heavy cream and start to beat it till it forms stiff peaks.
4. Cover and refrigerate it till it is ready to use.

Chocolate Butter cream frosting

What are the ingredients needed?

Butter, 1/2 cup

Powdered Sugar, 1 1/2 cup

Unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/4 cup

Vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon

Milk, 2 tablespoon

How it is made?

1. In a mixing bowl beat the butter till it is smooth and creamy.
2. Then add the cocoa powder and vanilla and continue to beat. 
3. Then gradually add sugar little by little and continue to mix and add milk and whip till the frosting is light and fluffy.

For the final assembly

• Butter cake
• Chocolate whipped cream
• Chocolate Buttercream frosting
• White candy pearls (for decorations)

How it is made?

1. Level the cakes, if required. The domes formed in the cake is sliced to give a even surface.
2. Place one layer of cake and spread chocolate whipped cream then place the other layer of the cake.
3. The spread the chocolate butter cream frosting on the cake till the cake is fully and evenly covered in all the sides.
4. Then fill the piping bag with whipped cream frosting and using star tip made stars all around the cake in the bottom and also in the top. Place candy pearls on top of each star.
5. You can use any other decoration of your choice. 

Notes:

• I used two 9 inch dia cake pans. you can also use 8 inch dia cake pans.
• You can double the recipe for a thicker layer. then accordingly the baking time increases.
• The whipped cream I prepared was right enough for the filling and the star tip decorations  in the cake. You can use whipped cream for frosting the cake too.

My Son's Birthday Party Menu- Indian Party Menu Ideas

My Son turned 2 last week and we had a birthday party at home. Just thought will share the party menu here. We had invited around 35 guests with 50% of vegetarians and 50% of non vegetarians. So I wanted options for both. So accordingly did the menu planning. I cooked for the party and of course my friend Geetha helped me by preparing rasam and with frying the pakodas.   I was so satisfied with the way the dishes turned out and the guests loved it too.

Party Menu Ideas

The Menu for the Party is as follows:

Starter/Appetiser:

• Onion Pakoda/Onion Fritters
• Tandoori Chicken

Main Course:

• Vegetable Biryani
• Chicken Dum Biryani (recipe to be posted soon)
• Raitha-accompaniment for biryani
• White Rice
• Paruppu Rasam(recipe to be posted soon)
• Thayir Semiya/ Curd Vermicelli(recipe to be posted soon)

Desserts

• Mango kheer/ Mambazha payasam
• Doodh Peda

Mambazha Payasam/ Mango Kheer/ Aam ki Kheer

Dear Friends, 

You might wonder where I disappeared suddenly. It has been more than a week since I posted anything, blog hopped or even I haven't been active in Facebook. My son turned 2, last week and we had a party this weekend. Preparing for the party and cooking took up all my time so couldn't spend time for blogging. Now that the party is over, I am back to blogging and will be sharing the recipes I made for the party in the coming days.
Today's recipe is the Mango Kheer I made for the party and I am so glad that everyone loved this kheer.

Mango Kheer

What are the ingredients required?

Vermicelli, 2-3 Tablespoons
Milk, 3 cups
Condensed milk, 1/4 cup
Sugar, 2-3 tablespoons
Mango Pulp, 1 cup
Ghee, 2-3 Teaspoons
Raisin, 7-8nos.
Cashews, 7-8 nos
Cardamom, 4 nos.
Pistachios, for garnishing.
Fresh mango, (peeled and diced), 1 no. (optional)

Mambazha Payasam

How it is made?

1. Peel the cardamom, discard the skin and Powder the seeds with a tablespoon of sugar and keep it aside.
2. In a pan heat a teaspoon of ghee and fry the vermicelli till it is lightly golden.
3. Then add the milk to it and let it simmer till the vermicelli is cooked.  
4. Then add the sugar and condensed milk and bring it to boil and let it simmer for few minutes.
5. Then add the powdered cardamom mix well and turn off the heat. 
6. Then let it cool completely, then add the mango pulp and mix well. 
7. Fry cashews and raisins in ghee and then mix with this and also add the diced mangoes and mix well and serve. 
8. It tastes best when served cold.

Mango Payasam

Notes:

• I have used canned sweetened mango pulp so used less sugar. In case if you are using fresh mango pulp adjust the sweetness accordingly. If  you prefer less sweet you can omit the sugar too.
• Instead of vermicelli you can use sago/javvarisi too. I have prepared this combo once before and i just loved the combo.
• The kheer can thicken up after sometime, so before serving dilute it with milk to the required consistency. 
• The amount of cashew and raisins can be added as per your personal preference. 
• Adding fresh fruit is purely optional. But I would recommend adding it.