Ramalai Cake | Rasamalai Cake

Happy New Year !!!

Rasmalai Cake is a flavorful cake with refreshing cool whipped cream icing. This is one of the best Indian flavored cake i have ever made. This cake has all the flavors of Rasmalai incorporated in every bite. 

The main flavors of the cake are saffron, kewra water and cardamom. These 3 flavors are the key for this cake. I made this cake for this new year.

Ingredients :

For Rasmalai: 

 

Milk - 2 cups

Condensed milk - 1 can 

Saffron - 1 pinch 

Cardamom Powder - 1/2 tsp 

Yellow food coloring 

Store bought Rasgullas - 1 can 

Kewra water - 1/2 tsp 

For Stabilized Whipped cream : 

Cream cheese - 1/4 cup 

Heavy whipping cream - 1 cup 

Icing sugar - 1/2 cup 

Yellow food coloring 

Kewra water - 1/2 tsp 

For Fresh Whipped cream icing: 

Heavy whipping cream - 1 cup 

Icing sugar - 1/2 cup 

Yellow food coloring 

Kewra water - 1/2 tsp

Procedure : 

Step 1 : Prepare Rasmalai with store bought / Ready made Rasmalai

1. Add 2 cups of milk, condensed milk in a sauce pan and mix well.

2. Crush a big pinch of saffron and add 1/2 tsp of cardamom powder and few drops of yellow food coloring mix well.

3. Boil it for just 1 min and add some chopped nuts and cool completely

4. Strain the rasgulla and squeeze the syrup from Rasgulla and add it to a bowl of water and again  squeeze the water  from Rasgullas

5. Once the milk is cooled add 1/2 tsp of kewra water and add the squeezed rasgullas and mix gently. Keep it cold.

Step 2 : Prepare stabilized whipped cream (this is for icing and decorating the cake)

1. Beat 1/4 cup room temperature cream cheese until smooth

2. Add 1 cup of  cold whipping cream and start whipping in low speed

3. Add 1/2 cup of icing sugar in batches and whip well

4. Add few drops of yellow food coloring and 1/2 tsp kewra water and mix well

Step 3 : Prepare whipped cream for filling

Prepare whipped cream filling by following the same steps from stabilized icing and avoiding the cream cheese alone.

Step 4: Bake a sponge cake

Bake a basic sponge cake in 6" round pan and trim the edges and slice it into layers.

Step 5: Assemble and ice the cake

1. Place a layer of cake on the cake board and drizzle some rasmalai milk on the cake and allow it to soak. 

2. Spread a layer of whipped cream filling and add some chopped Rasmalai pieces. And top it with next layer of cake

3. Drizzle the rasmalai milk and allow it to soak. Cover the top and sides of the cake with whipped cream filling and next ice the whole cake with stabilized whipped cream

4.  Make some rosettes designs

5. Now decorate the cake with rasgullas, nuts, rose buds and saffron 

Step by Step Video:

 

Christmas Spritz Cookies | Christmas Butter Cookies | Christmas Cookie Press Cookies

Spritz cookies are light and airy cookies. They are very buttery and melts in the mouth. This generally made using cookie press or pastry piping bag.

I have themed these cookies Christmas by coloring the cookies in red and green and decorated them with colorful sprinkles.

Ingredients :

All purpose flour - 2 1/4 cups

Butter - 1 cup

Sugar - 3/4 cup

Egg yolks - 2

Vanilla - 2tsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Gel food coloring 

Sprinkles

Equipment: 

Cookie press with 3 different disc shape

Procedure : 

Add 1 cup butter to a mixing bowl and cream the butter until pale in color 

Now add 3/4 cup of sugar mix it until light and creamy

Next add 2 egg yolks and mix well

Next add 2 tsp of vanilla

Sieve 2 1/4 cups of all purpose flour and 1/4 tsp salt

Add flour mixture to wet ingredients in batches and mix until it forms a dough

Divide the dough into 3 half

Add red gel food color in 1 half and green gel food color in another half and mix well. Leave the other half plain

Add the dough to cookie press one color at a time and start pressing cookies on cookie sheet. 1 press = 1 cookie

Decorate cookies with sprinkles 

Bake all cookies in 350 degrees oven for 10-12 mins or until the bottom of the cookies turn light golden brown. Cool them completely and remove to cooking rack 

Step by Step Video:

Christmas Rose Cookies | Eggless Achu Murukku | Achappam

Back in India Christmas goodies are not completed without Rose cookies / Achu murukku. Achu murukku is a light and crunchy mildly sweet snack. They are very airy and melts in mouth in ease.

Achu Murukku is made in different ways in each part of south India. I have made an eggless version today. I have flavored this achu murukku with cardamon. In some places achu murukku is flavored with vanilla. 

Rose cookies / Achu murukku needs a special mould. Traditionally these moulds are supposed to be seasoned well by soaking it in oil of few hours. While making the murukku first few murukku will usually stick to the mould and needs to be pulled out with a skewer or fork. Once the mould is used for the while cookies releases from mould by itself. I bought a non stick version of this mould which makes the process very easy as no seasoning is needed and cookies releases from mould very easily right from the 1st cookie.

Ingredients :

Rice flour / idiappam flour - 1cup

All purpose flour / maida - 1/4 cup

Sugar - 1/4 cup 

Coconut milk - 1 cup 

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Oil for

Deep frying 

Coconut Milk: 

Fresh coconut pieces 1/2 

cup or shredded coconut - 1cup

Cardamom- 3 

Warm water - 2 cups

Equipments:

Achu Murukku / Rose Cookie mould (Preferably non stick mould)

Procedure : 

Step 1 : Extract coconut milk

Add 3/4 cup chopped or 1 cup of shredded fresh coconut in a blender, Add 3 cardamom pods and add 1 cup of warm water and blend well. 

Strain the mixture and squeeze the pulp to extract milk. 

This is 1st coconut milk / thick coconut milk.

Add the strained pulp again to the blender and add 1 cup of warm water and blend again.

Strain and squeeze the milk in a different bowl. This is thin coconut milk / 2nd coconut milk.

Step 2 : Prepare Batter

In a wide bowl add 1 cup rice flour or idiappam flour

Next add 1/4 cup maida / all purpose flour.

Next add 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 tsp salt and mix well.

To this dry ingredients add 1 cup of thick coconut milk (1st coconut milk)

Mix well until we’ll combined. If the mixture is thick add some light coconut milk (2nd coconut milk). I have added 2 tablespoons, this totally depends on the quality of rice flour and coconut. So adjust more or less coconut milk as needed.

Check the consistency of batter by dipping a spoon or knife into the batter. Batter should the coated on the spoon.

Step 3 : Frying the Cookie/ Murukku 

Heat oil for deep frying in medium heat. Once the oil is hot, drop the achu Murukku mould into the hot oil and let it for 5 min (since this is 1st time keep it for 5 mins)

Once the mould is heated well, remove from hot oil and dip it in batter. Did not immerse the mould into the batter. Jut dip halfway through into the batter.

Wait for 3 to 4 seconds. You must hear a sizzle sound. Now remove the mould from batter. Batter must the coated on the mould. Now drop the mould into hot oil. 

Once the Murukku / cookie is cooked it will release from the mould by itself. If it does not release use a skewer or fork to release the cookie from mould. 

Fry both sides until golden brown. Once it’s light golden brown and bubbles stops remove and drain in paper towel.

Add the mould in hot oil agin. This time only for 3o to 40 seconds as mould is heated already. Now repeat the same process to make rest of the achu Murukku/ rose cookies

Tips: 

Each time before making cookies make sure to dip the mould in hot hour for 30 to 40 seconds at-lest.

Use a wide pan for deep frying so that once the cookie releases from the mould, we can leave the mould in hot oil so that it will be ready for making next cookie.

Use processed rice flour like idappam flour or kolukattai flour

Step by Step Video: