Pineapple Upside down cake

I am back with a recipe after a  long time, and I am happy I finally made it here. When it comes to baking, I love classics. Pineapple upside down cake is an all time classic, and one of my favorites too. 

Since I couldn't manage to capture step wise pictures, read the protocol carefully. I shall update the pictures when I bake the next time. This recipe is easy to bake, can be served either hot or cold!

 

THE SCIENCE OF BAKING

 

Interested in knowing the reactions behind baking a fluffy cake, then read on! 

When fat and sugar are mixed together little bubbles of air are being trapped in the mixture, each bubble is surrounded by a film of fat. This air  produces the lightness in the finished cake. At this this stage adding eggs becomes important. Egg forms a layer around each air bubble, preventing the bubble from bursting and ruining the texture of the cake. With the increase in temperature of the cake this layer coagulates and forms a rigid wall round each bubble, While it is baking, the bubbles of air will expand and the cake will rise. At the same time  gluten in the flour which has formed an elastic network round the air bubbles will stretch until it loses its elasticity and the shape of the cake becomes fixed.  But until that moment of expansion is reached, the baking must occur uninterrupted.

Godhi Kajjaya/Wheat Kajjaya/Athirasa- Quick and easy recipe

Deepavali  just passed. And this time I tried making a special dish on the day i.e, Kajjaya. They call it Kajjaya in Bangalore. It is also named as Athirasa in few parts of Karnataka. This is a household delight here in Bangalore on the occasion of Deepavali.

It is made using rice. Recipes are easily available. One has to make the dough the previous day and let it rest for a day before deep frying them. A simple procedure, but if one doesn't get the technique right everything is gone for a toss. I hear many failures during deepavali when people try to make it. Well I have seen it happening in my very own home. But there are many ways to trouble shoot and make the dough usable. You can write to me for the troubleshooting guide. There are many Kajjaya making experts among my family and friends who can help in this regard.

Moving on to the recipe of Godhi Kajjaya!! Yes!! You heard it right!! I used wheat flour instead of rice grain to make this. It takes about an hour to two including the preparation and cooking time. It is simple, easy, and chances of failure- very minimal or nil. 

These days I am obsessed with simple, quick and easy recipes considering the fast paced lifestyle we all have. Whatever it maybe, I love home cooked food and love to try traditional, challenging recipes.

Desiccated coconut Ladoo- Quick and Easy Method

This version of coconut ladoo is my very own take on the classic coconut barfi, but a quick, simple and easy method with very few materials going in to make it. And a special addition to it is ground almonds. Almonds give a different texture to the ladoos and comes as a surprise elements when you taste it. Here is my successful experiment. Go ahead, try and give me your opinion.

P. S- I always hear some complaining that they cant reproduce recipes from the web and that they fail most of the times. Let me give you an important tip. Follow the protocols carefully and sincerely. Don't be lazy and do not tweak . If one follows every step without fail it is possible to be successful at every attempt. After you are successful at reproducing, go ahead and give your twists and turns to the dish.

SCIENCE FACTS

When coconut has been grated and dried it becomes desiccated coconut. The process is called as Dehydration (removal of water content). Dehydration helps in preserving coconut, increasing its shelf life, thereby making it available to places where coconut is not grown/unavailable. Desiccated coconut is found to be rich in dietary fibers. It contains minerals which make out connective tissue strong. The minerals are Iron, Selenium, Copper.

MATERIALS REQUIRED