Apple Crumble

I have always made apple pies and read how it was simpler to make a crumble. So when I saw the poor apples languishing in my fridge as I attended to the grind at office, my heart went out to them.Feeling for the apples was one thing and baking something is an entirely different thing all together. 
The weekend quickly vanished in a haze of cleaning, stocking up for the week ahead an settling things down to battle the work week ahead. Determined not to abandon my intentions, I pulled out my trusty glass baking dish even as I washed the apples and roughly chopped them. 
Now, the recipe called for "peeled and cored" apples. I've always made my apple pies with the skin on (and it comes out good every time). So to save some time, I left the skin on and chopped the six apples.

I took a cup of brown sugar and put it on the apples while I started preheating the oven.

I quick squish later, the apples were in the pan. I put in some powdered cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg. Soon the apples were bubbling away and stewing in the released juice.

While the oven was being preheated and the apples were stewing, I started making the pastry. I started by pulling out a hunk of butter from the fridge and sliced off 100gm. Next the sliced got cubed...

I took a cup of flour(maida) and a quarter cup of brown sugar...

The pastry is supposed to be kneaded as little as possible and mixed using two butter knives. Of course I did nothing of that sort and just squished things together with a fork. Works fine. As long as you don't knead the flour, we're good for short crust pastry. When the flour mixture looked like crumbly little beads, I knew the pastry was ready.

Next I layered the baking dish, with some oats and a few raisins. This would lift the baked end product better and give a little 'raisiny' surprise at the end of the experience.

The apples were now done well and I quickly forked the it into the baking dish...

The pastry now went on top and the trick here is to resist the temptation to the pat it down.

After baking for about 30 min the apple crumble was done. Eating the crumble while it was  still warmish was a treat. The top layer is beautifully salty and a little crunchy which quickly prepares you for the cinnamonny sweetness of the apple and the plumped little raisin at the end.

It's quite difficult to finish the entire crumble by myself (and uncharitable to boot :P). So, next morning my colleagues at work got little clumps of the crumble (except the ones in the throes of some or the other 'diet').

Chocolate Ganache...

Now that I'd a crack at the basic foam cake, I wanted to try out some frosting to make it nice and happy...
All I needed was some chocolate (I took 250gm left over Morde) and some of the thick cream (300gm) to get the goo going ..

So I went out and hunted out Punjab and Sind Dairy (a little Tweeting and some help from Titin did the trick :) ). They sell some amazing, heavy cream.
While the chocolate went for some chop chop...

The cream went into the saucepan for a quick low flame boil...

Just when the cream threatened to boil over, I cut the heat and sloshed in the chocolate shards.

It took a fair bit of stirring as the cream started melting the chocolate...

And voila! The rich (very tempting) pool of chocolate was glinting at me.

I took a cocoa foam cake that I'd baked an hour ahead and sliced it into two. 

I then poured and spread some of the ganache. I did this in stages of pouring and spreading since if I just poured, the ganache (still very warm and liquid) would just soak in...

...and sprinkled some walnut bits to make things interesting

The top slice quickly went on and then it was time to pour (the now solidifying) ganache on top of the cake...

A little tap here and there got the bubbles out as much as possible.

I slapped on some halved almonds to add some visual appeal and also create a 'boundary' for the slices to be cut.

And I was done... 
The entire cake now went into the fridge for an hour for the chocolate to cool and get all gooey. 

Chocolate Sponge - The Foam Cake Quest begins...

I'd already tried the standard ritual of making a plain sponge cake to test the oven when it first came in. So I decided to add a little bit more by adding cocoa to the standard ingredients when I wanted to make the foam cake 'series'.

As a part of my new drive to reduce waste, I have started recycling aluminum foil at least once (if it is not soiled). So I re-used washed and dried used aluminum foil to line the baking tins. 

I started by sieving in half a cup of flour with a quarter cup of cocoa, and ½ tsp baking powder along with ¼ tsp Baking Soda.

I pulsed ½ cup demerara sugar in the grinder to make it more powdery.

Next I separated three yolks and added a whole egg into a mixing bowl.

I whipped the yolks with half the sugar till they almost tripled in volume.

Next I gently sieved in the flour and cocoa mixture and folded everything in taking care not to deflate the foam too much.

This done, I washed the whipping blades, dried them and then whipped the three egg whites with the remaining sugar as well, till they were stiff and I could hold them upside down without dripping.

I folded this in as well and then scooped up the batter into the tins. I added a cucumber and melon seeds to add a little bit of crunch on top and then baked the cakes for about 25 min.

Once done I peeled off the lining and let them cool before slicing it up to take for Subha, Harini, and Peter's 'shop warming' party. :)

Ingredients:
½ cup Plain Flour
¼ cup Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)
½ cup Demerara Sugar
½ tsp Baking Powder
¼ tsp Baking Soda 
4 Eggs

The foam cake quest...

Now that I have started baking I want to try out the various 'basic' cake 'types' too experience the techniques as well as the textures they produce...

I stumbled upon this nice site that very succinctly defined the basic cake families and nudged me onwards towards the quest 

My research told me that I have always made (and had) Butter or Shortened Cakes.
Now, Butter cakes, also called shortened cakes or creamed cakes, are supposed to contain butter, margarine or vegetable shortening, which contribute to a finely textured, tender and moist cake.

So now, I want to make Foam Cakes. Strictly speaking, a foam cake contains no leavening or fat other than what is there in the eggs. Baking powder and baking soda are not necessary in these recipes. These cakes need to be baked as soon as they are ready or the egg whites will probably deflate.