Vanilla Cupcakes with Butter Icing

Celebrating one year of blogging experience with Simple Vanilla Cupcake + Butter Icing. Yes, you heard it right, I have successfully completed one full year of blogging experience, which I started for fun and now this is my passion already.
It's vey surprising that I had crossed one year mark in this Exciting blogging world and I am happy to be part of it. After I started to blog I learned to cook varitity of new dishes and having full fun in my kitchen. In this one year my passion for cooking has increased many folds and also I am proud that I could bake cakes on my own.
I wish to thank all my blogger buddies and followers for encouraging me with your comments and appreciations.
And let’s come to the vanilla cupcakes this is one of the basic cupcake. I am happy that this cupcake turned out so nice and moist, tender. I really enjoyed these cupcakes making frosting with butter icing.

Ingredients:(yields 12 cupcakes)
Recipe source from here

All purpose flour – 1 and 1/4 cup
Sugar – 1cup
Baking powder – 1tsp
Butter – 1/2 cup
Eggs – 2 no
Vanilla extract – 2 tsp
Milk – 1/2 cup

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180 °C and line muffin tins with papers cases and apply some butter and dust with flour.



• In a bowl, cream the butter and add sugar and beat with an electric mixer in medium speed or hand mix until light and smooth.





• Add egg one at a time and beat well after each addition and add vanilla and continue beating.





• Combine flour and baking powder in a separate bowl and sift well. Add these dry ingredients to the prepared creamed mixture and stir well in the milk until the batter is smooth.





• Fill each lined cup with batter for 2/3 of paper case and bake for 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.





• Remove cupcakes from oven and transfer to the rack to cool completely before frosting.
I bake 6 cupcakes and one hearten shape 4"x 4" cake.

It really simple and very yummy right!!

Making Butter cream Icing
Recipe source from here

Ingredients:(I halved the quantity from original recipe)

Unsalted butter – 1/2 cup (at room temperature not melted)
Powdered sugar – 1 and 1/2cups
Vanilla extract – 1 tsp
Milk – 1 tbsp

Method:

• Beat the butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy for about 30 seconds..
• Now gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes or until the sugar get incorporated with butter.
• Continue by adding milk and increase the speed to high and beat until light and fluffy.





• Finally butter icing is now ready to frost.





• Decorate or pipe it the vanilla cupcakes with butter icing and serve with your toppings.

Vanilla cupcakes with butter icing just melt in mouth right!!

Note:

• Butter icing can be kept frozen for a month.
• Keep icing in fridge until ready to decorate.
• The amount of milk and powdered sugar can be adjusted to your need.
• Given quantity enough to lightly frost for 12 cupcakes.
• If your butter cream is runny or thin add some powdered sugar and beat for 30 seconds.
• If Icing is so stiff then add some milk and beat to get smooth texture.

Rock melon / Cantaloupe melon Juice

For this summer let me share Rock melon juice from my kitchen. I like for its sweetness, strong flavour, juicy and tastes. My hubby insisted to buy this cantaloupe during our weekend shopping. I don’t know when was the last time I had this juice, anyways now I am enjoying this juice.

Now it has become my habit that whenever I blog for recipe the first thing I look for is, the benefits and then only include in my menu. So I would love to share the,

Health benefits of Cantaloupe:

It is an excellent source of Potassium, vitamin C and vitamin A and low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. Boosts immune system, prevents skin cancer and reduces risk of cancer. It is also an ideal source for weight loss and perfect refreshing drink for this hot summer.

Ingredients:

(to make one tall glass)

Cantaloupe – 1cup (roughly chopped)

Chilled milk – 1/4cup

Cold water – 1cup

Sugar / Honey to taste

Squeezed lime juice – 1 and 1/2 tsp

Method:

• Peel the skin and remove the seeds and chop flesh roughly.
• In a blender add all the ingredients and blend until smooth and frothy.
• Serve in a tall glass with ice cubes.

Perfect refreshing and light drink!!

Note:

• Select Rock melon which is heavy, for good juice content and use the ripe fruit for best taste.
• Make sure to catch all the juice and pulp from the fruit to get most significant benefit.
• Drink the juice immediately after making it.
• Adjust sugar and lime juice if necessary.
• Melon seeds do not go waste. Cleaned, washed and dried out seeds can be slightly roasted with salt, makes a best snack or use to make desserts in it.

VazhaiPoo Vadai / Banana Flower Vadai

I like vahapoo vadai for its flavour and tastes. Usually I buy one small vazhaipoo and make into halves and use for making vadai and paruppu usili. Cleaning vazhaipoo is the time consuming but tell you it’s all worth for its taste, you will also agree with me after you try and taste this yummy vadai.
Vazhai poo has lot of health benefits too, especially for pregnant women.

How to clean Vazhai Poo?

• Rub your hands with some oil or wear gloves to avoid sticky and your hand turns black when you clean this banana flower.
• First keep ready with turmeric water which is added with salt.(i.e., a pinch of turmeric + 1/ tsp of salt + 1cup of water).



• Take off the outer petals and remove the bunch of flowers and keep separately. Remove the stamen part from each flowers and chop the remaining part of florets and soak them in turmeric water until use, to avoid turning black.

 

• While adding florets to the vada mixture, drain the water completely.

Ingredients:

Vazhai Poo – cleaned and chopped 1cup
Channa dal – 1/2 cup
Toor dal – 1/2 cup
Red chillies – 3nos
Fennel seeds – 1/4 tsp
Garlic – 3pods
Ginger – 1” piece
Onion – 1 finely chopped)+1/2
Asafoetida – 1 tsp
Coriander leaves few finely chopped
Curry leaves few finely chopped
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method:

• Wash and soak dal for minimum 2 hours. In a blender add red chilli, onion 1/2, fennel seeds, garlic, ginger with soaked dals and grind coarsely by sprinkling less water.





• To this mixture now add the chopped vazhaipoo, chopped onions, coriander leaves, curry leaves, asafoetida and salt to taste and mix well.



• Heat oil in a pan and make a small size vada and drop in oil and cook well in medium flame until crispy and golden brown on both sides.



• Drain the excess oil in tissue paper and enjoy this hot and tasty vadai.

Note:

• You can also soak the florets in buttermilk mixed with water to avoid decolouration.
• Grinding the dal mixture coarsely can get crunchier and crispy vada, you also can grind to smooth.
• While grinding do not add more water.
• Instead of channa dal you can replace pattani paruppu, it tastes so good.
• Don’t make big size vada, as it take time to fully cook.

Veggie Burger

Making burger is my long time wish and finally I have done. My hubby likes the MC Donald’s burger, as I am a vegetarian I go with cheese and lettuce without chicken patties which I cannot satisfy my taste buds. So I just look at the stuff used in chicken burger and I make my own veggie burger at home, in my style. This is my second attempt which is very easy to make and fit for weekend breakfast.

Ingredients
For the Patties:
Cooked Vegetables – 1/2 cup (I used carrot, beans, peas, cauliflower, capsicum)
Potato – 1 big
Sweet corn kernels – 1tbsp
Onion – 1medium
Green chilli – 1no (chopped finely)
Ginger&Garlic paste -1/4tsp
Garam masala powder – 1/4tsp
Chilli powder- 1/ 4tsp
Bread crumbs – 2tbsp
Lemon juice – 1tsp
Coriander leaves few
Salt to taste
Oil -2tsp

To make Patties:

• Chop the vegetables into small pieces and pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles and smash well.
• Mash the boiled potato. Chop the onion.
• Heat oil in a pan add green chillies, add onion sauté well follow by the ginger & garlic paste and fry until the raw smell leaves.





• Now add the cooked vegetables, mashed potato and add chilli powder, salt, garam masala powder, coriander leaves.





• Fry the mix for few minute until the mix does not stick to the pan. Switch off the flame.
• Allow to mix to cool to room temperature. Now add lemon juice, bread crumbs and mix well.





• Now make round shaped patties. Cook on hot tawa to golden brown crisp on both sides using less oil.

Note:

• You can deep fry the patties in oil too or grill it using oven.
• I used the veggies available in my pantries, can use veggie of your choice.
• You get four large patties for the given measure of ingredients.

For Filling:
Burger Buns – 4 no
Cheese slice - 2
Onion – 1 no
Tomato -1 no
Lettuce – few
Mayonnaise – 2 tbsp
Honey Mustard sauce
Tomato ketchup

To assemble:

• Chop the onion and tomato into thin roundels.
• Cut the burger bun into half and spread mayonnaise evenly on one side on both.





• Place lettuce leaves and veggie patties on top of it and spread some honey mustard sauce.





• Next place onions and tomatoes on top.Cover with another half bun and grill for 5 minutes.

Serve immediately with tomato ketchup and a drink of your choice.

Note:

• Replace cabbage instead of using lettuce leaves.
• Can use any sauce spread on burger buns per your taste.
• Finally grilling part is optional, it helps to get crispy bottom.
• Choose your choice of stuffing to enjoy the bite.