Cakes had become a little too mainstream by now and I was craving for a dessert that was rich ! And trust me , nothing ever gets richer than the baklava. Butter , sugar , honey , dry fruits – you name it all and you’ve got it in this amazing dessert. Preparing this might be a time consuming affair but it’s all worth the effort at the end of the day. My take on the classic baklava – adding a dash of coffee and hazelnuts to give it that modern twist.
INGREDIENTS
Almonds – ¼ pound chopped
Walnuts – ¼ pound chopped
Pistachios – ½ pound chopped
Phyllo Sheets – 1 pack (16oz)
Granulated Sugar – 1cup
Water – 3/4cup
Honey – ½ cup
Cinnamon – ½ tsp
Rosewater – 4tbsp
Vanilla extract – 1tsp
Brewed coffee – ¼ cup
Hazelnut extract – 2tsp
PREPARATION
1. Pre-heat oven to 350F and grease a 13x9 baking pan with butter.
2. Combine the nuts and cinnamon. Add a tiny pinch of salt. Unroll the phyllo sheet and cover with a damp tissue to prevent dryness.
3. Place 3 sheets of phyllo on the bottom of the baking tray ,spread melted butter on the sheets, sprinkle a small fistful of the nut mixture on top of this. Repeat until you run out of the nut mixture. Place 5 sheets of phyllo as the topmost layer.
4. Use a knife to cut into the sheets into diamonds. Bake in oven for 45-50 minutes until golden.
5. To prepare the syrup , combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the rose water , the brewed coffee, vanilla and hazelnut extract. Continue to boil till the syrup reaches a thick , flowy consistency.
6. Remove the baklava once baked and immediately pour the syrup all around evenly. The syrup will sizzle when poured on top of the baklava. Cool completely before serving.
The tres leches happens to be my favorite flavor of cake and there is nothing that can stop me from polishing off an entire cake all by myself. I first made this cake along with my friends Pooja and Sushma when we interned together. Back then , baking was a luxury , especially for a student who had so much more to do that happily strut around in the kitchen. I still remember the day we all sat down in front of the refrigerator , just to see this beauty soak in milk. No matter how heavy this cake is , it is absolutely to die for.
INGREDIENTS
For the Cake
All-purpose flour – 2 ¼ cups
Baking Powder – 2 ¼ teaspoon
Sugar – 2 cups
Eggs – 4
Butter – ½ cup soft to the touch
Milk – 1 ¼ cup
Vanilla Extract – 1 teaspoon
For the Milk Mixture
Condensed Milk – 1 can
Evaporated Milk – 1 can
Regular Whole Milk – ¼ cup
For the Icing
Whipping cream – 12oz
Icing sugar – 2tbsp
Cream of Tartar – a pinch
PREPARATION
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 10 inch round pan or a 13x9 rectangular pan, preferably with a removable bottom. I used a springform pan.
2. In a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water , add eggs , sugar and vanilla extract. Keep stirring the mixture until it all the sugar dissolves and the mixture becomes smooth and pale yellow in color.
3. Beat the above mixture on medium speed until it doubles or triples in volume. Add the flour and baking powder to this mixture and combine until smooth and lump-free.
4. Fold in the milk and melted butter into this batter and check for a flowing consistency.
5. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for around 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cake on a wire rack until it reaches room temperature.
6. In a bowl , mix the condensed milk , evaporated milk and whole milk and combine. Pour this milk mixture evenly onto the cake and refrigerate overnight. At the end of this, the cake would have absorbed all the milk that it was soaked in.
7. Beat heavy whipping cream with icing sugar until soft peaks form. Add the tartar to this (stabilizing agent) and beat on high speed until stiff peaks are obtained. Transfer the icing into a piping bag and pipe away your favorite patterns.
