Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe

I started using this recipe couple of months ago, and it's been a hit ever since. This is a very flavorful loaf and sure both adults and kids are gonna love it. The garam masala gives a very nice kick to this banana bread. The taste of the bread enhances after a day it is baked and even the color gets darker on the next day. The one in the picture was clicked on the very same day it was baked.

Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe

Makes one 8 " loaf and 6 muffins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/3 cups light brown sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 large bananas + 1 small banana
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. garam masala
• 1/3 cup plain yogurt (used whole milk yogurt)
• 1/2 cup mini semi sweet  or dark chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree Farenheit. Grease a 8.5 inch loaf tin with butter or oil and line a muffin tray.
2. Sift the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and garam masala in a medium size bowl. Peel and mash the bananas.
3. In a large size bowl, add the brown sugar and butter. Beat at medium speed until creamy.
4. Add the eggs and beat until combined. To this, add the mashed banana and beat at low speed until combined.
5. Stir in the yogurt and mix well. Add the choco chip and stir.
6. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, for about 1 hour for the loaf cake and it takes about 15 minutes for the muffins.
7. Allow it to cool completely and cut into slices.

Read the entire recipe here

Perfect Chocolate Loaf Cake Recipe

It is lots of baking nowadays and most of it is chocolate based. And, good for me that a person in the family (DH), who never touches anything that is chocolat-ey, is nowadays the first person to dig on those baked goodies. This chocolate loaf cake as the name says is a perfect chocolate loaf cake - moist and luscious !!! A definite must try recipe!!!

Perfect Chocolate Loaf Cake Recipe

Ingredients 

•  3/4 cup all-purpose flour
•  1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
•  1/2 teaspoon baking powder
•  1/8 teaspoon baking soda
•  1 stick ( 1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
•  1/2 cup + 2  3/4 tbsps. sugar
•  1 large egg, at room temperature 
•  1/2 cup sour cream
•  white chocolate and milk chocolate chips for the drizzle 

 Method

1.  Preheat the oven to 350ºF . Line a 8.5 inch loaf pan with parchment and butter or oil all the sides of the pan.
2.  Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda in a mixing bowl and stir well. Set aside. 
3.  Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add the egg and beat just until combined.Add the sour cream and dry ingredients slowly and beat at low speed until they are incorporated.
4.  Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake the cakes for 25-35 minutes, or until they are well risen and a toothpick, when inserted, comes out clean. 
5.  Let the cake cool completely in the pan and invert it. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave until completely melted, taking it out and stirring every 10 seconds once.Drizzle them over the loaf. Cut into slices and serve.

Recipe adapted from Just a Taste

Read the entire recipe here

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Read the entire recipe here

Indo Chinese Style Noodles

Here I am after a short break with my never go wrong recipe, which my whole family loves. Lots of recipes are still pending in the drafts, half way edited. I love this space, but my neck and back never cooperates with me to post the recipes regularly. Past one week, have been taking pain killers and muscle relaxants, but this bloody pain is not getting out of me . It all started on one fine day when I over exercised after a week break . Anyways, hopefully will try to be regular by making my proxy (DH) type the recipes for me . I have experimented with many varieties of noodles, but Barilla brand spaghetti is an excellent choice for this recipe.
Indo Chinese Noodles Recipe
Ingredients
4 cups of cooked Spaghetti ( Barilla brand)
1 medium size onion, julienned
1 small green pepper, julienned
1 small red pepper, julienned
1 small yellow pepper, julienned
4 to 5 mushroom, thinly sliced
1 small size carrot, julienned
4 to 5 large size garlic, peeled and extra finely chopped
1 inch ginger finely minced
green onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. chilli flakes
Maggi hot and sweet sauce
light soy sauce
ground white pepper, a big pinch
3 large eggs (optional)
1/4 cup chicken, cooked & shredded (optional)
salt (as per taste)
3 to 4 tbsp. olive oil
Method
1. Cook the Spaghetti as per the instructions. In a nonstick pan, break the eggs and pour, At high flame, quickly break and cook until done. Do not add oil while cooking. Keep it aside.
2. In a wide pan, heat oil and at high flame add the garlic,ginger and the red chilli flakes.
3. Reduce the flame to medium and add the onion, peppers, bulb of the green onion and sauté until they are 1/4th cooked. Now, add the carrots, mushrooms and sauté. They should not be cooked completely. They should retain the crunchiness.
4. Add the 2 tsps. of light soy sauce and 1 tbsp. of Maggi hot and sweet sauce and stir the vegetables in the sauce.
5. Now, add the cooked spaghetti and gently give a stir. Add another 2 tsps. of light soy sauce, 1 or more tbsps. of hot and sweet sauce, final dose of salt and give a stir.The sauces should evenly be mixed with the vegetables and spaghetti. If adding the chicken, add at this stage. I have used the shredded chicken which was cooked with plenty of water , ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt.
6. Add the scrambled eggs (if using) and ground white pepper. Give a final stir. Garnish with the chopped green onions.

Here is the Noodles served with Fish manchurian, which was our dinner on one Sunday evening, two weeks ago .

How to make Indo Chinese Style Noodles?

Read the entire recipe here

Nutella Brownie Recipe

These are perfect fudge brownies which all get disappeared  in a day !!!. I swear that you can’t stop with just one . I came across these brownies from Roxana's Facebook page, where she had shared it from Motherthyme blog. I baked these beauties yesterday and they turned out extremely delicious and irresistible !!!.

Nutella Brownie Recipe

Ingredients

3/4 cup All purpose flour / Plain Flour / Maida

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs (at room temperature)

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 cup Nutella

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.Use the nonstick spray very lightly all over inside the 8 X 8 inch brownie pan or a 11 X 7 inch pan . Line the entire pan with the parchment paper, making sure that two of its sides are hanging. Again apply very light nonstick cooking spray inside the parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine flour and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, bring in the unsalted butter and beat until light and fluffy. Bring in sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and Nutella. Beat until creamy.

3. Add the flour mixture and gently fold into the batter. Do not beat, just gentle stirring is enough, just until combined.

4. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake just until the bottom of the batter is baked, and the top looks cracked about 25 to 35 minutes (depending on the oven)- Mine took about 27 minutes.

5. Allow the brownie to cool completely before cutting them.

Recipe Source : Mother Thyme

Check out the baking pans and parchment paper in Amazon – Here and Here .

Read the entire recipe here

Nutella and Biscoff Self Frosting Cupcakes/ Muffins Recipe

It is rare that I don’t bake anything in a week stretch. It did happen last week and my elder one started asking to bake something ( brownies / cupcakes/ muffins) for him. Whether he eats or not, he enjoys helping me while baking. We were planning to make brownies, but it was his nap time, when I planned to bake. So, I promised him that I will bake the brownies along with him  and will be ready with the cupcakes when he wakes up. So, these were the cupcakes I baked. Got the inspiration from bakingbites to add these spreads on the top of these muffins/ cupcakes. I decided to go with my favorite recipe, that I have used earlier in this choco- chip muffin recipe. The biscoff spread actually blended so good on the batter and looked very appealing than the nutella , though taste was good on both the frostings . These are very mild , not too sweet like the muffins, but with nutella and biscoff on top, it can be claimed as a cupcake .

Ingredients

2 Cups All purpose Flour(Maida)

3/4 cup White Granulated sugar

3 tsp. Baking powder

1 cup Milk

1/2 cup Oil

1 Large Egg(US Standard size)

1/4 cup Nutella

1/4 cup Biscoff spread

Method

1.Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.

2.Line the muffin tray with baking cups or grease the bottoms with baking spray, in case of not using the baking cups.

3. In a medium bowl combine the 1/2 cup sugar,Flour,Baking powder and mix well.

4. In a small bowl,combine milk,oil and egg and blend well.

5. Take a spoonful of batter and fill the muffin cups 2/3 full.

6. Drop three spoons of nutella and biscoff on each of the muffin batter . Slightly warm up the spreads before adding to the batter.

7. Using a clean tooth pick, make swirls on the top. Wipe off the tooth pick each while making patterns of each muffins/ cupcakes.

8. Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes or just until the tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

Read the entire recipe here