Chocolate icing

30g unsweetened dark cocoa powder,
75g melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

60 g caster sugar

Mix all ingredients thoroughly, taste to adjust sweetness.

Chocolate cake

Ingredients
210 gm  all-purpose flour
300 gm granulated white sugar
75g unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
240 g buttermilk 
100 g oil
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tsp instant coffee in 200 ml boiling water
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch baking pans (or line with parchment paper circles) and set aside.
In the large bowl of a standing mixer, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla extract and beat until smooth (about 3 minutes). Remove bowl from mixer and stir in hot coffee with a rubber spatula. The batter will be very runny.
Pour batter evenly between the two pans and bake on middle rack of oven for about 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs attached.

Palak Paneer Pie

Dough

• 2.5 Cups Flour
• .75 tsp Salt
• 50 gm ghee
• 40 gm cheese, grated
• 130 gm unsalted Butter, grated
• 7 tbsp ice cold water

Make dough with ice cold water and put it in the fridge in a poly bag. If you like your crust crisp, refrigerate all the ingredients beforehand. Even the bowl, if you like. If its not too pliable, you may add a bit of water or butter, a little at a time.

Filling

• 2 Onions, chopped
• 2 Cups Spinach, steamed and drained
• 1 Cup Peas, cooked
• 2.5 Cup grated Paneer, drained
• 4 Green Chillies, chopped
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tbsp Salt
• 2 tbsp isabgol powder
• 1 tbsp Amchoor 
• 1 tbsp Garam Masala 
• 0.5 Cup Pomegranate 

Just mix all these ingredients, and set aside. Divide the dough into two unequal portions. Use the larger one for the base and roll out according to your pie dish size and fit it in. 

Once the base is set, blind bake on lowest rack on 180C for 10-15 mins or until golden brown. Evenly spread the filling, and top with the rest of the dough. If you're making a flat topped pie, make steam vents with a fork. Bake  on the middle rack at 180C until the crust turns light brown, 20-25 mins.

credits: Ms. Vandana Arya, improvision Aaliya Khan

Hazelnut Gateau Breton

For the filling:

•      100 g chopped dates
•      100 ml water
•      2 tbsp Orange blossom water
•      20 ml vegetable oil
•      20 g plain chocolate chips
•      50 g Hazelnut meal
•      1 tbsp almond extract

 
For the gateau:

•      250 g unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
•      1 tsp salt
•      100g Hazelnut meal
•      2 tbsp Almond extract
•      150 g golden caster sugar, Lakanto Golden
•      200 g plain flour, sieved  
•      3 eggs
•      2 egg yolks
•      1 egg white, for glaze

Position rack in centre of oven and preheat to 160°C. 

Butter and flour 9-inch-diameter springform pan. 

Combine deseeded dates and water over low heat. Once soft add Orange blossom, oil, chocolate and meal. Add extract, set mix aside.

 In a food processor, pulse to combine flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles bread crumbs. 
Add the eggs, whisk in hazelnut meal (batter will be thick; do not overmix or cake may be tough).

Divide batter into two. Transfer one half to prepared pan; smooth top with offset spatula (layer will be thin). Spread chocolate mix on top and spread evenly, leaving out the 1/2 inch from the outermost circle. Spread the other half of the batter on top.

Brush top generously with egg glaze. Using back of tines of fork, deeply mark crisscross pattern atop cake, marking 3 times across in 1 direction and 3 times in the other direction. Bake cake until deep golden on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes, then remove pan sides and cool cake completely.

Low-carb Madeleine recipe

 Cook Time: 8 mins

·           3 eggs

·           90 g powdered sugar, Lakanto

·           1 1/2 tsp orange zest

·           120 g flour

·           1 tsp baking powder

·           ¼ tsp salt

·           50 ml melted unsalted butter

·           20 ml vegetable oil

·           1 tbsp powdered sugar, Lakanto

• Beat eggs with sugar until pale yellow. Add zest.
• Whisk together dry ingredients add to the egg mixture gently, until just combined. Add melted butter.
• Refrigerate the batter  overnight. This is really critical for getting the “hump” of a Madeleine, the traditional mark of this classic French cookie.
• Preheat oven to 176C.
• Lightly coat a non-stick, Madeleine pan with baking spray using this technique. Spray the baking spray into a small bowl and with a pastry brush lightly grease each well.
• Spoon 1 tbsp (15 ml) of batter into the center of the well.
• Bake 7-8 mins until slightly golden around edges and centers look set and slight hump has appeared. Allow to cool slightly and remove from the tin and allow to cool.
• Once cooled dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Best eaten the day they are made.