Quick Eggless Chocolate cake

Finally its the weekend here, the final weekend preceeding the holy month of Ramadan. After a few tiring days at work, I decided to stop all my activities today and lean back and chill out. With the holy month of Ramadan just round the corner, the spirit of new beginnings, promises, hope and excitement seems to be all over me bringing in the joy of traditions, spirituality & celebrations.

Now there's something else to jubilate - Aysha's Kitchenette from today has got a new look. You must be wondering why? This is my way of gifting my dearest blog on its first Birthday. A small occasion of celebration.

Yes, its hard to believe that a year has passed by so soon. But Aysha's Kitchenette has evolved from a blushing page to a persuasive outlet of my quiescent passions. From desserts to savouries, this blog has been liberally embellished with simple daily meals, yearning comfort foods, tried & tested recipes from the internet/cook books & dotted with a few thoughts & memories that I fancy to cherish.

Recollecting the events that led to this modest aspiration of mine, I cannot surmount the magic of joy and hope that struck me a year back when this new alien country refused to hearten me. My days had been utterly tranquil & I woke up every morning with dampened energy. Routine activities like cooking & other household chores seemed banal & mundane. I began to contemplete on self motivating ways and then one day just as a flash of lightining it struck me like an inspirational gusto.

Before I could jump to start this newfound passion of mine, I was a mixture of nerves & adrenalines. I wondered if I could commit myself to it or I'd just negelct it after a while and allow it to weed away. I felt like being on tenterhooks while I battled with these fears. But then suddenly one day, I gathered my nerves, bundled them up & opened the flood gates of creativity haltingly. The rest is History. Now I am all ready to rock n roll.

Even though my initial motive was to upgrade myself into a seasoned chef, I tried to guide my vision into something realistic to get into the groove.Gradually Reading ,Writing, Cooking & Learning  got converted into inspiring and refreshing activities that unfolded me gently into a more confident soul. Invading my thoughts & transferring them on this page has empowered me to hone my skills & galvanised this blog to become my steady companion sharing my contentment & woes.

A Long Journey

This a post inscribed for you all - my towers of strength & I am at a loss of words on how to thank you all for enlivining me to the core & stopping over often to see what this page has for you. I am deeply overwhelmed by your constant support & the geneorsity showered on me regularly.Albeit virtually, I'd love to see more suggestions from you all on how to enrich this page & make it a fruitful platform to you all.

So let us celebrate this special occasion with a simple but a luscious Chocolate cake. Yes, I belive that a cake can surely add oomph to any celebration. A Quick,eggless Chocolate cake that can be made without any tantrums of beating the eggs/butter till stiff. An outer chocolaty decoration that can make mouths water. With its creamy texture, it melts deliciously in the mouth making you crave for more and more.

A beautiful & decadent cake for Aysha's Kitchenette that has just turned One !!!

INGREDIENTS:
[ Adapted from joyofbaking.com]

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup granulated white sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder  sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup warm water

1 tablespoon lemon juice (or vinegar)

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

For the Chocolate Frosting:

1 packet semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup heavy cream (35% butterfat)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and place rack in center of oven.

2)  In a cake pan, stir together the flour, sugar, sifted cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3)  Add the melted butter, water, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. With a fork, mix all the ingredients together until well blended.

4) Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

5) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Frosting: 

1) Place the chocolate chips, cream, and butter in a heatproof bowl. Place over a saucepan of simmering water and melt until smooth.

2) Remove from heat and let stand at room temperature until it is of pouring consistency. Then pour the frosting over the cooled cake. Let stand until frosting has thickened.