Boston Cream Pie

Wow. I didn't realize it's been a couple months since I've last posted! I guess I've been really busy lazing around and whiling away time, now that exams are over. :P Unfortunately, that means school is over too, and oddly enough, I'm actually missing it a lot! On the bright side, I've got 5 months to kill before college starts! That means, lots of baking! I'm also interning at the bakery at a restaurant near by called Crimson Chakra. It's a lot of fun, and now I've got something to do every day!
One thing I've been wanting to try out for a reaaaallly long time is Boston Cream Pie. I wonder why it's called a pie, since it's actually a cake! But honestly, who cares? It tastes amazing, and that's all that matters! The cream filling is absolutely delicious. I could eat it for the rest of my life. You may want to double the cake recipe, because it makes really thin layers. I didn't double the recipe, so my Boston Cream Pie wasn't very tall. The recipe below, is the original one (it's not doubled).

Ingredients:

CAKE:
1 cup + 2 tablespoons cake flour
2/3 cup sugar
1  1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

CREAM FILLING:
1 cup milk
1/4 vanilla bean (cut lengthwise, seeds scraped out) OR vanilla essence
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 cup cornstarch
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
4 ounces chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream

METHOD:

CAKE:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Farenheit and grease a round 9 inch pan.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. Beat in milk, oil, egg yolks, and vanilla essence with an electric mixer.
4. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks are formed.
5. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites and mix thoroughly.
6. Pour the cake batter into the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.

CREAM FILLING:
1. In a saucepan, heat the milk and vanilla to a boil. Set aside for 10-15 minutes.
2. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk in the cornstarch.
3. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture. Then whisk in the rest of the hot milk mixture.
4. Strain the mixture back into the saucepan and cook it until it thickens and slowly starts boiling, whisking constantly.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the butter.
6. Cool slightly, cover with cling wrap such that it touches the surface of the cream mixture, and cool for at least two hours.

GANACHE:
1. Boil the cream.
2. Pour the boiling cream over the chopped chocolate and stir until the chocolate is completely melted.

ASSEMBLE:
1. Cut the cake in half horizontally. Alternatively, you could divide the batter in half and make two separate cakes.
2. Spread the bottom layer generously with the cream filling.
3. Place the second layer on top.
4. Pour the chocolate ganache over the top of the cake.
5. Refrigerate.

Banana Oats Muffins

Happy New Year everyone!! I know, I'm late. I've been pretty bad at posting on time these days. That'll all change soon once my exams are over :) Anyway, how's 2012 been treating you all so far? I know most people think the world is going to end this year, but frankly, I think that's pretty stupid. yeah, it's fun to go along with the hype, but I'm positive December 22, 2012 shall come. No matter what your opinion is, I guess it's best to focus on the present right? A lot of us have new year resolutions. A lot of us don't. Those of us who do, usually land up not following our resolutions after the first few days. Whatever the case may be, most people decide their resolution is going to be to lose weight. That's pretty much impossible, especially for those who have a major sweet tooth. Missing out on all those desserts is just unthinkable! Here's where the good news comes in. What if I told you it was possible to eat healthy, and still indulge in sweets? Nope, there's no catch. These banana oats muffins are DELICIOUS. I know it sounds gross and waaay too healthy to even be considered tasty, but I promise you, these are so good, you may not even miss the chocolate that much! I've been off chocolate myself for a month, and I'm planning on not eating it until the Board exams get over (March 26th!), so these muffins have been my quick fix. They're good for breakfast, snack, or just to satisfy those random hunger pangs. Also, it's ridiculously simple to make. This recipe makes 12 absolutely delicious muffins.

Ingredients:

1  1/2 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sugar (You could substitute half of this with honey)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed bananas

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to about 400 degrees farenheit (200-210 degrees celcius).
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl.
3. Combine the wet ingredients in another bowl and add the mashed bananas.
4. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.
5. Bake for 20-22 minutes.