DUBAI CHOCOLATE STYLE BARFI

Everything has been revolving around the Dubai chocolate recently.  This chocolate went viral last year and since then people have been creating stuff with kataifi and pistachio cream like Dubai chocolate cake, Dubai chocolate biscuit or cookies and  Dubai chocolate tiramisu. I've been wondering if creating something like the Dubai chocolate cake but with a layer of barfi at the bottom instead of a chocolate cake would turn out good. I tried asking chat gpt and it says go on it will be good.  I've searched the net but couldn't find a recipe; I did found some people who have tried barfi with incorporated kataifi.  But this is not what I wanted; I wanted it layered similar to the dubai chocolate cake. 

Recently at the end of May, I saw that Ambala launched a Dubai chocolate barfi, but still this is not what I wanted. The barfi Ambala launched was more like a pistachio barfi, followed by a layer of katafi and topped with chocolate. And again this didn't turn me on.

Ambala foods Dubai Style chocolate barfi
copied from Ambala Foods on FB

I wanted it similar to the layer of a Dubai chocolate cake.  And here is my inspiration:

INGREDIENTS FOR PISTACHIO BARFI

500 g milk powder 

180 g nestle cream

250 ml water 

1 cup sugar 

1 tbsp good quality pistachio essence

25 g good quality pure salted butter 

50 g almond toasted and chopped 

60 g pistachio lightly toasted and chopped 

Method for preparing barfi

1. Mix milk powder with nestle cream  until it resembles fine crumbs.

2. Meanline pour water in a pan and add 1 cup of sugar.  when mixture starts to boil, add milk crumbs.  Mix until well combined with the  syrup.  Add pistachio essence, chopped nuts followed by butter.  Cook over low heat stirring constantly for 15 minutes.  

3. Pour mixture in a slightly buttered square or rectangular pan.  I used a rectangular pan of size 25cmx30cm.

INGREDIENTS FOR PISTACHIO KATAIFI FILLING 

175 g kataifi roasted (room temperature)

180 g nestle cream

200 g Lindt white cooking chocolate (chopped, room temperature)

1 tbsp butter (room temperature)

200 g pistachio cream or paste (room temperature)

Method for preparing pistachio kataifi cream

1. Place the chopped white chocolate in a heatproof bowl.

2. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium heat until it's just about tonafa  simmer. Pour the cream over the white chocolate and let it sit for a minute or two.

3. Stir the mixture gently until the white chocolate has completely melted. Add butter and mix until smooth. Allow it to cool to room temperature.

4. Beat the pistachio cream with a spoon for a few seconds then add the white chocolate ganache and mix until smooth.  Finally fold in the roasted kataifi. 

5. Pour the mixture over the barfi and level it out. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

INGREDIENTS FOR MILK CHOCOLATE TOPPING 

250 g Lint milk chocolate

Around 20 g toasted chopped pistachio

Method for melting chocolate

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.  Pour the melted chocolate over the barfi and decorate with some more toasted pistachio. When the chocolate has hardened, you may cut and serve the barfi.

Try it and let me know how it goes.... Leave a comment below.

Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Swirl

I have been baking many chocolate cake recipe lately and I've noticed that the cake is more flavourful when I use Nestlé cocoa powder than those sold in stores that sell baker's stuffs.  I like to use a combo of butter and oil as butter gives a good taste while oil provides moistness to the cake. 

Ingredients for Chocolate Cake 

Dry Ingredients

300g self raising flour 

50g cocoa powder (I use Nestle cocoa powder)

1 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp salt 

Wet Ingredients 

200g soft butter (I use Red Feather or Lurpark) 

4 tbsps avocado oil

300 g granulated white or light brown sugar 

5 eggs

125g yoghurt without sugar 

3/4 cup hot water + 1 tbsp coffee (i use Nestcafe)

1 tbsp vanilla essence 

Ingredients for Cream Cheese Mixture

250g cream cheese

80g icing sugar 

1 large egg

1 tbsp vanilla essence 

 

Method

1. Preheat the oven at 190 degrees celcius.
2. Grease and line a baking tin. I use a rectangular cake pan size L:29cm X B:20cm X H:5cm.

3. Beat cream cheese, icing, vanilla essence and egg until well combined. Set aside.
4. Sift the dry ingredients in a bowl.
5. In another bowl add butter, oil and sugar, mix for 3-4 minutes until combined; Stir in the eggs and mix vigorously; mix in the yoghurt and vanilla essence.  It's ok if the mixture looks slightly curdled.
6. Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined.
7. Mix in the very hot coffee mixture until smooth.  All the mixing should be carried with a balloon hand whisk. Do not overmix. 

8. Pour the mixture in the prepared mould. Add dollops of the cream cheese on top. Swirl with  a skewer.  I have added some lindt white cooking chocolate on top and its optional. 

Cream cheese mixture

cake with cream cheese swirl and lindt chocolate chunks

9. Bake at 190 degrees celcius for 30-35 minutes. Check with a skewer if ready. Let cool in the oven itself with the door half open. Cut into squares or rectangles.

They are perfect for wrapping and can be gifted during festive occasions.

  

I hope you will enjoy this recipe.....

Quick and easy cupcakes

This cake recipe is very easy and foolproof for beginners. It tastes amazing and takes less than 30 mins to prepare. It is also a one bowl recipe which requires less washing up. 

Approx 30 cupcakes (mini ones)

Ingredients

3 eggs 
1 can condensed milk
2tbsp vanilla essence
250g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 tsp yoghurt 
100g softened butter
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Method

1. Sift flour, baking and salt. 
2. Beat together condensed milk, eggs and vanilla essence. 
3. Stir in sifted flour. 
4. Beat in yoghurt and butter.  Mix in choc chips.
5. Scoop in cupcake casings or pour in greased and lined tin. 
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 190°C
7. Enjoy with tea.