Chocolate Covered Treats are one of the easiest treats that you can customise as per need of the hour. And using instant pot as a double boiler to melt chocolates would be your best friend hereon.
This post covers everything you need to know about, “How to melt chocolates in Instant Pot” along with 2 bonus recipes.
…Read along to check out all the mistakes that I did which you can avoid!!!
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This Buttercream Flower Cake is an easy floral design cake perfect for any occasion – Wedding, Birthday or Anniversary. Making buttercream flowers is easier than you think.
In this tutorial learn how to make this beautiful Cut-Out Cake decorated with hand-piped buttercream roses that cover the detailed tips and tricks on piping tips, buttercream frosting consistency and the one way to get it right EVERY SINGLE TIME!!!
After going through the tutorial of this floral buttercream cake, I believe that you will become more confident with frosting the cake and trying the Watercolour Buttercream Technique, piping simple buttercream flowers and finally adding the magical touch to make your cake look straight out of the bakery or even better.
Even though I will be discussing a lot of factors in depth in this post, I would still recommend you to go through two of my earlier posts on the Buttercream Series which will help you even more namely:
Now before you even start to make the frosting for making the cake, I would highly recommend you guys to check out my tips for how to make the perfect Buttercream Frosting. In this post, you will find answers to all your questions namely:
The major take-aways from this particular post will include:
Since I have covered the majority of the things in the two mentioned posts, I will not repeat all those points once again or else this post would become too long and it might happen that I might miss writing the other things you need to know or you are so bored by the length of the post that you just GO BACK!!!
So WAIT.. please don’t leave just go through this and I promise that you will find what you came looking for. 😀
Things you will need:
With your frosting ready in the piping bag fitted with the petal nozzle start by squeezing just a bit of it directly on the flower nail. This would act as a glue for the parchment paper to stick on and won’t allow the paper to move while you are piping the buttercream flowers.
Start by piping a dollop of the prepared buttercream frosting in the centre of the nail to create a bud. This would just look like a blob at the centre.
Next, go a 360° round around the blob of frosting closing the inner blob to represent a bud.
The inner-circle should have exactly 3 petals. The technique of making the petal involves creating an arch from left to right overlapping the first arch.
The next circle should have 5 petals. The technique remains the same. And one more thing is that start by creating a smaller arch at the beginning and then increase the size as you finish the petal.
Let the flowers chill in the fridge until set.
Watch it in the video format would be even easier.
For the sake of decorating this Buttercream Flower Cake, I have just made roses of different sizes. The primary colours used in making the roses are pink, peach and yellow.However please note that the video has 3 additional flower-making procedure which would be super helpful too. 😀
As a beginner, it would totally stress you out when you just begin to make your first buttercream flower. Be patient here, with a little practise you will get there. And I promise by the end of making 5 flowers you will gain the speed you need.
But here are certain tips and pointers to keep in mind while making the roses. Not only roses this will work for other flowers too.
Once you pipe the flowers you need just place the parchment paper squares on to the cookie tray. Place the tray in the freezer for 10 mins.
And when they are frozen (becomes super easy to handle), simply place them in an airtight container. You can even stack them one above the other.. Nothing will happen till they are in the freezer.
Once they are out of the freezer, make sure to separate the flowers as they tend to thaw pretty quick and would then stick to each other.
However, if you are planning to use the buttercream flowers on the same day itself then simply chill them in the fridge until set no need to freeze in that case.
You can store the buttercream flowers in the freezer for up to a week. Nothing will happen if you store more than that but I haven’t tried storing beyond that point and so won’t recommend too.
Yes definitely.
That’s the whole point of me writing this section and also mentioning to make this easy Buttercream Flowers right at the start.
Make the buttercream flowers 2 to 3 days prior and store them in the freezer as mentioned above.
For this Buttercream Flower Cake tutorial, I have made use of my go-to simple Vanilla Cake Recipe.
I have used 1.5 times of the recipe and baked it in 3, 6-inch cake tins for the same time interval.
Once cooled trimmed the top off and applied my simple syrup so that the cake remains moist all the time.
Filled with my all-time favourite smooth and not so sweet Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and Tutti Frutti and also frosted the cake with the same frosting just dyed it peach.
To give the watercolour technique simply take the frosting of your choice and colour it as you like. I have used pink and yellow colour.
Using a spatula apply the colours at random places on top of your cake. Once you are happy with the colouring, take a spatula and smoothen it out in one or two go maximum so that the colours remain distinct.
If you would go on smoothening the frosting then the colours would blend with each other and would not remain distinct.
Chill it for 10 to 15 mins makes it so much easier to work with while you reach the decorating part.
Always make the frosting more than what you think would be needed.
Apart from the filling and frosting you also need frosting to make the flowers. So keeping that in mind make sure you always have excess in hand. I hate it when I am just about to finish the cake and realise that there are no more frosting left.
For this particular cake, I used nearly 600 gms of butter and 1500 gms of Icing sugar from start to finish.
Now that you have the required buttercream flowers ready and the cake is also chilled and ready and placed on the cake board of your choice, time to decorate the cake.
Using a sharp knife, (Insider’s Tip: I like to dip my knife in hot water before slicing any cake for clean cuts) cut the cake halfway keeping the end portion still intact. (Refer the video)
With the help of the spatula or a knife move the half slices to the edges of the cake board creating a centre gap.
Using the same frosting, frost the now exposed sides of the cake. This would also act as a medium or glue for our buttercream flowers to stick on.
Using a leaf tip and green coloured frosting make leaves on the centre end of the cake where the cake is still joint to each other.
Now look at your buttercream flower sizes and place them on the cake in the colour pattern you like or according to the space available.
Do not worry about the little gaps that you can see we will fill those up too.
So once you are happy with the placements of flowers, using tip 1M make hydrangea flowers on the gaps that are super evident.
Finally, add some leaves using the leaf tip to cover up any faults or still exposed cake parts.
To add the magical touch, place some butterflies on the cake, add edible gold glitter and sprinkles.
Voila, the most beautiful cake I have made until now. What do you all think?
Besides making the Cut-Out cake you could also have chosen to simply place the flowers on top of the cake to make a wreath design. Buttercream flower wreath cake is quite a popular cake design trend too.
While placing the roses on to the sides of the cake some of them might fall. Do not panic simply press the roses a little harder to the frosting and it will stick. If not add some frosting to the back of the rose and then place it.
I hope you guys found my detailed post on this Buttercream Flower Cake Tutorial helpful and you are now at least a tidbit confident about making a three-layer cake.
If so then definitely do share your thoughts with me on Facebook messenger or Instagram or Twitter. I would love to hear from you guys.
Pin this for later
I will see you soon with yet another recipe
Until then
Hugs
Sushma
Easy Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups – A fun and entertaining holidays treat for your kids, family or friends. These muffin tin little cups filled with 2 ingredient Chocolate Mousse would surely win hearts around your dinner table.
Also, check out the recipe for an easy way to make a small batch perfect eggless chocolate chip cookie.
Having an egg allergy?
Or you open the refrigerator just to find out that there are no more eggs left.. 🙁
Or are you a vegetarian?
Simply looking for an egg-free dessert?
Whatever be it – all I can say is your search ends here!!
Perfectly crispy edges and a soft centre, one bite of these delicious chocolate chip cookies and you will never realise that there are no eggs in it.
And when baked in muffin tins, the edible cookie dough takes the shape of such adorable and cute chocolate chip cookie cups that you will fall head over in love with it.
The filling choice for these amazing chocolate chip cookie cups is endless.. From ice-creams to cheesecakes to simple ganache or whipped cream to mousse or simply plain milk, each addition would totally elevate the dessert to the next level.
Today I have chosen to fill this with a ridiculously easy peasy recipe of Chocolate Mousse that is made with just 2 ingredients, yes you read it right JUST 2 INGREDIENTS!!
Before the tips, it is important to understand the role of each ingredient to make the best out of any recipe.
Don’t even think about it!! Always and Always Butter.
Never use margarine here. The flavour and quality of the end product that you get out of using butter are nowhere close to the ones made using margarine.
Bakeries often tend to use margarine in their products to be cost-efficient. But as a home-baker, the best flavour is achieved by using butter.
I have talked about this particular step in much detail in my Science behind baking the perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie post. If you are someone who loves reading articles about baking science highly recommend you to check that post.
Will just touch it shortly here that we have to use softened butter to get the best results. Not melted not cold but soft enough to slide your finger through the butter cubes.
To achieve this simply place the butter at room temperature at least 2 hours before you start with the recipe.
I would recommend using both to make the cookies or cookie cup.
The role of brown sugar here is to give the cookies the characteristic Brown Colour and the caramelised flavour. However, you can choose to substitute the same with white sugar if you do not have them handy.
But do use caster sugar here in place of granulated sugar. That is because in the creaming method caster sugar tends to dissolve faster along with the butter as compared to the granulated sugar owing to the smaller size.
One of the reasons for the cookies to turn flat and become soft is because of the addition of baking soda. So always use baking powder in the recipe to avoid the same.
Hmmm… The role of cornstarch is interesting. The addition of the same tends to make the cookie chewy.
Personally, I do not like chewy cookies so I have not included the same in the recipe.
If you follow the recipe to T, you would get a cookie that has crispy edges and soft centre, which is absolutely divine in my opinion. If you like you can go ahead and add 1 tsp of cornstarch to make the cookies soft and chewy in the centre.
Eggs act as a binding agent in this recipe so it was very easy to come up with a substitution for the same.
You can read more about eggs in baking from this post here.
Unlike the 3 ingredient butter cookies recipe, it is important to cream together softened butter and both the sugars until light and creamy in this case. This would take around 10 to 15 mins using a stand mixer.
Add half of the measured out milk. Beat until combined. Add the rest and beat well.
Sieve all the dry ingredients and add it to the butter mixture. Beat until just combined. Do not overmix the batter.
Step 4:
Add the chocolate chips and fold that through.
Using an ice-cream scoop as a guide simply scoop the batter and place it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
CHILL IN THE REFRIGERATOR FOR A MINIMUM OF 2 HOURS.
Or preferably overnight. I did chill it overnight.
And then bake in a preheated oven of 180°C for 12-16 mins until the edges crisp up and turn light golden in colour.
I divided the dough into 2 which means I made 6 cookies and with the remaining dough made 7 cookie cups.
All the tips and steps mentioned up to step 3 remains the same while making these best cookie cups too.
What varies for this is Step 4 so I will directly start with that.
You would need a mini muffin tin to make these easy cookie cups. And the best part is there is absolutely no need to chill the batter. Cool right!!
So once you make the eggless cookie dough, using an ice-cream scoop simply scoop out the dough and place it in the mini muffin tins.
Bake them in a preheated oven of 180°C for 14-17 mins until the sides start crisping and the centre is just set.
While still warm, that is when it is out of the oven, using any circular object ( I have used the back of a tbsp) press down the centre to create a hollow space pressing it to the edges.
Since the cookie is still warm it would take the shape of the muffin tin base and you would get a cookie cup.
Let it cool in the muffin tin itself for another 10 mins. Then remove from the tin and let it cool completely on the cooling rack before filling it with fillings of your choice.
There is absolutely no need to chill the dough. Since we are making it in the muffin tin, the dough would ultimately take the shape of the pockets and would not spread flat like in the former cookie case.
Let’s take a moment to acknowledge the beauty of this silky smooth and utterly delicious Chocolate Mousse Frosting that is made out of just 2 ingredients.. Unbelievable right!!
This is not the traditional way of making Mousse I understand.
But a shortcut method is always welcomed right!! Plus it is Eggless and needs just 5 mins of your time. Also the chocolate and whipped cream itself is stable enough to hold the shape of the frosting.
That means you can use this frosting to fill and frost an entire cake as I have done in the image below. The frosting is stable enough to pipe designs over the cake too.
Basically, I have used my favourite chocolate cake as the base, this chocolate mousse frosting to fill and frost the cake. Followed by a dark chocolate ganache drip decorated with basic chocolate decorations which I believe every baker must know.
To make this 2 ingredient Chocolate Mousse Frosting all you have to do is:
Chop the chocolate and place it in a bowl. Pour some hot cream on top. Let it stand for a minute and then stir to dissolve.
If the chocolate is not dissolved completely then place the bowl over a bain-marie and stir to dissolve completely. Set aside for 10 mins until it thickens a bit.
Meanwhile, in a separate bowl start whipping the cream and once you get soft peaks, add the ganache to it and whip until still peaks. Voila, your easy peasy shortcut chocolate mousse frosting is already:D
Honestly, it would take an entirely separate post to solve each and every query regarding making cookies which I will surely do sometime sooner.
For today let us see the major 2 issues that you would face.
If you note all the points mentioned above then your cookies will not spread too much.
The edges turn crispy and light golden brown in colour whereas the centre still seems to be soft and not cooked completely. Do not worry upon chilling the cookies will crisp up further.
Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies can be stored for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.
Cookie Dough: To keep cookie dough, wrap it in a cling film or store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Or you can freeze the dough for up to 3 months.
Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups is a fun and entertaining holidays treat for your kids, family or friends. These muffin tin little cups desserts filled with 2 ingredient Chocolate Mousse would surely win hearts around your dinner table.
Cream together softened butter and both the sugars until light and creamy in this case. This would take around 10 to 15 mins using a stand mixer.
Add half of the measured out milk. Beat until combined. Add the rest and beat well.
Sieve all the dry ingredients and add it to the butter mixture. Beat until just combined and it takes the shape of the dough. Do not overmix the batter.
Add the chocolate chips and fold that through.
Divide the dough into 2.
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out the dough and directly place them in the mini muffin tins.
Bake in a preheated oven of 180°C for 14-17 mins.
Once out of the oven and while still warm, using a rounded object (I have used the back of a tbsp) press down the centre to create a dent pushing the cookie to the sides to form the shape of a cup.
Let it cool in the pan itself for 10 mins, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the remaining dough also, scoop out the batter using an ice-cream scoop, and place them in a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Chill the dough for a minimum of 2 hours. (I would highly recommend to chill them overnight which is what I did).
Bake in a preheated oven of 180°C for 12-15 mins until the edges crisp up turning into golden brown colour and the centre still remains soft.
Let it sit in the baking tray itself for 3-4 mins and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Take the chopped chocolates and 50 ml Cream in a bowl. Melt them over a double boiler until the chocolate is all melted and combined with the cream. This is the ganache
Let it cool and thicken for 5-10 mins.
Meanwhile, whip the remaining cream to soft peaks. Gradually add the cooled ganache and whip until stiff peaks.
Your chocolate mousse filling is ready to be filled in.
Melt some chocolate and place in a wide mouth bowl. Also keep the sprinkles ready in a separate plate.
Dip the cookie cups into melted chocolate such that it only coats the top rim of the cups. Tap to remove off the excess.
Then place the cups into the sprinkles so that it sticks around the edges. Let it stand for couple of minutes to set completely.
Fill with the prepared chocolate mousse.
As mentioned in the recipe I have divided the cookie dough batter into two to get 6 cookies and 7 cookie cups.
That means simply just halve all the ingredients to make just 6-7 cookies at a time.
The recipe works perfectly fine when halved. I have always made a small batch for my family so be rest assured that the recipe works.
These Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookie cups are a fun and entertaining treat for kids, friends or family that you can try to make this holiday season.
Totally satisfying and worth trying.
The crispy cookie base followed by a smooth and silky melt in your mouth mousse filling and the little bite of the crunchy sprinkles is totally divine.
So is the eggless chocolate chip cookies a delight to eat. The crispy edges with a soft centre studded with chocolate pearls dunked into milk are something that I can have any time of the day. Can you too?
The 2 ingredient Chocolate Mousse takes hardly 5 mins of your time and with just 2 ingredients it is a dessert that is worth making even at 2.00 am. A quick and easy dessert to satisfy your dessert craving.
You can use this frosting to fill and frost an entire cake. The details of which have been shared in the recipe post above.
All in all, this Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookie Cup is a delight to make and share with friends and family. If you too think so then definitely let me know your thoughts by tagging me, tweeting me or Instagram me. I would love to follow you and your posts.
Pin this to your Cookies or Dessert Board
I will see you soon with yet another recipe
Until then
Hugs
Sushma
Caramel Bread Pudding – One of the best delicious desserts for your next occasion. Made in an Instant Pot without eggs this best bread pudding dessert served with a dollop of whipped cream is sure enough to win hearts around the table!!
Self Saucing Caramel Sauce + Fall – Just bring it on!!!
Wait why Fall?? Actually, you can enjoy this easy bread pudding any time of the year..
By the look of it, you might consider this to be same as crème caramel. But no there is a difference.
The creme caramel is a smoother custard-based dessert and there is no use of bread in it. But in this case, the main ingredient is Bread!!
So do not expect this to be as smooth and silky as our creme caramel. This simple bread pudding recipe is definitely soft and smooth but still has a bite to it due to the bread added and not melt in the mouth like the former case.
Well, I would say Yes. But again not because it has the basic custard ingredients like egg, cream and sugar.
Instead, I have tried to make it eggless by simply using the custard powder to set our bread pudding.
You can also try using cornstarch and vanilla bean paste instead for the same.
Not at all.. I believe Bread Pudding recipe is one of those ultimate comfort foods that each and every family has some memory with a fabulous recipe that they might be so proud of.
The Bread Pudding Jars that I had shared is more of an American or western pudding style that I came across after moving to New Zealand.
And today’s recipe is more of an Indian version of the beloved old fashioned bread pudding.
So, in short, this Instant Pot Caramel Bread Pudding is basically an Indian pudding recipe that is made using bread, custard powder and milk, steamed to a state where it is totally set giving us clean slices that have a smooth and soft texture with a bite to it owing to the addition of bread.
Since we do not soak the bread in milk like bread pudding jars recipe you will not have a melt in your mouth feel but instead a little bite as if you are eating a piece of cake.
The self-saucing caramel sauce is totally the cherry on the cake. Apart from adding a beautiful flavour it also aids in giving us a moist bread pudding.
The first thing you need to do is make the caramel which forms the base layer of our cake tin.
We are using 6-inch cake tin today. Of course, you can use either ramekins or even any stainless steel container for that matter unless you are making it in the oven.
A very basic step and my favourite too as you might have seen me make this countless times while making praline for various recipes like our Christmas Toffee Cookies or even for Butterscotch Cake.
All you have to do is melt some sugar and just a bit of water until you get that golden amber colour. Patience is the key here. The sugar syrup starts simmering, comes to a rolling boil, turns into pale yellow colour and in few seconds you reach the caramel stage.
Once you reach that stage, you need to act fast. That is because the caramel tends to set fast as soon as it hits the cake pan.
So once you reach the amber golden colour immediately pour it into the cake pan and give a quick swirl to the pan so that the entire base is coated with the caramel. Set aside and start working on the custard bread pudding; I mean the custard base for bread pudding.
Wondering which is the best bread for bread pudding? There is no brainer here. The better the flavour of the bread the better our Caramel Bread Pudding would turn out to be.
Use any bread that you prefer like a brioche or challah.
Or even a basic white Sandwich Bread would work here like I have done.
Trim the edges to remove the brown part, cut it into squares and pulse it in the food processor until you get fine crumbs.
Unlike the traditional bread pudding recipe wherein we cut the bread in squares and soak in the milk mixture as we did in our Instant Pot bread pudding jars recipe, in this case, we are pulsing the bread to get bread crumbs.
The reason for doing this is to get a smooth slice of the pudding once it is set which you can make out from the pictures in the post.
Pulse the bread to get bread crumbs which would yield in a fine, neat and smoother slice of the pudding to woo your guests.
First things first, to half a cup of cold milk add in the custard powder, stir in the vanilla bean paste if using, mix to dissolve and set aside.
Onto a saucepan, bring 1.5 cups of milk to a simmer, add in the sugar and bring to a boil making sure the sugar melts.
Give a quick stir to the custard and milk mixture because upon standing for some time the custard tends to settle to the base of the cup, stirring it once right before adding to the saucepan ensures that the custard is completely dissolved.
Stirring the milk and sugar mixture continuously add in the custard mix in a constant flow. Stirring continuously ensures that there is no formation of lumps.
Keep on stirring and in just a few minutes you will observe that the mixture has thickened well.
At this stage lower the flame and start adding the bread crumbs little at a time and mix until everything comes together.
Switch off the flame and transfer the mixture to the same cake pan in which you had added the caramel.
Smoothen the top, cover it with an aluminium foil and cook it by using one of the ways mentioned below.
Steamed Caramel Bread Pudding: There are 2 ways in which you can steam and cook the pudding. Either using an Instant Pot or on Stove Top.
To the base of your pot add 2 cups (the cup that came along with the pot) of boiling water. Place the trivet. And then the cake pan
Set to sealing mode.
Choose Steam Function and set time to 20 mins.
After the 20 mins time, let it release pressure naturally for 10 mins. Switch to venting mode to further release the steam.
Open the lid and carefully remove the cake pan.
Choose a saucepan with a lid that is big enough to accommodate the cake pan or any vessel that you might be using.
Bring some water to a boil in the saucepan. (Water should be just touching the base of the cake pan.)
Place a trivet and then the cake pan. Cover with the lid and steam it on a medium flame for 25 to 30 mins.
This also works in the same way.
Add 2 cups of hot water to the base. Place the trivet and the cake pan. Close the pressure cooker lid, do not put the weight on. Steam cook the bread pudding for 20 to 25 mins.
Once the timer buzzes and the pudding is all cooked take the pan out and place it on a cooling rack to cool down to room temperature.
Then place it in the fridge to set completely for a minimum of 4 hours.
Take the pan out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 20 mins. This resting time helps an easy unmolding of the pudding from the pan.
Place a plate upside down on top of the cake pan.
Invert the cake pan
Gently take off the cake pan to release the beautifully set Caramel Bread Pudding.
The oozing out self-saucing golden hue with a pale custard base set bread pudding is a delight to watch.
Here is the recipe on how to make bread pudding
Caramel Bread Pudding is a soft and smooth pudding that has a bite to it owing to the bread. The self-saucing caramel on the top makes the pudding so moist that you will absolutely love it.
Take sugar and water in a saucepan. Switch on the heat.
You will observe that the syrup starts to simmer, then comes to a rolling boil and starts turning light yellow in shade and in a matter of few seconds turns golden amber in colour.
Immediately take it off the flame and pour it into the cake tin. Acting quickly swirl the cake pan to ensure that the caramel syrup covers the entire base of the pan. Set aside.
Trim off the edges of the bread. Cut it into squares and pulse it in a mixer to get bread crumbs. Set aside.
To half a cup of cold milk add in the custard powder, mix to dissolve and set aside.
Onto a saucepan, bring 1.5 cups of milk to a simmer, add in the sugar and bring to a boil making sure the sugar melts. Do stir in between so that the milk does not stick to the saucepan.
Give a quick stir to the custard and milk mixture because upon standing for some time the custard tends to settle to the base of the cup, stirring it once right before adding to the saucepan ensures that the custard is completely dissolved.
Stirring the milk and sugar mixture continuously add in the custard mix in a constant flow. Stirring continuously ensures that there is no formation of lumps.
Keep on stirring and in just a few minutes you will observe that the mixture has thickened well. At this stage lower the flame and start adding the bread crumbs little at a time and mix until everything comes together.
Switch off the flame and transfer the mixture to the same cake pan in which you had added the caramel.
Smoothen the top, cover it with an aluminium foil and cook it by using one of the ways mentioned below.
Add 2 cups of boiling hot water using the cup that came along with the pot. Place the trivet.
Keep the cake pan into it. Close the lid. Vent to sealing mode. Use the steamer function and set the timer to 20 mins.
Once the timer goes off let it depressurize naturally for 10 mins, then turn the knob to venting to release any steam. Open the lid and remove the cake pan.
Let it sit at room temperature for 20 mins and then place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours to set completely.
The procedure remains the same. Add 2 cups of water to the base. Place the trivet and then the cake pan.
Close the lid without the weight on and then steam cook on a medium flame for 20-25 mins.
The step for chilling the pudding remains the same as stated above.
Take a saucepan or kadai large enough to fit the cake tin. Switch on the gas to medium and add water.
Once the water starts simmering, place the trivet and the cake tin. Cover with the lid and steam cook for 25-30 mins.
Follow the step for chilling the pudding as mentioned above.
Before unmolding it is a better idea to remove the pan from the fridge 10-20 mins prior.
Place a plate upside down on the cake tin and invert it.
Gently remove the cake tin releasing the beautifully set caramel bread pudding onto the plate.
Using a hot knife slice the pudding as you desire and serve it plain or with a dollop of whipped cream or some caramel decorations as I have done.
Along with the sugar add 2 tbsp of sifted cocoa powder to the milk along with sugar as mentioned in step no.3 under the Custard Base heading.
Follow the rest of the recipe to make the chocolate caramel bread pudding.
Now this is so easy right!!! Once your sugar syrup turns golden amber colour simply add 1/4 tsp rock salt and mix. Then pour it onto the cake tin base. Follow the rest of the recipe as such.
So this Caramel Bread Pudding is a soft and smooth pudding, an Indian version of traditional bread pudding recipe.
Do not expect it to be melt in your mouth even though it looks like a crème caramel as it has bread in it so you will definitely have a bite of it.
The caramel on top not only makes this a golden beauty dessert but also keeps the pudding super moist.
All in all, this is a beautiful dish that one can enjoy any time of the year.
However, in my opinion, this would be an ultimate dessert for your Thanksgiving dinner. Because caramel – fall- thanksgiving everything is a synonym for me 😉
If you love baking cakes, then this caramel chocolate cake is an ultimate show stopper dessert for your Fall parties.
And if you liked my today’s recipe you know the drill right 😉 let me know by tagging me, tweeting me or Instagram me. I would love to hear from you.
Pin this to your Instant Pot or desserts board
See you soon in my next one
Until then
Hugs
Sushma
There is sunshine in my kitchen today!!!
That bright luscious yellow.. silky and smooth.. sweet and sour – the only Lemon Curd recipe you need in your life. Because when life hands you lemons; do not make lemonade – instead make this Lemon Curd 😀
Also, find many tips and tricks to help you make the best Curd that you would ever have.
One more thing I am trying to cover as many details as possible. If I have left out anything please feel free to drop it in the comments section, I will try to update the post with the same.
It is basically a type of custard made using of course lemons, eggs, butter and sugar. Just basic ingredients combined to form a smooth base which can be used as a dessert spread or as a topping.
Find the numerous ways in which you can use this further in the post.
Ideally, it is neither but is used as an alternative to both.
Making lemon curd is fairly easy.
Yes, it takes a bit of technique here but with these few pointers that I am sharing it would be easy for you to get it right in the first attempt.
You have to start adding your butter cubes little at a time once the egg and sugar mixture is warm to touch.
How do you know that it is warm?
Simple!! Using clean hands, insert your pinky finger into the mixture and check if it is warm to touch.
That is a simple Finger Test which you can use to check and then start adding butter and cook until the mixture thickens.
I know this thing haunts a lot of you 😉 At least it did to me until I started using this simple trick 😀
So how do you know your lemon curd has thickened?
What I follow is, upon continuous whisking, at one point you will observe that the egg, sugar and juice mixture starts boiling.
So when you see the first boil, start counting 1 to 50 in your mind.
When you reach 50, take it off the flame, pass it through a sieve, cling wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator until thickened.
This one trick has always helped me. Do try it once and share your experience with me.
Yes definitely. In fact, that is one of the major and important points to note which is to chill it in the refrigerator which thickens it further.
When you are making the stove-top version, you need to whisk it continuously, keep a tab on your gas flame, do the finger test and also keep counting to get that perfect lemon curd which sometimes does not behave like you want to..
Lol.. I meant even after utmost care sometimes you will end up with scrambled eggs or sometimes the curd just won’t thicken.
This issue arises when the liquid measurement is off in the recipe.
To avoid this or to fix the issue all you need to do is add an extra egg yolk to your mixture and follow the remaining steps.
Yes by any reason if your lemon curd does not thicken then simply try adding an additional yolk to it. I have tried it personally.
Well, some of you might be thinking that is too much technical stuff going on there.. Not really once you understand the basic diametric you would never go wrong in creating and trying recipes that you like.
But if you wish it were simpler and you get perfect results each time, then my friend you need an INSTANT POT in your life.
By now you got a gist of things that you need to take care while making that perfect Lemon Curd.
What if I say you can make the best ever lemon curd with perfect results each time without having to worry about all the things that I just mentioned above.
Boom!! What!! seriously..
Yes and that’s the magic of our Instant Pot
This method is so simple that literally, anyone can make it. All you have to do is pulse all the ingredients together in a mixer or food processor and then add it to a jar and into your instant pot. That’s it.
If you ask my personal opinion, well I am not reverting to stove top version now that I have an Instant Pot. So until you lay your hands on IP follow the steps that I mentioned above to make perfect Lemon Curd on stove top too 😀
Coming to the next crucial point,
I understand a lot of you who follow me on my Youtube Channel, try to avoid baking with eggs so this section is just for you.
The key ingredient to make Eggless Lemon Curd is to make use of:
And my secret ingredient: TURMERIC
Yes, you read it right. Turmeric lends it that beautiful yellow colour without actually rendering its taste.
In fact, it is super easy to make the eggless version as compared to the usual ones that are made using eggs.
Find the exact procedure in the recipe card.
Now that you have made the most amazing Lemon Curd let me share few recipes which use lemon curd.
I had to start with this. Instant Pot Cheesecake is all the rage now!! So a lemon curd cheesecake would just be so cool.
I do not have the recipe for the same yet but you can take my basic instant pot cheesecake recipe and add some lemon curd to it instead of peppermint essence and try that if you like.
Yes, this is the recipe that I shot when I made the lemon curd, so lemon curd tartlets will surely make it to the blog.
But till then you can choose to make either my eggless tart or the usual tart base. Top it with lemon curd and some fresh blueberries and you are good to go 😀
This is a classic Kiwi and Australian dessert. This is sooooooooo good that I insist you have to try it at least once in your lifetime.
Click here for the recipe
Bake a simple or a regular cupcake by adding lemon zest to your usual cake batter. Fill it with lemon curd and top it with lemon frosting.
How to put lemon curd inside cupcakes?
I have the recipe for strawberry filled cupcakes you can follow that procedure but use lemon curd instead of strawberry compote.
Simply fold in lemon curd to softly whipped cream to get a delicious mousse for you to enjoy.
I know some of you are wondering, can lemon curd be mixed with whipped cream?
Oh yes absolutely.
Start by whipping your cream and sugar. Once you whip it to soft peaks stage add in the lemon curd and fold until it is combined. Chill overnight and you have the perfect mousse ready.
Out of all the above, this has to be my favourite.
And you won’t believe how easy and fun this is!!
All you have to do is buy some chocolate Easter eggs from the market.
Crack open the top portion, fill it with Instant Pot Yogurt and topped with this yummy curd. Voila!! You have the simplest and healthier dessert option for your Easter Table
It can be used in many other ways like simply top it on some yoghurt for an after-school snack idea, spread it over bread or scones like a jam, fill it in strawberries.
Lemon Curd fillings taste awesome when layered in a cake.
Other than these it can also be used as a filling for the macaron, panacotta etc.
Now let me address a few of the questions that I see popping up on Facebook all the time.
Meyer Lemons undoubtedly.
Now I know it is expensive and not available year round. In that case in the following recipe increase the amount of sugar to 3/4 cups to balance out the tartness of other lemon juice.
Yes, you can. But it won’t taste as good as the ones made using fresh ones.
So I would recommend you guys to take half and half. That is half fresh lemon juice and half bottled.
Also, add lemon zest to the curd to get that oomph factor.
Can you pipe lemon curd?
Yes, you can once thicken.
But of course, do now expect it to pipe like a cupcake frosting. Check out the lemon friands recipe and you will get an idea.
Haha.. Definitely make lemon and blueberry Trifle.. This tasted so heavenly.
Pretty basic recipe – Layers of soft and spongy eggless vanilla cake, softly whipped cream followed by instant pot lemon curd and blueberry compote is an explosion of flavours. The tart lemon curd and sweet blueberries are a perfect party or potluck dessert idea.
Check the video in the recipe card for a detailed step by step recipe on how to layer these.
Yes, it does freeze well. Cool it completely before transferring it to a freezer-safe container. This can be frozen and preserved for up to 6 months.
Yes since this freezes well, you can make it ahead of time and use as and when needed.
So now let us see how to make Lemon Curd at home:
Find all the tips and notes that you need to make the best lemon curd recipe. This homemade lemon curd recipe can be used to make many desserts like macarons, puff pastry, cheesecake, tartlets, mousse, frosting, pavlova, crepes, trifle, layering, filling and frosting buttercream cake.
Once the vent drops down. Take the jars or ramekins out. Add lemon zest on top and using a spoon just mix the lemon curd until smooth and lump free.
1. Please refer the above paragraphs to know the tips to make the perfect lemon curd.
2. This recipe yields a tart lemon curd unless you use Meyer lemons. If you cannot lay your hands on Meyer lemons and would prefer a sweeter lemon curd then just increase the quantity of sugar to 3/4 cups.
3. While making Instant Pot Lemon Curd when you blend the butter, sugar, lemon juice and eggs in a mixer or blender it may appear split or curdled. But do not panic, just proceed with the recipe and you will get it right.
This Lemon Curd recipe makes a really tart, smooth and silky fruit curd. It is advisable to use Meyer Lemons only. However, if you cannot find one then increase the quantity of sugar to 3/4 cup to balance the tartness of the juice.
Making in an Instant-Pot is really an easier and convenient method.
There are so many ways in which you can make use of this lemon curd. Let me know which one is your favourite.
If you ever try this recipe then do let me know by tagging me, tweeting me or Instagram me. I would love to follow you and your posts.
Pin this to you Instant Pot Board
I will see you soon with yet another one
Until then
Hugs
Sushma
Don’t be surprised if I say you just need 4 simple ingredients to make this ULTIMATE Instant Pot dessert – A dreamy, smooth, silky and chocolaty Instant Pot Chocolate Custard.
Top it with some soil (not literally) and some strawberry carrots and you have the perfect dessert for your Easter table – Carrot Patch Custard.
Even though Easter is something that I have not celebrated growing up, living in a foreign land I now appreciate all the festive and holidays and enjoy sharing it with my little girl.
Each year I have been sharing something special and unique on this little space here and this year is no different – a quick and easy chocolate custard recipe with those little extra decorations on top is just so pretty. Don’t you all agree?
Btw, if you like to know what recipes I shared over the past two years then here is the link for those:
Custard is basically cooked milk or cream, sweetened with sugar and generally thickened using egg yolk. Other setting agents like cornflour (cornstarch) or even gelatine can be used for the same.
So you basically get the gist right, the main custard ingredients include: Milk, Sugar, Eggs
And so it is fairly easy to make custard recipe at home.
Or is it?
Well on a stove top method you will have to keep on stirring everything and also maintain the right temperature to cook it to the perfect creamy stage and not make scrambled eggs instead.
And there comes our Magic Pot.
So to make a basic custard at home all you have to do is simply mix everything, add it to your Instant Pot, set the timer and let it do its job 😀
No one can stop you from becoming a PRO in making INSTANT POT DESSERTS 😀 (pat on the back scenario 😉 Shhhh.. Just don’t let anyone know and let your guests be surprised at how quickly and effortlessly you have made an amazing dessert 😉
Now that is the basic step for making Custard. To make slight variations, add in chocolate like I have done today in this Instant Pot Chocolate Custard recipe or you can also add instant coffee water to make a Coffee Custard. Sky is the limit for imagination. 😀
So what is Chocolate Custard – simply adding chocolates to your basic custard recipe.
I understand some of you guys do not eat eggs or do not like the smell of it in custard recipes so you might be wanting to try an eggless recipe.
While making the Alphabet Cake, I had used an eggless custard recipe so you can check that by clicking the link.
Basically, if you are wondering how to make chocolate custard with cornflour or how do make eggless custard?
So that is the answer right there so we use cornflour or cornstarch as our thickening agent while making a custard without eggs.
How to make chocolate custard without cornflour? – Then you will definitely have to go for Eggs as your thickening agent or use gelatine.
Well, there is not much of a difference between either. However I feel that the custard made using eggs is so much more smoother and rich due to the additional fat from the yolks than the ones made using cornstarch.
Again its a personal preference both of them turn out pretty good.
I have made the basic custard recipe couple of times and used it in a plethora of other recipes to further enhance the taste and also to come up with a all new recipe.
Now you have to understand a basic thing here: custard may vary in consistency from a thin pouring sauce to the thick pastry cream to be used as a filling.
Depending upon that let me share with you all some ideas.
For Example:
To make a trifle or layered dessert add in a layer of chocolate cake, topped with some chocolate cream, chocolate custard, fresh berries, some nuts and repeat the layers.. OMG .. the best chocolate dessert…
Just like the trifle, the thick custard can be used as a filling in your cake too.
This would go even well with a mousse cake.
So a layer of chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, chocolate custard and also feel free to add a chocolate ganache layer.. Woah.. now that is a Death by Chocolate Cake.
For that you will have to first make the chocolate tart base, then add chocolate custard layer topped with chocolate ganache. An ultimate chocolaty experience.
Make the chocolate custard and then add it to your softly whipped cream and whip it until thick. You can also add it to your Condensed Buttercream Frosting. So yum!!!
With Easter around the corner, I have used this method to make a Carrot Patch Pots. Won’t it look stunning on your Easter menu? Let me know what your thoughts are in the comments below.
Now when I did my Level 4 Bakery Course the one thing that we all were taught was about perishable goods and egg being on the top list.
We have stored custard for a day in refrigerator and used it the next day but never did we freeze it.
Even all over the internet you will find that it is a big NO NO.
However, I found this particular site that had a successful attempt at freezing them. Since I have never done it personally I cannot comment more on frozen custard but you could check that site by clicking the link and see if you would want to go by that route.
And now finally let us look into how to do Chocolate Custard
4 ingredients and 3 mins of pressure cooking - nothing can get simpler than making a chocolate custard in the instant pot. Perfectly smooth and creamy this custard is to die for.
1. In place of dark chocolate, you can also use semi-sweet or milk chocolate. In that case, adjust the sweetness.
2. This dessert is mildly sweetened to increase the sweetness increase the amount of sugar by 1 tbsp I like to add vanilla essence to mask the eggy smell. It is optional you can skip if you want to.
3. You can serve the chocolate custard on its own if you wish, making the oreo soil and strawberries is optional but tastes amazing when combined
4. If you do not wish to filter the mixture, make sure to add chocolates to the milk while boiling so that the chocolates dissolve completely and you get a smooth custard
5. The ramekins that I have used is 8 cms in diameter and holds 3/4 cups of water so it took me 3 mins for this recipe. If you are using the standard white ramekins which is smaller than this one please use 2 mins timings in that case.
6. With this recipe, I could make 4 ramekins of the above-mentioned size. If you use the standard small white ramekins you could make up to 5.
7. It is important to depressurize exactly after 10 mins, as the longer it sits in the IP the longer it cooks giving it a more of cooked egg texture as compared to the smooth custard. A mistake that I did which I would recommend you to avoid. You can check it out from the above image
8. This Instant Pot Chocolate Custard stays good for 2 days in the refrigerator.
9. If you are looking for Stove-top version of making custard then here is the link.
This Instant Pot Chocolate Custard is a smooth and creamy dessert that is not literally melt in your mouth. However, it is totally silky and smooth.
Since it is not overly sweetened you could finish off the ramekin at one go. Honestly, I ate 2 at a time 😉 as I could not resist the chocolaty goodness. So what I am trying to say is that it is not rich and you could easily finish off one portion at a time.
And as it is perfectly set, you can carry it to potluck parties or even to your office.
Did you like the idea of making Carrot Patch Pots for Easter? If yes then let me know in the comments below.
Check out the other two recipes that I made in past years:
Other Instant Pot Desserts that you might like:
I hope you enjoyed this post. If you did do let me know by tagging me, tweeting me or Instagram me. I would love to follow you and your posts.
Pin this to your Instant Pot board or Easter board
I will see you soon in my next one.
Until then
Hugs
Sushma
Peppa Pig Birthday Cake – a cake that would help you win over that cute, innocent and naughty little kiddo.
A step by step guide on how to make a number cake without any number tins or pans, rather made using a round cake which is then filled and frosted with whipped cream and decorated with Peppa pig cake toppers.
Raise your hands if your kids spend their evening time watching Peppa Pig on Youtube!!!
It is my daughter’s current favourite show so when it was time for her birthday, I had already known what was coming – A Peppa Pig Birthday Cake.
So this year on Yoshana’s Birthday her cake has a little bit of everyone’s liking.
She wanted a Peppa Pig Cake – Check
Daddy wanted Pineapple Cake – Check
And mummy wanted to try a number cake – Check.
Haha.. yes a little bit of all our wishes are there in her cake.
Have used my evergreen Pineapple Cake recipe. A detailed recipe for all the components of pineapple cake has already been shared so you can check it out by clicking here.
For a better understanding of the assembly of this Number 3 Peppa Pig Birthday Cake, I have divided it into 6 steps which we will go through one by one in a detailed way.
Starting with the first step would be to actually bake the cake and layer it right.. 😀
To make this Peppa Pig Cake, I have baked 2 “7 inch” pineapple cake.
Divided it into 3 layers each. So in total now I have 6 layers of cake.
Placed the base layer on the cake board. Then filled it with whipped cream, pineapple compote, tutti-fruity and choco chips. Place the second layer on top and repeated the steps until I reached the very top.
Using the same whipped cream that I used for filling I have now crumb coated the cake as well. Allow it to chill for a minimum of 30 mins.
All these steps are explained in a more detailed manner in Moist Eggless Pineapple Cake blog post. You can also find the detailed recipe from there.
However, the cake flavours totally depend upon your personal liking. You can also go for plain vanilla cake, chocolate cake or chocolate caramel cake etc or as per your client’s needs.
I would advise to place the 2 cakes side-by-side and do each step simultaneously. This would save a ton of your time.
These days home baking, cake baking and cake decorating has gained so much popularity and grown so much that there are new trends and techniques coming up every other day. Be it the cake popsicles or alphabet cake some trends have taken the internet by storm.
One such trend that I have been observing for a really long time has to be covering the cake board to match the colours, theme or decoration of your cake.
It was not very popular when I was a child. Growing up I have never seen this but now you can see it everywhere.
So for our Peppa Pig Birthday Cake, the concept that I choose was that the family goes to a park to feed the ducks and also sit and relax, play and eat together.
This is one activity that the three of us often do in fact every other weekend I must say.
For which the cake has to be green in colour with grass piping and hence I decided the base that is the cake board to be in sky blue colour with sun and clouds around.
And hence I rolled out blue fondant (or mix some blue food colour to your white fondant and use) to the size of my cake board.
So after rolling some portion of it on my worktop I placed the fondant on my cake board and rolled it over to adjust to its size tucking just a bit underneath the board so that I could also cover the sides of the cake board.
Alternatively, you can also choose a ribbon to tie on the sides of the board. Set this to dry overnight.
It is actually hard to explain the way to cut your cake in plain words.
So I have shown a diagrammatic representation of the same on a paper which I am attaching here for your reference. Or you can also refer the video below for an even better understanding.
Once you have cut the round cake as shown in the pictures simply place them on your blue cake board to form a number 3 shape.
As mentioned I wanted the cake to resemble a park set-up. And hence to pipe on the cake I used a grass tip. Wilton Nozzle no 233 to be precise.
Using my favourite stabilized whipped cream frosting coloured in green and flavoured with pineapple, I simply piped the grasses all over the cake.
However, it was difficult to reach the nooks and corners or to say the inside portion of the cake that is the curved part. So to cover that portion I used a piping bag fitted with a small round tip or nozzle and then simply do random piping all over.. Yes, it would look more like noodles than a grass effect 😉 but still will look good in the end 😀
You do not have to do this. In place of the water effect, you can also make a small puddle and place your pigs there if you wish.
But in this case for making the Peppa Pig Birthday Cake as per our theme or concept, what I did was, melted some white chocolate, add a drop of blue food colouring along with few drops of oil. Combine it all together. Transfer to a parchment paper cone and just make a random drawing of a lake or pond. Just become a child again.. hehe..
Another detailed video that you must check out has to be how to melt chocolate the right way.
Now I do not consider myself an expert in making fondant designs yet so I have not included the steps or method for making all the cake toppers.
However, here are few Youtube links that I referred to make my cake toppers.
Not including any link for making the sun because it is so simple. Just cut out the round shape using a cookie cutter and thin strips for the rays.
And then place them on top of your cake. Place the sun and clouds on the cake board.
That’s it our Peppa Pig Birthday Cake is all done and dusted.
Here is the link to the Peppa Pig Birthday Cake video.
I won’t say this Peppa Pig Birthday Cake tutorial is a simple or easy recipe for that matter.
Yes, a bit time consuming and need some practice but totally worth the happiness on the face of your friends and family 🙂
This was a personal and special post for me.
Every year I look forward to this time to create something beautiful and special for my daughter believing it to stay as a fresh memory forever. On her first birthday, we did a Little Krishna Theme party. You can check all the details of the same from here.
Last year on her second birthday we were in India so I could not make anything special for her.
Hope I continue to create more beautiful memories for her through the medium of food.
And I also hope that you guys enjoyed the tutorial too. I know it is not a perfect cake but still a special one forever.
If you ever recreate this then do let me know by tagging me, tweeting me or instagram me. I would love to follow you and your posts..
Pin this Peppa Pig Birthday Cake tutorial to your cake decorating board
I will see you soon with yet another one
Until then
Hugs
Sushma.
The one thing that I won’t mind going stale in my home has to be “Bread” – gives the perfect opportunity to make this easy peasy lemon squeezy Instant Pot Bread Pudding; perfectly sweetened, custard-y, moist and you won’t believe how quickly it comes together.
All thanks to the MAGIC POT!!
Instant Pot Bread Pudding can be described in just one word – Comforting and Soothing.
Just 3 basic steps and 9 mins of pressure cooking. Cannot believe it right!!!
Before we get into the instant pot recipe for bread pudding, if you understand just a few pointers then no one can stop you from making the best ever Bread Pudding recipe.
Well, no brainer here. Of course, starting with the best ingredients you can lay your hands on 😀
Start with a loaf of quality bread.
Now you may wonder,
The best bread that I would recommend would be to use Brioche because it’s buttery & toasts beautifully. It keeps its consistency even after it soaks up the liquid.
Other bread like Challah, croissants & raisin bread can be used too.
Bread pudding with cinnamon bread adds a whole new flavour to the pudding and also eliminates the need of adding cinnamon powder to the recipe 😀
Well, of course, you can.
I myself have used white bread only in today’s recipe as I did not have the other kinds at the moment and had no plans of running to the bakery to get one. Because of the fact that the best bread pudding recipe would always use a STALE BREAD.
This is by far one of the best ways to use your Stale bread right.. A perfect way of using up the leftovers from Thanksgiving too.
Making bread pudding at home is so nostalgic. I am sure most of you guys might have seen your Mom and Grand-Mom make, memories of that moist bread still lingering in your taste buds, the warmth of the oven keeping you cosy, the lingering smell of cinnamon keeping the house smelling fresh, the dollop of soft whipped cream or the trickling down of ice-cream on the side,, ahhhh the GOOD OLD DAYS.
Honestly, I have never experienced this in my childhood days because this recipe is not very common in India. It is only after moving to New Zealand, trying out different cuisines my journey of FOOD started.
Now that you have chosen the best bread for you, I would also like to talk about the other thing that makes the important part of this easy bread pudding recipe.
No one would like to have a dry bread pudding right!!
The custard base is really important to make your basic bread pudding stand out.
Basic bread pudding ingredients call for Eggs, Milk, Sugar and flavouring agents that’s it.
But to make this best Instant Pot Bread Pudding I have used the base of Tres Lesches Cake. Yes, three different types of milk and using real vanilla bean paste makes this the best ever bread pudding recipe.
Doesn’t that sound interesting?
Other than this you can also use Creme Anglaise as the base too.
Totally up to you to customise.
I always use a water bath while I’m baking the bread pudding dessert and keep it covered with foil until the last 10–15 minutes of baking. This keeps the custard from curdling & drying out, and lets the top get a nice caramelization without burning.
And that is where our MAGIC POT comes into play.
The best part about making bread pudding in instant pot is that you need not worry about all these little things.
Yes, over-cooking or baking is the main reason for that to happen. After all, it is a Custard base dessert which means eggs are the primary ingredient. So over-cooking the eggs would eventually lead to curdling of the pudding.
And this is exactly why I like the Instant Pot Bread Pudding as right after 9 mins of pressure cooking, do a quick release and take your jars out.
You would never face the issue of curdling.
However, the only disadvantage that I felt was the COLOUR. It did not get the characteristic golden brown colour. However, I feel it also depends on the type of bread that we use. Had I used brioche or croissants I guess the jars would have been a shade darker. What do you think?
And with that tips and techniques, I am sure you know how to tweak your bread pudding recipe to make it a moist bread pudding recipe.
Btw if you making Instant Pot Desserts then here are two other recipes that you might love:
But here is how to make bread pudding in an Instant Pot my way:
This INSTANT POT BREAD PUDDING in a jar recipe inspired by tres leches cake is a best individual serving instant pot dessert that is unbelievably simple and easy to make.
Fill the jars halfway through with the leftover custard from the bowl. (As the eggs tend to rise a bit while cooking)
Do not forget to do a quick release once the pressure cooking cycle ends.
It is important to use good quality bread and flavouring agent for optimum taste. Brioche, Challah and croissants work the best.
I am not a fan of cinnamon flavour so skipped it here but feel free to add 1/2 tsp to the above recipe.
Regular Milk can be used in place of Evaporated Milk.
Please use toasted nuts as that adds an amazing flavour. Other add-ons such as raisins can also be used. I would highly recommend using toasted pecans in this recipe for that additional flavour punch.
I have used homemade caramel sauce. You can find the recipe by clicking here. Just halved all the ingredients mentioned in the recipe.
Follow the recipe until step 7. Place the jars in a baking tray. Fill the tray with hot water. And then bake them in a pre-heated oven of 190 degrees for 15-20 mins until the custard sets.
It is really a good idea to make desserts in a jar for portion control. I should thank you all who commented on my Instant Pot Mint Cheesecake in a Jar to share more jar desserts and that is why I made this recipe in the first place.
Other than that this Bread Pudding recipe made in an Instant Pot is not only quick, easy and simple to make but also turned out to be a moist, perfectly sweetened and was also set very well in the IP.
The toasted pecans and chocolate chips add a perfect crunch and texture to the dessert.
Combination of bread pudding with caramel sauce was also a flavour to try as the salt in the caramel sauce just uplifted the game.
Since it is not very sweet you can also serve this for Breakfast. I totally love Desserts for Breakfast. If you too then check out this Black Forest Cake inspired smoothie.. OH my god.. its simply amazing.
So I hope you give this Instant Pot Chocolate Bread Pudding a try and if you did then do let me know by tagging me, tweeting me or Instagram me. I would love to follow you and your posts
Pin this to your Instant Pot board
See you soon with yet another one
Until then
Hugs
Sushma
Buttercream Flowers is one of the easiest and the prettiest way to decorate your cakes or cupcakes. In this post find the exact steps to make not 1 or 2 but 5 different buttercream flower cupcakes decoration in a step by step pictorial as well as video tutorial format.
For the ease of convenience, I have divided this flower making tutorial into two posts –
The most common type of Buttercream that works best for making a buttercream flower cake or buttercream flowers cupcakes has to be the American Buttercream Frosting. I have shared a detailed post on how to make the perfect buttercream aka Buttercream 101 in a separate post. Definitely check it out before we start making the flowers.
Being sturdy enough to hold on the piped flowers, American Buttercream is most preferred frosting.
The other frosting that you could use can be Swiss meringue or Italian Meringue Buttercream.
However, I would like to bring your attention to my latest addiction – Condensed Milk Buttercream Frosting which is also known as Russian Buttercream Frosting. Oh my God!! If you haven’t tried it yet you should right away.. just 2 ingredients and it tastes so yum, silky smooth and just delicious.
This according to me is the best buttercream for piping flowers on a cupcake.
And the flowers that you make out of this are so smooth, silky and has an amazing shine to it. Also, it is subtly sweetened keeping the balance, unlike American buttercream which is just uber sweet and also has a crusting finish.
Other softened buttercreams like French is just not suitable for piping flowers.
Apart from buttercream, I have seen flower cupcakes made out of non-dairy whipping cream too. I have not tried it yet and also let us focus on buttercream frosting for today’s recipe keeping the whipped cream for some other day.
If you were to use the buttercream for filling and frosting the cake you would prefer light and fluffy frosting that would melt in your mouth.
However, to make buttercream for flowers, you should have the cream to be little denser and stiff so that it holds the shape beautifully and does not fall off.
The denser consistency helps eliminate air bubbles and pipes thinner petals with really nice, crisp edges.
To achieve that a method similar to that of making Korean Buttercream Flowers is followed wherein the butter and meringue are cold and then whipped until smooth.
I am yet to try that method so for today we will stick to using room temperature butter and condensed milk to make this condensed milk buttercream frosting for cupcake decorations.
I will share the method of how to make buttercream roses step by step format using American Buttercream in my Part 2 series.
Coming to the consistency of our Condensed Milk Buttercream frosting it should be just smooth and silky, you absolutely don’t need to chill or refrigerate it.
Now that you have made a perfect Buttercream that is smooth and glossy and you also have saved it from licking straight away from the bowl 😉
So now let us use this buttercream icing for piping.
And you would definitely need some piping tips for the same right!! So I have divided it into 3 categories – Basic, Ninja and Pro.
Basic as in the tips that you must own for making basic and simple buttercream flowers like Tip No 103. This is the most commonly used tip for making roses especially. With this same tip, you can make so many flower designs.. I have shared two today but this is one of the basic versatile tips that you need.
The other basic tip to include in your collection is Tip 68 – Leaf Tip.
I agree that buttercream cupcake flowers on its own look beautiful but with a little accent of leaves here and there it looks even more realistic.
Tip 1M is one of my go-to tips for cake decoration. It is just perfect to pipe Buttercream Hydrangea.
Coming to the Ninja category would be Tip no 120 or Tip No.122 These are similar to the 103 tips just that it is curved and that one is straight.
So this is a perfect tip to make a closed bud for rose flowers or even peony.
Another tip that I would include in the Ninja Category would be Tip 349. This is a variation of leaf petal tip that looks so pretty when piped <3
Now, these are not must-haves in your collection but with these, you can try different flowers other than the rose like CHRYSANTHEMUM or Dahlia.
Again let me clarify I have not categorized these on the skill levels but actually on the must-have basic tips to some which you can buy at a later stage too.
Please Note:
All these tips number are from Wilton range of piping tips. However, I do not own Wilton piping nozzles whereas mine is a collection of 24 nozzles set from a nearby local store. That means even you do not need to buy branded nozzles, to begin with 🙂
To make realistic and beautiful looking simple Buttercream Flowers I like to go with lighter tones of rose pink, yellow or simply white.
The ones that you actually get in the bakery is actually too dramatic unless that is what you want to make like a really white cake and red rose – perfect for Valentine’s but otherwise I would prefer light or the ever trending pastel shades.
When it comes to colouring less is more. So always start with a drop of buttercream or simply dip a toothpick in the colour of your choice and transfer that to the buttercream and mix well.
The main reason to do this is that when it comes to colouring buttercream or any frosting for that matter, the colour darkens upon standing. So no matter what shade you begin with the next day the flowers would look a shade darker than what you actually started with.
I have always used Gel Food Colours to colour my buttercream and I would recommend the same to you. The advantage of using gel food colours is that Gels are usually water-based which makes them a bit softer and being softer consistency makes them easier to measure in specific amounts like for example you can squeeze out one drop at a time.
So finally, let’s get started with buttercream flowers tutorial
Tip No: 27
Buttercream Colour: Yellow and Brown
Start by applying a base coat of yellow colour onto the sides of your cupcakes.
Holding the piping bag at an angle say around 30 degrees to the cupcake, apply some pressure to release the buttercream, leave the pressure while dragging the piping bag towards you at the same time to a height that you are satisfied with to create a pointed end. Repeat the process to complete one circle of petals on all around the cupcake.
Holding the piping bag at an angle would give the petals a lifted look. You will be applying this little trick to all the other cupcake flowers too.
To create the second layer of petals, the starting point would be the centre of two petals. Refer the attached pic below for clear understanding. Again this would be the same trick for all the other flowers too.
Repeat the above step to create this inner circle of petals.
PRO TIP: Reserve some yellow colour buttercream to make the pollens inside. Isn’t that supposed to be brown?? Ya simply add brown colour to it rather than making a separate one from scratch. I found this trick also helps reduce wastage. 🙂
So for piping the pollens we would use a small star tip say Tip No 13 and simply pipe the centre of the cupcake.
And there you have it beautiful Sunflower Cupcake.
This is one of the easiest and my personal favourite way of decorating with buttercream. Looks so intricate and complicated right with the purple petals and simple while centre but you will be surprised to learn how easy it is to make one.
Tip No : 1M
Buttercream Colour: Purple and White or plain
To a piping bag fitted with your nozzle add in the purple buttercream. With the back of your spoon spread the buttercream onto the sides of your piping bag creating a hollow centre.
Fill in the hollow centre with plain or white coloured buttercream.
PRO TIP: In your mixing bowl squeeze out a bit of the buttercream until you actually start seeing two-toned colour coming out.
And then to make the flower pattern on the cupcake, simply apply pressure to release the buttercream. In this case, there is no need to drag them.
Just like magic, you would get that purple petals and white centred effect.
Feel free to combine any colour of your choice 😀
Not sure what these flowers are called since we are using petal tip I have named them so.
Tip No: 103
Buttercream Colour: Rose Pink
Pro Tip: When you reach the inner circle make sure to pipe in odd numbers by counting to exactly 5 or 7 petals.
To pipe this petal flower cupcake we need to follow an inverted “U” shape pattern. So starting from the left-hand side apply pressure to make an arch coming to right-hand side creating an inverted U shape. Continue the same pattern throughout the circle.
Make 3 circles in total.
In the inner circle make sure to count to 5 or 7 and then just pipe the bud using the same nozzle
I had also used this method to make a pattern on the entire cake once while I was making a Pineapple Cake for a friend. Attaching the picture of it for you guys..
Tip No : 81
Buttercream Colour: Purple
For making this particular flower you will have to start by applying pressure drag upwards but while releasing, release it in a curved motion so that it stands upright..
Repeat the entire circle until you reach right to the centre.
Please remember to change the angle with each inner circle so that by the time you reach the centre it is almost 90 degrees to the cupcake.
Tip No: 103
Buttercream Colour: Rose Pink
Start by piping a dollop in the centre to create a bud.
The first inner circle has to have 3 petals. The technique is like creating an arch from left to right overlapping the first arch.
Likewise, the next circle needs to have 5 petals. Create small petals in the beginning and as you reach the very end the petal size increases.
And that was the 5 different Buttercream Flowers that we were trying to learn today.
A step by step pictorial and video tutorial to making different types of BUTTERCREAM FLOWERS for cupcakes and cakes using tips and techniques that is perfect for beginners.
Beat the softened butter until smooth creamy and paler in colour. Add in the condensed milk and beat until stiff.
Next in goes the vanilla essence. Beat that well too. Your condensed milk buttercream frosting is ready.
Divide it into separate bowls and colour it as per your needs by just adding a drop at a time.
Make flower patterns following the step by step method as mentioned in the paragraphs above using the specific tips or nozzles or you can also follow the video tutorial attached to the recipe card.
I have used my favourite vegan cupcakes recipe as the base. You can also choose to use milk in place of water in that recipe to get a more moist and soft cupcake as I did in this recipe.
Find a detailed recipe of BUTTERCREAM 101 by clicking here.
Practise is the key to pipe beautiful flowers on a cupcake. So don't feel bad if you could not make it in the first go, practise and practise until you perfect the art.
One of the best things to make with buttercream flower cupcakes is a bouquet.
Start by covering the cake board with fondant.
The pattern to arrange the cupcake flowers is 2-3-2. That is first place 2 cupcakes, then 3 cupcakes below them and then 2 cupcakes to create a circle of 6 cupcakes with 1 cupcake in the centre.
Roll the green fondant to create stems.
Cut out green fondant using leaf cutter to make leaves or simply pipe using a leaf tip.
Gift to your mother this mother's day and make her feel special
I hope you found this tutorial post helpful.
If you recreate any of these flowers or if you found these instructions informative then definitely let me know by tagging me, tweeting me or Instagram me. I would love to follow you and your posts.
Pin this to your cake decorating board
I will see you soon with yet another one
Until then
Hugs
Sushma.
