If you make this or any of the recipes from Appetite Treats, be sure to tag #appetitetreats on Instagram or share it in my Facebook page. I would love to see your creations!

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
By Sathya Sankar 
Makes an 8-inch cake   

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup unsweetened dark chocolate chips
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cold
• 8 large eggs, chilled
• cocoa powder and powdered sugar, for dusting

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 325°F and grease and flour a 8-inch springform pan.Cover the sides of the pan with aluminum foil.
• Place the springform pan in a deep baking dish and fill 3/4th with boiling water, set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine chocolate chips and butter.
• Microwave on high for 30seconds, mix and microwave again for 30 seconds.
• Microwave on 30 seconds interval until the butter is melted and chocolate chips starts to melt.
• Mix the chocolate-butter mixture until it turns smooth and silky with all the chocolate melted.
• In a large bowl, place the eggs and using a hand mixer beat until double in volume.
• Fold in half of the chocolate mixture into the beaten eggs. Once incorporated fold in the other half and mix until the mixture is smooth and no streaks of the eggs are visible.
• Pour the mixture into the greased springform pan and smooth the top.
• Place the pan in the water bath and bake for about 25-30 minutes.
• Remove the pan from water bath and let it cool on a wire rack.
• Cover on top with aluminum foil and chill in the fridge overnight.
• Once chilled, run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen it.
• Remove the cake from the pan and dust on top with cocoa powder or powdered sugar before serving.

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• If you are not a great fan of dark chocolate, substitute it with semi-sweet chocolate.

If you make this or any of the recipes from Appetite Treats, be sure to tag #appetitetreats on Instagram or share it in my Facebook page. I would love to see your creations!

VALENTINE'S HEART TREATS
By Sathya Sankar 
Makes 10-13 Treats   

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INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CRUST

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2-21/2 tablespoon ice cold water

FOR THE FILLING

• any jam of your choice
• Egg wash
• Brown sugar to sprinkle on top

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In the bowl of food processor, add together flour, salt and butter.
• Pulse together for a crumbly mixture.
• Add the ice cold water little by little and mix the flour and butter mixture until it comes through to form a dough.
• Move the dough on to a floured surface and roll the dough in to a circle.
• Using a heart cutter, gently cut the dough hearts and place them in the lined baking sheet.
• Roll again and repeat with the remaining dough. You must be having even number of hearts.
• Brush extacly half the number of hearts with egg wash and place a small amount of jam on top.
• Close the filled hearts with the remaining hearts and press gently, make sure you seal the hearts on the edges well, other wise the filling may come out.
• Using a small round tip, press gently on the edges of the hearts to make it pretty.
• Sprinkle the sugar on top and bake for 15 minutes or until the hearts golden brown on top.
• Let it rest on a wire rack until cool.

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• The measurement mentioned above makes about 10-13 treats. You can double the recipe.
• Using cold butter and ice cold water is very important for making the crust very flaky.
• Instead of using jam, fresh fruits, chocolates, pie filling also can be used.
• Make sure to seal the edges well, few of my treats opened up while baking and filling separated, you dont want this!
• Instead of brown sugar, white sugar or even colorful sugar sprinkles can be used.

If you make this or any of the recipes from Appetite Treats, be sure to tag #appetitetreats on Instagram or share it in my Facebook page. I would love to see your creations!

ALMOND COOKIES
By Sathya Sankar 
Makes 25-30 cookies   

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INGREDIENTS

• 70 gram all-purpose flour
• 65 gram almond meal
• 15g corn flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 30 gram powdered sugar, sifted
• 4-6 tablespoon vegetable oil
• egg wash
• slivered almonds for garnish

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 300°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add in the sifted mixture, almond meal and powdered sugar.
• By running the mixture on low, slowly add in the vegetable oil until the dough comes together.
• The dough should be able to hold together when you roll into a ball.
• Place the dough in between two parchment papers and roll it into 1cm thickness.
• Using a cookies cutter, gently cut out the dough and place it onto the lined baking sheet.
• Brush the cookies on top with egg wash and garnish with slivered almonds.
• Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown in color.
• Turn off the oven and let the cookies rest in the oven for 5 minutes.
• Then transfer the cookies onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Store in an air-tight container.

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• The amount of oil given is just approximate, you may need more or less depending on your flour type and temperature.
• Almond meal is nothing but almond flour made with raw blanched almond.
• Using an egg wash gives the cookie nice glaze and color on the top but its totally optional.

I normally like swiss meringue buttercream for my cakes but this time wanted to go easy with the butter (you need loads of butter for swiss meringue) so i went with making whipped cream frosting. To stabilize  the whipped cream  i added the instant pudding mix (jell-o, refer to the notes below). i decorated the cake with ombre effect and piped some hydrangeas on the top of the cake.

If you make this or any of the recipes from Appetite Treats, be sure to tag #appetitetreats on Instagram or share it in my Facebook page. I would love to see your creations!

RICH CHOCOLATE CAKE LAYERED WITH OREO CREAM FILLING WITH WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING

By Sathya Sankar 
Makes one 9x5inch loaf

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INGREDIENTS

For the Cake

• 6 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoon cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons boiling water
• 1 stick (8tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cups dark brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Frosting

• 4 cups heavy whipping cream
• 4 tablespoon vanilla flavored instant pudding mix
• 3 to 5 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups of mini oreo cookies
• gel food coloring of your choice

METHOD:

Making the Cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and line and grease an 8.5-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, combine the chocolate and cocoa powder. Pour the boiling water over and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
• In another bowl, sift together the flours, salt and baking powder and set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment beat the butter on medium-high until light and fluffy.
• Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and make sure to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
• Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat on medium until just combined.
• Reduce the speed to low, add the flour and chocolate mixture alternating between the two. Starting and ending with the flour mixture. Beat just until combined.
• Transfer the batter to the greased pan and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
• Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Making the Frosting: Make the frosting in two batches.

1. Place the oreo cookies in a food processor and process into crumbs.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add in the heavy cream, pudding mix, vanilla and sugar.
3. Mix on a low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium high and whisk until the cream starts to form stiff peaks.
4. When you lift the whisk the cream should hold a peak without falling off.
5. Fold in the hero crumbs into the cream gently with a spatula. Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate until you make the second batch of the cream.
6. Repeat the steps 2-4 to make second batch of the cream.
7. Divide the cream into small bowls and mix in the gel food colors.

Assembling the Cake:

• Divide the cake into three layers using a serrated cake knife.
• Place one layer on the cake stand and spread about 1/2 cup of the oreo cream with a palette knife. Place the second layer on top of the first layer and spread about 1/2 cup of the oreo cream. Place the third layer on top and crumb coat the whole cake with the remaining oreo cream.
• Let the cake sit for about one hour in the fridge before decorating.
• Once the cake is chilled, frost the whole cake with the remaining cream and decorate as desired.

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• The instant pudding mix already has sugar in it, so when adding powdered sugar to the whipping cream, start with one tablespoon and taste as you whip the cream half way. If you need more sweet add at this point and whip.
• Leave the cream covered in the fridge, when not working with it, otherwise it may become too soft.
• The amount given for the cream can make about 6 cups of frosting. If you are not decorating the whole cake, then reduce the amount accordingly.




• Leftover frosting can be freezed upto one month in a airtight container. Bring it to room temperature and rewhip before using.
• I used a wilton tip 2D to pipe the hydrangeas on the top of cake.
• The cake can stand stand at room temperature for about one hour after decorating.
• If not consuming the cake immediately, cover it with a cake dome and refrigerate. Bring it to room temperature before serving.

Pistachio Cardamom Pound Cake, the name has it all. This cake is a heavenly combination of the sweet-floral note from the cardamom and the nutty texture form the pistachios. I have never added cardamom to a cake before and i was totally surprised. Give this cake a try and you will definitely fall in love with the flavors.

If you make this or any of the recipes from Appetite Treats, be sure to tag #appetitetreats on Instagram or share it in my Facebook page. I would love to see your creations!

PISTACHIO CARDAMOM PUND CAKE
By Sathya Sankar 
Makes one 9x5inch loaf

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INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups(200g) cake flour, sifted
• 2 sticks(227g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups(250g) granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1/3 cup(80ml) heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup coarsely ground pistachios, shelled and unsalted
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare a 9x5inch loaf pan by greasing the bottom and sides with cooking spray and dust with flour.
• In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and set aside.
• In a bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with paddle attachment cream butter on medium high for 5 minutes.Gradually add sugar and continue to cream for about 3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
• Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl for even mixing.
• Reduce the speed to low and add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
• Add the cardamom powder and mix well.
• Add the flour mixture alternating with the heavy cream and ground pistachios in three additions. Do not over mix.
• Add the batter to the loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
• Bake for about 1hour and 15minutes. The cake should be golden brown and tooth pick inserted should come out clean.
• Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

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• Oven time may vary, so keep an eye on the cake close to 1hour mark.
• If the cake starts to brown on top before its cooked through, loosely cover on top with a foil and continue to bake.
• If you dont prefer cardamom powder, replace it with 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

               "May all your dreams for the coming year be fulfilled and may you find joy and love. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!"

Spritz cookies are the classic holiday cookies made mostly during christmas. These are the best buttery, melt-in your mouth cookies perfect for the holiday party. They are so easy to make with just simple basic ingredients. These cookies are fun to make and would make a great holiday gift. You will need cookie press to make them pretty and festive.

If you make this or any of the recipes from Appetite Treats, be sure to tag #appetitetreats on Instagram or share it in my Facebook page. I would love to see your creations!

VANILLA SPRITZ COOKIES

By Sathya Sankar 
Makes 12 Dozen Cookies
      

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• few drops of food coloring, optional

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar and salt. Beat until light and fluffy.
• Add vanilla and eggs one at a time, continuously beating.
• Gradually add flour, beating until well incorporated.
• Divide the dough into portions and mix in the desired colors.
• Place the dough i cookie press with desired disk. Press the dough out onto an uncreased baking sheet.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown on the edges. Rotate baking sheet halfway through baking time.
• Let the cookies rest in baking tray for few minutes and then transfer them to wire rack to completely cool.
• Store in an air tight container.

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NOTES

• Recipe adapted from Oxo cookie press booklet.
• If you don't own a cookie press, just place the dough into a piping bag and pipe a rosette or a swirl.
• Don't ever line the cookie sheet or baking tray with parchment or grease it with cooking spray. The cookies will speed and won't hold their shape. The baking tray should be uncreased.
• Use a gel food coloring to color the dough.
• You can add festive sprinkles or sugar pearls on the pressed dough before baking.
• Dough can be prepared with several variations like adding orange zest, lemon extract etc.

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Hello there! Thanks for visiting Appetite Treats! If you liked this or any of the other recipes here, feel free to leave a comment below.

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If you make this or any of the recipes from Appetite Treats, be sure to tag #appetitetreats on Instagram or share it in my Facebook page. I would love to see your creations!

RICH FRUIT CAKE

By Sathya Sankar 
Preparation time 40 minutes
Cooking time 3 hours 30 minutes
Makes 1 9-inch cake
      

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INGREDIENTS

• 250 g unsalted butter, softened
• 230 g soft brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 250 g all-purpose flour
• 60 g self-raising flour

FOR FRUIT MINCE

• 800g sultanas (golden raisins)
• 320 g raisins, chopped
• 185 g currants
• 155 g dried cherries, quartered
• 250 g pitted prunes
• 250 g dried apricots, chopped
• 250 ml brandy
• 55 g soft brown sugar
• 80 g sweet orange marmelade
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1teaspoon mixed spice

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 300°F.
• Grease and line a 9 inch round or square cake tin. (How to line a cake tin, see notes below)
• To make the fruit mince, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl,using a stand mixer attached with a paddle attachment or an electric beater, beat the butter, soft brown sugar and orange and lemon zests until just combined.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Stir in half of the soaked fruit mixture alternating with the all-purpose flour and self-raising flour, beating well after each addition, until the fruit mixture and the flours are well combined.
• Spread the batter evenly into the tin and tap the tin on a flat surface to remove any air bubbles. Dip your fingers in water and level the surface.
• Decorate the top of the cake with whole blanched almonds or silvered almonds.
• Bake the cake in an 300°F oven for 3-31/2 hours, or until a skewer inserted comes clean.
• Cover the top of the cake with parchment paper, seal firmly with foil, then wrap the cake and tin in a clean tea towel and leave it to cool.

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1. Lightly grease the cake tin. Fruit cakes need a double layer of baking paper for the collar and base. Cut two circles of baking paper, using the base as a guide.
2. To make the collar, cut a double strip of baking paper long enough to fit around the outside of the tin and tall enough to extend above the top of the tin (2inch).
3. Fold a 2cm deep cuff along the length of the strip, then make diagonal cuts up to the fold line about 1 cm apart.
4. Fit in the tin, with the cuts on the base, pressing them out at right angles so they sit flat around the base. Place the circles over the cuts.

• The fruits can be soaked in brandy few weeks in advance.
• Oven times vary, so check the cake 20 minutes before the specified time, if it is cooked a skewer should come out clean when inserted into the centre.
• IF the cake starts to brown before it is cooked, cover it loosely with foil.
• Fruit cake improve if kept for a few weeks wrapped in baking paper and foil or kept in an airtight container before decorating or cutting.
• United fruit cakes can be refrigerated for up to 3 months.