Pearlsofeast: Coffee cup cake

Festivals are part of Indian culture and we do have plenty of excuses & opportunities to celebrate them. They always have had a special place in my heart, I remember as part of growing up, I would be waiting eagerly for Dusshera where my dad would buy me a couple of new nice outfits, It was such an endless to wait for November & then I would go berserk looking for a nice selection of clothes & colors to compliment my skin and lenses and have them stitched by the neighborhood tailor to custom fit me to the latest craze in the market. My dad always had a good eye and I simply loved his selections. Soon after Dusshera we in Orissa also celebrate Kumar purnami, which is also known as Sarat Purnima in many parts of India, It is celebrated on a full moon day by the Kumaries (unmarried girls) to get a nice loving husband, I am sure I had worked hard on it!. We make a beautiful crescent with the cottage cheese (chenna) and other sweetmeat offerings to the enchanting moon that promises us to have a good life ahead. It is celebrated with grandeur as the girls of the neighborhood sing dance and eat lovely festive goodies prepared by moms from the neighborhood.

These are some childhood memories that are forever etched in our thoughts even if they are not captured on celluloid. These are some great moments that bring that forgotten smile into our urban morning madness (rush) to our lips and revive the fond memories of yester years.

Grounding back into reality & coming back to my recipe of coffee cup cakes. This was a result of an event hosted by dear Meeta, I am sure she doesn’t need any introduction to the foodie world .She has a fantastic space and her presentation , photography are mind blowing. As a part of month mingle a wonderful event held every month, this month’s theme is none other than coffee and tea. Churning out a recipe with these beverages was really a great theme and I loved the intense aroma of coffee in these cup cakes.

Here is the cake

Ingredients
1 cup plain flour
1teaspoon baking powder
1teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee granules
1/3 to ½ cup Sugar
¼ cup /canola oil/ butter
1 egg

½ cup choc chips
1/3 cup milk
½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder

Method

Cream butter and sugar and add egg. Whisk till light and fluffy. Shift the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg). Add the flour and milk alternatively to above mix until well incorporated. Mix the choc chips. Preheat the oven to180 ‘c. Grease a muffin pan. Spoon and level ¾ of the muffin hole and bake for 20 to 25 minutes till done. Remove and cool.

I used a ready made marzipan mix to decorate it. Roll and add the color of your choice. Using a cookies cutter, choose the shape desired. My son loved and enjoyed it thoroughly and it was an after school treats for him. Serve and enjoy.