My First From Scratch Cake

بسم الله


This is the first cake I ever made from scratch, the first icing I ever made from scratch and the first cake I ever carved!! :-D

The cake is this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Yellow-Cake-Made-from-Scratch/Detail.aspx Just a normal cake, nothing really special or spectacular. I was just looking for something easy :-)

The icing is this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Creamy-Chocolate-Frosting/Detail.aspx *Note* you will probably need to add a little more liquid for this recipe to get it the texture you want, but the taste is fantastic!

Since I have never made this stuff before, I didn't use my own recipes.

Lol also you can see my ONE baking dish and my lack of hand mixer or stand mixer. I made the whole cake with a whisk and a fork :-P I am such a college student...
alhamdulillah it works for me though!








I wanted to carve it to look like a big chocolate. *Note* the cake is easier to carve when it is completely cooled (even frozen!) Most people suggest wrapping the cake and leaving it in the freezer over night.



*Note* when you carve a cake, you should include two layers of icing. The first is the crumb coat which catches all those crumbs you loosened by carving it and the second coat is your final top coat (or you can cover with fondant).



It is good to pop it in the fridge for a bit between chocolate coats.



Enjoy!

Banana Bread

بسم الله

This bread is really goooooood. I love banana bread!! In this batch I didn't add nuts, but I did make a batch with dates later that was pretty scrumptious as well.
Also I only have ONE dish that I use to make EVERYTHING that goes into the oven except for things that can be made on a cookie sheet. So basically bake it in what you want to bake it in, just watch to make sure it doesn't burn.

Ingredients:
2.5 mashed bananas
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup oil
1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon (or to taste)

cinnamon sugar
butter

Method:
1. Mix all the wet stuff: bananas, sugar, egg, oil, vanilla


2. Mix all the dry stuff: flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon


3. Mix the wet and dry stuff


4. Grease your pan with butter and then coat it in cinnamon sugar (mmmmmm delicious) then pour batter into pan.


5. Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes or until you can pull a clean toothpick out.


Enjoy!

Safiha Ra'a ala Laila

بسم الله

I made about a quarter recipe of the Safiha Ra'a from Laila Blogs and it was DELICIOUS!!!! MashaAllah her recipes come out really well and I encourage you guys to try them :-D


I had them with a cucumber yogurt sauce, and inshaAllah I will try to write down what I put in it and let you guys know :-D

Ma'amoul: from Finding Guidance...

Salam!

Bismillah

Another repost from Finding Guidance...

So HERE is how I made the ma'amoul. I wasn't completely satisfied with the recipe, so next time I make it I will modify a little, inshaAllah. Traditionally this is made with a really cool wooden mold, but I don't have one so I just shaped them in my hand and decorated with a fork. Oh and you need to start it the night before!!

INGREDIENTS
Cookie:
1/2 cup shortening
8 tbsp butter
1 cup flour
2 cup semolina
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar (next time I will use a little more)
2 tbsp rose water (next time I will use 1 tbsp rose water, 8 tbsp regular water)
7 tbsp water
(next time I hope to add black seed or mahlab to the dough)

Filling:
1 1/2 cup chopped dates
5 tbsp butter (next time I will use 3 or 3.5 tbsp butter)
(Cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes mashing occasionally, cool before filling. Be careful to not cook too long because it makes the dates tough and gives it a kind of *burned* taste when the butter starts to brown.)

This is what it looks like when you start cooking. I did NOT like the amount of butter in this recipe at this point and next time will use only 3 or 3.5 tbsp butter here.

DAY ONE
~melt shortening and butter together and cool a little
~mix flour, semolina, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a bowl
~add melted shortening and butter, mix thoroughly (it should be a little sandy feeling)
~cover with plastic wrap and rest overnight


DAY TWO
~make filling
~add rose water and water mixture to the dough and combine with a fork
~take the filling and make small rolled balls


~mold cookies by wrapping in a layer of the dough and then making marks on top with a fork if you want


~bake at 300-325F until the top is slightly brown (the time varries WIDELY depending on the amount of dough and size of each cookie) If you aren't sure if it's cooked, reach in a squish one. If it is still doughy, it isn't done!

This is what they look like before they go in the oven.

~you can add powdered sugar to the top if you want

DONE! :D

I hope this is clear!! Let me know if you have questions or if you tried it!!!

Dinner Rolls

Salam!

Bismillah

These are a family favorite, for sure. It is faster if you have a bread machine, but I don't have one so I will post the recipe as I do it. :-)

Ingredients
3 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp yeast
1 egg
1 cup warm water
2 tbsp melted/softened butter

1. combine all dry ingredients
2. add butter and egg, and add water a little at a time until the dough is the right consistancy. it should be smooth, elastic and ever so slightly sticky.
(depending on the humidity you may need to add a little bit of flour or butter)
3. knead for 10 to 15 minutes
4. let rise in a greased bowl until doubled in size
5. shape into about 16 even rolls, and let rise for another 15 or 20 minutes on an oiled cookie sheet
6. bake at 375F for 12-15 minutes until the tops are a little browned

*NOTE: if you make 8 instead of 16, you can use them as hamburger buns :-)*