Homemade Rainbow Cake!

Every year Ebrahim's school hosts an Annual Family Picnic to celebrate the onset of Summer. Parents generously bring in contributions to complement the BBQ, and I'm the mom who brings the cake!

It had to be something that was relevant to the occasion and interesting for the children too. So after a tediously long discussion with my 4 year old we decided to make a Rainbow Cake.

   

I used two batches of the yellow cake that I use for Boston Creme Cake. And for the filling I used the Boston Creme filling, fruits, and whipped cream flavored with Icing Sugar and Vanilla.

I split the cake batter into four, colored each batch with a different color, and baked separately for 10-12 minutes until done. I kept one layer (orange one) slightly thicker than the others to use it as a base. You could split the batter into as many layers you want depending on how many colors you want.

 

Once the cake and boston creme were cooled, I whipped up some cream with some icing sugar and vanilla. With the thickest layer first, I used some pineapple reserve (from the canned pineapple chunks) to moisten the cake, topped with boston cream, bananas and whipped cream. To keep the base clean I tucked in strips of parchment paper below the first layer to catch any drops of icing.

For the second layer I did the same but used pineapples instead.

And for the third filling I used strawberries.

Then I let the cake set in the fridge, covered, overnight.

The next day I whipped up another batch of whipped cream and colored it sky blue. To coat the cake I roughly spread out the cream using a regular spatula.

Then using a frosting spatula I smoothed it out to cover the entire cake.

For a finer finish I used a strip of parchment paper and lightly ran it across the sides  to smooth out uneven parts.

While the frosting cooled in the frige, I whipped up some more cream, colored it green, and piped out the borders. With a plain pointed tip I wrote "Summer 2011". We had a tiny accident as Ebrahim couldn't control his limbs around the cake so there was a small dent right below the "S" in the Summer. Nobody noticed it much, and after all, I had a 4 year old for an apprentice :o)

I put the cake back in the fridge and whipped up some white and yellow icing for the clouds and sun.

The kids were super excited to see the cake and even more surprised when it was cut open to reveal the rainbow stripes!

It didn't take long for the cake to disappear. Luckily one of the teachers had saved some portions for us separately!

Roasted Lamb

I remember how my mom always used to tell me that mutton (Goat) is better than Lamb because Lamb is strong smelling meat and the stench doesn't go away even after cooking. This is a general impression of my people since we don't get very good quality Lamb in our region.

New Zealand Lamb however, is a completely different league of lamb! I buy the frozen lamb meat imported from New Zealand and every time I wonder what the fresh version would taste like!

So for roasting a boneless shoulder piece, I cleaned up most of the fat off from the meat.

For the marinade I toasted some cumin and coriander seeds and ground them in the good old coffee grinder (which is used less for my hubby's coffee and more for my spices!) and made a wet rub of yogurt, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, ground cumin/coriander seeds, juice of half a lemon (approx 2 tbspn), fresh ginger and garlic paste, and some garam masala.

Add the marinade to the meat and rub well, occasionally poking with a knife. Wrap up the meat in a stretch cooking band, cover with foil and bake at 300 F for 3-4 hours. Towards the end, remove the foil and increase the temperature to 350 F to make the outsides crispy.

You could bake without the stretch band but that way you might get crispy meat all over. This way when you cut open the band, the meat falls out with crispy sides on the outside and very nice and tender lamb meat in the centre.

Great for eating with brown rice, potatoes and some Tzatziki. Leftovers best for wraps and sandwiches!

Mini Meringues

There is a Greek Pastry shop next to our local produce store that sells the brightest most crispy meringues that Ebrahim is absolutely crazy about. Finally on a boring rainy day we decided to make them at home!

For whites of 1 egg you need 1/4 cup of caster sugar (I usually use regular sugar and grind it finely in my coffee grinder!) and a few drops of vanilla essence. Most recipes call for Cream of Tartar but I never have it handy and they turn out fine without it.

To separate the egg whites it is best to use cold eggs, but before whisking the whites give them some time to warm up to room temperature.

With an electric beater, whisk on medium speed till soft peaks are formed. Add the sugar a little at a time and whisk on med-high speed till they hold very stiff peaks. Beat in the vanilla essence. 

For the different colors I separate out the mixture into separate bowls and beat in the desired food coloring. Wilton is my most preferred brand as it is tasteless and washes away easily with water. 

Use a piping bag to pipe out the meringues or using two spoons, make small mounds of meringues onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add sprinkles if you'd like.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 F for 1.5 hours till the meringues get a little pale in color and crisp. One sign that they are cooked is that they will easily release from the parchment paper.

Leave the oven door open just a crack (I stick a wooden spoon in the door), and leave them to cool IN the oven for 5-6 hours or overnight.

Chicken Shawarmas...

After a couple of years in Vancouver I stumbled upon Babylon Cafe in downtown -  they claim to make the best Shawarma in town so I thought I should finally give it a try. Since I rarely eat out anymore, I don't know if they have the best Shawarma in town, but its certainly the best Shawarma I've ever had!

And that is how I was inspired. If they can do it, I should be able to do it - and I came pretty close. The only thing I can't match is the freshness of their pita bread but everything else tastes pretty spot on.

So I asked the Shawarma guy some questions, Googled some recipes, and even got a history book on Middle Eastern Cuisine from the Library!  The book didn't help too much with the recipe, but it was quite descriptive about the ingredients used in that region.

So Shawarma is really simple to make:

You need three sauces, Tahini sauce, Tzatziki Sauce, and Hot Sauce. The hot sauce is optional but you can not skip the first two sauces.

Vegetables: shredded lettuce; sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions; some pickled turnips (optional), and finely chopped curly parsley. Curly Parsley is not the same one that we commonly use in desi cooking. Its crunchier and looks like tiny pieces of brocoli flowers. If you've ever had Tabouleh, you'll know what Parsley I'm talking about! You can pick and chose your vegetables but the cucumbers and parsley add the distinct Shawarma flavor to the wrap.

For the spices I used a dash of Sumac. This is also optional. The first time I made it without Sumac and it still tasted pretty good!

And of course you will need Chicken. I don't have a vertical grill so I mimicked the grilled flavor by pan frying small chunks of boneless chicken in a few drops of canola oil. Before cooking the chicken I marinated it for 3-4 hours in: Garam masala, salt, and pepper, red chilli pepper, fresh garlic and ginger paste and a hint of lemon juice. For extra juiciness, you can try using boneless thigh pieces.

With all fillings ready, take a pita bread and tear it open from the sides. Spread the prepared Tahini Sauce on one side and add lettuce, and the rest of the vegetables. Top with chicken and sprinkle with a little Sumac if you have it handy. Drizzle with Tzatziki and Hot sauce.

Wrap and Enjoy!!!

Note: I use Alum Foil like the Shawarma guy to help roll the Shawarma and to keep it fresh. If your pita is not soft enough then microwave it for a few seconds to soften it but use it immediately because it will stiffen up again and make it harder to roll.

Tahini Sauce

To half a cup of Tahini, add the paste of 1 clove of garlic, 2 tbsp lemon juice, and 1 tbsp yogurt.  Mix well. You can add some olive oil if you think your paste is too thick. Mine turns out thick but I leave it that way since its easier to spread it on the pita bread for Shawarmas.

Tzatzkiki Sauce

For half a cup of Yogurt, you will need half cucumber (peeled), 1.5 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste (pinch of each), 1/2 garlic clove, and 1 tsp of chopped dill.

Add everything in a food processor and blend well. I usually make a paste of the garlic in a smaller processor/coffee grinder to avoid any chunks in the sauce.

Chill in fridge for a couple of hours before using. Great as a dip and even better for Shawarmas.