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Vanilla Bean Sponge with Strawberry Buttercream {Pressure Cooker Cake} ~ Celebrating 1 Yr of Blogging


As I look back on my journey in food blogging I have a huge smile and a content heart. I am humbled by my little space turning 1 today, call it Blog birthday or an anniversary, I still cannot fathom a year has passed since I started this little space. My first post was Caramel Custard and I still remember clicking the photographs in our little apartment with lights on :P and my husband did not know that what he saw that day of his wife capturing a sweet companion behind the lens will be her day to day activity :D. I still consider myself novice when it comes to blogging although I learnt it all from scratch did not know who to ask or what to even search in google. I have never made efforts to upload a template or get help from a professional for my blog. All that you see today is what I learnt and what I experimented in terms of layout, design, header, recipes and indexing. Back then everyday as my husband left for work I would log into my blog and keep exploring what I can do next and little did I know that I would be hooked with it all day. Blogging did make me learn the art of baking a cake, bread and try new recipes. Everyone asks me if I have learnt baking or cooking from someone, I have to tell you all that I did it all on my own. I started to cook only after marriage and still there is a long way to go in my culinary journey.Blogging has added many friends in my life who still keep in touch with me on a daily basis. Little did I know that the people I used to visit would be my close friends. I consider myself fortunate to be friends with them. Everyone thinks that the virtual world is so unreal but it became real to me I have met few great bloggers in real life. Today CLP has crossed over 2 lakh 83 thousand views, over 700 + facebook page likes, 240 + google friend connects... This sure is a proud moment for me.

First of all I want to thank God for His grace that enabled me to do all that I did. 
Thanks to my husband, 
readers, friends and family 
who have been with me in this 1 year journey. 
Its been so much fun to share my kitchen success with you. 



No occasion is complete for me without a cake, since I have never posted a pressure cooker cake I thought this is the right time to do one. Really whether you believe it or not I used a pressure cooker to bake this cake and did not use an electric whisk while doing the sponge and frosting. Its not rocket science to bake a cake and if you really lack an oven don't be worried use a pressure cooker. Mind you that you need a good recipe which is a must to get the perfect cake. Besides that my personal opinion is not to bake often in a pressure cooker there are two reasons for that - one is that you would use lot of gas as the cake would need atleast an hour to bake and the second is that the life of the pressure cooker will diminish as you don't use water. Ok let this not stop you from baking a cake ;-). Btw recently my dslr brokedown and I am so in awe with my point and shoot magic. All the clicks in this post are taken with my humble p n s cam :D


VANILLA BEAN SPONGE RECIPE

Recipe Source - Adapted from here
Prep time - 15 mins
Bake time - 1 hour approx
Makes - 6 " cake
Serves - 8 people

Ingredients

1 cup + 2 tbsp of plain flour / maida
1/2 cup of powdered sugar 
1 cup of milk powder ( I used Nestle sweetened milk powder)
1 cup of milk ( I used skimmed milk)
3/4 cup of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 vanilla bean
1/2 tsp of salt

Method


  • Take 2 medium bowls in one sieve flour and salt together, set aside. 
  • In the other bowl cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, I used a hand whisk to do so. Now add the milk powder and combine. The mixture can be curdly don't worry not slowly add the milk and mix well. 
  • Now split the vanilla bean and scrap the caviar with the back of your knife. Make sure you use every bit of it as vanilla beans are precious.
  • Now add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and combine well. Pour into a greased pan 
  • Prepare the pressure cooker by placing a steel plate. stand on it. Do not use any water, and remove the rubber beading from the cooker lid, no need for cooker weight. Heat the cooker on high flame of 5 mins ( this is similar to pre-heating an oven) 
  • Using a vessel holder place the cake tin on the stand inside the cooker, this is to avoid yourself from burning. Make sure that the cake tin fits inside the cooker. Close the lid without rubber ring and weight. After 3-4 minutes reduce the flame to medium and bake for approx an hour.
  • You can start checking the doneness of the cake after 30 mins by inserting your knife in center of the cake tin, If it  comes clean the cake is done else bake for some more time
  • Once done using a vessel holder remove the cake tin from the cooker and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Later invert the tin to remove the cake. It will take around 1 hr for the cake to come to room temperature.


STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING RECIPE

Unsalted Butter - 1/2 cup ( in room temprature)
Icing sugar - 1 and 1/2 cup
Strawberry Flavoring - 1 tsp
Pink food color - few drops
Sugar sprinklers - to decorate

Cream the butter for a few minutes then slowly combine the icing sugar little but little and add the flavoring and food color. Combine well.

Assembly

Using an offset spatula spread the buttercream on the sponge and decorate with the sugar sprinklers. Set in refrigerator for 5 minutes to set.


Cooks Wisdom

- Make sure while baking cake to use an aluminum cooker, it heats up fast and withstands long cooking without water in the pan. 
- using a stand to keep the cake tin is essential if you don't have the stand that comes with your cooker make sure you use any aluminum plate 
- Never use a weight for the cooker cake and rubber beading on the cooker lid
- Do not add water or sand to bake the cake
- If you want to bake the cake in an oven pre-heat oven to 180C/350F and bake for 30-35 mins until a toothpick inserted in center comes clean

45 comments:

  1. yummy cake with lovely cream sis:)even me celebrated my blogiversary on 6th june.same pinch akka

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  2. congrats Priya .the cake looks wonderful,you are tempting me to make,

    Wish many more success to come.

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  3. hey i thought u r blogging over 5 years now:) Wish u many many years more
    Love the cake, never tried pressure cooker one:)

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  4. congrats some thing u need to proud :) one year long year to go priya !

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  5. Congrats and way to go sis, wishing you many more beautiful and funfilled years in this blogsphere, thats a stunning and damn cute cake, prefect cake for celebration..Hugs.

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  6. congratulations and thank you for baking my cake for this special occasion

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  7. Congrats Priya... Wishing many more years of success. Perfect cake for the occasion...

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  8. Congrats Priya...Welcoming you to a happy second year blogging and wish you all success...Cake looks more yummy,beautiful presentation Priya

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  9. Congrats Priya.Yummy cake with butter cream frosting..makes me mouth watering.Template is awesome..

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  10. Congratulations Pri :) Love the colour of the frosting :)

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  11. definitely a big acheivement priya... yummy cake... wishing you many many years of blogging... :)

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  12. congratulations Priya. wish you many more years of happy blogging.

    beautiful cake !

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  13. Congrats Priya.. And the cake looks so good and spongy...

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  14. Congrats Priya and a cake fit to celebrate the occasion!

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  15. Lovely cake and congrats on the blog anniv. Keep going.

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  16. congratulations priya and wishing u many more....
    cake looks wonderful :)

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  17. like the header priya :) not only u but ur blog is also celebrating with this beautiful rose petals falling from heaven :)

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  18. Congrats dear. Super tempting cake

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  19. Congratulations on your first milestone dear!!! You rocked...keep rocking ;)

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  20. Congrats Doll.. Wish u meet many more years in the blogosphere... n not look like one year old.. Lovely rose shower Doll... Cake s awesome... naane kaali pannirven...;)

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  21. congratz priya on you blogosvery :)am so happy and your blog looks lovely with new header and the petals shower :):) delicious cake and it has come really moist .. pass me one piece nw .. it looks superb :)

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  22. Congrats! looks so yummy ! very creamy looking frosting

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  23. congrats dear,cute pink cake and strawberry frosting,i just love it,very apt for the occasion,congrats again

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  24. Congrats dear Priya on reaching a truly celebration worthy milestone! You are a pro now at blogging and I love your different headers and layouts.
    All your posts are worth reading and drooling over and has a certain innocence that portrays who you are. I'm so happy to have met you thru this virtual world and hope we remain friends for a long long time.

    The cake looks fabulous! I've wanted to try a pressure cooker cake when I went for vacation last year but never got to it. Now I know where to check when I want to try :-)

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  25. Congrat Priya on your blog anniversary.... very lovely and beautiful cake....

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  26. Congrats on the one year milestone!! That's a beautiful cake

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  27. Congrats on your milestone, happy blogging! Cake looks soft n perfect!

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  28. many congratulations priya for completing 1 year of blogging.. your achievements are commendable and the pain you to take to recreate something new n fantastic is so awesome :)..keep rocking girl!

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  29. AnonymousJune 25, 2013

    Such a pretty looking cake. I love the blog header too! I have never tried pressure cooker cake. This looks very soft and moist - Will try it out :)
    Congrats on your blogging anniversary - Keep going Priya!
    Shema | LifeScoops

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  30. congrats Priya.. cake looks awesome :)

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  31. Yummy n cute lookign cake. Congrats on the acheivement. Happy Birthday Cook Like Priya !!!

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  32. Congrats Priya, that icing looks so tempting, beautiful cake..

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  33. happy blog anniversary...perfectly styled for the special day...loved those petals falling down :)

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  34. Yummy, soft and moist cake.. Congrats dear on your blog anniversary.. Very very happy for you..

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  35. Congrats....awesome cake..

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  36. Congrats dear n wish u many more funfilled years of blogging! Pressure cooker cake n ur frosting looks awesome n beautifully done...liked ur new pink header :) keep rocking da!!

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  37. delicious and inviting.....congrats doll !!! keep rocking !!!!

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  38. Thank you all for your outpouring wishes and comments :) means the world to me, I am so fortunate to have some lovely friends in blogshere, thanks to one and all. Although I would love to reply individually, I still am dumb struck as to what to write :) thanks again

    Love & Hugs
    Priya

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  39. Congrauts priya on ur blog anniversery, cake looks delecious and yumm!

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  40. Congrats priya on your blog's anniversary..Great effort..keep rocking...

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  41. my hearty wishes dear and eggless cake came out perfect :-)

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  42. Congrats Priya :) That's truly an awesome achievement.. You have come over a long way & wish u many more miles ahead :) And it's a humble recipe for a great occasion.. The cake looks perfect & moist & yummy :)

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  43. congrats priya..love following ur blog..keep rocking

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  44. Congrats my dear Priya akka.. Am so glad u started blogging an year ago, else would have missed u :) Glad to know u in person too, such a loing and caring sister you have been to me, my wishes and warm regards are always with you..!! am so glad to see you excelling in your work :) Wishing you more an more success and many more years of successful blogging.. Loved that pretty pink cake :D looks superb and I would have never known that you have clicked with your point and shoot, if you hadn't notified about it in your write up.. Awesome pics elegant ones :) Camera isnt the matter your talent speaks here :) Hugsss And love <3

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Thank you for visiting, I hope you enjoyed my recipes :-) In case you have tried any of the recipes featured here, do let me know in the comment section. For any other queries email me - cooklikepriya(at)gmail.com

Love,
Priya Ranjit

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