One Bowl Everyday Chocolate Cake

Yesterday afternoon as I sat on the couch watching TV and waiting for dear hubs to wake up from his catnap so we go shopping, I suddenly started craving for chocolate cake. Nothing too fancy, just something that felt like cake to eat and was not-so-calorie-laden. A simple no-icing chocolaty cake that I can whip up in a jiffy. That is when this was made - a one bowl wonder, fuss free cake with my everyday pantry ingredients. A very basic beginner recipe that you can try your hand at even if you do not consider yourself much of a baker. It is moist, chocolaty with a very nice coffee flavor to it, has less calories when compared to most other chocolate cakes and so it can be your everyday cake.I made this in my new cute mini loaf pans but you can make it in a regular 5 x 9 loaf pan too, just double the recipe. I like it just this way - plain and simple - but you can most certainly dress it up with some whipped cream and berries if you so please. This is a chocolate cake you throw together real quick. It goes with tea and friends coming over on semi-short notice. It also makes for a great breakfast on the go.

Read more »

Condensed milk orange pound cake

ou would probably agree with me that oftentimes we crave for simple treats. No bells and whistles, just simple yet full of flavor. Don't get me wrong, bells and whistles are good and I am all for them but then there is always that morning that you want a simple breakfast, that evening that you want something nice and simple with your hot tea or coffee or that something that you can leave on the kitchen counter that hubby in his usual nonchalant self, lost in his own thoughts, picks up a piece and stops, looks around, gives you a complement on how flavorful it is and goes back to being himself. For me, this orange cake with a burst of citrus comes very close to that description. Light and fluffy,  sweet and refreshing pure spring-summer time treat! It could even be a mood lifter when you are feeling a little blue. 

I go for a light breakfast especially on weekdays. Be it a bowl of cereal or oatmeal or a quick sliced bread sandwich with some fruits and veggies. To keep things interesting, I always find myself looking for ways to come up with interesting but light and yet 'breakfasty' recipes. Interestingly enough this cake has worked many-a-times for me as a light breakfast cake. Then of course there is the possibility of dressing this cake up with frosting and it becomes a dessert. Take you pick.

Read more »

Sparkling Blueberry Basil Limeade (Skinny)

hill out in style this summer with this bright, lively and very refreshing berry-lime drink. I am a big fan of lemonades/limeades myself but the big problem I have with them is they are loaded with sugar. So here's a recipe that lets you chill by the pool in style without having to load up on sugar. Hubs was a little skeptical when he heard of a blueberry drink. He likes most all berries except these and raspberries. I had it ready for him when he got back from work. Back home from the hot Florida sun. He took a sip and I could see his face light up. Of course he followed the sip with a detailed description of how good was it and why, how it was crisp and cool and tasted like lime and blueberries in the best way possible, but for me I had gotten my feedback even before he started talking. That was enough.

Read more »

A Date with Chocolate Cake :)

n case you did not notice the nifty badge to your right, US Masala is proud to announce that it has been featured on yummly.com and has been 'Certified Yummly'.
Now on to this post.
A date with chocolate! Now that's a date I'd never pass on. If you have been a regular visitor to my blog you must know by now that I have a clear obsession with chocolate. Most of my baked goodies are either chocolate based or consist of nutella or both. I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so-much-so that every time I eat anything sweet, I immediately need to eat something savory or spicy to 'clean' my palate. With chocolate, the story is a little different. Every time I think of dessert, I think chocolate. Even when I am online looking for ideas, I type chocolate based search words... even when I am blog hopping, the category I check is chocolate baked goodies. You get the idea.

I regularly make a date based breakfast cake that hubs loves to eat with his cereal before he leaves for work every morning. This time around, when I was in the mood to bake some cake with the leftover dates I got the other day, while mixing the batter came the bright (read:obvious for me) idea of adding chocolate and the result was magical, a soft chocolaty perfect breakfast cake. Added bonus is now I can eat it for breakfast too. Being butterless and eggless makes it even better.

Read more »

Orange Olive Oil Loaf Cake

ey again folks. So my story this time is as simple as... I just felt like baking. Baking something nice and flavorful and... citrusy. The only citrus flavor I felt like was oranges. But then I felt a real urge to include chocolate. On second thought though I decided against it... and I am glad I did. This loaf cake came out so perfect with such nice and clean yet with a burst of citrusy flavor that it could even be a mood lifter when you are feeling a little blue. On a more technical note, I do want to point out that with this bake I realized that the EVOO really does wonders to a fruity cake while being healthier than regular oil, and as you will realize from the recipe below, it is really really easy to put together.

Read more »