Chocolate Covered Strawberries Recipe – Valentine’s Day Recipes

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. Many of you might have started thinking about gifting ideas and to make some special recipes on Valentine’s day. Before 10 years,when our marriage date was fixed, 2005 Valentine’s day was very special to us. He gifted me ruby stone gold stud with a chocolate box and I gave him a T Shirt. From then, every year on Valentines day, he gives me some special gifts like Camera, mobile phones, dress, jewelleries, handbags etc whereas me as a wife shower all my love by making some interesting, new dishes for him as he loves to eat varieties of food. 

This year, when I was thinking about Valentines day recipes, my friend Shalini told me about this Chocolate covered strawberries ( Strawberries dipped in chocolate sauce). I browsed for this yummy dessert recipe & found it is a traditional gift for Valentine's Day in the United States. I became double happy & tried it this morning to start off Valentines day special recipes in my blog.

For this recipe,i referred few youtube videos for tips and tricks. I won’t say I made it perfect but still as a first timer,Iam happy with the outcome.Here i have showed you how to melt chocolate using microwave but i’ve discussed the other methods of melting as well. I used dark sweetened compound chocolate for melting.You can use white compund chocolate too. Even though the preparation is easy,there are few points you should keep in mind. 

Please refer “Notes” section for tips before you start. For variations,you can make homemade chocolate covered banana and other fruits like blueberries, prune, chocolate covered almond and even chocolate covered oreos. I decorated them with sprinklers,rice crisps. Run your imagination and play with it. Lets see how to make chocolate covered strawberries at home easily. 

Chocolate Covered Strawberries Recipe

How to make Chocolate Covered Strawberries at home using microwave 

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sweet

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 5 Minutes

Total time: 15 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Compound Chocolate - 100 gms ( I used Vanleer brand, sweetened) Fresh Strawberries - 10 nos Sprinklers,rice crisps - for decoration **Please refer”Notes”section before you start..

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES - METHOD

Wash & pat dry the strawberries completely. Make sure strawberries are completely dry because chocolate will not be coated over wet strawberries. Break the compund chocolate into small pieces. Take them in a clean, dry, microwave safe bowl ( make sure there is not even a single droplet of water). Heat in medium power ( I kept 450W) for 30 seconds. Remove the bowl and stir it with a clean, dry spoon. Again microwave in medium power for 1 minute. Remove and stir well. Repeat this process until the chocolate is melted. No issues if there are minute pieces of chocolate. It will melt in the residual heat. Remove the bowl and keep mixing to melt completely. It took approximately 2.5 minutes to melt in my microwave. But this time may vary. So keep an eye. Over doing may stiffen the chocolate.Take care !! Now take the dry strawberries and insert a toothpick in the head part. Hold the toothpick and dip 3/4th or whole strawberry ( as per your wish) in the melted chocolate. Swipe it in the rim of bowl or pat it to remove the excess chocolate. Arrange the strawberries on a plate. Do this process quickly before the chocolate hardens. Suppose if the chocolate is hardened before you finish the work, microwave them in medium power for 30 seconds to melt them. If you are not able to bring the correct consistency for chocolate, add 1 tbsp of odourless cooking oil  for 100gms of chocolate and then melt in microwave. Chocolate will melt properly. Serve after few minutes once the chocolate sets.Enjoy ! Other methods of melting chocolate Direct heat: This method is easy and convenient. Place the chocolate in a heavy saucepan over very low heat, stirring constantly till the chocolate begins to melt. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir the chocolate until it is smooth. Be careful while using this method because there are many chances for the chocolate to scorch. To avoid this,do the process in very low flame with constant stirring. Double boiler: This method takes a little longer than the direct-heat method but eliminates the possibility of scorching the chocolate. Place water in the bottom of the bowl  and chocolate pieces in another bowl that fits the water bowl.The top of the water should be 1/2 inch below the upper pan. Then place the double boiler over low heat. Stir the chocolate constantly until it is melted. The water in the bottom of the double boiler should not come to boiling while the chocolate is melting.Stir chocolate occasionally as it softens. When you have just a few small unmelted chunks, remove bowl from heat (residual heat will melt the rest).

Note

Points you should keep in mind 1. There should be no water in strawberries or chocolate. So pat the strawberries and dry them completely before you dip them in the chocolate. Make sure all equipment is completely dry. Any moisture on the utensils or in the container may cause the chocolate to seize/stiffen. If this happens, stir in 1/2 to 1 teaspoon shorteningor odourless cooking oil (not butter) for every 30 gms of chocolate. Be careful to keep water from splashing into the chocolate. A single drop will cause the chocolate to seize. Keep heat low to avoid scorching if using double boiler method. Always stir chocolate during melting. 2.Melt the chocolate very carefully. Be patient and stir the chocolate every 30 seconds for best results. If the chocolate becomes rock hard before completing the dipping process,add a tbsp of cooking oil  for 100gms of chocolate and melt to bring it to the right consistency.

Enjoy this easy, yummy deseert for your special day ! Have a fun filled celebration !!

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EGGLESS VANILLA MUG CAKE RECIPE-MICROWAVE RECIPES

Its been a long time I shared an eggless mug cake recipe in microwave. After trying some one minute & 5 minute cake successfully, Iam much more comfortable & confident in trying out recipes like this. Its my long time wish to try out one minute vanilla cake as it is my most favourite flavour. I have been searching for the same and I finally found it here. It came out super soft and spongy with a lovely vanilla flavor. Try this easy cake recipe for your kids during this summer vacation. It is going to be an instant hit in your family. Let me know your feedback ! 

Note: You should consume the cake immediately after baking because the bottom of cake may turn slightly chewy due to the heat of the bowl. So please keep this in mind.

1 Minute Vanilla Mug Cake Recipe

1 Minute Vanilla Mug Cake Recipe - Easy,Instant & tastes delish !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Cakes

Serves: Serves 1

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 1 Minute

Total time: 6 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

All purpose flour/Maida - 2 tbsp Sugar - 1.5 tbsp Cooking oil - 3/4 tbsp  (any odourless oil, I used sunflower oil) Milk - 2 tbsp Baking powder-1/4 tsp Vanilla essence- 1/4 tsp ( Increase based on your taste) Salt – a small pinch

METHOD

In a bowl,take maida,sugar,baking powder and salt. Mix well. To this add the wet ingredients like Milk, oil and vanilla essence. Mix well without lumps and make sure sugar is melted. The batter will fall like a ribbon. It is the right consistency of batter. Now pour the batter into a microwave safe bowl. I used a porcelain/ceramic mug. The size of mug should be at least double the size of batter. Microwave it in high power ( 800w) for 1 minute. Adjust the timings based on the power of your microwave.The batter will rise till the brim and again goes in. So don’t scare. It won’t spill. Check with a tooth pick. If it comes out clean or with little crumbs, cake is done. If you find wet batter in the tooth pick, bake it for 10-15 seconds more.  Serve it warm and enjoy ! Note : You should consume the cake immediately after baking else the bottom of cake may turn slightly chewy due to the heat of the mug. If you don’t want to consume immediately, transfer the cake to another bowl and use it later.

Note

Make sure sugar is melted completely before you bake. So mix well for 2-3 minutes. U can use powdered sugar but I am not sure with measurements. U should consume the cake immediately to enjoy its best taste.

Try this instant, one minute vanilla mug cake. Treat your kids and loved ones. 

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Eggless Red Velvet Cake In A Mug(1 min microwave cake)-Valentine’s Day Recipes

Valentine’s day is around the corner .I am sure you all would be scratching your head about what to make something special for your loved ones. Here you go, a super easy , soft n spongy, eggless one minute red velvet cake in a mug using microwave under one minute. Last year I have shared some easy, instant microwave cake recipes( refer side bar) and I am really happy that I am getting rave reviews about those recipes from my readers. This has been a real boost which inspires me to try more microwave recipes especially one minute mug cakes.

When I was looking for Valentine’s day recipes ideas, I found home made Chocolates & Red Velvet Cake are the most wanted recipes on lover’s day. As I have already posted an easy, no cook, 3 ingredient home made chocolate recipe here, I wanted to share this easy red velvet cake recipe without using eggs & buttermilk for you all to try out on this Valentine’s day. 

Here I have used red food color as I din’t want to take chance with beetroot in my first attempt. Soon I will try and share this recipe replacing artificial color. You can make this cake in the next few minutes just after reading this recipe & surprise your sweet heart/Husband.

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Yesterday, my Husband Sendhil had left to Norway for a short official trip. So we celebrated our Valentine’s day in advance with this yummy, super soft, romantic Red velvet cake recipe. We both enjoyed this cake with one spoon in one mug, hope you can understand what I mean here. 

Friends, do try this easy cake for your loved ones. I am sure it will be a great choice for this celebration ! And don’t forget to share your feedback about this cake with me. Lets see how to make this easy red velvet cake recipe for two on this special Valentine's day !

Easy Red Velvet Cake in a mug using microwave

Microwave red velvet cake under 1 minute - Eggless, butterless recipe.

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Cake

Serves: 2

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 1 Minutes

Total time: 6 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

All purpose flour - 4 tbsp Sugar – 2.5 tbsp Baking powder - 1/4 tsp Salt - a pinch Cocoa powder- 1 tsp Red food color - 2 pinches or 2 drops Vanilla essence - 1/4 tsp Vinegar/Lemon juice - 1/2 tsp Milk - 3 tbsp (Use  boiled milk at room temp) Vegetable oil/cooking oil - 1.5 tbsp ( use odourless oil)

HOW TO MAKE EGGLESS RED VELVET MUG CAKE - METHOD

Take all the dry ingredients ( maida, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt) in a big mug or bowl. Mix it well adding food color. Then add the milk, oil and vinegar, vanilla essence. Mix well without any lumps and make sure sugar is dissolved well. The consistency of batter will be semi solid & it should fall like a thick ribbon. Make sure the batter is filled till half of the mug because this cake will double while cooking. Now microwave the mug in high power for 1 minute. Cake will raise & its size would be doubled.( mine is 800w. Please adjust the timing as per the power of your microwave) Check with a toothpick or back of a spoon. If it comes out clean,cake is done. Else keep it again for 10 secs. For simple decoration, you can put sprinklers on top as I did OR dust it with powdered sugar. If you apply frosting, it would be even more rich. Make your choice & variations ! Serve with any frosting or just sprinkle powdered sugar & enjoy ! Happy Valentine’s day !!

Note

Do not mix everything together. First mix the dry ingredients & then go for mixing wet ones. Adjust the time based on the power of your microwave. It tastes mildly sweet. So add more sugar based on your tastebuds. But make sure sugar is dissolved before you microwave.

Try this easy red velvet cake on Valentine’s day & have a fun filled day with your loved ones !

Wish you all a very happy Valentine’s day!

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Microwave Rava Kesari Recipe/Sooji Halwa

Hi friends, I hope you all had a great new year celebration. I had a wonderful day with morning darshan at a nearby perumal temple for vaikundha ekadesi, breakfast with this rava kesari, lunch at Rajdhani Restaurant and above all I bought my favourite red color Handbag in JP nagar central mall as New year gift. The day went on really well more than I expected but we missed our daughter Raksha as she is in Salem for vacation. Tomorrow we are going there & spend this weekend with my in-laws.

Coming to this recipe, I must thank my friend Sudha for insisting me to try rava kesari recipe using microwave. She gave me a recipe too. I made some modifications & tried it yesterday for New year celebration.We loved it a lot. 

 I have used oil & ghee after watching Revathy shanmugam mam’s recipe in youtube video and I also referred Mrs.Mallika Badrinath’s Microwave recipes book for the timing and method. I added yellow food color and pineapple essence. So its flavor was very similar to pineapple kesari. But I tell you its not the authentic pineapple kesari version. So you can follow this recipe in my way using pineapple essence or just add cardamom powder with kesari color.It tastes great in either ways! 

Try this easy, hassle free microwave rava kesari for poojas,special occasions and for your guests. I am sure it will come out great !!

Rava kesari - Microwave version

Rava kesari recipe using microwave !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sweet

Serves: Serves 2

Prep time: 4 Minutes

Cook time: 4 Minutes

Total time: 8 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Rava/sooji/Bombay rava - 1/4 cup Sugar – 1/2 cup Water – 1.5 cups Ghee - 1 tbsp + 2 tsp Oil - 1 tbsp Yellow food color - 2 pinches Pineapple essence or cardamom powder - little ( as needed) Cashew nuts – few ( to garnish)

METHOD

Take a big microwave safe bowl & add oil + ghee.Choose a big bowl because rava will rise well while cooking & it may spill. Add cashews & roast it for 2 minutes in high power(mine is 800w power). Keep an eye after 1 minute.If cashews turn golden brown quickly,remove it.No need to keep it for 2 minutes.Remove cashews alone & add rava to the oil+ghee mixture,mix well so that rava is well coated without any lumps. Roast the rava in high power for ONE minute.Open the microwave,mix well & again roast it for a minute.So roasting takes TWO minutes here.Take care that rava doesn’t get burnt.So stand nearby and watch carefully.Remove the rava bowl and keep aside. In a vessel,heat water in gas stove till it starts to roll boil and add it to the roasted rava.Take care,it splashes.After adding water,add food color.Mix well without lumps. Cook the rava for TWO minutes in high power covering with a lid. Choose a big bowl because rava will rise well while cooking & it may spill.After 2 minutes,remove the bowl,mix well, cover it with the lid & cook again for ONE minute.Rava will thicken and gets cooked very well.Now remove the bowl. Add sugar,essence & mix well without lumps. The mixture will turn watery & small lumps may form.Mix quickly and break the lumps.As u mix,mixture will thicken slightly due to the heat of glass bowl & lumps will break.Make sure u break all the lumps.If u touch the mixture,it will be slightly sticking to the fingers. Keep it in high power for 30 seconds,remove & mix well. U will see the rava leaving the sides of bowl.Immediately add 2 tsp of ghee.Mix well & transfer to a plate or bowl.Do this process quickly else kesari may turn hard because of the heat of glass.If u touch,mixture will be non-sticky. Mixture will be semi solid initially. But it becomes thick & well set as it cools down.So don’t panic. Serve in a bowl by garnishing with roasted cashews.U can also reheat the kesari for one minute in high power before serving ! But this step is optional. NOTE : Timings may differ based on the power of your microwave.If its more than 800w,the entire process needs lesser time than mentioned and if the power is less than 700w,time taken may be more.So keep an eye and do it carefully if making for first time.

Note

Rava has to be cooked well else kesari turns chewy n hard. Adding right amount of sugar also helps to give u soft kesari. Adding oil helps to retain the moisture & prevents the kesari turning hard even after it cools down.Skip it & add ghee alone if u wish. Adding pineapple essence is completely optional.U can add cardamom powder or saffron as u wish. Here i used more water than mentioned in the original recipe.It helps to make lump free and perfectly cooked kesari.

Try this easy microwave rava kesari and enjoy your day !

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Microwave Fruit Cake | Eggless Microwave Plum cake recipe in 3 Minutes

I wish all my friends and readers merry Christmas and a very happy New year. I should have posted this eggless, microwave fruit cake recipe without alcohol/ rum before Christmas. But I couldn't do it as I was busy with some personal work. Better late than never. Here is an easy microwave plum cake/ dry fruit cake recipe that can be prepared under 3 minutes for you all. Try this cake for your kids as evening snacks or for this New year and have a great celebration. 

I tried this eggless microwave plum cake recipe from “The Hindu” Christmas special recipes edition. I made some changes in the actual recipe to make it more soft n flavourful. It came out really spongy and crumbly as well. I tried this cake twice with and without cocoa powder too. Both came out well but I liked the one without cocoa powder. Its a very easy and awesome plum cake recipe that can be made in 3 minutes using a microwave. It can also be done in pressure cooker I guess.

Please check this link for my eggless cooker cake recipe to get some idea.  Lets see how to make this easy, yummy, eggless,  no butter, no condensed milk, alcohol free microwave fruit cake recipe in 3 minutes at home easily !

Also check out my Christmas fruit cake recipe using convection oven and my eggless Christmas fruit cake recipe in a pressure cooker !

Microwave plum cake recipe/Fruit cake

Microwave plum cake/Fruit cake recipe for Christmas !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Cakes

Serves: 10 

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 3 Minutes

Total time: 13 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

For 1 cup = 240 ml All purpose flour/ Maida - 1 cup Sugar or brown sugar - 1/2 cup ( 100 gms ) Vanilla essence - 1 tsp Curd - 1 tbsp ( semi solid,fresh) Cooking soda /baking soda - 1/2 tsp Baking powder - 1/4 tsp Oil - 1/4 cup / 60 ml Lion dates syrup - 4 tbsp Water - 1/2 cup/125 ml + (2 tbsp extra,only if needed) All spice powder OR powdered cinnamon,cloves & nutmeg – 1/2 tsp Cocoa powder – 2 tbsp (optional) **Finely chopped dry fruits n nuts - 1/3 cup (add more if u wish) Orange zest - 1 tbsp ** I used cashews,badam,pista,walnut,plum,cherries,tutti frutti,raisins

HOW TO MAKE MICROWAVE PLUM CAKE - METHOD

Heat 1/2 cup ie 125 ml of water in a microwave safe bowl for 1 minute. Put the finely chopped nuts & dry fruits in water and let it soak for 10 minutes. In the mean time, sieve maida,cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and set aside. To the soaked dry fruits mixture, add sugar, oil, curd, vanilla essence, orange zest and lion dates syrup. Mix well till sugar dissolves. To this, add the sieved maida mixture & all spice powder .Fold it well in one direction.Cake batter would be slightly thick but pourable.If u feel the mixture is very thick,add 1 –2 tbsp of warm water to it and mix well. Grease a microwave safe bowl with oil generously and pour half of the cake batter till half of the bowl.Cake will rise till the rim.So you should bake in two batches. Microwave in high power for 2-3 minutes ( mine is 800w.It took 3 minutes ). Please keep an eye after 2 minutes based on the power of your microwave.If u over bake it,cake will burn or the sides will be dry n chewy. Please be careful. Remove the bowl after 2 minutes & insert the back of spoon. If the spoon comes out clean or with little crumbs, cake is done. If you see the uncooked batter in the spoon,keep it for another 30 seconds and test it again. If not done, keep it for 30 seconds more. Cook till your cake is done. Remove the cake bowl from microwave as soon as its done and keep it outside for 5 minutes. Run a knife all through the sides and loosen it. Invert it in a bowl. Cake will come out easily. Some of the portion might be sticking to the bowl. But that’s fine. Serve hot if you like or keep the cake completely covered and set aside for an hour. It tastes the best when served after 1-2 hours as the cake needs some standing time for all the flavour to infuse well. But don’t keep the cake open. It will dry soon. If you want to make the cake without cocoa powder, do refer the pics below. U will get some idea. Also check out the cake batter consistency which is missing in cocoa version. No need to refrigerate the cake. You can keep it outside for 2 days but keep it covered else cake will become dry.( I always store my cake covered with a lid inside the oven after it cools down because that is the safe place to avoid ants) Enjoy !

Note

This cake takes maximum of 3 minutes to cook in microwave 800w power. So keep an eye after 2 minutes if yours is more than 800w. Over baking makes the cake hard n chewy. Take care. This cake remains soft even for two days if properly covered and stored. Else the outer layer will turn dry. Adding cocoa powder is optional. U can skip it and use the other ingredients as given above. No need to reduce the quantity of water or oil.

Try this easy microwave cake recipe for New year. Have a fantastic year ahead !!

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