Chocolate Sponge with Raspberry Preserve

Chocolate Sponge cake with Raspberry preserve

This cake doesn't need an occassion to be enjoyed. It tastes just as delicious anytime , anywhere. I made it for my family one evening and they seemed to like it quite much.

I wanted to share this recipe with you all cos it's really easy to make and doesn't need much decoration skills, esp. when it comes to an amateur like me.

Ingredients:

For the sponge:

175 g / 6 oz. unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing.

150 g / 5 1/2 oz. plain flour

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tbsp baking powder

175 g / 6 oz. caster sugar

3 eggs, beaten

1 tbsp milk

For the filling:

Raspberry preserve, as much as required.

Topping (optional):

 lightly whipped cream or a dusting of cocoa powder will be just as beautiful.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Grease and line two 20 cm or 8 inch     sandwich tins.

2. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder and beat in the sugar and eggs, mixing until smooth. stir in the milk.

3. Spread the mixture into the tins. Bake in the pre heated oven for 25- 30 minutes, until risen and firm.

4. Cool in the tins for 2 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

5. Sandwich the cakes together with the rasperry preserve.

6. Decorate the cake with some lightly beaten whipped cream or a dusting of cocoa powder. 

Here's how mine turned out.....

  

Oh! You can also add a few chocolate sprinkles and some preserved raspberries and a sprig of mint. I used preserved instead of fresh raspberries because where I come from,   we don't get fresh ones here.

love, Tse.

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"Chings Etc"....FAIRY TALES

Okay…for today I just wanted to blog about the book sitting right next to my bedside table these days…it’s a small one with just 128 pages and very light reading….yah! Light because my week is kind of cramped with readings to catch up and a trip planned for the weekend as well (can’t wait!)…On top of all that, I did manage to Re-Watch Mr. & Mrs. Smith- Oh dear movie lover me!

Back to the book…”3 More Naga Folk Tales” is actually the second set of folk tales by the same author. A dear friend told me about the book and I was looking forward to reading it! After Globetrotting… I mean through books…but wish in reality too (in the future)! I wanted to read something from home… As I expected, the stories are so entertaining and feels like am home again… they remind me of my childhood days sitting by the fireplace in winter, snuggled under the warm blankets and listen to grandmamma tell this kind of stories like “Acha Katar” which means “Once upon a time”…there used to be a princess…so on!

My favorite from the book is “Beauty and the Beast”…mind you, not the same with the popular Beauty and the Beast! This one is about a brave, beautiful and intelligent girl called “Konthingla’’ who was deceived by a forest bear into marrying him...like fairy tales go, this bear could turn into a human handsome young man when he wished…after marrying Konthingla, our Mr. Bear took her to live with him at his tall tall pine tree nest which was impossible for Konthingla to climb down on her own. She tricks Mr. Bear and goes back home and Mr. Bear dies at the hands of her family members…The end..Not Yet !!....Again, Konthingla very unluckily suffers from a sickness and is forced to live outside her home…there’s a bad stepmother involved..! But all is not over…rescue comes and our Beauty gets well and decides to leave her father’s village and seek her fortunes elsewhere…she meets a handsome young man…a real one this time…and they lived “Happily Ever After”.

Pretty much satisfied with the book and perfect for a dose of “fairy tales’’ when needed…still love fairy tales till now…is it Unrealistic? You tell me…I always think there’s no harm in believing in fairy tales sometimes!

Love….

Chingri Zimik

About The Book:

“3 More Naga Folk Tales”

For Ages: 10 & Up

Author: Mr. Hungyohong - A social Activist for Human Rights, A Free Spirit & Lover of Freedom, Avid Writer.

Pages: 128, Published At: Manipur, India

Mimzy's Closet - Self Tailored Pencil skirt.

Hey dearies...!!
Its all about Pencil Skirt, one of my  favourite attire in the closet :).  You can never go wrong to bring out  your sophisticated look.  It is one of the outfit where you can wear it in any season and any occasion be it an afternoon brunch with friends, for any formal meeting, perfect to wear it at church, dinner and also not to forget you can own the night dancing away in any nightclub or parties wearing one of the skirt with a metallic  or neon tops.

Even Nina Garcia(Marie Claire Fashion Director and Project Runway judge) thinks so, as it was featured of one of her must-have pieces in her book, The One Hundred: A Guide to the Stylish Pieces that Every Stylish Woman Must Own. 

Hence I decided to sew it using the three most (in) trend prints for this season -'POLKA DOTS,FLORAL AND LEOPARD PRINT ' (in white and black) for Tsering (The Purple Patisserie), my sister and myself.  We had great fun while taking the pictures and got to climb a small hill with the skirt which was not easy but it was worthwhile after seeing the end result of the pics.  Unfortunately my sister couldn't join us as she have to leave to Bangalore but was very sweet of her to agree posing for me late night after she finished packing her things.  I couldn't end this post without thanking Tsering and my sister(they are extremely shy and it is something very much out of their comfort zone :)..) but wallah !!! all thanks to me in a way cause they did it ....ha ha ha :P

self tailored skirt -polka dot with front slit and floral print with back slit.

self tailored pencil skirt -leopard print with both the sides slit.

Earring and Necklace -Boutique in Shillong (Exotica), Tops - thrift shop, Watch -  Timex ( http://www.timex.com/  )  ,  Clutch  - Aldo ( http://www.aldoshoes.com/india/), Shoes - Boutique in Shillong (Glory's Plaza)

Necklace - Thailand, Bangles -Ayesha  accessory  (http://www.ayeshaaccessories.com/)  clutch  -KAZO

( http://kazo.com/),  Shoe -Dr. Marten ( http://www.drmartens.com/).

Peter Pan Shirt -Self Tailored, Bag -Forver new ( http://forevernew.co.in/  ) , Shoe -  Boutique  in Shillong (Variance)

 I hope you guys enjoy the pics and any feedback will be highly appreciated (:

                                Wishing you all a very happy weekend !!!!!

XOXO

mimi 

Desert Flower.."Chings Etc"

Waris Dirie with Sherry Hormann

Movie Review: Desert Flower

Released in 2009, directed by Sherry Hormann. Based on the real life story of Waris Dirie, Somali-born top model and UN-special ambassador against FGM.

The first time I read about Waris Dirie was in Reader’s Digest magazine many years ago before they released the movie. A life of pain to liberation, from weakness to strength and hope for thousands of women. FGM- Female genital mutilation…just freaks me out to even imagine…well, she was just 3 years old when she went through that horror but she survived and is now working actively to abolish it.

Liya as Waris

Liya Kebede, Ethiopian supermodel, plays the role of Waris in the movie and she does justice to the character. The movie begins with young Waris (13 yrs old) looking after her family’s goats in an isolated, dry, barren desert area of Somalia-her normal chore. One day she is introduced to a man-old enough to be her grandfather! - And told she has to marry him!from here, her journey begins…she crosses the harsh desert barefoot for two days to reach her aunt’s home in the city who helps her to escape to London. While working at a local McDonald’s to make ends meet, she gets discovered by a renowned photographer Terence Donovan who helps to launch her career as a model initially. From the middle part of the movie we see her modeling career taking off rapidly, walking the ramp for top designers like Chanel, L’Oreal, Levi’s and Revlon and on the runways of London, Milan, Paris and New York City…Ah!! Bellissima...Loved this part!!

Okay, aside from her glamorous life as a top model, we move to the important part of her life which is truly inspiring…when she is interviewed by Marie Claire magazine and asked to “Tell about the day that changed your life” when she was first discovered by Donovan…she replies ‘’that was not the Day that changed my life”…she then narrates her story…3 yrs old and forced to undergo mutilation. The movie ends with her speaking to packed UN representatives who are all moved to tears by her story.

That was the movie…it does have a happy ending in a way…love, admire the courage and bravery of Waris Dirie!! She’s on my top list of ‘Amazing Women’!! Wrote to her after I watched the movie and she replied…so excited!! Hopefully, I am going to meet her someday…wish lists!

                                      

Love…CZ : )!

Pic Courtesy: zimbio.com, sofeminine.co.uk and Desert Flower movie.

Tsering's Brownies - The Purple Patissier

Chocolate chip Brownies - The Purple Patissier 

Hi guys! Has there ever been a day when you’ve had a craving for something fudgy, warm and  fully laden with chocolate? Well that’s exactly what I feel today.

I wanted to bake something comforting, something I could enjoy wit a warm cup of tea. I say tea cos people here in Shillong (including me) are more of a fan of tea than coffee.

So we mostly enjoy our snacks with tea.

Anyway, so where was I ? Ah, yes! Something warm and fudgy…..which calls for the perfect thing- “brownies”. I love brownies and this is my first time making them. Here’s how the results turned out. Those tiny green jewels peeking out are pistachios,cant have enough of them...

Dust the brownies with a lil' bit of icing sugar for a snowy effect :) 

Hope U guys liked the pictures! not bad for a first timer, huh? Till next time....take care!

Love, Tse.

(The Purple Patissier)

Mimzy's Closet - Undying Obsession for the colour 'GOLD'

Hey dearie's this will be my second blog post.  First of all, I'm overwhelmed with the support and the lovely comments from you all.  It was such a warm welcome to the world of blogging :)

This time its all about the colour 'GOLD'.  Its the first colour that comes to my mind when I'm in a mood to be all glamed out.  Gold is also the colour that never goes out of season.  'Too much of anything is not good' and i agree to it in many ways.  However when it is with "Gold", too much of it doesn't seems to do anything wrong :).

 

 

In this look, I'm using all gold except for the shoes. The photo was taken on top of the terrace at midnight and it was freezing cold that night.  Hope you guys like it :)

DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THE LOOK? LEAVE ME A COMMENT !!!

xoxo
Mimi

"Chings Etc"...To Sidney Sheldon With Love

I did say that i will post about novels too and so before i post a review about any, i thought i would dedicate a  post to dear Sidney Sheldon who is no more with us..because...the first novel i ever laid my hands on..the first most interesting in fact, was ''Tell Me Your Dreams" by Sidney. One thing that i really love about his novels is that in every novel, the woman is always the winner, the hero, the main character..a nice treat!!
He may not be everyone's first choice but on any day i feel like i need a femme boost!..perfect choice...! 
Will update with a review of  his novels next time..till then..

Luv..C