Sweet Sandwiches For Everyone!

Dear All,

It’s been just 4 months since I started blogging, and the experience along with the learnings have been just great. It’s been a beautiful journey this far. Thank you for the appreciation, for considering my entries to your events, the awards and those notes of encouragement that you have been leaving behind for me every time you’ve visited my chow chronicles. Thanks for the enthusiasm and knowledge each of you has spread through your entries, events and recipes making folks to post tons of yummy stuff for the rest of us to drool over and want more.

As my appreciation for each one of you I have known and to those who have helped me in this world of food blogging, I decided to treat you to something sweet on my chow chronicles.

“Cake, tiramisu, kheer?” were some of the possibilities I was considering, but I wanted to make something really simple yet different, something unique yet flavorful. I felt like an artist facing a white canvas, with the challenge to bring imagination to life:).

I thought to use regular ingredients in a different way for this creation of mine. It was then that an idea of making sandwiches for dessert sprang up. I have always felt that Nutella was better in a dessert than as a spread for breads and rolls for breakfast. I utilized this opportunity to do just that. Since sandwiches usually dry out, I thought custard would be a good addition as a dip.

One option I had was to use store bought white bread as my base for the sandwiches, but felt the flavors wouldn’t hold up well and moreover it was mundane. So I decided to head straight to my freezer for the batch of homemade cake mix (for moist yellow vanilla cake)that I had prepared over the weekend. An inventory of the pantry revealed that I had to make a quick run to the grocery store to get some of the ingredients I felt would be a perfect addition.

Once back, I decided to bake the cake, with just one difference - I poured out the batter on a cookie sheet to get a thin layer of cake (to get that authentic sandwich look – the brown color on either side). For the dip, I decided to use tapioca pudding (sugar free, fat free). But instead of using it as a dip, I thought to blend it a little with rice milk and use it as a bed for my sandwiches. This would avoid the sandwich from drying out .

When the cake was done, I cut squares out of the layer and combined two squares together using Nutella. Then I diagonally cut these squares and got them looking like real sandwiches...just the way I had imagined them to be.

I always keep a batch of homemade cake mix in the freezer. I sieve the ingredients listed below, together, and store the resultant mix in a ziptop bag in the freezer. And use a cup or two for any recipe that calls for a cake mix. Alternatively, store bought cake mix would also work for this recipe.

½ cup unbleached organic white flour
¼ cup organic whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt (I use sea salt)

I usually make small batches, and the longest I have stored this mix is 5 weeks. To make chocolate cake, I add around ½ cup of cocoa powder to the mix, while sieving.



Ingredients
For the cake
1 cup cake mix
1 ½ tablespoon Sunflower Oil
¼ cup Rice milk ( You could use soy milk or regular milk)
½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
¼ cup egg replacer (I used Ener-G Egg replacer)
¼ cup water

For the pudding bed

1 tablespoon rice milk
1 cup fat free, sugar free Tapioca pudding

For the sandwich
1 -2 tablespoon Nutella

A closer look at the Nutella!

Method

Method for Cake

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a cookie sheet with cooking spray and/or parchment paper. Set aside.

Add 1 cup of cake mix into a mixing bowl. Add oil, egg replacer, rice milk and vanilla extract. Blend on medium for 2-3 minutes using an electric beater. Then beat for 2-3 minutes on low till a clump-free smooth batter forms.

Spread the batter on the previously prepared cookie sheet. Using a spatula even the layer of batter on the sheet.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, till a knife or toothpick inserted comes out clean. (In my case, the top of the cake was nice and yellow when just done). Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.

Method for pudding bed

In a mixing bowl, add tapioca pudding and rice milk. Using an electric beater, blend on low for 1-2 minutes, till a homogenous mixture forms. Set aside at room temperature.

To make the sandwiches

Cut the layer of cake into squares. On the top yellow side spread lightly a layer of Nutella. Seal this side onto the yellow side of another square. Repeat till all squares are used up.

Divide diagonally each square to get two triangles.

On a serving plate, spread the pudding. Place each triangle at right angles to the surface of the plate.

Microwave the dessert 10 -15 seconds before serving, if you like it warm. To add a little more pizzazz, dust cocoa powder on top of the triangles or place a mint leaf. I took me under 50 minutes to prepare this.

I decided to make the recipe for cake, egg-free, for the benefit of those who’d like to avoid egg. The tapioca pudding I used was egg free and milk free.

This one's for all of you,so cheers and enjoy!

Last but certainly not the least, Dhivi thank you very much for the award and encouragement, I truly appreciate it! Cheers!

I'd like to pass this on to Bee & Jai (sorry, know you've received it already, but i'm resending it because you guys are just awesome with your blog), Suganya, Sunita & Marta.

Best,

Eskay.

p.s: Sorry for the real lengthy post:)