Cake Pops!

So you all know of the mighty Flourless Almond Orange Cake.
There happened to be a little leftover couple of weeks back from all the late night eating escapades and it occurred to me that the super moist cake would be perfect cake pop material. NO addition of cream cheese or other calorific items appealed all the more. So i just crumbed up the leftover cake, rolled them lightly to make round forms, dipped them in melted chocolate, and dusted it with a light coating of dessicated sweetened coconut. Turns out, it is epic! The soft almond orange cake yielding to the hard chocolate outer shell, the light dusting of sweetened dessicated coconut, the orange flavor AND coupled with the fact that you are eating it off a lolly stick all added to the pleasure. Add to it how cute they look and that they are fuss free, these are my new fav hostess gifts and goodies exchange items for the season. Friends at work loved it and were blown over. To be honest, i can't be more pleased! :)

I used: 

-40 g of left over Flourless Orange Almond cake

-20 g milk chocolate, melted

-Dessicated coconut as required

I let the cake come to room temperature, then shaped them to make rounds forms and then flash froze it in the freezer for 15 minutes. In the meanwhile, i melted the chocolate over a bain marie and dipped one end of  the lolly sticks  in the chocolate. i then dipped the cake form one at a time in the cooled melted chocolate and used two spoons to make sure i covered every bit of the cake. i then stuck the lollystick into the cake form (with the chocolate end) and let most of the extra chocolate drip off. The chocolate sets almost immediately as the cake is cold. Roll it in or sprinkle dessicated coconut and let it rest for 15 minutes in the refrigerator. and voilà! Uber cute Christmas gifts are ready for the passing!

Thenga Chammandi or Coconut Chutney

Featuring here is the most simple and the one of the most integral side dishes of South Indian cuisine, the chammandi or the coconut chutney. It is a breeze to prepare (less than ten minutes if you have all the ingredients handy), is everything a side dish should be-spicy, tangy and has that zing going and can be used in versatile roles: ranging from sandwich fillings, idli/dosai side dishes to accompanying a simple meal of rice. A little goes a long way here and can make many a soul happier for having tried this zesty dish that is so bursting with flavors.

Ingredients:
Freshly scraped coconut - 1 cup
Red Chilies - 12 large
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Shallots - 10
Tamarind paste - 2 tablespoons
Curry Leaves - 10 leaves
Coconut oil - 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste

Procedure:
Toast the coconut for 5 minutes or till it turns light brown in color.
Grind all the other mentioned ingredients along with the toasted coconut till it all comes together. And you are done! That was not so difficult now, was it?

Tastes best with a bowl of steaming rice. It's the perfect way to kick back and unwind on a lazy Sunday afternoon.