So officially summer is here, and so are the summer fruits! Cherries, Plums, Apricots, Peaches, Berries…and for me that’s the perfect time to bake yummy goodies with all the fresh fruits. If someone asks me what my favorite dry fruit is, I will say “Apricots”. I also love Apricot Jam, but my hubby hates it. In spite of our differences for this fruit, I managed to convince him to buy a big box of fresh apricots from Costco recently. He wasn’t going to eat any and I knew that I have to find a way to finish them before they rotten, or else he is going to kill me. For me, this would be the first time I taste fresh apricots and I hoped to try some new recipes with the rest.

Apricot belongs to the stone fruit family of Peaches, Cherries, and Plums. It tastes like a mix of sweet and tart, wrapped in a yellow-orange skin which is velvety, and strongly resembles peach.  So now since I have tasted it, the real question arises “What will I do with these beauties? “Pies, Galattes and Tarts were my initial thoughts and the easiest too. But my hubby suggested trying some sort of a fruit cake as I had already baked galattes a few times recently after my last strawberry picking trip. Now, an upside down cake was on to-do list from a long time but I kept on postponing it as I wasn’t keen on trying the very common pineapple version. So I finally heeded to his suggestion and baked this beautiful cake with apricots – my first ever upside down cake.  I was so excited to get to the nerve wracking step of flipping the cake and see the surprise beneath; thankfully it came out very well!!

What’s your favorite upside down cake? Let me know in the comment section below.

Enjoy, Happy Baking!!!

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Apricot Upside Down Cake

Celebrate the Summer with an Apricot Upside Down Cake… Moist and Tender, topped with Buttery Brown Sugar Sweetened Apricots! Perfect for the Holidays…!!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword apricot cake, apricot upside down cake, cake

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Akhila

Ingredients

For the fruit base

• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• ¾ cup light brown sugar
• 10-12 fresh apricots (pitted, sliced lengthwise)

For the cake

• ½ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1¼ cup flour
• 1¼ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup milk (at room temperature)

Instructions

For the fruit base

• Butter a 9 inch cake pan and keep aside.
• In a small saucepan, melt butter on medium heat. When it is completely melted and starts bubbling, add brown sugar. Switch off the flame and stir continuously until it turns into a smooth paste.
• Spread the paste onto the prepared cake pan. Layer the apricot slices over the paste and lightly press to sink in.

For the cake

• Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients; flour, baking powder, salt, and keep aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add granulated sugar and beat well.
• Beat in egg and vanilla extract.
• Add the dry ingredients alternating with milk, mix well until the batter is combined. The batter will be slightly thick.
• Pour the batter into the cake pan and layer over the apricot slices.
• Place the pan in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I baked mine for 50 minutes.
• Allow the cake to cool completely for 15-20 minutes. Carefully flip the cake into a cake stand/plate or any flat surface. Enjoy!

Notes

• Keep your apricot slices ready before preparing the butter/sugar paste, so that you can layer them immediately once the paste is poured into the cake pan. This helps the slices to sink to the bottom of the pan before the paste thickens, and would look pretty once the finished cake is flipped upside down. It also helps the sugar to coat the slices better making it sweeter.
• If you find any fruit pieces stuck to the pan after flipping, don’t worry! Just place it back on the cake to create the beauty as like before – no one will ever know!!!
• Apricots usually tend to be less sweet and may not taste ideal for cakes. So adjust the sugar as needed while making the fruit base.
• I prefer not to remove the skin of apricots as it may turn mushy without skin while baking.

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“Super Quick Appetizers” – that’s a new mantra I’ve started to preach and I’m so excited to share this recipe, you guys are surely gonna love it! Grilled pineapple on skewers along with other veggies/meats is quite popular and commonly available across restaurants throughout the world. But this sweet version of pineapple with brown sugar and a glaze of cinnamon has become my favorite, and I’m so happy to have stumbled on to it.

My memories of a similar variant of this dish go all the way back to my Hyderabad days. It was our wedding treat which my husband hosted for his friends at Absolute Barbeque, a restaurant chain famous for its Indian Wish Grill buffet. Among all the spicy grilled meats & vegetables served, the waiter brought us a big metal skewer stacked with grilled pineapples; I was hesitant initially and quite apprehensive on how a sweet appetizer would taste. But right from the first slice, every bite of it was a revelation!! The acidity and sweetness from the pineapple, and the aromatic flavours of the cinnamon soothes your tongue from all the spicy food you ate so far, and gently resets and preps your appetite for the delicious food to be served ahead.

After leaving Hyderabad I totally forgot about this dish and last summer while planning for a barbeque party, my husband and I were thinking for something unique and all of a sudden he remembered this. Our first attempt was a huge success, everyone loved it. I did experiment this dish many times thereafter with varying oven temperatures; the more it caramelizes, the tender and juicier it becomes! The natural sweetness of pineapple along with brown sugar and the aroma of cinnamon make it a wonderful appetizer, a treat which both kids and adults enjoy.

You can also try out this recipe in an outdoor grill as well as in an oven, by following the cooking times properly. When grilling outdoors or broiling indoors, ensure to keep an eye as the pineapple can get burnt easily. These grilled pineapples can be served as appetizers, snacks or even as fruit dessert.

Do you guys have any other Pineapple grilling ideas? Lemme know in the comments section below.

Enjoy this Summer Grilling…!!

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Grilled Pineapple with Cinnamon and Brown Sugar

Tender, Juicy n Caramelized… Grilled Pineapple with Cinnamon and Brown Sugar…!! A Super Quick Appetizer to kick of your Party.  

Course Appetizer, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword grilled pineapple, summer

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Total Time 23 minutes minutes

Servings 5

Author Akhila

Ingredients

• 1 pineapple
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon

Instructions

• Peel and slice the pineapple into ¼ inch thick round steak slices. You can remove the core of the pineapple if you don’t like it.
• Mix cinnamon and brown sugar, and marinate the pineapple. Keep aside for 15-20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a grill pan or baking tray, arrange the marinated pineapple slices and bake for 15 minutes. Lightly brush or baste the left over marinade at regular intervals.
• Turn the heat to broil, bake each side for 2 minutes until it starts to caramelize. Keep an eye while broiling to prevent burning.
• You can also use an outdoor grill; baste and grill until you see caramelized grill marks on each side.
• Serve warm.

The post Grilled Pineapple with Cinnamon and Brown Sugar appeared first on Pepper Delight.

What more can you ask for?? No baking, no eggs, minimal ingredients, easy to prepare, looks gorgeous, and tastes delicious… Woohooo!!! Yummm, I love it…

I just love desserts and experimenting with them is sooo much fun! It was my husband’s birthday two weeks ago and I was hosting a party for his friends. I had a long list of dishes to prepare including the birthday cake, appetizers, entrees, and I was on the lookout for a dessert which was simple, sweet, elegant, & delicious. Also something which I could make in advance to avoid the last minute rush. That’s when it struck me about a mousse I had made earlier and my friend’s mom suggesting me to try this mango version the next time. Thank You Beena Aunty for your idea, and that’s how I finalized on this wonderful dessert!!

A “less effort dessert” is always a life saver, especially when you are cooking for a big party. And this mousse seems to be a perfect fit! All you need is some fruit, cream and sugar; puree the fruit and fold it in the cream, your dessert in ready in minutes! I have added my own twist in this recipe with white chocolate as my hero, and layered with mango puree which compliments the chocolate flavour and gives that beautiful classy look in the glass, topped with a mint leaf.

So chill, go grab your fruit and try this out, don’t forget to comment…

Enjoy, Happy Cooking…!!!

Wanna try more mousse recipes? Check out my Strawberry Mousse recipe here.

Follow me on Instagram, try out the recipes and tag #pepperdelightblog to all your pictures of Pepper Delight recipes you prepare.

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White Chocolate Mango Mousse

Creamy, Chocolaty, & Fruity… White Chocolate Mousse with a touch of Mango!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword mango, mousse, white chocolate mousse

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cooling time 4 hours hours

Servings 5

Author Akhila

Ingredients

• 250 g 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1½ cup chilled heavy cream
• 3 tbsp + ½ cup granulated sugar
• 3 mangoes
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2-3 tbsp water
• mint leaves (garnish, optional)

Instructions

For making Mango Puree

• Peel and slice mango into cubes. In a pan, cook mangoes on low heat with lemon juice, water and ½ cup sugar. You may vary the amount of sugar added according to the sweetness of your mangoes.
• Cook until it turns mushy. Turn off the heat and allow it to cool completely.
• Blend in a blender until smooth. Refrigerate it while you prepare the mousse.

For making White Chocolate Mousse

• Melt the white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl by microwaving at 30 second intervals and whisking alternatively until completely melted. Fold it in ½ cup heavy cream to prevent further thickening. Keep aside.
• In another bowl, beat rest of the heavy cream along with vanilla essence and 3 tbsp granulated sugar, until soft peaks form.
• Add the white chocolate mix to the whipped cream in batches and fold gently until smooth (do not beat).
• Pour the mousse into the dessert glasses equally. This recipe is enough to fill them till the half mark.
• Chill for about 4 hours/overnight to set.
• Serve by layering mango puree over white chocolate mousse, you can either pour with a spoon or pipe it neatly. Top with mint leaves.

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