2011 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

Madison Square Garden can seat 20,000 people for a concert. This blog was viewed about 66,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Madison Square Garden, it would take about 3 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Pineapple Pound Cake

I am a big fan of pound cakes. They are versatile, rich, delicious and so easy to make.You can flavor and use them in many different ways.One of which is pineapple flavor. You must be thinking Is there really a pineapple essence?…yes there is…you can find pineapple essence in some indian grocery store. I got mine from one of my dear friend (Thanks Prachi), whenever she visits us she make sure to get some essence for me. She knows I love baking! This recipe is provided by my dear friend Sherly. Thanks guys!!

This pound cake is so perfect, buttery, dense and absolutely delicious. Whenever I bake this cake, I always end up eating it before taking any pictures. A dessert like this always reminds me that flavors, methods and ingredients don’t have to be fancy or complicated to produce a satisfying and delicious result. It is very easy to make and so addictive that it never lasts more than a few days. This cake tastes much better after it is completely cooled or even better the next day. I hope that you’ll give it a try.

Pineapple Pound Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• a pinch of salt
•  1 tablespoon pineapple essence

Method:

• Butter and flour a 9″ loaf pan. Make sure to tap out any excess flour.
• In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
• In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until the mixture becomes pale, light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at time, making sure each one is well incorporated before adding the next. Add the flour in batches, mix until everything is well incorporated but do not over mix. Mix in the essence.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top with a rubber spatula.
• Bake cake on center rack for 55-60 minute. The cake is done when it starts to pull away from the sides of the pan. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with moist crumbs.
• Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Invert the cake onto a plate then invert back onto the rack to finish cooling.