When was the last time you said " I love you"

Cadbury's Ad -

Cadbury - Meethe me kya hai",

Hats off to creativity of this ad that conveyed the meaning in a very subtle way. But I just love that guy and gal in the ad. What an awesome expression !! He could make a great actor and the expression on his sister's face is EPIC.....

(From a comment in Youtube)

Cake Decoration and Icing classes

Start something new in this year. It's time to graduate to cake icing and decorating with the level 1 butter cream icing lessons. In this 2 day course you'll learn.

• Basics of Buttercream Icing
• How to use decorating bags, tips and couplers
• Cake iciing techniques
• Cake leveling
• Practice sessions on using the star tip
• Icing practices
• Learn to make butter cream icing
• Guidelines for basic Cake Design
• Rose making
• and more...

If you are a beginner, these basic instructions and practical sessions will help you get started on the art of butter cream icing. For more details,you can call me at Ph# 9379398865.
Marina

Anniversary Cake

Christmas Breakfast

Appam, Veg Stew and Plum Cake 

Another Christmas season with another set of delightful memories.I started Christmas morning with our traditional Appam and stew menu, along with plum cake.

Rich Plum Cake

Cake Decoration Classes in Bangalore and Trivandrum

Roses made for cake decoration by one of my student at Bangalore

Bilimbi Curd Curry

Carrot and Date Cake

Carrot and Date Cake

Master Chef India
Right after watching the Master Chef India final, I'm updating this blog.

In the final duel between Shipra Khana and Salma Shazia Fathima, the single mother Shipra Khana walked with the coveted title of MasterChef India 2. In the final contest, she made a dessert and named it Noor-e-Parda. She prepared it with Carrot and Date Cake recipe, along with garam masala, and covered with a veil of sugar. Shipra made changes to the original carrot and date cake recipe and presented it so well to become the winner of second Master Chef India.

I got goose bums listening to the strong words of Shipra Khana & her message to other women in India. Moreover, who can forget the good gesture by the beautiful runner-up Shazia from Bangalore. She shared her 10 lakh prize money with other three contestants.

Kudos to the Master Chef finalists. Now check out the carrot and date cake recipe.

Ingredients for Carrot and Date Cake:

• 2 eggs
• 1 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cups grated carrots
• 1 teaspoons vanilla
• 1.5 cups flour
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• ½  teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/16 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ½  cup chopped dates or raisins


Preparation:

1. Beat together eggs, sugar, oil till it forms a froth
2. Now add grated carrots and vanilla and beat well
3. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
4. Gradually add to carrot mixture and beat to blend well.
5. Fold in dates or raisins.
6. Bake in a greased 7-inch pan at 200° for about 30

Try out this winning recipe, and pls leave your comments if you have any ideas to improvise it

To the Master Chef in you,

Marina

Telma's Strawberry Mocktail

My Mom made this refreshing Strawberry mock-tail (Strawberry with a dash of orange juice and lemon juice) . She served while I was taking my baking class. Both me and my student enjoyed sipping this delightful juice

Strawberry Mocktail 

Taste of this Strawberry juice also rhymes with this wonderful song - Summer Wine - Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood. You can listen to this awesome vintage 60s classic and let me how you enjoyed this song!


Strawberries, cherries and an angel's kiss in spring
My summer wine is really made from all these things

I walked in town on silver spurs that jingled to
And sang song that I had only sang to just a few...


Cheers,

Marina

Death by Chocolate

Death by Chocolate - Birthday Cake

I got another order to make birthday cake. Usually I make pineapple or black forest cake for b'days, but this time I went for Death by Chocolate cake ( Devil's Cake) for this chocoholic fan.

This is a one and a half size cake and I billed Rs 650/- a kg. I think it's reasonable price for death by chocolate cake. So, if you're reading this post from Bangalore, then please refer my name to your friends or family. Also tell them to give me two days time to order death by chocolate cake.

Thanks,

Marina

Smiley Cupcakes

Christmas cake with Icing

Learn Christmas cake with icing, Enjoy this Christmas Season

Malai Kofta

Read To Serve - Malai Kofta

Fried Koftas

Follow this recipe to make malai kofta.

For the gravy:

1. Onion – 2 medium
2. Tomato paste – 2
3. Gingergarlic paste – 1 tablespoon
4. Turmeric powder – 1 teaspoon
5. Coriander powder – 1 tablespoon
6. Chilli powder – 1 tablespoon
7. Garam masala – 2 teaspoon
8. Cream – 1 cup

Method

• Cook sliced onions in water.
• Strain the water and make a paste of the cooked onion.
• Heat oil in a pan and saute onion paste.
• Then add ginger garlic paste and saute for few minutes.
• Add  masala powders and stir for 5 minutes.
• Add tomato puree and mix very well.
• Now add the cream and stir for 5 minutes.
• Now pour the gravy into the fried koftas.
• Sprinkle coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis or naan.

For the Kofta

1. Paneer – 200 gms
2. Potato - 1 boiled and made into paste
3. Crushed pepper – 1 tablespoon
4. Garam masala – 1/2 teaspoon
5. Cornflour – 1-2 tablespoon
6. Salt
7. Oil – for frying

Method

• Mix all the ingredients and make small balls
• Make a paste of cornflour and dip the balls in it and deep fry it in oil.

Snow Cake

Let's welcome this winter with this snow cake..

Here's a cake made only with egg white. I got the recipe from Kayipunniam (http://kaipunyam.blogspot.com/ ). She has great collection of recipes along with wonderful photographs.

The cake recipe is snow white cake but I have changed the icing to butter icing with grated white chocolates

Regards,

Marina

Bouquet of love - Gift from my Student

It was a pleasant surprise when she came to attend the baking class with a bouquet of flowers. She had earlier attended cupcake and tea cake class, and now came to attend Christmas cake and BlackForest Cake class.

Thank you Zenobia for this wonderful gift. 

Black forest Cake

Chocolate "sensation" Forested 

For a change, I tried out a different design while making Black Forest Cake.

At one glance the curls of chocolate and sprinkled chocolate powder on top of the white butter cream icing can thrill almost everyone. And the taste? Simply irresistible!!!

All I have to say to you is to liven up your cake creations with chocolate curls, or with new icing skills. Don't just follow the crowd, be unique, be outstanding.

Cheers,

Marina

Simple Cupcake Delights

Chocolate cupcake with mocha cream icing

Red velvet cupcakes

Simple handcrafted cupcakes set for delivery.

You too can turn a simple vanilla cupcake into delightful one by choosing colorful icing and by decorating it your own icing skills. For these cupcakes, I used chocolate mocha icing.

Bangalore Food Lovers Magazine

My baking classes featured in Bangalore Food lovers magazine - Nov 2011 edition

Strawberry Cupcake

Mango Cake

Mango Cake

Summer's gone, and so are the mangoes but its effect still lingers. Taking a cue from my fav Mango fruit, I took this brave attempt at Mango Cake. With this attempt, I joined the exclusive club of Mango Cake bakers. :)

Close-up - Mango Cake 

I used mango crush instead of fresh mango. After making this cake, I feel there are few areas top perfect my icing skills.

Jam Roll

I have posted earlier the Jam roll recipe, please check the link  Jam roll

Jam Roll

Jam Roll re-visited with a new recipe. I'm happy with the new recipe. I almost saved around 10 mins of time on baking. 

 Yahha...It's me - Jam Roll :)

There are different variation of this sponge cake roll. It's also know as Swiss roll . Probably it could be from the European origin of this sponge filled with jam. 

Fondant Cakes

Here's my first attempt with Fondant icing. I'm happy for succeeding in my first attempt with this Fondant cake. 

Now, I'm in an upbeat mood with this Fondant success. I'm planning to do similar attempts with Fondant icings on cakes. It will be great if you can give you suggestions, comments and tips so that I can perfect my Fondant icing skills. 

Fondant Cakes

The first basic step I did was covering cakes with rolled Fondant. After this step, I used the cutter to cut round shapes, which I pasted on to the cake.

Oo La La La Fondant Cake

This stepping stone on cake baking reminds me on my the line - One small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind. Thought a misquote, for me it was indeed a step towards a new form and a new path in the art in baking. 

Fondant Cake - Another view

Fondant cake under construction

For more ideas on decorating with fondant, please check 'Wilton Fondant Decorating Page'.

Cupcake with a Purpose

Cupcake with a purpose- October the month dedicated to Breast Cancer, spread the awareness

October Special -Pink ribbon cupcakes

Spread the awareness on Breast Cancer by gifting these cupcakes. Apart from spreading this pink ribbon message, please undertake mammogram test to rule out any possibility or detect it at the early stages.

Cupcake Gift Packs

Cupcakes in Gift Packets

This snap is from the first cupcake gift packet from my little baking store(home). I'm happy to bake and pack these little cupcakes of joy to anyone who likes to have these beautiful cupcake gift boxes.

Customised Cupcakes

Are you planning to give something special like this as gifts? If yes, call me in advance to get customized cupcakes for any occasion in life.

Regards,

Marina

Chocolate Cupcake with Mocha Chocolate Chip Icing

All set and ready to go as a Dasara Gift...

Chocolate Cupcake with Mocha Chocolate Chip Icing

After a hectic, messy, stormy week, I'm back with a new set of cupcake goodies.This time the avatar is chocolate cupcake.

Sealed with an icing

Chocolate Almond Upside-Down Cake

Divine Chocolate Almond Upside-Down Cake

This sexy and alluring Chocolate Almond Upside-Down Cake, celebrates the richness of chocolate cake with with honey, caramel and almond topping. This is the first time I'm doing upside cake with this rich toppings. 

A piece of heaven - All for chocolate fans

Just like it's fantastic looks, it was delicious. Most folks who tasted it loved the almond in chocolate. Few loved the taste of honey and caramel. Well, it all gelled to give the right lift in my taste buds

So, why don't you try this version of Upside down cake. If you've any doubts, pls mail me or leave it  the comments. 

Marina

Fondant and Gum paste flowers

Cauliflower Manchurian Dry

Gobi Manchurian 

Last week I tried out Gobi Manchurian, that has a mix of Indianness along with Chinese finesse. I made this for one of my cooking class as she wanted to learn a starter for an upcoming house party.


This tantalizing Indian Chinese appetizer is popular in most restaurants. So, I you regularly enjoy having this dish at restaurants, then it's time you prepare Cauliflower Manchurian at your house.

 Try follow this Gobi Manchurian recipe or make few alternation to customise it with your personal flavor.