Hidden Hearts

Heart Inside a Cupcake

Cupcakes With a Heart

How many variations can you make out of a simple cupcake? Of course, the answer is endless.

Today started with a new hearty idea from a pinner in Pinterest. She and many others showed how to make hidden heart cupcakes.  Based on the steps outlined in her blog, I made a pretty cupcake with a cute heart inside. Apart from the heart filling, you can try out other designs or try it out in a regular round cake or the rectangle cake.

Marina

Blue Doughnut Cake

Blue Doughnut cake...

Triangle Paratha

Andhra Mirchi Bhaji

Ingredients:

For batter:

• 12 Bhaji Chily
• 1 cup besan /gram flour
• 2 table spoons rice powder
• a pinch of soda 
• 1/2 tea spoon ajwain
• 1 salt as per taste)

For filling:

• 3 table spoons ground nuts 
• 2 table spoons sesame seeds
• salt to taste
• half lemon size tamarind soaked in warm

Method:

1. Dry roast ground nuts and sesame seeds. 
2. Make a fine paste of gound nuts, sesame, tamarind and salt.
3. Make a slit length wise on the Mirchi. 
4. Remove the seeds and fill the paste inside the slit mirchi.
5. Make a smooth thick batter of gram flour by adding salt, ajwain, soda and sufficient water.
6. Heat oil in a pan
7. Dip the stuffed green chillies in the batter and deep fry until golden brown.  
8. Remove and drain it
9. Serve hot with sauce/Cutney along with sliced onion and lime.
10. Enjoy the hot Mirchi Bhaji

Easter Eggs

Easter Eggs 

This year for the first time in my life I made Easter eggs. I tried to make it as colorful as my imagination could permit. After completing the delicate task of painting, I'm happy to have tried something new in life.

So, what have you tried out this season. Or as usual you have pick these trinkets straight from any department store? When time permits, try to go beyond the comfort zone to create something original. If you've missed making Easter Egg this year, there's always another one coming up. Check this article on how to make Easter Egg at home.

Good Luck...

Easter Eggs on Cupcakes

Easter eggs were made of fondant icing and butter cream on cupcakes.

Carrot Stir fry

Ingredients
Carrot sliced finely into 2 inch pieces
Onions - 1/2 cup sliced thin
Green Chillies - chopped 1 tsp
Ginger - chopped 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - few

Method

• Heat oil and splutter mustard and curry leaves
• Add in the sliced onion, chilly and ginger, saute for sometime
• Now add the sliced carrot and sprinkle water cover and cook it 
• When the ingredients are cooked and moisture is absorbed remove from the fire
• Serve hot with rice or roti. 

Streusel Coffee Cake

A slice of Coffee Cake and a steaming cup of coffee is something which everyone loves,  the crumble on the cake make it very unique.

Methi Paratha

Spicy Methi Paratha with Dal Curry

Paratha Dough Ready for Roll

Apart form Aloo stuffed Paratha, you can stuff Methi leaves in the Paratha dough to make it more healthy and tasty. Those who love the bitter taste of Methi ( fenugreek leaves ), this would be a delightful variation you can try at your home. I came across few post where they have used grated bottle gourd instead of  fenugreek leaves.

Follow these instruction to make another North Indian delicacy - Methi leaves stuffed Paratha

Ingredients to make Paratha

• 4 cups fresh methi cleaned and chopped fine
• 2 green chillies chopped
• 1" piece ginger chopped
• 1/2 tsp powdered jeera powder
• 1 tsp oil
• Salt to taste
• 5 cups  wheat flour
• Water as needed
• Ghee  to make the parathas

Method to make Methi leaves stuffed Paratha 

1. Heat the oil add the jeera then  add the ginger, methi leaves, green chillies and some salt. Stir until the leaves start to lightly toasted.  Let this mixture cool.
2. Add the spiced methi mixture to the atta, and  make a soft  dough. 
3. Roll out each and cook on a tawa  until both sides are golden brown.
4. After removing from fire spread ghee on both sides.
5. Serve hot with raita and pickle.

Now enjoy the rich flavor of methi in Paratha and have a nice breakfast.

Rosy Cake

Circular Cake

Poopachie's Raju Cake

Johnny Cake

Johnny Cake Alias Poopachie's Raju Cake

Uncle Richard has mailed me the exotic Canadian cake recipe - Johnny Cake. In his mail he said, Nina my niece, named Johnny Cake as "Poopachie's Raju Cake".

About Johnny Cake
This cake is a great substitute for bread with egg or soup dishes. It can be split into slices and serve it with maple syrup as dessert. Many others have it with honey spread or jam and butter for breakfast.

Ingredients for Johnny Cake:

1. 3/4 Cup Cornmeal
2. 1 Cup flour
3. 1 tsp salt
4. 1 Egg(beaten)
5. 1 1/4 Cup Milk
6. 3 tsp baking powder
7. 1/3 Cup White Sugar
8. 1/4 Cup Melted Shortening

Method

• Mix cornmeal and milk and set aside
• In large bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
• Stir egg and shortening into cornmeal and milk mixture.
• Add liquid to dry mixture and stir until blended ( will be slightly lumpy)
• Place mixture into greased cake pan and bake for 400 degree for 20 minutes.

Enjoy this Canadian Exotic Cake!

Lavender lilies Cake

Lavender lily Fondant Cake

Another cute Fondant cake made by my baking student during the Fondant cake making class. In the level 1 of fondant class, I taught her the Fondant making process, ways to make different fondant flowers, and other tips to make her maiden fondant cake.
   

Calla Lily Cake

Calla Lilly Cake Made with Fondant Icing

Fondant Calla Lilies

Happy St Josephs Feast.... I dedicate my first set of cala lilies to St Joseph. To make this, I used Wilton heart shape cutter. With practice, I'm gaining confidence to try out more intricate Fondant arts, and variety of Fondant flowers with ease.

You too can start making Fondant flowers in your cake. All you need is the basic understanding on Fondant flower making and then you can take from there. So, what's stopping you from learning Fondant flowers? 

Indian Cooking Class

Hands on Indian Cooking Lessons

Introduction to Indian Spices & Cooking Ingredients 

Taking Notes While Learning 

Indian Tea Break 

Adieu - After the Learning & Cooking Session

Pans Ready  for Cooking

Had a wonderful Sunday teaching Indian Cooking to six Swedish interns. All of them had a complete new experience starting from their first visit to an Indian house to learning more about Indian spices, and understanding the Indian way of cooking.

This class covered vegetarian dishes (North Indian cuisine). The best part of classes was the hands-on cooking experience and the final treat with all the prepared dishes. I hope they will recreate these recipes  when they go back to Sweden and spread the curry flavor to 'The land of the Vikings'.

Black and White Chocolate Cake

Egg less Vanilla Cake

Smooth Finish of Egg less Vanilla Cake

Piece of Eggless Vanilla Cake

This receipe is adapted from Sharmispassion.com


Thanks to the perfect recipe, I made a good looking eggless cake which beats a normal cake in looks. Earlier I followed another recipe, but this beats it on all respects. 

Eggless Vanilla Sponge Cake

Ingredients to make eggless cake:

• Maida - 1 and 1/2 cups 
• Thick Curd - 1 cup 
• Granulated Sugar - 3/4 cup 
• Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
• Baking powder - 1 and 1/4 tsp
• Cooking oil - 1/2 cup 
• Vanilla essence - 1 and 1/2 tsp
• Milk - 1 tbsp (just for brushing the top)

Method:

1.Sieve maida thrice.

2.Cream sugar and curd until sugar completely dissolves.

3.Now add baking powder, baking soda to the creamed mixture and mix well.

4.Leave aside for 5 mins and you can see the bubbles appearing. 

5.Now add vanilla essence,cooking oil and mix well.

6.Add maida in small portions and mix well

7.Preheat oven to 200 deg C for 10mins.

8.Pour the batter into the baking dish and bake it for 25mts

9.Brush the top of the cake just 10mts before the cake is bake, this is for the glaze

10.Cool and slice the cake.

Lavender Cupcakes

Tutti Frutti Cake

Poricha meen curry/ Fried fish in coconut milk

Fried fish in coconut milk curry

Acchappam/Rose cookies

Made these acchappam/rose cookies after so many years...just loved it

Cake baking workshop for School Students

Beaming Faces after the baking Class 

Baking In Progress

I had setup 5 days cake baking workshop for School Students, had few of them from Army School, Bangalore.

The Class Schedule

Day one - Vanilla Cupcakes, Choco Chips Cupcakes, Orange Marmalade Cupcakes, Strawberry Cupcake with Butter cream icing

Day Two - Vanilla Tea Cake, Fruit Cake and Fudge Icing

Day Three - Black Forest and Pineapple Pastry and fresh cream icing.

Day Four  - Pineapple Upside Down Cake and Chocolate Cake

Day Five  - Death by Chocolate and Truffle Cake

If you need any baking classes to be scheduled for students, please get in touch with me at 9379398865

Enjoy Baking

Love You Red Velvet Cupcake

Red Velvet Cake - Assembly Line

Smarter Swirls  

Red Velvet Cake Order Bangalore
This Sunday I made 30 red velvet cupcakes with creme cheese frosting. Cupcakes were made for a party order from my old student Aruna. It took me around 2 hrs to bake and then to apply cream cheese frosting.

The best part of this effort is the great feedback from Aruna. Nothing delight me more than the appreciation from the customer.

Finally as Robin Sharma says in his blog, "Be a Master of Your Craft. And practice + practice + practice." So, the recipe for success is nothing by practice.

Cheers to you,

Marina

Baigan Bagara

Tri Color Hydrangea flower Cake

Kiwi Cake

Kiwi Cake for Birthday 

Kiwi Cake 

Slice of Kiwi Cake

It's the first time I'm tasting Kiwi fruit and I didn't like it much. Kiwi fruit has a different lineage than of Chiku / sapota. Moreover the green color flesh gives it a martian's fruit look. Thought it's packed with nutritional value, the taste is quite alien to me. Maybe I need more time to get acquainted with Kiwi's unique taste.

Coming to this Kiwi cake, there were many admirers. The cake tasted simply great and the icing matched with the taste of Kiwi fruit topping. For decoration I used two day old Strawberry . No wonder it had shrunk in size, color and it laced the original seductive look.

To Whom So Ever It May Concern
You can order kiwi Cake for your next b'day. Give me 2 days time to make a similar looking cake for your friend or your friend's friend or for your relative.

Ruffled Cake

I saw this icing on Martha Stewarts website. I thought of a heart on the cake but did not look like a heart finally :-(
I have used butter cream icing and the tip which I have used is 104.
Get in touch with me if you need any help with ruffled icing.

Braided Cake

The pretty blue fondant braided with a spray of delicate blossoms on a walnut cake