THINGS MADE THOUGHTFULLY

It’s a piece of .

A fun cookbook to help you bake exclusive cake recipes with your kids. By chocolatier and chef Varun Inamdar. Celebrate with a cake

Nothing speaks celebration like . Be it with your family or for a larger gathering, be it for children or adults, cakes can double the joy on any occasion. Add a cake to any event and it's sure to steal the limelight! In fact, if you are having a get-together, baking a customised cake can make it a lot more intimate! But the best part is that you don't need a large party to whip up your favourite cake – any day becomes special when you are baking a cake! And if you want double the fun, have the kids or get your friends over, and bake some delightful memories together! So go ahead, pick your favourite recipes and remember to share the happiness! We wish you and your family many happy baking-days! About the author Two-time National Award winner, Varun Inamdar is regarded as one of the top 10 celebrity chefs. He has 18 years of work experience as a trained chef, chocolatier, food stylist, author and an ex-top rank executive at Oberoi Hotels and Resorts, India. He is the chosen chef for all Presidential and Prime Ministerial visits to India and has served over 75 dignitaries including Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Nicholas Sarkozy, Vladimir Putin, to name a few. Known as the ‘Prince of Chocolates' and 'The Bombay Chef' by fans and followers world over, his digital show has garnered more than 533 million views. He is the brand ambassador of cocoa as appointed by The Government of Ecuador and is credited to have created India’s first-of-a-kind 6 feet tall chocolate mannequin and chocolate Ganesha idol on television. He is also currently nominated as a brand ambassador by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ‘Swastha Bharat Yatra’ and ‘Eat Right India’. Amongst many coveted awards, he holds the Guinness World Record for 'The world's largest chocolate mud pie' weighing 1346 kgs (3000 pounds). After being a part of over 25 food shows from 2016-2020 across television, internet and several OTT platforms and featuring on MasterChef India on Star Plus in two consecutive seasons (5 and 6), he is currently presenting his food channel. Foreword

2020 has been quite a roller-coaster ride. We established new norms and a new normal. As we’re getting closer to the ‘season of joy’, I have realised that this year was particularly tough for the kids. When I go down the memory lane, I remember rejoicing in the festivities – visiting my family, going on holidays, sharing the obligatory with my friends and having a gala time. And now the pandemic has been a Debby Downer, with kids still confined to their homes. The whole world is adorned with decorations, lights, stars and Christmas trees every year. And I thought why not bring the festivities to the kids with a fun-filled ‘Christmas cake recipe book’. It is more than a cookbook. It’s a tribute to the power of baking together and hopefully encourages kids to connect, engage, share and truly celebrate the spirit of Christmas. I thoroughly enjoyed curating this cookbook, and I invite you kids to try out the recipes at your homes. Great thanks to everyone who made this book possible. And a special thanks to you, my Lil’ readers and future bakers! Don’t forget to bake, eat, sleep, repeat!

Varun Inamdar Two-time National Award-winning Chef and Chocolatier Discover Inside 1. Kerala Cake 2. Mahabaleshwar Strawberry 3. 4. Butterscotch Cake 5. Rawa Cake 6. Mawa Cake 7. Tutti Frutti Cake Drops 8. Rasmalai Tea Cake 9. Carrot Loaf 10. Goan Baath Cake 11. Honey Cake 12. Three Ingredient Flourless Cake 13. Chenna Cake 14. Pineapple Upside Down Cake 15. Chef Varun’s 'Guinness World Record' Mud Pie 16. Chef Varun’s 'Master Chef India' 1 Kerala Plum Cake Legend has it that India’s first Christmas cake was baked in Kerala in 1883. Since then, they have sustained the tradition of creating Christmas cakes infused with the finest of spices and dry fruits from the farms near Malabar coast. I am most certain that just a slice of this will bring a smile to your face and happiness to your celebrations. I learnt this recipe on one of my travels to God’s own country, and over the years, I've been making it for all my friends as a part of my goodie basket. Now, it's all yours! 1 Kerala Plum Cake For the Cake Pre-heat your Godrej Microwave Oven to 180° Ingredients Celsius. 1 cup refined flour Add 2 tbsp flour to the dry fruits and nuts. Dredge 1/2 cup cashew nuts, chopped them completely until they're coated. Keep aside. 1/4 cup black raisins 1/2 cup mixed dry fruits (I prefer dates, Mix the remaining flour, baking powder and glazed cherries and orange peels) powdered spices until well combined. 3/4 cup brown sugar (for cake batter) 2/3 cup salted butter, at room temperature Beat the butter, vanilla extract and brown sugar; 3 nos eggs until fluffy and pale yellow. 1/2 tsp powder Add 1 egg and continue beating. Then, add a bit of 1/4 tsp clove powder the flour mixture and fold. Likewise, alternate 1 tsp baking powder between the eggs and flour mixture until they are 1 tsp Malabar vanilla extract all used up.

For the Caramel syrup Add the caramel syrup that was set aside to 1/2 cup white sugar dredged fruits and gently fold in. Pour batter into a 1/4 cup water greased 6” cake pan and smoothen the top. Bake for 60 minutes in your Godrej Microwave Method Oven until the top turns a dark brown and an For the Caramel Syrup inserted skewer comes out clean. In a pan on medium heat, melt white sugar and caramelise it without burning. Turn off the heat and add water. The sugar will harden. Turn the heat back on and slowly heat the mixture until the sugar crystals dissolve. Let this cool and set aside. Mahabaleshwar 2 Strawberry Cheesecake No winter is complete without travels to the closest hill station. To us, it was Lonavala. A little more prodding to our father and Mahabaleshwar would happen. We had to cry to push him to his limits ;) and it worked. For us kids, the fresh strawberries and cream, strawberry jam, plucking fresh berries of the season was the ultimate guilty pleasure. Somehow, the berries just tasted different there. We came back home with boxes full of berries, and they all looked, felt and tasted so different. Maybe, it was an overdose! Over the years, I started making for my family. I love tarty jams and compotes, and this cheesecake topped with them makes so much of a showstopper. Mahabaleshwar 2 on medium flame. Strawberry Cheesecake Let it cool down completely. Pulp it and keep aside. Ingredients Philadelphia Cheesecake Strawberry Compote Mix the softened butter and crumbs. Press the 1 cup fresh strawberries mixture firmly into the base of an 8” loose-bottomed 1/2 cup castor sugar cake tin and chill whilst preparing the yummy mix! 1/2 tsp corn starch 2 tbsp water Beat together the Philadelphia cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing on low Philadelphia Cheesecake speed after each addition until just blended. For the Base 150 grams any neutral biscuit, crumbed Stir in the flour, dairy cream, lemon zest and lemon 50 grams salted butter, softened juice.

For the yummy mix! Pour onto the prepared cake tin. 360 grams Philadelphia cheese 180 grams castor sugar Bake at 170° Celsius in your Godrej Microwave Oven 4 nos whole eggs for 1 hour. Turn off the heat and leave to cool in the 40 grams refined flour oven for 1 hour. Chill completely and remove it from 200 ml dairy cream the mould. 1 no. lemon, zested and juiced (I love using the green one instead) Top with strawberry compote. Method Strawberry Compote Mix corn starch and water in a pan till it is lump-free. Stir in sugar and strawberries and cook for 3 minutes 3 Marble Cake One of my firsts! I was eight when I started in the kitchen. And this recipe was written in my grandmother’s diary. The pages of which over the years kept getting yellow-brown! Who knew about lamination then? The age of the floppy disc came in coinciding with our IT classes in school. For me, typing the diary down in MS Word and keeping it safe in a floppy disc was then a great high and a greater shock for my grandmother. Who could have guessed that machines would rule our everyday lives to this extent! Sometimes, I wonder how she would have reacted to my presence on YouTube and other OTT platforms…hahaha…anyway, enjoy this beautifully rippled cake from her diary. In fact, my grandmother’s recipe had a sweet butter glaze which I feel gives it that unique touch that you won’t see elsewhere. 3 Marble cake melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside. Ingredients Mixture Two: In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Set aside. 1/2 cup natural cocoa powder, such as Hershey's 2-1/2 cups sugar, divided Mixture Three: In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the remaining 2 cups of sugar. Mix 1/2 cup water well. 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, Add softened butter along with mixture two and mix well. 1 cup buttermilk 4 nos. whole eggs Transfer about 2-1/2 cups of the batter to another bowl and 2 tsp vanilla extract add the chocolate mixture to it and whisk until smooth. 3 cups all-purpose flour Now you have two batters – vanilla and chocolate! 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda Spoon both batters in the prepared pan spoon by spoon and ripple them together with a fork. 3/4 tsp salt 1 cup salted butter, softened Bake for 60 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. For the Sweet Butter glaze! While the cake bakes, make the glaze: In a small saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, water, and vanilla. Bring to a boil, 5 tbsp salted butter then reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar is dissolved. 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup water Once the cake is baked and out of the oven, unmould it and poke some holes using a toothpick. Pour the glaze and let the 2 teaspoons vanilla extract cake absorb it all. Method Leave the cake on the rack to cool for 30 minutes. Slice and serve! Preheat your Godrej Microwave Oven to 160° Celsius.

Grease and dust an 8” pan/ loaf tin/ Bundt pan.

Mixture One: In a small saucepan, combine the cocoa powder, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and the water. Bring to a simmer over high heat, whisking until smooth. Get it off the heat, immediately add the chocolate; whisk until the chocolate is 4 Butterscotch Cake Indian bakeries specialise in making a very uniquely flavoured cake called butterscotch - it is buttery, creamy, nutty, caramelised; all at the same time with a syrupy white sponge. Yum, I say! It is quite a shocker for the international cake world, but do we care! We love our creations. In fact, the popularity of this flavour sometimes transcends vanilla. I mean just look, you can see butterscotch in so many forms on the shelf - ice creams, toffees, syrups, crackers, wafers, cones, candies, milkshakes, flavoured milk, and this! 4 Butterscotch Cake Method Ingredients For the cake base Preheat your Godrej Microwave Oven to 180° For the cake Celsius. 1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup sugar Grease and dust an 8” pan/ loaf tin.

2 nos whole eggs In a medium mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking 1 no. egg yolk powder & baking soda. Whisk the dry ingredients 1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder until well combined. Set aside. 1/4 tsp baking soda In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and 1/2 cup salted butter creamy, scraping down in between. 1/2 cup milk Add in the eggs, one at a time and continue 1 tsp butterscotch essence beating. 2 tbsp butterscotch syrup 1/4 cup butterscotch praline Stir in the butterscotch essence, followed by butterscotch syrup and milk.

Add in the flour mix and praline. Fold well.

Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan.

Bake in the middle rack, for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake on a rack while in the tin for 15 minutes, then remove from the tin and let it completely cool on the rack. Cakes – how did it all start?

#DidYouKnow that according to food historians, the ancient Egyptians were the first culture to show evidence of advanced baking skills.

The history of cake dates way back to ancient times. The first cakes were very different from what we eat today. They were more bread-like and sweetened with honey. Often, nuts and dried fruits were also added. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the English word ‘cake’ back to the 13th century. It is a derivation of 'kaka', an Old Norse word. Medieval European bakers often made and which were known to last for many months.

According to food historians, the precursors of modern cakes were first baked in Europe sometime in the mid-17th century. This is primarily due to advances in technology (more reliable ovens, manufacture/availability of food moulds) and availability of ingredients like refined sugar. During this period, cake hoops were used for shaping cakes by placing the hoops on flat baking trays. These hoops were made of metal, wood, paper and some of them were also adjustable. Apart from cake hoops, cake pans were also used.

The first icings were usually a boiled composition of the finest available sugar, egg whites and sometimes, flavourings. This icing was poured onto the cake, and the cake was then returned to the oven for a while. When removed, the icing cooled quickly to form a hard, glossy, ice-like covering. Many cakes made during this time contained dried fruits like raisins, currants, citrons, etc.

It was not until the middle of the 19th century that the cake as we know it today (made with extra refined white flour and baking powder instead of yeast) arrived on the scene. 5 Rawa Cake Bakeries in the South of India are known to have created this magical bake. It is a grainy textured sponge, yet soft and moist with a touch of grease on the fingertips. I am not complaining for sure. The legacy of the Iyengar bakeries is believed to have been started by HS Thirumalachar, who hailed from Hassan. He established the first Iyengar bakery called the Bengaluru Brothers Bakery way back in 1898 and is said to have learnt the art of baking from an Englishman who was a regular visitor at his shop that initially only sold sweets. With the successful formula of delicious bread, buns and , the bakery grew fast and strong and was renamed Bengaluru Brahmins Bakery since the 1970s. I was working in Bengaluru (Bangalore then) and every day, I picked my dose of rawa cake post-work, sat at Ulsoor lake, and finished my day. 5 Rawa Cake Ingredients Add in the mawa and cream it for 1 minute. 100 grams softened butter 250 grams castor sugar Now add in 1/3 of the semolina and mix. 100 grams mawa 6 nos whole eggs Then add in 1/3 of the flour and mix. 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 125 grams refined flour Then add in 1/3 of the eggs and mix. 125 grams semolina/rava (that’s where the name comes from) Repeat this alternating step of addition and 5 grams baking powder mixing till all ingredients are used up.

Method Mix for about 2 minutes. Preheat your Godrej Microwave Oven to 180° Then pour it in the baking tray and make sure you Celsius. even it using a palette knife. Grease a 9"x7" baking tray. Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven. In a bowl, mix together the flour and baking Cool and slice and serve! powder and set aside.

Crack the eggs in another bowl. Lightly beat and add in the vanilla extract and then beat on a high speed for a minute till frothy. Set aside.

In a big bowl, add the butter and sugar. Cream it for 2 minutes. 6 Mawa Cake Old Bombay and its Irani cafés have a long-standing romantic affair. Mawa cake is testimony to that. There are as many versions of this cake as there are cafés in the city, and this one has been my favourite over the years. I make this recipe come hail and storm. For me, this is a healer! If I’m feeling low, this cake helps me spring back. I am obsessed with this. As simple as that! And did I mention that it is eggless? 6 Mawa Cake Ingredients Method 1/4 cup mawa In a bowl, whip together butter, mawa and 1/4 cup softened butter sugar till fluffy. 1/3 cup castor sugar 1/4 cup milk, warm Add warm milk and curd along with nutmeg 1/4 cup curd and green powder. 1/2 tsp green cardamom powder ¼ tsp nutmeg powder Mix well and stir in baking powder, soda and 3/4 cup refined flour refined flour. 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda Transfer in a greased and dusted mould or in butter cups.

Bake in your Godrej Microwave Oven at 160° Celsius for 40 minutes.

Cool down, unmould and serve warm! 7 Tutti Frutti Cake drops My father used to get this from abroad (that’s what I thought). I was too tiny to even get its name. I used to tell him, “That biscuit with red jelly. Bring that”. He always got the wrong one till one day I spotted it randomly in his shopping cart. I screamed, “This one”. The entire living room burst into peals of laughter. It was from the local bakery close to our house. I could have eaten it every day, you see! My loss! But then one day it shut down. I tried several recipes in my professional kitchen, bakery and almost every workplace till one day one boy made it for his trait test when he came looking for a job in my team. I hugged him. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get through the further rounds. But I think it was pure serendipity. I never met him after that. The recipe stayed with me nevertheless! Tutti Frutti Cake drops 7 Sift the flour and potato starch over the egg mixture and gently fold it in with a rubber spatula until smooth Ingredients and well combined. 3 nos eggs; separated Gently fold in the egg whites. 1/2 cup granulated sugar; divided a pinch of salt Transfer half of the batter to the prepared piping bag. 1 tsp mixed fruit essence Pipe the batter into lines about 10 cm (4 inches) long, keeping distance between them. 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice; divided the zest of 1 lemon, grated Repeat with the rest of the batter. 1/2 cup refined flour; sifted 2 tbsp potato starch Sprinkle the cookies lightly with icing sugar. Let them ¼ cup tutti frutti, chopped rest for about 5 minutes and sprinkle again with icing finely powdered sugar for dusting sugar.

Place the baking tray in the oven and bake for about Method 15 minutes until lightly golden. Preheat your Godrej Microwave Oven to 180° Celsius. Let these cake drops cool for a few minutes then release them from the parchment paper, with a flat Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Prepare a spatula, while they are still warm. The most amazing pastry bag fitted with a round 1.5 inch tip. cake drops! Call them fingers! Just make them. And thank that little boy who randomly gifted me this In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites, half of the recipe! Little did he know what this means to me. sugar, 1 tsp of lemon juice and mixed fruit essence until stiff peaks form.

In another bowl, beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar, remaining lemon juice, lemon zest and salt until thick and pale yellow. Fold in the chopped tutti frutti very gently. 8 Rasmalai Tea Cake

I made this for the Kuwaiti Royal, Her Highness Sheikha Amthal Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah, years back and I thought it would be quite a novelty for her since she loved Indian flavours. Saffron, nutmeg, green cardamom being her favourite flavours made me think it was perfect. She took a few bites, then a few more pieces and said, "This is just like Kuwaiti Gers Ogaily". Ah! and I thought I would have impressed her by baking something different. This is her version for all of you. Thank her. Not me. But what I love about this cake is the fact that it has Mediterranean, Persian, Arabic and Indian flavours. 8 Rasmalai Tea Cake Method Preheat your Godrej Microwave Oven to 180° Ingredients Celsius. 2 cups refined flour Grease and dust a 12” Bundt pan 1.5 tsp baking powder or mould and keep aside. ¼ tsp salt 4 tbsp roasted seeds Soak saffron strands along with rose essence and saffron essence in warm milk. A few generous pinches of saffron 1 tbsp sugar In a bowl, sift flour, baking powder.

4 nos whole eggs In a larger bowl, whisk eggs and sugar until thick 1.5 cups castor sugar and foamy

½ cup salted butter, melted and cooled Add melted butter and the flavoured milk. 1 cup milk, warm Fold in the dry ingredients 1 tsp green cardamom powder, fresh 1 tsp rose essence Pour the batter in the prepared pan. ½ tsp saffron essence Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and bake at 180° Celsius for 40 minutes.

Cool completely and unmould.

Goes well with a Kuwaiti Kahwah or even an espresso! Know your cake better! Cakes come in many form, here are some popular ones Butter Cakes or Shortening Cakes: Dense American Style Cakes: Any cake that starts with cream butter and sugar is This cake didn’t originate in the U.S.A. but gained a a recipe. The butter can be substituted lot of popularity there. Hence, the name. These with other shortenings. Hence, the other name. dense cakes are sturdy enough to hold thick icing Once the creaming is done, typically eggs or its and fillings and are perfect for a rolled fondant. They substitutes, flour, and baking powder or baking may also be shortened with oil. soda are added for leavening. or Grandma’s Cake: Vegetable Cake: This cake gets its name because of the way its , like the American-style butter cake is ingredients can be measured - a pound of each! The the most classically known vegetable cake. The cake itself is extremely dense since it doesn't rise as recipe generally uses a combination of either baking much as the American-style butter cake. Because of soda or baking powder for leavening. Most recipes its richness, pound cakes typically have light flavours of carrot cake use oil instead of butter for shortening and are served plain or topped with a basic glaze. purposes. This makes the cake last long and a tad They're normally baked in a loaf or Bundt pan. bit greasy. The combination of the rich cream Pound cake variations include some coffee cakes, cheese icing and the warm spices makes for an sour cream cakes, and fruit crumb cakes. irresistible . : Foam Cakes: It was long known before it started trending These light and airy cakes make for limitless variations. Foam cakes like a wildfire. It is a butter cake but oftentimes typically contain no fat or leavening, aside from the fat provided by made with oil instead. The distinct red velvet eggs. When you are baking foam cakes, it is important to remember flavour comes from the added cocoa. that the batter needs to go in the oven as soon as it's ready to Originally, the reaction between buttermilk, prevent the egg whites from deflating. They also need to be baked vinegar and raw cocoa gave the cake its in a tall pan due to the rise the egg whites give them. These cakes identifiable red colour. Today, the colour is are not going to hold up well against heavy frosting, so it's best to mostly the result of food colouring. give them a light glaze or a dollop of whipped cream. Sponge Cakes or : Biscuit Sponges: Technically any recipe that contains no baking In a biscuit , both the egg whites and egg yolks are powder or baking soda, but lots of whipped eggs or whipped with sugar separately. The two mixtures are then folded egg whites is a sponge cake. A traditional sponge together with flour. The result is a light batter that's drier than cake has just three ingredients: flour, sugar, and genoise, but that also holds its shape better. This is the reason eggs. As the name suggests, this cake takes well to why biscuit cake batter is often used for piped shapes such as being soaked with syrups. They are several different ladyfingers. In a slightly different variation, the flour is replaced types of sponge cakes, and they may go by different with matzoh cake meal and potato starch to make the classic names depending on where you are in the world. Passover sponge cake. Perfect for Swiss rolls. Perfect for . 9 Carrot Loaf

This is possibly the funniest incident of my professional experience as a pastry chef. My boss asked me if I have baby carrots in the pantry. I didn’t have any as the season had just begun. I ordered a few pounds from Panchgani because that was the only farm, then, that could manage deliveries on an ‘SOS’ basis. They arrived. I was asked to bake a fresh carrot cake loaf using them, topped with cheese frosting and carrots on top. Basically, the works! Because it was a request from my boss and against delivery schedule, I personally stayed back, worked through the night and completed the order which was scheduled for 7 am. Room service called in and the cake got picked up on time. Finally, I took a breather and sat sipping coffee with the order takers in their console only to realise that the order was for my boss’ pet dog’s birthday. I looked at the order taker, shook my head in disbelief, changed and left for the day. This embarrassing incident aside, this recipe will be your benchmark for quality. 9 Carrot Loaf Ingredients For the cake Cheesecake frosting 1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped roughly 2 cups Philadelphia cheese 1.5 cups dark brown sugar ½ cup salted butter ½ cup white grain sugar 4.5 cups icing sugar 1 cup vegetable oil 1 tbsp milk 4 nos whole eggs 1.5 tsp vanilla extract 3/4 cup fresh apple puree (without seeds and skin) Method 1 tsp vanilla extract For the cheesecake frosting 2.5 cups refined flour Whisk butter and together. 2 tsp baking powder Add icing sugar and milk along with vanilla extract. 1 tsp baking soda Whip till it is nice and fluffy. ½ tsp salt Keep it covered and refrigerated. 1.5 tsp cinnamon powder 1 tsp ginger powder ¼ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated ¼ tsp cloves, powder 2 cups grated carrots (not baby carrots, please!) 9 Carrot Loaf Method For the cake Preheat your Godrej Microwave Oven at 150° Celsius.

Line a large cake mould with a baking paper.

In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, apple puree, oil and vanilla essence till well combined.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon powder, ginger powder, grated nutmeg and clove powder together.

Fold in both the mixtures together along with grated carrots and walnuts.

Pour the batter in the prepared mould.

Bake for 45 minutes at 150° Celsius.

Cool in the same pan, unmould and keep aside to cool.

Scoop the frosting on top and spread unevenly with a spoon or a palette knife.

Slice and serve! 10 Goan Baath Cake

The 8th of September is the feast of the Nativity of Mary. Every year, it is celebrated in the premise of the Mount Mary Church, Bandra, for the last 300 years. It started when a statue of Mother Mary was found floating in the Arabian Sea in the earlier 1700’s by a Koli fisherman who dreamt about it a few years earlier. It is till date a miraculous incident which has its own legendary status. All faiths visit the fair for years now. My family is no exception. We love picking up knick-knacks on offer at the fair. You’ll find the wafting aroma of freshly roasting black chana, halwas from Kerala, sweets from Mangalore and some goodies from Goa on display. This recipe of Baath cake is from Mrs Gonsalves who puts up a stall there for several years now. 10 Goan Baath Cake

Ingredients In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients and 2 cups freshly grated coconut mix along with the above mixture. 1/8 cup cold water Cover and place in your refrigerator for overnight 6 nos whole eggs fermentation. 1/2 cup salted butter, melted 3/4 cup powdered sugar The next morning, keep the bowl outside and 1 cup fine semolina allow it to come up to room temperature. Stir in vanilla essence and cold mix. Stir well. 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp corn starch Pour the batter in a greased baking mould. 1 tsp vanilla essence Preheat your Godrej Microwave Oven to 180° 1/4 cup cold milk Celsius for 15 minutes. Bake at 180° Celsius for 40 minutes till the top is golden brown and the Method inserted toothpick comes out clean. Grind coconut along with 1/8 cup water to a fine Cool it down. Cut into thick slices and serve! paste.

Beat eggs till fluffy and foamy and keep aside.

In a separate bowl, mix butter and sugar together. Add beaten eggs and coconut paste. Stir well. 11 Honey Cake

I was in Dubai a few years back as I was invited to do a stage show with Shilpa Shetty and Kailash Kher to celebrate India’s Independence Day for the Indian diaspora in The Emirates. The organiser gave me a cake baked by someone in his family. It was an amazing, honey-scented creamy cake. Exquisite, to say the least! I realised much later that this recipe was that of a classic Russian cake called Medovik which also apparently goes back to some café in San Francisco. Clear your tabletop and your schedule so that you get it right, light and airy! Remember, it is a layered rustic beauty so plan accordingly. 11 Honey Cake sugar and butter. When the butter melts and becomes slightly warm, add baking soda, 3/4 tsp salt, cinnamon Ingredients powder and eggs, whisk vigorously to create an emulsion. 1.5 wildflower honey, divided Remove from heat and fold in the flour. Mix till it is 1/4 cup water smooth. 1 cup + 2 tbsp white sugar 14 tbsp salted butter Spread it evenly on the prepared trays and bake at 190° 6 nos whole eggs Celsius for 6 minutes each. 2.5 tsp baking soda Cool them all. And cut into the rounds as we now need to 3/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp sea salt build them up. All the trimmings need to be run in a 1 tsp cinnamon, powder mixer/processor and crumbed. Keep both the sponges 3 3/4 refined flour and crumbs aside. 1 1/4 dulce de leche 4 3/4 cups heavy cream, chilled and divided Let’s move on to making the frosting. Take ½ cup cooked honey, dulce de leche, 1/4 tsp sea salt. Whisk and pour 3/4 cup cream. Continue whisking till it is homogenous.

Method Whip the remaining 4 cups cream till it has stiff peaks. Mix both and keep aside. Preheat your Godrej Microwave Oven to 190° Celsius. Assemble the cake by building up layers of sponge and Line a few baking trays with baking sheet and keep frosting. Finally, completely cover the cake with frosting aside. and dredge the outside with sponge crumbs that were kept aside. Believe yourself! You just made a Medovik! In a saucepan, heat 3/4 honey. Simmer and cook for 3 minutes. It will begin to foam and smoke. Do not let it Chill and serve! burn. Add water and stir. It will become runny and liquidy once again. Turn the flame off and transfer in a measuring cup. Keep aside.

In another pan take some water and place a large bowl on top; like a double boiler.

In that bowl add 1/4 cup cooked honey, 3/4 cup honey, Three Ingredient 12 flourless Cake

A cake that too flourless…and three ingredients to top it all…an absolute shocker for me as a budding pastry man...as we never heard about it back in the pre-Wikipedia and YouTube days! Even if these were written about, we had no access to these wonderful creations. Anyway, it has become one of my absolute favourites over the years. I have used it in my verrines, petit fours, entremets. Even by itself, it tastes great. It is wonderfully crusty on the outside and perfectly set yet gooey in the centre. Three Ingredient 12 flourless Cake Ingredients Slowly fold in the whipped eggs into the chocolate 6 nos whole large eggs mix in 5-6 batches. The whipped eggs are the key 350 grams dark chocolate; couverture, please! to the structure of the cake 6 tbsp salted butter Grease a 6 inches springform pan with parchment paper. Bake for 45 minutes in your Godrej Method Microwave Oven at 180° Celsius. In a large bowl, whip eggs on high speed until it triples in volume and becomes pale yellow It will crack on top when perfectly baked and and frothy. slightly deflate on cooling down. Can be eaten both cold and warm. What’s my choice? Straight In a microwave bowl, add chopped chocolate off the oven with a dollop of ice cream! and butter. Heat for 30 seconds. Stir. Heat again for 30 seconds and stir. It has to be melted, lump-free and not burnt.

Now you have two mixtures: One is whipped eggs and the other is melted chocolate and butter. Know your cake better! Here are a few more types of cakes for you to relish : : Angel food cake is made with only the egg whites, not the yolks. This classic American cake is a cross between a cake The beaten egg whites act as a leavening agent, and there is no that has been shortened with oil and a sponge cake. added shortening in the recipe. This makes the angel food cake The recipe includes both baking powder and vegetable a delicious no-fat dessert. These cakes need to be baked in a oil, but like many types of sponge cake, the eggs are tall pan because the egg whites create such a dramatic rise. The separated and beaten before being folded into the texture of these cakes tends to be slightly chewy and spongy batter. All of this gives you the rich flavour of an oil cake, due to its high sugar content. Top this delicate dessert with but a lighter feel of a sponge cake. It's typically drizzled berries and whipped cream for the perfect flavour combination. with a glaze or frosted with a lighter frosting. Baked Flourless Cake: Unbaked Flourless Cake: Baked flourless cake includes baked cheesecakes, flourless This includes unbaked cheesecakes, mousse cakes, chocolate cakes, or any other form of cake that is baked or any type of cake that is typically moulded in a without flour. is a variation of the dessert ring or springform pan before chilling and . These cakes are usually very rich because of the unmoulding. These types of cakes often have a crust chocolate, egg yolk, and the fat it contains. To prevent the that's baked before the filling is added. Try layering bottom of these cakes from burning, they're often baked in a them with genoise or biscuit for a decadent treat that ‘water bath’. This means that the cake is made in a springform is perfect for summer. pan, that is then placed in a larger pan that is partially filled with water, helping to give the cake its silky texture. Madeleines: Upside Down Cakes: Scalloped shell-shaped cookie cakes. Example: Pineapple upside down or Fortified Sponges: peach upside down cake. Example: Financiers. Artisanal Cakes: Special Purpose Cake: Example: Classic checkerboard cake. Example: Any tiered or handmade, fancy-shaped cake Quick Bread: made for a special purpose like Halloween, birthdays, holy Example: . communion, Christmas, Passover, Christmas Logs, etc. Coffee Cakes: Yeast Cakes: Colloquially known as tea cakes. and being the most classic examples.

Beyond all these, cakes are also described according to their physical appearances like cake pops (on a popping stick), Bundt cakes (shaped in a Bundt pan), (rum balls), (mawa cake), layer cakes (Dobos ), sheet cakes (swiss rolls), conical (), etc. 13 Chenna Cake

My first professional job was in Kolkata. I’ve eaten and learnt some brilliant recipes here, not just food but also cakes. Montoo’s, Nahoum’s, Flury’s and so many legendary bakers, some extremely famous ones and some bakers baking from dingy lanes where the paint on the walls peels off, but all so amazing! And what taste! Some bakes dating back to the British days. In fact, I’ve strolled down some Anglo-Indian neighbourhoods which are open all night on Christmas Eve and people lining up outside these bakeries for their specialities. Some of them even rent out their ovens for neighbours who wish to bake their own ‘home-baked’ Christmas cakes. This is one recipe which sells as much as the quintessential Christmas cake and celebrates Kolkata’s winter special decadent nolen gur too! 13 Chenna Cake Ingredients Method ½ cup cottage cheese/ chenna Beat eggs and powdered sugar until dissolved. 1/3 cup nolen gur/ date palm jaggery ½ cup white sugar, powdered Grind chenna and milk to a fine paste. 1 no whole eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract Mix the two mixtures, till smooth along with nolen gur and vanilla extract. 1/2 cup milk

Pour into a mould. Steam on double boiler for 12 minutes.

Before serving, grate some nolen gur! Pineapple Upside 14 Down Cake I love making the caramel glaze for this which is so creamy, lemony, buttery, nutty and perfectly sweet with hints of butterscotch. And trust me, it is the most important part of the recipe. I’ll give you a tiny hint, even if the cake goes slightly wrong, the glaze which eventually seeps into the cake like syrup is a complete ‘face-saver’. However, this recipe is fool-proof and trust me, you will never make it any other way. I learnt this for the first time in my hotel school but again the recipe kept evolving over the years. But in recent years, the recipe hasn’t changed much, however, sometimes I make it with canned apricots and peaches. 14 Pineapple Upside Down Cake Method For Base Syrup and Assembly Ingredients In a bowl, add salted butter, brown sugar, cream Base Syrup and Assembly the mixture till it is nice and fluffy. 1/4 cup salted butter Add lemon juice, mix well and transfer it to a 2/3 cup dark brown sugar mould. 2 tsp lemon juice 5-6 canned pineapple rings Spread the mixture evenly in the mould and place glazed cherries the pineapple and cherries on it. For Cake Batter For Cake Batter 1/3 cup vegetable oil In a bowl add oil, eggs, pineapple juice, buttermilk, 3 nos eggs vanilla extract, give it a good mix. 1/2 cup pineapple juice 1/4 cup buttermilk Add castor sugar, refined flour, baking powder, 1 tsp vanilla extract baking soda, desiccated coconut, nutmeg, give it a 3/4 cup castor sugar good mix. 1 1/2 cup refined flour 1 tsp baking powder Add salt, mix well and transfer it to the cake tin. 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 cup desiccated coconut Bake it to 200° Celsius for 40 minutes in your 1/4 tsp nutmeg, grated preheated Godrej Microwave Oven. Our pineapple cake is baked and ready, let it rest in the mould for 30 minutes.

Place a plate on top of the mould and turn it.

Tap the mould very lightly and release it. 'Guinness World 15 Record' Mud Pie The world's largest, yes! 3000 pounds. One day, a man came to my Mumbai office with an appointment to check if I would be interested in doing a master class for a large audience in an open stadium in Goa. I had done it monotonously all through that year. I took a chance and asked him if he could manage budgets for a Guinness World Record, which I promised I will crack for him. He left quietly only to message a few days later, signalling that we must go ahead. I jumped at it and started planning. Finally, it took a few hundred thousand phone calls and emails, meticulous planning and training, a core team of 24, a support team of 80, baking several versions, scaling them up and down, a few travels to the neighbouring states to get the 8 feet round collapsible mould, a 12 feet large baking oven, and several letters from state heads to get it all transported to Goa at the peak of a nationwide transport strike! But, at 2:30 am after 18 hours of herculean working, the final baked weight was checked and there we had created history. It is not important that the record is held by me, I am proud that it is held by an Indian. I am also attaching the original recipe by weight for you to feel the magnanimity of the pie! Initially, we had envisioned it to be 1 tonne, and that’s why the original recipe may add up to that number, but then we positively went overboard (a lot happened in between these lines), and we crossed 1.5 tonnes! 'Guinness World 15 Record' Mud Pie Method For the short crust Ingredients Mix all ingredients together and chill for 1 hour. For the Short Crust Line a 9 inches mould with this pie pastry, trim 250 grams refined flour the edges and chill for 15 minutes. 120 grams salted butter Dock it with a fork and bake in your Godrej 40 grams castor sugar Microwave Oven at 180° Celsius for 5 minutes; till it is half baked. 1 no egg yolk For the filling For the Filling Mix all ingredients in a bowl and pour into the 300 grams chocolate sponge cake half-baked pie dish. 150 grams dark chocolate Bake in your Godrej Microwave Oven for 20 15 grams biscuit crumbs minutes at 180° Celsius. 15 grams salted butter 60 grams dark chocolate chips Demould when it slightly cools down. 70 grams glazed cherries; seedless Serve this family sized version with ice cream! 60 grams cashew nuts, broken 30 grams dairy cream 5 grams cocoa powder 25 grams castor sugar 1 no egg whites 'Master Chef India' 16 Chocolate Cake! One afternoon, I was shooting for a brand when I got a call from the Master Chef India Season 5 team. They wanted me to make a chocolate truffle cake in their weekend-special guest episode. I was hesitant about making such a simple cake on national television. I requested them if I could add my two cents to it and make it interesting. They agreed. The twist was that the shoot was the next day at 11 am. I drove down the same evening, made a dummy in their makeshift studio kitchen and showed them what my idea was. They loved it. Next morning, I reached the sets, wore my jackets and the makeup (yes! I have to for the screen), gave one long take of 45 minutes like a master class and there we had a spectacular cake (that’s what they said!). I call it ‘my Master Chef India chocolate cake'! Every element of the cake represented India. The chocolate sponge represented Kashmir with its roses, fennel and almonds. The ganache had coffee from Tamil Nadu scented with black cardamom from Sikkim and the layers had candied Alphonso mangoes from Maharashtra and crushed peanuts chikki from Gujarat. 16 'Master Chef India' Add sugar and whip till it forms ribbons. Chocolate Cake! Add the flour mixture and fold with light hands Ingredients Carefully fold in melted butter. Do not overmix. Spoon the mixture in the prepared mould and top up For the Short Crust with the mentioned ingredients. 4 nos whole eggs (room temperature) Bake in your Godrej Microwave Oven at 200° Celsius 3/4 cup granulated sugar for 30 minutes. 2 tbsp salted butter (melted) 3/4 cups refined flour Cool to room temperature and slice! 1/4 cup cocoa powder 1½ tsp baking powder This is the chocolate sponge which I personally Topping love to eat and serve as a tea cake. If you wish to assemble it the way I did, cool the sponge and 1 tbsp dried rose petals, dried cut it into desired shapes for layering. Make a 2 tbsp almonds, sliced basic chocolate ganache and flavour it with ¼ tsp fennel powder coffee and a touch of black cardamom powder. Add broken chikki and aam papad in between the Method layers! I had garnished it with a red cage made of chocolate, some berries, edible flowers and For the short crust edible gold leaf. Sieve refined flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder together into a bowl. Keep aside.

Line an 8” baking pan with foil or parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray.

Whip eggs till foamy and light. Balance out all the calories with some healthy cooking! Thoughtfully made Godrej Microwave Ovens that help you start a healthy habit.

At Godrej Appliances, we believe in making things thoughtfully. That’s why, with our new range of microwave ovens, we’ve made daily microwave cooking healthy.

With features like Oil-free recipes, Healthy Bread Basket, Healthy Indian Tadka and many more, we help you pick up healthy habits and drop those crash diets.

Eat healthy every day so you can feel free to indulge in your delightful cakes every now and then!

utlet l Tadk C Da a Oil-free Recipes Healthy Indian Tadka

Upma eer Tik an ka P Healthy Breakfast & Snacks Easy Barbecue World cuisine at your fingertips with Godrej InstaChef App

Make the most of your Godrej Microwave Oven with the easy Godrej Instachef App, available on Google playstore on your phone. With detailed demo videos, recipe videos, ingredient based search, recipe of the day and many such useful features, the Godrej Instachef app is designed so you can truly make your microwave oven your daily cooking companion and #StartAHealthyHabit.

Recipe of the Day Healthy Recipes 32+ Recipe Videos Get Ideas THINGS MADE THOUGHTFULLY