Cakes cookies n savory goodies

Eggless Wholewheat Vanilla cake

9:07 PM


The daughter is becoming naughtier day by day and she has a quirky sense of humour too. The other day I was talking to my brother on phone about how this time is so confusing. How we never had imagined that something like this could happen to the human race and so on. After I finished talking, the little 6 years old came to me and asked for something to eat. It was just 7 in the evening and they had their snacks and a drink around 5.30. On questioning, she replied, like you and Mamu (uncle), my tummy is super confused too. It can't keep track of the time and feel hungry all the time.

Cakes cookies n savory goodies

Thumb print cookies

7:32 PM


It's that time of the year when my kids will run around the house and put the Christmas decoration on every surface they can reach. They would write letters to Santa, Switch on the fairy lights every evening and look at them with dreamy eyes. They would pester me to bake cookies with them, make cards for everyone they know and every night when it would be time to go to bed, they would cross one more day from their wait to Santa. 

Christmas in true sense is magical and we as a family celebrate it with great enthusiasm. The dip in the air makes me cheerful and with their contagious energy, I try to co-operate with them as much as possible. Just yesterday We baked these thumbprint cookies. While the elder one mixed the dough and made lime size balls, the little one with her tiny hands filled each cavity with jams. 

If you are planning to make cookies do try this recipe. Perfect for a weekend affair with kids.

Cakes cookies n savory goodies

Strawberry Almond Orange Tea Cake

12:45 AM


If you want a respite from this time of Negativity and chest thumping patriotism then I can offer you a slice of this delicious cake. Dotted with the unmistakable ruby sweetness of Strawberries, flavoured with the fresh zestiness of winter oranges and an occasional crunch of the toasted almonds, this cake would surely make your tea time satisfying. Especially when you want your time to be peaceful and wants to keep those mouth shut who could make a storm in your teacup. This is a sure shot way, well at least for some time. Try it, am sure you will come back to thank me later.

Cakes cookies n savory goodies

Kueh Makmur (Malaysian Prosperity Cookie)

7:56 PM


Here is one more Malaysian recipe to celebrate the month of eating all things sweet. As usual, I have been very busy and could not bake or make things to celebrate Christmas other than my Mother's homestyle fruit cake for the family. Not that I didn't want to but a project with Ananda Bazar kept me so busy that I couldn't make any time for other bakes. Am sharing the picture of the cakes I baked and decorated for them based on Bengali fairy tale stories called Thakumar Jhuli by Dakshinaranjan Mitra Majumdar. Do let me know what you think about it.

Cakes cookies n savory goodies

Maa's Homestyle fruit and nut cake

10:56 AM


All of us who grew up in the 70's and 80's grew up eating two types of cakes, one, the small square shaped dense cake wrapped in butter paper, stored in big glass jars called Boyam in street side tea shops or grocery stores. Two, cakes baked at home in the pressure cooker or round aluminium table top oven, that our mothers learnt from someone in the neighborhood or from distant relatives. Which they baked again and again to achieve a recipe that worked like charm everytime. I have not much memory of the first one as I was never fond of that dry and cloyingly sweet cake but the second one is something I am very nostalgic about.

Cakes cookies n savory goodies

No Bake Strawberry Tart

11:03 AM


When Strawberries are in season you need to make something with them...well that's an assumption my kids always make. Every week when we go to the grocer, invariably 2 boxes of these ruby red fruit will come home. from their morning cereal to evening fruit bowl they just love to have a few pieces of it.

On the contrary the elders in the family are not very fond of the super tart taste of the Indian variety. Every time I make something they will pick out the fruit and give it to the kids. so this time I decided to make something that will not only complement the tartness rather make it indispensable. And this time also wanted to make a dish that does not need an oven or OTG. For all those readers who wanted something super simple, something that both kids and bigs can enjoy and something that is so so gorgeous that it could easily be the talk of your dinner table...let me introduce you to my no bake strawberry Tart. 

After you finish gawking at it's prettiness do note down the recipe and make it to surprise your family.

Cakes cookies n savory goodies

Chocochip Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

6:16 AM


My kids are at a very impressionable age. Especially my three and half years old daughter. She loves watching cartoons and picks up things that catches her fancy, which means only two things. First,  every now and then she comes running to us, points to a certain things and asks, 'will you please get me one of these?'. That's not hard as with time we have realised we can just smile and say Yes to make her happy. But the second part is little hard. Her demand to celebrate Western festivals the way her favourite cartoon characters do.

So for Christmas, she asks for cookies, milk for Santa and a big blingy tree. Which again was easy as following her big brother's demand we already had that at home. But I find myself totally clueless when she asks to celebrate Thanksgiving or Halloween. No one around me has ever done that and am just not sure what to do. 

Cakes cookies n savory goodies

Cherry Clafoutis with Browned Butter

10:22 PM


Clafoutis is a French baked dessert, quite rustic and homely in its baking but very satisfying to have as a light dessert. Light because it generally does not involve much fat and are always made with some stone fruit that adds to the sweetness and the flavour. In rural France this is often made with unpitted cherries which a slight bitterness and an almond like flavour to it, but pitted cherries definitely adds to a smooth mouth-feel which is preferred for desserts. 

Cake Orders Kolkata

Ginger Bread cookies with royal icing

7:44 AM


Some days I feel very ancient as if I or rather my generation belong to some other time. Just the other day when my almost 8 rolled his eyes when I told him that we grew up watching only one channel or the time my niece rolled out laughing when I fleetingly mentioned that we used to study with kerosene lamps every evening as power cuts were very rampant in our childhood or the time when my neighbour's son found me lunatic when I told him we dint have pizza or pasta in our childhood. It is as much difficult for them to visualise that simple time as it is for me to believe how much has changed in such short span of time.

But am glad when every year during Christmas these same little ones of the family write their wishlists to Santa. At least there are some things that even time cannot change. The magic of Santa is one of them...The same stories of an old man who lives in North Pole and on every Christmas Eve he comes down the chimney and leaves them a gift has wooed her grand parents, her parents and now hers...It's a fable with which we have been fed and now we feed our children many unliked morsels and make them do things that they detest.

For me Christmas is very special. May be because I grew up in a town where Poush Mela (falls around 25th December every year) was more important a celebration than Durga puja and attending Khristotsav (an event celebrating the birth of Jesus in Santiniketan with prayers and music) every year provided solace to my young soul in an unknown way. and there's nothing like these ginger bread cookies that spell Christmas to me. 

They are full of warm spices like ginger, nutmeg, allspice, clove and cinnamon thats complemented with a dark earthy colour lent by caramely brown sugar and smoky molasses. Nothing could be more comforting in winter than sharing a cuppa and these cookies with your loved ones overlooking a foggy wintry morning.  For me they are like a giant hug encapsulated in bite size portions. It comforts and warms you up from inside. If handmade gifts are the best then be assured that receieving a bag of these cookies means you are very special to them.

Cakes cookies n savory goodies

Apple Pie

11:46 PM



I love different seasons and the changes they bring with them...changes which are not always very pronounced in our part of the world yet evry season is different and beautiful in its own way. I love the time when a season melts into another one... how their specific attributes slowly fades away with a promise to come back again next year. It fills me with hope and anticipation, fond memories from last season floods in whispering promises of all that is yet to come. I feel giddy and emotional at the same time. Giddy to create new memories, new traditions...emotional to retrace the same path I took to happiness and in the process create more memories for my kids to look back with a smile on their face, to look at each season with new joy and new hope.

Cake Orders Kolkata

Cherry Almond Tray bake

11:03 AM


The recipe that I am sharing today is something I made quite a few months back when fresh cherries just started appearing. This was my first food photo shoot in the last seven months. But then could not manage time to post it. Later I thought may be it’s too late to post. But today I saw fresh cherries still being sold in some markets so thought of posting it. Hopefully you still can grab a boxfull of these ruby red delights and can bake it.

Besides that, it's quite a versatile recipe. I have baked it few other time with strawberry, pear, peach and nectarine and it still tasted awesome. So just adapt the recipe to whatever fruit (Little hard like the ones I mentioned above) you can get and use it in this cake. 

Cakes cookies n savory goodies

Skillet Cornbread

9:41 PM


The Christmas eve is tomorrow and am sure you all are preparing for it in the last minutes. There are such classic bakes to choose from, apart from the traditional plum cake, mince pies there are whole array of cookies that could be baked to keep up with the festive spirit. While nothing announces the arrival of Christmas like a glass of mulled wine and spiced gingerbread mans but many of us vouch by the simple butter cookies decorated with sugar paste. 

This winter seems to be the most hectic one of my whole life. With two weddings in the family and the small baking ventures of mine I was neck deep in baking and decorating cakes and cookies. After all 'tis the season and I enjoyed every minute of it. Was glad to be featured as one of Kolkata's homebaker on Polka Cafe.

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