Grape Cake

I found a recipe for Napa Valley Grape cake that was tempting me to no end. How exotic it sounded! A cake with luscious grapes and sweet wine. I finally concocted an excuse to make this cake - a very silly excuse! My friend asked me what cake I would (hypothetically) bake to tempt/lure a celebrity I would love to meet. J.K Rowling could be lured by a Lemon Cake, so why not adopt a similar strategy for other celebrities? ;)

I slightly adapted the recipe to bring in some orange flavor that I hoped would go well with the grapes. The cake didn't rise much because I added less baking soda, and a little extra baking powder (I didn't want the grapes to sink way down to the bottom; but they did sink nonetheless).

In all, this was an interesting cake! If you like the flavors of grape/wine, this will be to your liking. Mildly sweet, and different from most cake flavors.

Jam Crumb Cake

The last crumb cake I tried was quite successful and people seemed to like the contrasting textures of soft and crunchy. So, I have been trying out different flavors - one of which is this jam based cake. 

I love the flavor of mixed fruit jams - they have a unique flavor that's a medley of all the best fruits - like berries, bananas, and a hint of orange. Having wondered how a cake would taste if it took on the flavor, I finally tried it out. I really liked the cake, but I realized that not everyone is a fan of mixed fruit jam flavor. So, substitute with any jam of your liking! 

Mocha Cake

Coffee and chocolate is a marvelous combination. No amount of desserts that pair chocolate and coffee seem enough to our palates.

As part of my experiment to make an espresso cake, I ended up with this simple mocha cake. The coffee in the cake intensifies and highlights the cocoa flavor, while the coffee itself mutes to a smoky, dark flavor. The simple buttercream frosting on top carries the intense coffee flavor, making this a truly mocha cake.

Kaju Katli / Cashew fudge

Perhaps the mother of all Indian desserts, Kaju Katli is a universal favorite. The soft, buttery texture of the doughy-cashews, and the sweet scents of cardamom, saffron, and rosewater will tempt even the most disciplined sugar-opposers. 

Making Kaju Katli is simple, in theory. However, in practice, I found most recipes to be missing some key links. I failed, failed, and failed some more in my attempts before I finally, finally, stumbled into this method, when I decided to experiment with the only fickle agents in this recipe - the consistency and heat applied to the sugar syrup. Meanwhile, my kitchen was filling up with more and more Kaju ladoos from all the failed experiments!

Here are the critical aspects that determine the success of this treat:

• The sugar syrup is the most important part of the recipe. If the sugar is over-boiled beyond the one-string consistency, the texture of the katli turns from fudge-like to candy-like. And once the sugar syrup reaches the one-string consistency, immediately remove from heat and do the rest of the steps without heat. Additional heat will turn the mixture to candy
•  Knead, knead and knead the mixture to a smooth dough. Initially, it will seem almost hopeless to get to the smooth dough stage, but keep at it
• It's really really important to act fast! Act quick - especially while removing the sugar syrup from heat, and while kneading the mixture, rolling it out, and cutting the fudge.

In the end, if all else fails, make the ladoos!

Kaju Ladoo / Cashew Ladoo

These cashew ladoos were a happy accident during my Diwali trials! This is so simple to make, I am surprised I never considered it before! We use the intrinsic fat in the cashews as the essential binding agent for these ladoos. It literally takes a few minutes,  and a good Indian mixie / food processor to make this delicious treat.