Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Baking is another option

It all started with me trying to bake a sponge cake for my wife on her birthday.
But once the batter was ready there was some problem with the power supply by which the oven would not work. That ended my attempt of the surprise cake for her Birthday.
When my wife discovered the batter she thought “if my hubby can bake a cake then why not me” (she was not into baking till then)
So she took over the second half (when the power was restored) and baked the cake which turned out pretty well.
That boosted her moral and she started experimenting with different types of cakes.
Now it was my turn to be surprised as she started churning out cake after cake with expert advice from my sister.
One day she announced “Hey you all want to have pineapple upside down cake?”
This was something new to me. I mean I always thought that the cashew fruit was the one who used to hang upside down whereas the pineapple used to stand erect where they used to grow wild around the huge pond (kolam) in our home town.
But once the cake was done, it was a visual treat as I could see the slices of the pineapple very clearly. The trick was to put these slices at the bottom and bake the cake. Once it is baked you turn it upside down and hey presto this is how it looks. I thought its worth a click. Its not only the slices but the complete cake has the pineapple taste as the juice is mixed in the batter. (oops I hope wifey won’t read this as I have given out the secret formula)
pinapple upside down cake

Then came the Brownies. These were a hit with all those who had it and they swore that they were much better than the expensive brownies that are sold at the Coffee Day outlets. Some even placed orders, especially the vegetarian ones. (with out eggs) By the way all ye veggies, serves you right if you don’t want to listen to what Gandhi said.
The best brownie in town

Before I proceed a word has to be put in about my sister who loves baking and this is what she had baked when we went to Bangalore to visit her. The minute it was kept on the table, I knew that it would finish in a jiffy so I took it out in the natural light and clicked it. The cherries on the top is the highlight I suppose.

Black forest
OK coming back to the home front, it was a loosing battle for me. I mean here I was, spending money and trudging on the tread mill to loose weight and my wife went on churning out cake after cake in different sizes and tastes. How can I resist.
The lava cake is something that has to be seen when served. Before serving, the cake is made warm in the microwave and then a dollop of ice cream is added. You can literally see the middle of the cake “pop” up with the lava flowing out. Yummmm tasty.
Lava cake

Earlier baking was a tedious task with all those Aluminum baking vessels and greasing them and the ultimate task of removing the finish product from the mould without breaking it.
Now with the advent of the plastic moulds in Siliconflex material it’s a pleasure to bake. I tried clicking a product along with the mould so that you can have an idea how it looks.
Baking is a different story now

Some of the cakes baked for Wedding Anniversaries and Birthdays.
The one below was for Dr Sudhakar and Cindy's 35th wedding anniversary.I am sure the cake matches that broad smile.
All ready

This was for Nikhil's brthday:
Home made

And this was for my sister's 25th wedding Anniversary:
Date & Walnut cake with icing

As for the one below don’t go by the looks. It may look dull but its made with almond, peach and yoghurt. A different taste altogether.
peach cake

As I was sure that the cakes would be a hit, I used to distribute them to the volunteers at the Flickr photo exhibitions held in Pune and also at the Flickr meet.
Then there was the cake and wine sessions at the Orkut FM meet
The below picture speaks for itself when it was distributed at a Flickr meet at RSI Pune which was sponsored by Captain Nandu Chitnis Though it may look like a posed photo, it is not.


Thanks to the quick reaction by Sahil who did a good job of clicking a lovely candid picture.

Coming back to me, I forgot how to bake a simple sponge cake.
(to see the complete pictures click on them)

19 comments:

~G said...

Hey Haddock, looks like you got treated to a variety of cakes without much of an effort. The cakes look delicious. Esp the brownies. Even the pictures tell that they were tough competition to Coffee Day ones...
:)

Unknown said...

Wow, great pics of some yummy treats! Wish I had some right now, instead of the can of mixed nuts I'm munching. Oh well. :)

Anuradha Shankar said...

wow!!! wish i was there to eat them!!

Casuarina said...

Great job, I must say I'd like to meet your wife & sister and get some tips from them...I mean I can't believe it, they look so great, so perfect and above all, so delectable ! I was scared to death of baking but when I tried my hand at it in the USA (for lack of other things to do), my blueberry vanilla cake turned out so perfect that I almost thought I'd dreamed the whole thing up. Even better was the chocolate vanilla cake I baked during our anniversary, the decorating of which I made a mess of though, with gems and low-fat whipped cream. But I'd like to give you the link to my baking post...please do comment ! :-)

http://writingtherain.blogspot.com/2009/01/blueberry-cake.html

Gauri Gharpure said...

pineapple upside down is a work of art!!

this post is like showing a puppy a bone and throwing it down the hill.. i read this in the reader in office and had such bad cravings for the rest of my day

Destiny's child... said...

I. Am. Drooling.

my space said...

Haddock...i am DYING to eat cake now!! The black forest looks so , so, so Yummy...and pineapple upside down? ..its been ages since i had one.. gotta meet ur wife and share baking tips..eons ago i used to bake cakes!!

Matty said...

Way too delicious looking. I want some.

Candice said...

Oh my, those treats look SO GOOD! Seriously, I'm drooling.

Thanks alot! :)

Sandhya said...

I loved the pinapple cake, looks beautiful. I feel like saying, 'Oh, what a family!'.

We wish you on your 25th Wedding anniversary! God bless you all!

Amy C said...

The brownies look yummy!!

Haddock said...

comment by Monce on Facebook:
"Damn... forget my pics!!! Am in love with the cake pics!!!

* Can't belive you made all those at home!! Plan the next All-India FM meet at your place... Arrnica's place is also on the list!! :P *"

By SHika on Facebook:

"Oooooohhh drooled all over the page!!! They look and 'read'; awesome!!"

Unknown said...

Pineapple upside down is one of my favorites. We put the pineapples in the bottom of the pan after melting some butter and brown sugar together. We also put cherries in the middle of the pineapple slices. Delicious!

PropellerHeadMom said...

Great pics! All of those treats look delicious! I think I gained 5lbs just looking at them :-)

Karine said...

Amazing desserts! They all look delicious :)

Insignia said...

Lucky you.....I am jealous!!

Gomathy S said...

Lovely baking pics.. I just baked a surprise blackforest cake for my husband for his birthday & I'm thrilled that being my first !

Vrinda said...

WOW..mouthwatering treats...

Jaunty anima said...

Yummmyyyyyyyyyyy...In think these re the yummiest cakes in the world...though I haven't tasted them..I can tell it frm the very look of them...
Haddock...U r a superb photographer..
There's no way I can stop myuself frm following ur blog..Keep cmn with such delicious blogposts...!!
Luvd ur blog!