JOIN USThe accidental baker
If it wasn’t my wish to bake a homemade cake for my husband’s birthday a few years ago, I probably would have never discovered my interest in baking.
Three years later, I still have the drive to learn more about baking and create new desserts. My creativity comes from within, especially because I worked as a graphic designer before I started ‘Cupcake Nation’. Till now, I have never attended a workshop or baking class. I like the idea of being spontaneous and learning from my own experiments.
I referred to as many books and videos as I could and tried my hand at whatever I was in the mood to make. Eventually, I wanted to learn the science behind it and know what will work and why it works the way it does.
I experimented a lot with ingredients to see the results. Soon enough, I learnt to specialise in eggless desserts; that’s my style of baking.
My husband grew up having Monginis cake, so the first time I made it for him, his reaction was, “It’s good but not as great as Monginis.” Maybe that was the motivation I needed to want to learn more about the world of baking.
Now, I take workshops and classes and teach those interesting the basics of baking. Though it’s a class of few students, I soon started getting requests from people outside the city. It’s practically impossible for me to visit different states for workshops, so I started online classes. People from outside the country also join my classes when they can.
What I’ve realised over the years is that I believe in staying true to the food I make. I have over 21,000 followers on Instagram. I keep them posted about what I am going to make and the ingredients that I will be using. My followers are well aware of the quality of my ingredients. So, when they come down to the studio to take their order, they know why the cost of the product is so much.
I also follow the policy of shopping first before deciding what to make. I love going to the markets and finding fresh ingredients that I can bake with. I think that makes a lot of difference.
Today’s recipe of ‘Roasted Almond Chocolate Fudge Tart’ is a simple but decadent dessert. The ingredients needed for this are probably already available at home. You don’t need to purchase cooking chocolate; regular Bournville will do the trick.
It’s rich, delicious and just what you need to satisfy your sweet craving.
Recipe: Roasted Almond Chocolate Fudge Tart
Ingredients
- Digestive/Marie Biscuits, 75 gm
- Melted butter, 3 tbsp
- Cocoa powder, 1 tsp
- Bournville dark chocolate, 75 g
- Sweetened condensed milk, 130 ml
- Butter, 1 tbsp
- Roasted almonds, ½ cup
- Vanilla essence, 1 tsp
Method
- Crush the biscuits in a food processor. Add melted butter and cocoa powder in it. Cocoa powder is optional.
- Take a removable bottom 4” tart shell and press down this mixture to the bottom and on the sides. Keep it in the fridge to chill.
- In a saucepan, add chopped chocolate, condensed milk and butter.
- Melt in together on double boiler or in a microwave. Add chopped roasted almonds and vanilla. Give it a mix.
- Pour the mixture in the tart shell and refrigerate it for 2 to 3 hrs to set.
- Once chilled, remove it from a tart shell, slice it and enjoy.