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When baking at home is fun

Last Updated 09 July 2019, 14:06 IST

I took to baking six years ago when my grandmother, who regularly makes cakes for us, fell sick. My cousins and I were craving for her special chocolate cake, so I decided to try my hand at it. That’s where it all started.

Along the way, I have had plenty of successes and more disasters but that’s what led me to where I am today.

When I started posting pictures of baked goodies on social media, random people started asking for recipes. This made me wonder if more people would be interested in them and I decided to start my blog ‘Bake with Shivesh’.

I’m thrilled to say that this led me to write my first book under the same name. The second one is in progress now.

I’ve realised that social media has helped the culinary community a lot. For me, the sole reason is to experiment and share those recipes with my followers. I don’t take orders or make desserts for commercial purpose. My motto is to encourage people to bake at home.

It’s not been an easy journey, I must say. Since I’ve been doing it for some time now, I would advise beginners to be patient and learn about the techniques to get the dessert right. It’s a time-consuming job but it’s important to give each recipe the time it deserves. Enjoy the procedure.

Understanding the science behind the ingredients can help too. No matter how small a quantity you are adding, it makes a huge difference. Therefore, learn why it does what it does.

I’m a self-taught baker; if I can do it so can you. I started off quite young and it’s absolutely lovely to see people younger than me become passionate about baking.

Along with recipes on my blogs, I also use social media to upload videos. This time, it’s going to be a live session in the city where I will be hosting a food styling workshop at Fabcafe in Jayanagar on July 19.

Since I encourage everyone to bake at home, this recipe of ‘Mango and Strawberry Shortcakes’ is a good way to start. You just have to make sure that your respective ingredients are at the right temperature. The freshness of the fruits and the texture of the cake is to die for.

Mango and Strawberry Shortcakes
Mango and Strawberry Shortcakes

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

4 tablespoons castor sugar

1 + 1 ½ cups whipping cream

6 tablespoons castor sugar

1 cup mango

1 cup strawberry

1 cup sweetened heavy cream whipped to soft peaks

Beans from one vanilla pod

Method

*Preheat the oven to 200° C.

*In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and castor sugar.

*Add 1 + ½ cup whipping cream. Mix well until everything is well combined. The dough will be wet and sticky.

*Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the dough into balls, 1 inch apart, on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

*Bake at 200°C for 15 to 20 minutes until they’re golden brown.

*Meanwhile, drizzle 6 tablespoons of sugar over the diced strawberries and mangoes and let it rest for 15 minutes until they become juicy.

*To assemble the cakes, place a generous amount of strawberries and mango mixture on the shortcakes.

*Top with a dollop of whipped cream. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Shivesh Bhatia

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(Published 09 July 2019, 14:05 IST)

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