No icing on the cake

 The year 2020 A black year of pain, deaths and calamities, The little virus has caused havoc and uncertainties. Life came to a screeching halt when deaths, crisis and health hazards the villain caused Scientists are working to tame the goon But it is in no mood to leave too soon With the virus forcing us to stay indoors But let's not paint the year all black  Let us be grateful for the good things it offered to bring us to the track Necessity has brought  about  changes and new hopes Productivity and creativity in the time of despair  and catastrophe  Compassion and charity show silver lining do exist Distance yet closer than ever Love and care for each other Technology has brought everything to our homes Online education and work from home are the new norms  Films, dance and music album launches Weddings, convocations and community lunches  Reinventing self with hobbies and books Inventions to challenge the corona threats  When all is so...

 KERALA PLUM CAKE  (non alcoholic and eggless) Merry Christmas 🎄⛄🎄 Sprinkled dry fruits powder on the cake 👆 Freshly baked KERELA PLUM CAKE just out of the oven 👆 Indulge yourself to a delicious Christmas treat, loaded with fruits and nuts soaked in apple juice for this non alcoholic version of this moist, rich, and luscious cake… just how you would have wished your perfect fruit cake to be.     Another eventful year is coming to an end.This Christmas is different from the other years due to the pandemic . It has been a gloomy and grey year with natural disasters ,loss of lives and livelihoods ,pain and sorrow .           However, due to the pandemic , social distancing norms and lockdown , we are all staying indoors and getting more time to spend with our families , exploring new opportunities, rediscovering our hobbies interests and talents.         Every cloud has a silver lining. It's only up to us to be resil...

 HOMEMADE COOKIES  The Christmas fervour is on . Everyone is in a baking mood . So am I . The aroma of freshly baked cakes and cookies , straight out of the oven  is heavenly. I just love it .            Though I don't do much of cookies , as I find the procedure bit lengthy , creaming, kneading , rolling n cutting the cookies , I did try a small batch of these delicious  COOKIES  I used different flavours _ Chocolate, vanilla coffee ,        Do try and let me know how they turned out 😊😊 Cookies Cream 1/2 cup each  butter n powdered sugar till light n fluffy In another bowl sieve 1cup atta  + 1/2 tsp baking soda   Mix the dry ingredients in the butter mixture Add vanilla essence Add milk as needed n make a dough ( dont knead hard like roti or puri . )  Divide dough into 3 parts In one part add cocoa powder and roll into a ball In the second part add coffee powder and roll Keep the third...

 Wet ingredients Beat 1/2 cup oil + 1n1/2 cup sugar syrup + 1/4 tsp vanilla essence ( I have experimented with both gulab jamun  and rasgulla syrups/ Dry ingredients Sift 2cups maida /Atta  + 1tsp baking powder + 1/4 tsp baking soda  Mix wet & dry ingredients n form a batter Add chopped nuts Pour batter into greased n floured baking dish  Bake in preheated oven at 180 deg cel for 30-35 min till done Rasgulla syrup cake 👇 Gulab jamun sugar syrup cake 👇

  My parents are celebrating their anniversary  in the heaven with the angels today  ( 19 November) HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MA & BABA🙏🙏❤️❤️🙏🙏 ❤️❤️ Miss you always ❤️💐🙏         They are now United together in their heavenly abode never never never never again......to part   They were the made for each other couple . They lived life to the fullest and enjoyed every bit of it with foreign trips to Europe n USA . Enjoying films at the film festival n going to trade Fairs at pragati maidan was an annual feature .Their common love for books made them start a library in the living room of the government house with books contributed by the members . Their gifts of encyclopaedias and books to my son , on his birthdays are still adorning the bookshelves of the house ..  Can never forget the home made cakes ,fish fries ,chops , cutlets ,roshogolla , luchi ,alu dom , ghughni , and ( pantua ( gulab jamun) parties at our Andrewsgang govt house dur...

 APPLE STREUSEL CUPCAKES Delicious 😋 with the right sweetness  FOR THE STREUSEL Flour _ 1 cup  Butter _ 1/4 cup 🧈 Sugar _ 2 _3 tbsp Cinnamon powder 1/2 tsp  APPLE LAYER _ Mix and keep aside Apple_ chopped into small pieces🍎 Honey 1 tbsp  Cinnamon powder  FOR THE CAKE  Blend the following in the blender ( Wet ingredients) Apple 1 small pureed🍎 Sugar 3/4 cup  Vanilla essence  Sieve the following together ( Dry Ingredients) Flour _ 1 cup Baking powder _ 1/2 tsp  Baking soda_ 1/4 tsp Make a batter   MAKING THE CAKE Preheat oven to 180°c for 10 minutes Grease and line muffin tray with liners  Spoon 🥄 in some cake batter into each liner  Now put in some apples pieces  Top with streusel mixture Bake _ 180°c for 25 to 30 minutes . I have some 5 extra minutes for the top to brown up  HONEY _ JAM DRIZZLE Beat some honey 🍯 and jam with some water till smooth  Drizzle over cooled cupcakes/muffins

   Baking cakes need no celebration , at least not for me. This is a super soft vanilla sponge cake topped with homemade caramel sauce .