JOIN USThe market is flooded with numerous varieties of pastries, cakes, cookies, etc in delectable shapes, colours and flavours. One actually gets confused about what to eat and what to give a miss, all thanks to their innovative packaging! But one has forgotten the age-old procedure of making cakes in a cooker. The spongy cakes made by our mothers once have given way to fancy cakes made in ovens and microwaves.
Chef Jiten Singh, corporate executive chef, Amour Bistro and Amour the Patio Restaurant Cafe and Bar for Bakery, said, “I believe the different bakery dishes that can be made at home without oven or microwave are coffee crystal, cold cheese cake like blueberry cheese cake, mango cheesecake, strawberry cheesecake, panna cotta, hazelnut bitter chocolate crumb, mocha and bitter almond cannelloni, mascarpone yoghurt frosting with savoiardi, chocolate tart, tiramisu, frozen honey and macadamia cheesecake, chocolate and nougat fudge.”
“The basic tips or steps I would suggest would be firstly to be passionate about your cooking. Foremost, one should always use fresh material for cooking and use the necessary basic amenities and freezing too. Pressure cooker, steamer and any utensil for a double boiler can be used for baking purposes,” added Chef Singh.
Manoj Sarkar, executive chef, The Wine Company, said, “When cooking bakery items at home one should keep in mind the safety aspects first and follow all the cooking steps correctly. If one wants to experiment with the dishes, it should be done at a small level. Also, read the instructions carefully and then try your hand on any new dish. The easiest bakery item to cook at home is sponge cake and simple biscuits. Utensils like cooker, earthen sand flat platform can be used to cook bakery items.”
Sponge cake is the easiest to cook at home and only takes 30-35 minutes. All you need is 250 gms of sugar, flour and butter, three eggs, 90 ml of milk and four grams of baking powder for a one kg sponge cake. One can also add raisins, vanilla essence or coco powder to add the flavour to it. Cheese, yogurt, raspberries and blueberries can also be added to enhance the flavour of the sponge cake.