Best of both worlds

For the last couple of days I've been thinking of getting back to blogging, yes I know, I've been away for ages and so much has changed and happened since. To start when everywhere there is a closure is sort of strange in its own way. The year is coming to an end and everyone is winding up and here I am, starting all over again. Then again, the end is always a new beginning. So here I am with something interesting that I happened to try a few days ago.

The world has been taken over by healthy food concepts and each one of us, is trying to inculcate a healthy eating habit . So, when we want to take a break from this routine, we are always on the lookout for the newest product in town. So did I, more so out of sheer curiosity since the name in itself was contradictory, a thin crust cheese filled pizza, yes, it's the new Dominos pizza. One would wonder, how can something be thin, crispy and yet have a filling which is melting and stringy. That's something only they can answer. Honestly, I was rather skeptical about it but also pleasantly surprised at the execution of it. The toppings of course is up to you, my son wanted a chicken extravaganza and there was chicken in every form that you can think of ! Thin crust cheese filled pizza

We were on a roll and didn't stop at just the pizza,  the custard filled buns were next. With a slight hint of cardamom in the sugar dusted on top, these golden delights had the most amazing custard filling. The star ofcourse was the custard which was the perfect consistency, the type where you don't really care who is watching and how messy you get trying to eat your bun.Custard buns

I'm glad that the breakaway from the routine ended up being a good one, if you're in one of those, calories don't matter mood, try out these two , you may just get hooked onto them.

Bon Apetite!!

Thin crust stuffed pizza

It's not a cake....it's a story!!

Over time i have realised that every time someone calls me up for a cake, it's not for a cake. It's to create a fantasy. A fantasy which they have dreamt about. and i am only too happy to make them come alive.Well, in most cases this is what happens but there are times when it's not a fantasy or a dream, it's a story. 

A couple of months ago i got a mail from someone from another corner of the world asking if i would design her wedding cake. The only condition was,  this was not to be a regular wedding cake but something which would tell their story. How exciting!!!

So, here goes their story...he is from northern India and she is from the east. Both lived in two different continents but were now soon going to become one. A young couple very much in love, they loved to travel and in one of their trips he popped the question, in Capadocia, Turkey. Otherwise known for the hot air balloons.  She runs a travel company and they love the beach and love taking pictures. Together they had travelled to a few countries. Besides this, there was one thing he was passionate about and that was is running, he loved taking part in marathons. This was their story and i had to create something which would have all these elements. I was truly excited and thought that this is what every wedding cake should be about. The couples story!!

So after exchanging many emails, design ideas and concepts, i designed the Bon Voyage: A love story. A story which was told in a different format where one actually enjoyed eating his/ her own words!!

WHATS YOUR CALLING ?

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As we turn around another corner, i can't help but think what a year it has been! This has been a life changing year for me in more ways than one. An irreplaceable loss, a vacuum that will never get filled changed my life forever. I lost my father. Though he's not with me anymore, i can feel his presence everyday, every waking hour and the second life changing experience has lots to do with him. I don't know about others, but i can say one thing for sure that in his passing on, he gave me the greatest gift. The courage to spread my wings and fly on my own.

The last few months have been crazy. Sitting on the fence not knowing whether or not to take the plunge, has been the most difficult phase. It's not easy to kick up a well paying full time job to chase ones dream not knowing what's in store for the future. Having made the choice, can say one thing for sure, the high of doing your own thing and getting recognised for ones efforts, is the ultimate high. It can't get better than this!

Life is full of choices and it is up to us what we make of it. Whether we want to brood over a loss or celebrate it, entirely depends on the individual. I choose to celebrate my fathers passing by working hard and making him proud. It was he, who first let me chase my dream. When i refused to walk the beaten path of medicine and engineering and chose food instead. He stood by me and it's my turn now to give it back to him. The other person who has played such an important role, is my husband, Anamitra. For having stood by me and giving me the opportunity. He has been my pillar of strength. In the 21st century the roles have reversed a bit i would say, instead of a woman behind a man, for me it has been the other way around and i cannot be thankful enough.

Choices like these, not only affect you but people around you as well. I have been extremely fortunate. Everyone has a calling, i'm glad i found mine early on in life. What's yours?

LIGHTNING McQUEEN: THE NEXT LEVEL

A few weeks ago, it was my son's best friends birthday and his mum called to ask if i could make a Lightning McQueen cake for him. Ofcourse i agreed and tookup the challenge. I must admit that it turned out quite well. When i posted the pictures on facebook, a friend commented that i was ready for the next level.

The comment got me thinking. Was i really ready for the next level? I have been thinking on these lines for a few months now and still pondering.

It has been over a year since i started my little venture. Honestly, as i had mentioned earlier, this was started just by chance and i was not really sure where i would be going. I am not an entrepreneur, i was only trying to live my dream and follow my heart. I had no plans to begin with but over the last year and a half, it has given me more joy than i had ever imagined.They say when you do what you love it's not a job anymore. I couldn't agree more, i have a day job and i bake after i get back from work but i'm never tired !!

The next level is so many things. I have had numerous requests from friends, colleagues, fans and others to start teaching. I love the idea and i am giving it a serious thought.Baking classes. Then there is the website ipshitas.com. I am working on this and hopefully in the next few days it should be up.

So there are baking classes, website and some more stuff coming up.

The next level it is!!!


Sharing love from the oven...ipshita

What a sweet nightmare !!!

It was about two weeks ago that a dear friend of mine called to say that she would like me to make her daughter’s first birthday cake. Of course I would !! I was anyway planning on one, so when she called, we got down to discussing what her favourite toy was, because, that is usually the theme for the party (till they grow up and have their own bizarre outlandish ideas!!!) Apparantly, this little one found her comfort in Tigger, so Tigger it was but what would poor Tigger do without Pooh? So Pooh had to be there too!!!

We soon decided upon the look of the cake and that was it. Now began my work, which I have to admit, was the most challenging that I have done so far. What I hadn’t realized is that the challenge had not even begun!!! Doing a cake with animals and doing a cartoon character are two different stories all together. I started off with Winnie and when it comes to cartoons, who else but children, are the best judge. So after all my hard work, I turned to my 9 year old son to ask, does it look like Winnie? My son, not wanting to hurt my feelings and yet trying to be his diplomatic best said with a straight face…mamma you have put in a lot of effort but this is a yellow bear not Winnie!! Not Winnie!!! Oh my God!! How on earth do I make him look like Winnie…trash Winnie 1…ok don’t trash him..maybe he can sit pretty in my kitchen. Now with even more determination I start Winnie 2. I have to admit that this was worse than appearing for board exams because if you flunked, then you flunked…it didn’t affect anyone else. Here, if I didn’t get Wiinie right, what would I do? What would happen to the party which now had a Winnie theme thanx to me agreeing to do the cake!!!! Did I hear the word stress???

Well, with my heart in my mouth, I called my son again..now do you think it looks like Winnie….i don’t think I have waited to hear a judgement like this in a long long time…I kept staring at his face, waiting to hear what he thought and I could almost hear my heart thudding…while he was judging. After having a long and good look at it…he turned around and as a matter of fact said…yes it looks like Winnie . I could breathe again…..I had conquered Winnie for now. What I had forgotten was there was Tigger too….!!

There is nothing like pushing boundaries and this is what happened with this cake and I have to say that what made it worth all the effort was the look on everyone’s face when they saw it.

A sweet nightmare indeed!!!!

MOM'S THE WORD

It's Mothers Day today. Everyone is thanking, remembering their mothers for all that they have done and why not? It's a special day to say thank you for everything you took for granted till you became a parent and realised that there was so much love even in the disciplining!!

Well, i am thankful to my mother for everything she did for me but i'm thankful to her for what she taught me. As i mentioned in my earlier blog, i grew up in a small town. The only social life being the club, the most happening shopping district being a one kilometer stretch in downtown where our lives began and ended if we wanted anything fancy. Well, after so many years not much has changed but what i learnt from my mom has taken me a long way.

Baking is not very popular in India not the way it is elsewhere. For some strange reason (thank God for it) my mother was always into it. As a child more than three decades ago my mother baked and she did everything cakes, biscuits, bread rolls, all of that. Coming to think of it, it was definitely not easy with limited resources available (baking is still a challenge now with so many ingredients not readily available).

She not only baked cakes she iced/ frosted them as well. As a child i always had fancy cakes for my birthday which my mother made and all my friends looked forward to digging into ! So many years ago she has all her baking pans, icing nozzles and what not. Her zest for creativity rubbed on to me and she encouraged me wholeheartedly. The result being that i baked my first cake when i was 13 and by the time i was in high school i could make any shape and ice it.

That i guess was the begining of cakes mamma bakes. Thank you Mom.

We have turned ONE !!!

On this day last year as part of the new year resolution to do something different i decided to chase a dream. A dream which i had dreamt of since school...a dream which was my calling but somehow in the past decade had got relegated to somewhere far far behind in my list of priorities.

I'm so happy that i did because this past year has been one of my best years of my life!!! The joy of doing something i love so passionately is beyond putting down in a few words.

When i started i didnt have a clue as to where i was headed. So, it all began with tiny little steps for which i have to thank you all. To each one of you who have encouraged me, gave me your valueable feedback , to my husband, who has been my biggest support in this endeavour with not only his beautifully shot pictures but believing in me.

Thanx to all of you now i am all set to take it to the next level. I have already done a couple of orders placed from out of town and country. So as the first step to make it bigger....orders are welcome from everywhere..you can pay through PAYPAL.