Baking Archive

3April 27, 2012
Nazook / Armenian pastry sweet and savoury for daring bakers

Kolkata has very interesting mix of people with different lineages, but I never thought that the city has some Armenian connections too, until the day I met Irene one of my cousin’s friend at Loretto. She has deep blue eyes but speaks impeccable Bengali, far better than me. As I was very much intrigued about her heritage, one day she took us to an old church “Holy Church of Nazareth” in Armenian street, believed to be the oldest one in the…
10April 18, 2012
Orange poppy seed muffin with orange marmalade glaze for the spring

Misha and I were geographically separated, culturally distinct, ethnically different yet we were friends, we used to write to each other once in a while in our broken English, and we had never met in life, we were pen friends. Many moons ago in late eighties, we used to share our stories, fancies of a 12-year-old girl for whom places like Russia (then USSR) exist only in her geography textbook, through mail sealed in a red and blue striped air mails, the friendship…
7March 29, 2012
Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and infused with orange flavours

I was once again at the crossroads of baking a chocolate flavoured carrot cake or an orange one or just plain and simple carrot cake with walnuts … ideas are profuse, options are endless and I have to bake just one cake !!! Can we call it challenging enough ! Ideas born with the imaginations, original ideas are just like fresh dews on mossy green leaves, brilliantly radiant and soon dissolves into something other or simply vanishes into oblivion. An idea needs a fertile…
8March 1, 2012
Banana pecan quick bread for a healthy morning breakfast

They say “baking is the heart of cooking” and if this is true, then I am able to finally reach here after long days of struggle. Can you differentiate between a pro baker and an amateur baker ? Now, do not judge them by frosting or decoration skills. Baking needs passion and understanding of the exact measurements and frosting or icing requires aesthetic and artistic skills. And it too depends upon one’s personal preferences. For instance, I prefer lightly frosted…
7February 27, 2012
Cheesy popovers or yorkshire pudding for daring bakers

Some two years back when I started to share my passion for food on my little blog, it was always about the food that I have tasted before at home or somewhere else, but not the other way round. This time things are little different. Today I am going to share something which I had never tasted before, some thing which is completely new to me and nevertheless it becomes my new-found love too. Though I love baked goodies, and who doesn’t…
20February 23, 2012
Ultimate double chocolate drop cookies

Today I woke up with the sun, after a long time, yes, I am not an early riser but some days are different. It snowed yesterday, for few hours but the cars, trees and grass are still covered with the fine sheet of snow, the tar covered roads which has now a thin sheen of snow are glistening in the first flicker of sun rays. And as the morning slowly breaks into bright crimson day with promise of sunshine, I decided not to skip…
24February 16, 2012
Zesty orange Oreo cheesecake with chocolate drizzle

Morning was gloomy, overcast with clouds and I waited the whole day, just to get a glimpse of warm sunshine. And slowly the day ends un ceremoniously, revealing nothing… I was not in a mood to write anything on my blog, because I know I won’t be able to convey any happier thoughts, why to tell the world that I am not happy ? Why to tell the world about your sufferings, the days filled with melancholy and despondency and helplessly witnessing the sufferings…
14February 14, 2012
Ultimate double chocolate brownie hearts

Ultimate double chocolate brownie hearts for today and always … Wishing you all a Happy Valentine’s day, I know this sounds so hackneyed, love doesn’t needs a reason nor a day to celebrate but it feels good to make a day special for someone you love, and may be today is that precious day, so why not celebrating it on your own little way. Brownie may not arrest too many attentions, being popular and present in so many avatars, and every one seems to…
12February 10, 2012
Sticky chocolate and date pudding

Beginning today , till Valentine’s Day, we bring you all the sweet and decadent desserts for our Valentine’s Special series, so if you have not subscribed to our feeds, do it now, don’t miss a post. Puddings are that class of desserts without which no celebration is complete, if a simple steamed pudding has that rustic flavour, then baked puddings has its own class, simple to make and great to taste and we believe that’s why they are so popular. On…
16January 13, 2012
Chilli spiced chocolate cherry tartlets

Once again I am here with another chocolate dessert, before you labeled me as a chocoholic, let me tell you, am not the one…, I can assure you that, but who can resist a chocolate. The sweet and bitter chocolate, yes that is my flavor, as soon as it melts in your mouth, you begin to feel happy … almost instantly. The rich flavonoids and anitoxidants work their way up to your mind and heart, and bring smile on your…
9December 25, 2011
Rich fruit cake for Christmas

Celebrating Christmas with this rich fruit cake. We wishes everyone who stops by “Merry Christmas”, with loads of happiness and prosperity. Fruit cakes are some century old traditions that are being made specially during Christmas and there are many variations to it, some are soaked in spirits, some are in fruit liquer, whatever their flavours are, they are bound to be present during this season and without them the celebration seems to be incomplete. Late September is usually a good…
7December 24, 2011
Rosemary cookies with lemony flavour

Who doesn’t love to have some cookies, the sugary, buttery and the utterly delicious which can be baked in every form and flavor ever known to man, and you ought to bake some fresh ones when it is Holiday or Christmas season. You call it tradition or an integral relationships, but cookies are very much part of this season, they are the reason to bring smile and cheers on every gloomy faces. I baked these rosemary cookies a week ago,…
3December 23, 2011
Chocolate coconut slices

Slices are crunchy, gooey, sticky, fruity, fudgy, chewy, chocolatey and nutty – whatever your heart wish to and can be a great accompany to your evening coffee or you can have the freshly baked one with your morning tea. They always satisfy you, nomatter what their flavours are, easy to bake and delicious to taste. Chocolate coconut slice, is a heavenly combo of richness of chocolate mingle perfectly with the sweetness of coconut and the thinly sliced almond lends a…
16November 22, 2011
apple cranberry cinnamon rolls / buns

Finally after much delays, here I am with apple fest for the flavor of fall, though winter is right here, knocking at the door. In one of those fall color road trips, we picked few bags of apple from apple cider farms, all are Macintosh (no, not the apple lappy..S.J. RIP) and I have heard they are good for baking too. So, next followed was series of apple-cious days which has seen some yummy fritters, poorly stuffed apple pies ,…
35November 18, 2011
chocolate hazelnut pots de creme

“Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” Forrest Gump. And you know how true it is. You opened that magic box and saw colorful arrays of candies, truffles, bars and lozenges with golden and shiny wrappers around them staring at you, in all flavors which slowly broadens a smile on your face, you thought you found a treasure box and very securely tucked it under your pillow, and the very next day the…
12November 9, 2011
mini pumpkin pie tart for thanksgiving

I never thought that pumpkin can be used in so many ways to make different kind of desserts and savouries, but there is always a first time, a new beginning and after few trial and error steps, it slowly sink in you that you are in love with this new-found dish. When you stays in so many new places, it is a human nature to get influenced by the local customs and traditions, and you wish to be part of…
11November 1, 2011
pumpkin bread with pumpkin seed topping and Halloween festival

After Diwali , its Halloween time, though we Indians do not celebrate Halloween, but I would love to cook or bake something according to the theme, specially when you stays in USA. Everywhere, the people, the shopping malls, the streets are all decked up with Halloween theme, channels are showing all Halloween based or rather spooky movies which are enough to give you some nightmarish thoughts, chefs are dishing out gourmet food for the Halloween fiesta, children dressed up in…
10October 18, 2011
blueberry pie in autumn

I know, I know, this is not the season for having blueberry pies, but summer seems to still linger somewhere in the air, or in my mind !!!. Autumn is in full swing, everywhere leafs are turning into yellow, orange and red, but in the midst of that, a warm and humid day sneaks occasionally into the crisp and cool autumn mornings. Apple cider, cranberries and pumpkin patches are announcing their arrival everywhere, with Halloween around the corner, but few…
16August 23, 2011
easy breezy fudge brownies with sliced almonds on top

Chocolate is one of life’s luxuries and one of the few that we can all afford. Nothing beats the pleasure of hot chocolate on a cold morning or on one of those gloomy days and is equally hard to resist the luxuriant and richness of sumptuous chocolate cakes and gateaux…with layers of oomph…that lures the temptation further…and no baking is complete without the chocolates. For chocoholics like me, it marks the beginning and end of …everything. From simple milk chocolate to white chocolate, everyone has their fantasy weaved around this single…
29August 2, 2011
chocolate cupcakes and two years of blogging

We feel extremely happy to announce that Saffronstreaks is celebrating two golden years of food and travel blogging, come and join the cupcake party !! Yes, my first ever cupcake ! just fresh from the oven !! “They are sweet, they are pretty, they are cute and adorable. They come in all the vibrant colors one can think of, in all the flavors, with personalized messages, they spread cheer and joy to the gloomiest of the soul and can bring…
16July 26, 2011
plum cake ‘tatin’ or upside down cake with red plums

“A peach is a peach and plum is a plum but a kiss ain’t no kiss, until….” you know what next, so goes the plums and peaches, hand in hand together in the beaches, while you surf your way down the curly waves, a little bit of creme fraiche is what they needed on their sun-baked skin and when the white cottony clouds drum rolled through the azure blue sky announcing the summers, the lusty boughs of old plum-tree in the backyard laden with ripe…
8July 6, 2011
super easy lemon blueberry loaf cake and a devoted page on baking

I know baking is hot, baking is divine but for me the world of baking starts and ends with a simple vanilla sponge cake. Sounds strange enough isn’t it ? Such creatures still exist on Earth and I am one of them. Though I have tasted many gourmet baked desserts but baking those goodies that too in my kitchen, never materialise. Never, until that day… And these food bloggers brings sheer torture to the people like me with their heavenly gorgeous…