I t’s very exciting to see baking trends evolve in India every year, as tastes change and skill sets constantly push the bar. While fondant and cake art continue to be in the spotlight, an interesting development in 2016 is seeing bakers incorporate newer flavour components as well as the rise of the entremets that have become big hits at social dos. Chennai (and India) is blessed to have enormous baking talent, and home bakers are usually the first port of call for many.
Here are the top six desserts of 2016 in my book and home bakers you should call for that next celebration:
Toasted Coconut Cake with Coffee Cream Cheese
This, without doubt, is the best cake I’ve had in a long time. In a world dominated by chocolate, this is the kind of flavour that one always hopes to stumble across. It comprises a beautifully-moist coconut cake soaked in coconut milk slathered with a coffee cream cheese and topped with coconut shards and a coffee-walnut crumb. Can be served as a whole cake or deconstructed into jars.
Why it makes it to the Top 6: Not too sweet, allowing the flavours to come through beautifully; the hint of coffee along with the creaminess of coconut milk was a combination I’d never had before. Works incredibly well and is highly addictive.
Other must-trys: Tiramisu and Honey Almond Rosemary Cake
Contact: Sirisha Jonnada
Sprinkles ( https://www.facebook.com/Sprinkles- 1584058885194196/ )
Tel: 72996 62040
Pralet Cake
More commonly known as the chocolate and hazelnut mousse cake, this multi-layered cake comprises a base layer of chocolate cake, two layers of chocolate hazelnut mousse that’s flavoured with Grand Mariner and a top layer of a rum-spiked ganache. Besides being a flavour bomb, the beauty of the Pralet is in the layer of paillete feuilletine that adds a blissful crunch to every bite.
Why it makes it to the Top 6: Not only was it beautifully constructed with an ultra-smooth finish, the flavour components truly dance on your tongue. The subtle hint of liqueur in every bite elevates the experience, even for a teetotaller like me.
Other must-trys: Coffee Gateau, Rum Bundt and the Strawberry White Chocolate Mousse Cake
Contact: Sara Koshy
Sara’s Kitchen (https://m.facebook.com/saraskitchenchennai)
Tel: 81241 45884
Caribbean Rum Cake
Ultra-moist, ultra-flavourful (it has to be, with all that rum in it!) and truly decadent, the Caribbean Rum Cake is the closest you’re going to get your teetotaller friend to move to the dark side. This walnut-studded, moist vanilla bean cake baked with dark rum and soaked overnight in a potently-rich rum sauce is absolutely apt for this holiday season.
Why it makes it to the Top 6: The Caribbean Rum Cake is one of Kuki Ravindran’s most popular and I can see why. The flavour profile isn’t overpowering and would make a very popular party dessert... sure to have all your guests in high spirits.
Other must-trys: Mississippi Mud Cake with Bailey’s Fudge Frosting and Brown Butter Glazed Cinnamon Rolls
Contact: Kuki Ravindran
The Kuki-Jar (http://www.facebook.com/thekukijar)
Tel: 98410 90592
Hazelnut Heaven
A multi-component dessert that tastes as stunning as it looks. Dig in and you will see: A crunchy feuilletine base, surrounded by a decadent chocolate and hazelnut mousse, encompassing a sliver of dark chocolate cake and the whole being enrobed in milk chocolate and toasted and chopped almond. The garnish of candied hazelnut and hazelnut cream gives it the flair of a superstar.
Why it makes it to the Top 6: Desserts of this nature are usually associated with very high-end commercial bakers or the 5-star hotels, with their vast resources and dedicated baking studios. To find a home baker making it, and as well as Karthika does, is truly inspiring. This Le Cordon Bleu trained baker is certainly (and deservedly) amongst Chennai’s most popular.
Other must-trys: Everything from her exotic Entremets collection
Contact: Karthika Shravanthi
Bakeman Begins ( https://www.facebook.com/BakemanBegins )
Tel: 95661 40988
Peach Streuselkuchen
A coffee cake of German origin, the Peach Streuselkuchen falls in the league of cakes that are the perfect accompaniment to a cuppa tea or after an indulgent meal. While one can’t strictly call this a cake, given its yeasted base that’s reminiscent of a doughnut, the way it’s put together is what makes it stand apart. Luscious peaches adorn this ‘cake’ as it bakes, enriching it with its juices and topped off with a brilliantly nutty, oaty and buttery streusel with brown sugar and cinnamon. A drizzle of warm caramel sauce truly enhances the experience.
Why it makes it to the Top 6: Desserts and cakes have taken the avatar of ever-increasing complexity and indulgence. We sometimes forget that there’s a time and place for everything and it’s absolutely true for desserts too. A slice of a good old tea cake, the likes of which the Peach Streuselkuchen falls under, can compare with few other good things in life. Perfectly put together, giving every flavour its day in the sun.
Other must-trys: Caribbean Rum Cake, Sticky Toffee Pudding and her super-fudgy brownies
Contact: Harini Sankarnarayan
Flour Power (Cakes), Simply Chocolate (Chocolates) ( http://www.simplychocolate. weebly.com/ )
Tel: 96770 22881
Chocolate Sail Cake
The first thing that caught my eye about this cake was how beautifully it had been constructed and flawlessly finished.
Cutting into it revealed perfect layers of Belgian chocolate cake, infused with orange, interspersed with alternating layers of a rich chocolate ganache and a brilliant Swiss meringue buttercream that’d been lightly infused with orange.
On the outside, a very thick dark chocolate ganache, drips of dark chocolate and white chocolate ganache kisses are finished dramatically with a chocolate sail... and hence the name.
Why it makes it to the Top 6: While I’m personally not a huge fan of the orange-chocolate combination, Mridula Ganesan made it work with the subtleness in the flavours to ensure that every component was in perfect harmony.
Other must-trys: Signature Belgian Chocolate Cake and Coffee-Soaked Chocolate Cake with Mascarpone
Contact: Mridula Ganesan
Hew and Frost ( https://www.facebook.com/hewandfrost/ )
Tel: 95661 46499
The writer is the founder of India’s biggest baking focussed group, the Home Bakers Guild, and is partner at KPB Capital, a proprietary stock trading and investing firm. For details, look up www.homebakersguild. blogspot.in
