Whipping up goodness

Ijoined a cupcake workshop three years ago and just the whisk of the batter changed my life. I completed my MBAin finance and was working in a company before Idecided to quit and start something on my own. That's when 'The Sugar Fairy' came into existence.

One thing I learnt about baking is that measurements in a recipe are the key to a great dessert. I wish Ihad known that when I made my first cupcake at the workshop. Ithought I knew what I was doing and followed my own recipe. At the end of half-an-hour, my cupcake came out of the oven almost inedible since it had become very hard. However, I didn't give up on my new-found passion. I went back home and tried making another batch — this time, I followed the recipe!

My mother and sister are great cooks, but I never developed an interest in cooking. I enjoy baking and I'm the only one in my family who does it. My specialities are themed-cakes, flavoured cakes, brownies, tarts and macaroon. Before I quit my job, I used to bake something new for my colleagues. They would give me their feedback and that encouraged me to try making more.

My manager was my first client , and he told me that Ishould do something on my own!Their trust gave me the confidence I needed. I'm inspired to try new things or even follow recipes of Mumbai-based baker Pooja Dhingra. I love her style of work and the recipes she creates. I often refer to them or make my own version of them. For videos, 'Joy of Baking' is my go-to channel. Inspired by these two bakers, Irecently started my own YouTube channel where Iwant to upload different recipes every week.

Though I am working only with Western dessert recipes right now, I want to experiment by adding an Indian touch to it. Iremember having a 'Rasmalai cheesecake' and I want to incorporate something like that in my recipes as well. However, I think cheesecakes will be the dessert that I will be experimenting with for a while as it is easier to work with.

The recipe that I'm sharing today is 'Eggless Nutella brownies', perfect for those who don't like or are allergic to eggs. In a dessert, creating something without egg is almost impossible, but with this recipe, you will still get the texture and flavour of a regular brownie.

I've used yoghurt as the alternative for eggs here. This dessert is great with a scoop of ice cream or with a hot cuppa."

Seema Punjabi

Eggless Nutella Brownies

Ingredientsn Plain flour, 1 1/4 cupn Cocoa powder, 1/3 cupn Softened Nutella, 5 to 6 tbspn Baking powder, 3/4 tspn Castor sugar, 3/4 cupn Butter(softened), 1/3 cupn Curd, 3/4 cup and 2 tbspn Vanilla essence, 1/2 tspn Milk, 1/4 cupn Mixed fruit jam, 1 1/2 tbsp

Method
n Preheat the oven to 190-degree celsius.
n Sieve the cocoa powder with flour and baking powder twice to ensure even mixing.
n Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy.
n Add curd, jam, milk, Nutella and vanilla essence and beat well until everything gets mixed.
n Add the sieved flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Combine well till the batter is thick.
n Grease a square baking tray (8 inches), dust it with flour and pour the batter into it.
n Bake it for at least 35 to 40 minutes or until the top crust forms well.
n Let it cool down on a wire rack for a while and trim the edges. Then cut it into the desired shape.

Tip:This can be stored for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container. You can also drizzle extra Nutella or chocolate syrup on top.

I joined a cupcake workshop three years ago and just the whisk of the batter changed my life. I completed my MBA in finance and was working in a company before I decided to quit and start something on my own. That’s when 'The Sugar Fairy’ came into existence.

One thing I learnt about baking is that measurements in a recipe are the key to a great dessert. I wish I had known that when I made my first cupcake at the workshop. I thought I knew what I was doing and followed my own recipe. At the end of half-an-hour, my cupcake came out of the oven almost inedible since it had become very hard. However, I didn’t give up on my new-found passion. I went back home and tried making another batch — this time, I followed the recipe!

My mother and sister are great cooks, but I never developed an interest in cooking. I enjoy baking and I’m the only one in my family who does it. My specialities are themed-cakes, flavoured cakes, brownies, tarts and macaroon. Before I quit my job, I used to bake something new for my colleagues. They would give me their feedback and that encouraged me to try making more.

My manager was my first client , and he told me that I should do something on my own! Their trust gave me the confidence I needed. I’m inspired to try new things or even follow recipes of Mumbai-based baker Pooja Dhingra. I love her style of work and the recipes she creates. I often refer to them or make my own version of them. For videos, 'Joy of Baking’ is my go-to channel. Inspired by these two bakers, I recently started my own YouTube channel where I want to upload different recipes every week.

Though I am working only with Western dessert recipes right now, I want to experiment by adding an Indian touch to it. I remember having a 'Rasmalai cheesecake’ and I want to incorporate something like that in my recipes as well. However, I think cheesecakes will be the dessert that I will be experimenting with for a while as it is easier to work with.

The recipe that I’m sharing today is 'Eggless Nutella brownies’, perfect for those who don’t like or are allergic to eggs. In a dessert, creating something without egg is almost impossible, but with this recipe, you will still get the texture and flavour of a regular brownie.

I’ve used yoghurt as the alternative for eggs here. This dessert is great with a scoop of ice cream or with a hot cuppa.”

Seema Punjabi

Eggless Nutella Brownies

Ingredientsn Plain flour, 1 1/4 cupn Cocoa powder, 1/3 cupn Softened Nutella, 5 to 6 tbspn Baking powder, 3/4 tspn Castor sugar, 3/4 cupn Butter(softened), 1/3 cupn Curd, 3/4 cup and 2 tbspn Vanilla essence, 1/2 tspn Milk, 1/4 cupn Mixed fruit jam, 1 1/2 tbsp

Method
n Preheat the oven to 190-degree celsius.
n Sieve the cocoa powder with flour and baking powder twice to ensure even mixing.
n Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy.
n Add curd, jam, milk, Nutella and vanilla essence and beat well until everything gets mixed.
n Add the sieved flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Combine well till the batter is thick.
n Grease a square baking tray (8 inches), dust it with flour and pour the batter into it.
n Bake it for at least 35 to 40 minutes or until the top crust forms well.
n Let it cool down on a wire rack for a while and trim the edges. Then cut it into the desired shape.

Tip: This can be stored for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container. You can also drizzle extra Nutella or chocolate syrup on top.