Playing with food: This time with Lego.

If this is not your first time here then you know that Sara and I enjoy playing with food. But this time around it was me who really "played". Let me explain.

A dear friend's adorable son recently celebrated his 5th birthday and like most children his age he is crazy about Lego. My friend spent many sleepless nights planning the minutest details of his birthday. As the day approached she turned into a momzilla much to my amusement. 

• Customized Lego card shot and made by her. Check.
• Balloons, lanterns all in Lego colours. Check. 
• Pearl pet yellow jars painted as Lego heads for return gifts. Check. 
• Bottle labels, food tags, name tags. Check
• Colour coordinated plates,spoons and forks. Check.
• And since no Lego birthday is complete without a Lego cake. Check.

It was a beautiful birthday where everything was handcrafted with love. I spent many days thinking what to give this pint sized boy and finally came up with this.

A piñata cake and art for his room.

Note: If you want to make both the cake and the artwork I recommend buying two small Lego Kits for you are going to need lots of them. You will see how. Mine came with enough pieces that I assembled into two bikes, three minifigures and lots of tiny bricks and bits which were used as well.

Before I get into details of what I put together for him let me show you this note for proof that baking this cake & making these artworks makes you into super cool aunt.

Agree?

I seriously can't remember when was the last time I got a handwritten I love you from a boy. DH listening?

A Kit Kat Piñata Cake (my take on the famous Kit Kat cake) 

Serves 4 little kids and their mums. Also guarantees to make the birthday boy super excited and all the other kids delirious with the sugar overload.

Ingredients

A cake of your choice
Chocolate frosting (I used about half a cup to cover mine)
KitKat bars (Will depend on the size of the cake. I used 17 bars)
Enough M&M's to cover the cake (I used about a cup)
Ribbon to tie around

Two Lego miniature bikes which I had so much fun assembling  or any miniatures of your choice. Sara has already asked me for this cake with something sparkly inside. I think it will be butterflies and fairies.

Instructions.

1. Bake a cake of your choice. I baked a banana loaf and chose to go the loaf route instead of the usual round one for Lego bricks are usually rectangular or square.

2. Allow it to cool and come down to room temperature. This is very important else when you attempt to hollow it out it will crumble.

3. Leave about one inch from either side and start carving the top with a knife (don't cut in very deep). Essentially you are cutting out the "lid of the box". It won't come out in a single piece which is fine for the frosting will hide all of that mess. Don't worry.

4. After taking out of the lid (mine came out in three pieces start emptying out your "box". All that leftover cake can be used for a trifle pudding or cake pops or like me you could finish it off then and there; since you are working so hard.

5. At this point assemble the bikes or any toy/s that you'd like to hide in the "box" and cover it with cling film. I did this for two reasons. One, I didn't want all the chocolate frosting to land on the toy (that is when its cut) and more importantly with toys like these come with tiny pieces and there is a possibility that some pieces can come apart while cutting. Wrapping in clingfilm made it safe. I also added a foil "carpet" underneath the toys.
6. Put the "lid" back and cover the entire cake with a frosting of your choice with the help of a silicone spatula (I made chocolate).

7. Stick the Kit Kat bars all around (The frosting acts as the glue).Try to keep them really close to each other.
8. The Kit Kat "boundary wall" that you just created will be taller than your cake. Now open that packet of M&M and get ready for a M&M shower. Fill it up completely.
9. Tie a ribbon around it and finish with a bow.
10. Wait for the birthday boy/girl and his/her friends to arrive and then act worried when he/she can't cut through the cake.
11. Watch him/her scream with excitement when he/she discovers there are toys inside. Warning: All the other kids and their mums will begin to scream as well.
12. At this point, if you have a daughter like mine she will raise her eyebrows and ask, "how come you never made this for me?"
13. Reassure her that you still love her and promise to make one for her too.
14. Prepare yourself for hourly reminders from her till you actually make one.

Like I mentioned earlier, I also crafted some Lego art for his room. Remember those kits I bought, the rest of the pieces went in here.

"Lego Miniature" Artwork.

The first one I put together was a pretty simply one. Three Lego minifigures, three bricks for the minatures to stand on, some handmade paper, strong glue and a frame to bring it all together. Only the bricks have been glued on to the frame and not the miniatures so that one, the child can pluck the figures from the brick whenever he/she wants to play with it and doesn't sulk that the figures are affixed to the frame. Two, he/she can keep changing the figures on the wall and alter the look of the frame. So you can have a "new" artwork everyday.

"Lego Patent" Artwork

The Lego patent expired in 1989 and did you know that you can download the same and use it for personal projects? This is exactly what I did for the second artwork. I thought it would be an interesting piece of information to have on his wall and this would encourage him to get to learn more about Lego. So I printed it on some handmade paper and glued some bits and pieces left from the 2 Lego kits.

"Lego bricks fits but you don't need to" Artwork.
This one is my favorite and I think his mum's too. She messaged me later that she tried very hard to control her tears upon seeing it; for Karl is not only exceptionally talented but also very different from most boys his age and as parents they always encourage him to explore that side of his. Lego is all about fitting perfectly and I wanted that little boy to know that it isn't always about fitting. Sometimes it is about standing out because some people are meant to. Some lives are meant to. 

For this artwork, I printed out one of my favorite quotes from Dr. Seuss and added a "5" made up of bricks (for he was turning five) and some more bits and pieces.He may have not understood my take on Lego that day, but one day I am sure he will.

And on that note, I am going to end my rather long post on this tiny person. 

Images : Personal Album. While you enjoy reading this post with visuals.Please do not use them without asking. They belong to Orange Kitchens unless otherwise stated. 

My writing elsewhere and more.

This March you can find my food stories in the following magazines.

Baby's first bite for the BBC GoodFood Middle East.

That first bite when you introduce your little one to the world of solid food is an important time in both the life of a child and the parents. When my little girl became big enough to "eat" I was introduced to  the beautiful ceremony of "Annaprashan" by my Bengali in-laws. From there started my journey to take important decisions; store bought or home made, what veggies/ fruits should or shouldn't be fed to a child who is not even a year old, when can I introduce her to chicken and fish and more. And in that one year I learnt a lot. Also the value of making home cooked baby food for her. So much healthier, cheaper, free of additives and full of love than store bought jars. Read the complete story here

Tea Time Snacks for The Indian Trumpet.

Ask most Indians and they would agree that there is something about garam garam chai that makes chilly winter mornings’ warmer and sultry hot summer evenings tolerable. Weekends when there is no rush are calmer when you have a cup in hand and the breathtaking sunrise for a view. Weekdays when one is running around like a headless chicken the same cup of chai (or cha as my maternal grandmother would say) when multiplied by three or sometimes four helps you keep your sanity. Chai simply makes your life better. Or for me it was always what came with the chai; the conversation, the people, the place and the snacks; yes especially the teatime snacks. Read the complete story here.

Deviled Eggs for Food e Mag dxb

Cooking with kids : Deviled Eggs are so easy and Sara always asks me to “help her make” them when she has her friends over. They are so easy to put together, can be prepared hours in advance, a big hit with all her little friends and really it’s my idea of bite sized heaven. Read the complete story here.

And more.

A couple of weeks back I was invited to attend to cake decorating session at the Top Chef Studio put together by the very talented team at the Lurpak Baking Studio. 

I had so much fun baking and playing with fondant and making pretty flowers to adorn the cake. 

Aren't those cupcakes adorable?

If you are a cake enthusiast I would highly recommend the session. Of course just one session doesn't make you a pro (It would take months and months of practice and learning to produce perfectly decorated cakes) but if you have handled cake before it gives you a fair idea on how to work with the tricky buttercream icing, the numerous tools, the pastry equipment, lots of pro tips, handling fondant and more importantly you begin to appreciate all the back breaking hard work that goes into crafting pretty cakes! I was definitely smitten by it all and plan to return soon to learn more. 

Images : The respective magazines and personal album. While you enjoy reading this post with visuals. Please do not use them without asking. They belong to Orange Kitchens unless otherwise stated.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cake

It all started with a bottle of peppermint essence that I saw in the aisle of store that I like to go to often. I had no idea what I was going to be doing with it though. The husband is not a big fan of the minty flavour and calls it toothpaste like:) I on the other hand can't resist a scoop of an after eight. Chocolate and peppermint are a match made in heaven, really. 

I had been hunting for a good recipe and came across it on one of my favorite blogs, raspberri cupcakes. And super minty it was. The choco chips in the icing took care of the DH:) Bad bad Delhi summers wasn't really a good time to make a cake with icing and both the icing and yours truly were melting in the kitchen. But the cake made up for it. Was simply divine. Do give it a try.

Recipe from here. 

Images : Personal Album

Golden Rum Cake

If you are baking a rum cake to gift to someone you should make one for yourself because you are not going to get any for yourself. And so I always make two :)

Rum Desserts.I love them. We are not much of a rum drinking family but give us fruit soaked in rum over some vanilla icecream or in a cake and we are happy. I like to use rum not only for desserts but also for savory marinades and sauces. I made this cake quite some time back (in winters actually) but finally sharing it now. Enjoy.

Golden Rum Cake
Serves 10
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup rum
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts if you like
Golden Rum glaze
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark rum

For finishing
3 tbsp caster sugar

Instructions

1.Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 inch bundt or tube cake pan.

2.In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

3.Combine flour,baking powder, baking soda and salt.In another bowl, combine milk, vanilla and rum.

4.Beat flour mixture and milk mixture into the butter in three alternating additions.If using walnuts, then add now.Pour the batter into the prepared  tin and bake for an hour or until golden brown.

For the glaze:

1.Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat.stir in sugar and 1/4 cup water and bring to a boil;cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly. 

2.Remove from heat and stir in rum.

Pour the glaze over your cake. Dust with the sugar. 

I always like to prepare a little extra glaze so that the rum lovers at home can pour some more over on their plate. And I needn't tell you the more rum you add to the cake the more it will absorb;so go ahead and make your guests happy:)

Try using different kinds of rum each time you try this cake. A spiced rum can really add a new twist to this simple cake. Add 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp of nutmeg to the flour in step 3.

Images : Personal Album
Recipe : Booze Cakes
While you enjoy reading this post with visuals.Please do not use them without asking. 
They belong to Orange Kitchens unless otherwise stated.

Winters and a coffee liqueur loaf cake

My most favorite thing to do in winters is to sit in the balcony with a steaming hot cup of hot chocolate and monster size slices of a loaf cake. The hot chocolate NEEDS to be made with a chocolate with 70% cocoa content and no less and the best vanilla that you can lay your hands on.

And the loaf needs to be warm with a generous dusting of sweet chocolate. A little bit of liqueur never hurts; so bring out your bottle of Bailey's and add some Vodka for that kick :) Its winter after all.

 Several slices vanished before I could click them :)

 Moist and light. And still warm from the oven.

Coffee Liqueur Loaf Cake

Feeds 4 greedy people or 8 moderately hungry people

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/3 cup any coffee liqueur ( I used baileys)

1 tbsp vodka

2/3 cup buttermilk

2 cups all purpose flour

3 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C

1. You will need 3 bowls. In the first one, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then beat in the eggs and vanilla. In the second bowl, combine coffee liqueur, vodka and buttermilk. In the third bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

2. Mix the flour and thr buttermilk mixtures into the butter mixture in three alternate additions.

3. Pour the batter into a prepared loaf tin (9 by 3 inch) and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (About 55 mins). 

4. Let it cool if you can else enjoy it straight out of the oven.

Images : Personal album
Recipe: Adapted from the book Booze Cakes
While you enjoy reading this post with visuals.Please do not use them without asking. They belong to Orange Kitchens unless otherwise stated.