If you’ve been paying attention you will notice I’ve been a slight bit more obsessed than usual with fresh herbs and my fancy for cakes has taken a clear front seat in the recent weeks. The reason is simple – time constraints, an urgency to use up the fresh herbs before they rot, and lastly, cakes are easier to store to shoot the morning after. The past few weeks have been so eventful with new opportunities, travels, fun shoots… I’ve been truly enjoying myself. And baking a cake is always been my favourite, which is why I tend to lean towards them when I’m happy! This cake is similar to the Cherry + Thyme Loaf in terms of concept. The cake is a good old fashioned vanilla cake, burdened with fresh rosemary, then soaked in a rosemary infused sugar syrup, followed by a mascarpone frosting with fresh rosemary. I’ve also used up the last large lemon I had carefully preserved from this day LEMON BARS. And yes, in case you’re wondering, I was aiming to use all the remaining rosemary I had before it withered away. Baking this little jewel was indeed therapeutic and the lemon fragrance is intoxicating and exciting. My large lemon provided with the best kind of zest, and the mascarpone frosting speckled with rosemary was indeed a beauty. The Recipe Serves 8 Ingredients 1/4 cup butter, soft 1/2 cup castor sugar 1 egg 2 tsp vanilla essence 200g yogurt 1 cup flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda pinch of salt Syrup: 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 2-3 sprigs of rosemary Frosting: 1/2 cup mascarpone 1/2 cup icing sugar 1 tsp vanilla essence 2 tbsp lemon zest 3-4 rosemary sprigs Lemon Slice: lemon slices sugar Instructions Heat the oven to 200C. Grease and line a 9” baking tin. Cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well. Then add the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Alternate between the flour and yogurt, starting with flour and whisking to just combine. Do not overbeat. Bake for 25-20 minutes. Remove from oven and leave in the cake tin for 10 minutes before removing from the cake tin. Syrup: While the cake is baking start the syrup. Place all the ingredients together in a pan and bring to a boil. Let the sugar dissolve completely and remove from heat and cool. Prick holes in the cake and brush the syrup over the cake. Frosting: Whisk the mascarpone with vanilla first for a few minutes. Gradually add the icing sugar, rosemary and zest. Spread the frosting over the cake. Lemon Slices: Place the lemon slices on a hot pan with some sugar to grill both sides. Remove from heat once they have slightly caramelized and allow to cool completely before placing on top of the cake.

Inspiration is everywhere. It’s up to the eye to take notice, the mind to imagine and the hands to recreate a vision. Every time I pass by a vegetable and fruit vendor, I take in the sights and a ton of inspiration flows through. I am a fairly new cook with only about 12 years of experience in the kitchen. I’ve been eating though, for a good 30 years! I am delighted with every new discovery – which may annoy some. This cherry cake has it’s own little story. A bundle of cherries along with fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary were sent in from Mumbai and a sudden craving for something sweet, beautiful and really, a good cake inspired this instant loaf cake. I’m fairly strict with my schedule and plans, but for some reason I decided to break my own rules and miss the morning office hours for a spot of baking – cherries folded into a thick thyme, vanilla and almond batter, topped with a gorgeous white glaze, infused with fresh thyme. Since it was a method that I didn’t follow any instructions from, I ended up “winging it” with measurements, but it worked out brilliantly. I used a smaller loaf tin, which cuts into exactly 8 slim slices (which was enough between Little Vini and I). It was so delicious we decided not to share. The Recipe Serves 4 Ingredients 1/2 cup sugar 1 egg 1/2 cup butter 1 fresh thyme sprig 1 tbsp milk 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla essence 1 tsp almond extract 1 cup flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1 cup cherries, pitted 1/2 tbsp flour extra butter and flour for greasing 3/4 cup icing sugar 2 tsp milk 1/4 pod vanilla pod 2-3 fresh thyme sprigs Instructions Heat the oven to 200°C. Grease and flour the loaf tin. Stir the ½ tbsp of flour into the cherries and stir. Melt the butter with the thyme. Whisk the egg and sugar first for at least 3 minutes with an electric beater. The texture should be fluffy and smooth. Then add the melted butter, milk and extracts and whisk to combine. Add the baking powder, baking soda and salt, followed by the flour and whisk to just combine. Do not over beat. With a spatula fold the cherries into the batter. Pour the batter into the cake tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Let the cake cool within the tin for another 10 minutes, and then remove onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before glazing. Whisk the milk and vanilla into the icing sugar until you achieve a dripping consistency. Drizzle over the loaf and garnish with fresh sprigs of thyme.

“Dessert is like a feel-good song and the best ones make you dance.” Chef Edward Lee We’re all about quick, easy, healthy (sometimes), and exciting looking desserts these days at Kitchen Therapy. Perhaps that says a bit more about my time management (read: lack thereof) as well as a few too many impromptu gatherings! This one is another recipe resulting from a trip, which entailed a bit ton of grocery shopping. I got my hands on the biggest, juiciest and most luscious looking peaches you have ever laid eyes on… yes I am talking about fruit here! This dessert is made in a jiffy and… okay, I’ll be honest, I ate this for breakfast. Well, not entirely by myself; I was joined at the hip with my pint-sized sister-in-law (hereafter referred to as Little Vini). Little Vini has a fabulous sweet tooth, which helps polish off most of my baking experiments. Despite being the youngest of this household, Little Vini is really the glue of the family. This tiny girl manages to pack a punch where needed and put all of us in our places when needed. She is all lady-like and charming, but the minute you put a sweet dish in front of her, her childlike glee lightens up the table. It is an utter joy to feed her! God really made her to come here with her delightful spark and beautiful smile to brighten our home. We are so incredibly blessed… it is true when they say all good things come in small packages!   [yumprint-recipe id=’87’] The Recipe Serves Ingredients 1 peach 2 tbsp honey ½ vanilla pod 1 tsp lemon zest 2 sprigs of fresh thyme Sea salt To serve: Vanilla ice cream Instructions Cut the peach into half, removing the pit. In a small bowl stir the honey, thyme, zest, vanilla pods and salt. Drizzle the honey mixture on the insides of the peach halves, equally. Leave some to drizzle on the ice cream. Place face down on a hot pan and let grill for at least 10 minutes. Once softened and grilled enough, place on the serving dish. Serve immediately with a scoop of ice cream and drizzle some left over honey sauce on top. Garnish with a thyme sprig.