Who says you need to get married to make a wedding cake for yourself? This is my treat for myself. I made a mini orange infused loaf cake, cut into two layers and filled with fresh cherries and cherry jam, and delicious thin layer of buttercream frosting. This one isn't too decadent in the frosting department, but just a right amount to bring the whole cake together. I indulged in a slice at each meal, and it took a total of 3 days to complete. Take my advice, bake the cake for yourself, treat yourself well and find back that childhood gleeful joy!

A few nights ago, I was reading a deliciously juice murder mystery novel, set in the 1800s England. A time when each grand home had a butler and tea service was taken very seriously. In there, the protagonist, a relentless young woman, was offered tea with cake as per the rules – man I was born in the wrong era! She described this particular citrus scented cake laced with warm ginger in great detail and I woke with an absolute determination to make one. This cake is a classic loaf cake with lots of warm spicy fresh ginger and orange zest, rubbed into sugar and also, some fresh thyme! This cake holds very well and you can travel with it like I did, and hopefully return with a slice or two just for yourself!

I have spent many winter mornings in my balcony, where I have successfully grown two pots of Thai basil. This was not intentional. I thought I bought Italian basil, but of course, one only knows after they’ve sprouted! But now I do realise this was a far better deal, since I seem to be using Thai basil a lot more than I would have Italian. Guess everything works out well after all! So, with flourishing pots I felt it was time to do more justice – and for me justice usually comes in the form of a cake. Finely chopped Thai basil, paired with lot’s of lemon and orange zest ( I would have added grapefruit too, but I didn’t have any on hand) rubbed into sugar – and voila, a delightful summer cake is borne!

Here's a delightfully fresh summer granita recipe, with watermelon and subtle hints of rose, topped with zingy grapefruit! the steps are super simple and easy, and it would greatly help if you had help in watching the 30-mins mark to fork across the granita for a few hours. What works even better for this granita is making a vodka or gin based cocktail, perhaps with a lash of rosemary bitter and a slice of grapefruit!

A pound cake is one I always order when I travel – there is that extra comfort of butter, sugar, flour and eggs that, if truth be told, no man’s arms can give! A pound cake traditionally has a pound each of butter, sugar, flour and eggs, with no additional rising agents such as baking powder – which does make me nervous, but the result is a delicious dense slice of cake that is not overly sweet, and works beautifully with a cup of English tea or Darjeeling. In this recipe I share, I’ve reduce from a pound each to almost half – and also reduced the weight grammage of eggs, because for me 4 eggs felt a bit too much and I’m not a great fan of eggy-tasting cakes. This cake is not sweet – please bear that in mind. I would go for a simple icing glaze, but because the pound cake is so sturdy and dense, it has the strength to carry the weight of a heavy cream frosting, fruits and whipped cream too. Check out the highlights video here

This delicious easy, stress-free and most importantly, healthy dessert is a breeze to make. I mix honey up with some cinnamon, rosemary and pepper to grill the figs with. A layer of Greek yoghurt with crunchy pistachios or almonds, fresh orange zest and these grilled figs on top make for a fabulous breakfast, dessert, in between snack. Other variations can be to sub honey with maple syrup or brown or coconut sugar. Replace orange zest with lemon zest, add some chocolate shavings, and sprinkle with sesame, pumpkin or chia seeds. Rosemary can be subbed with thyme or sage – really, whatever you have in your fridge! Ingredients 2 figs, halved 2 tsp orange zest handful crushed pistachios 90 g Greek yoghurt Honey mix: 3 tbsp honey 3-4 strands of fresh or dried rosemary pinch of salt pinch of black pepper ¼ tsp cinnamon Method Stir the honey with rosemary, salt, pepper and cinnamon in a flat plate Place the figs, face down into the honey mix Place a pan on high heat Once the pan is hot, place the figs to grill on the pan, face down for around 5-7 minutes Once they have grilled well turn off the heat and set aside In the serving plate, spread the yoghurt Place the grilled figs on top Sprinkle pistachios and orange zest on top Drizzle the remaining honey mixture Serve

“Because you don’t live near a bakery doesn’t mean you have to go without cheesecake.” Hedy Lamarr First of all, let me share something extremely exciting! There’s a wonderful app called The Frying Pan Recipes, which is available to download from Google Play. This app has a collection of recipes from across the world wide web, picking out recipes according to ingredients, cuisine, and time requirement that you search for. Kitchen Therapy has been lucky enough to tie up with them – you can now access all the recipes from the app, and discover many other amazing blogs as well! I urge you all to have a look here – it is much easier to cook along with an app in your hand! http://www.thefryingpan.in/ https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.TheFryingPan&hl=en   Okay, back to therapeutic cooking! I am going to be honest here and say it: I am not a fan of cheesecake. I don’t know why, but I just never swayed toward it. There was something about cream cheese and cake that just didn’t appeal to me. Even my (many) meals at The Cheesecake Factory ended sans a cheesecake! So why this post, you ask? Well, I chanced upon a brick of the yummiest Philadelphia Cream Cheese and I had to make something out of it… and there is only so much cream cheese with toast my love handles can afford… not that the cheesecake would have been any better… I used some for the stuffed lychees, but there was still a lot left over. This cheesecake does not require any oven baking, has a few simple steps and you can customize the flavours. As you probably can tell by now I have a slight obsession with orange zest – this cheesecake is overloaded with it! The filling is extremely light and fluffy and has a creamy consistency. The orange and lime zest plays beautifully against the heat of the crystallised ginger and the light cream filling. The crust is also spiked with the ginger and citrus zest. Since I still don’t exactly LOVE cheesecake, I make a thinner layer of cream filling than normally acceptable; but for real cheesecake lovers, I recommend doubling the filling amount. Since I lean more on the fruity-tarts side, I top the cheesecake with some grilled oranges in butter, sugar and vanilla and grated crystallised ginger. You can also sprinkle some toasted coconut for a real tropical feel.   [yumprint-recipe id=’81’] The Recipe Serves Serves: 8 | Prep Time: 30 mins | Total Time: 5 hours Ingredients Crust: 120 g digestive biscuits ½ cup butter, melted 2 tbsp orange zest 1 tsp lemon zest 2 crystallised ginger pieces, finely chopped Filling: 150 g cream cheese ½ cup sugar 100 g cream 4 tbsp orange zest Topping: 5 orange slices 1 tbsp sugar ½ tsp vanilla 2 tbsp butter, melted 1 crystallised ginger, finely chopped Instructions Grease and line a 9” by 9” tin. Let the sides of the liner hang over the edge for easy pulling out. Crumble the biscuits into a fine texture. Add the orange and lemon zest and the chopped up crystallised ginger. Rub the butter into the crumb mixture. Add more butter if the mixture feels too dry. Press the biscuit mixture tightly into the tin to create the crust. Place the tin in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Beat the cream cheese with the sugar well. Then add the cream and orange zest and whisk to create a smooth texture. Pour the cream mixture into the tin over the crust. Place the tin in the refrigerator for about four hours, or overnight. (Cover the tin with a cling film.) You can remove the cheesecake from its tin by pulling the liner up and place on a serving dish, cutting off the excess paper. Topping: Sprinkle some of the sugar on the orange slices and grill in a small hot pan on both sides. Combine the butter, vanilla and ginger together and pour into the pan and let the orange slices caramelize for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Then place the orange slices with the liquid on top of the cheesecake before serving. NOTES: If you want a thicker layer of the cheese filling, double up the measurements of the filling. You can also sprinkle some toasted coconut flakes on top.

While #WFH has been fairly good for me, the downside has been cravings. I always have a drawer filled with my chocolate stash, there are moments when they just don’t cut it. So, on one dire day, I left the piles of paperwork at the desk and went into the kitchen on a mission. A chocolate cake, that I needed in an instant. And NO – no mug cakes were applicable. I followed a familiar motion that has now become so ingrained in me and my instincts to fit a sinful chocolate batter into a small cake tin, that would last me two days. This batter has instant coffee powder put right into the batter, so no espresso machine or waiting for coffee to cool… the batter takes 5 minutes, or less if you quick like me, and a simple hand whisk! The baking time is 15 minutes, 13 if you want a fudge-like brownie-like cake! So this is why I call this an Emergency Chocolate Cake – this works for an instant dessert for last minute parties (ha! As if they are happening in this curfew time!), but more importantly, for your own satiation! Bake it, satisfy your craving, thank me later! Recipe Serves 6 inch cake tin Recipe Ingredients  ¾ cup flour3 tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened½ tsp baking soda½ tsp salt½ cup vegetable oil¼ cup cold water1/2 cup castor sugar1 tsp vanilla extract1 tsp orange extract (optional)2 tsp instant coffee powder Recipe Instructions Preheat the oven to 200CGrease and flour a 6 inch square cake tinIn a mixing bowl, whisk the water and oil together until frothy and whiteThen add the extracts and sugar, coffee powder, cocoa powder and whisk wellThen add the salt, baking soda and flour and whisk to combinePour the batter into the tin, tap against the surface to remove any bubblesBake for 15 minutesRemove from oven and allow to cool on a rack for 3-4 minutesEat.

This is a treat to the eyes as well as the body! Butter is infused with this immunity boosting tea blend by Chai Diaries ‘Tulsi Green”. I’ve tried to make this biscuit as healthy as possible, but to successfully infuse the tea, I wanted to use butter. Which is why I’ve ensured honey as sweetener, whole wheat flour and fresh orange zest for that freshness. This biscuit is a rather old-fashioned style – reminiscent of tea biscuits from the English era! As I’ve used very little sweetness with honey, this biscuit gets its oomph for the dip in dark chocolate. If you need more sweetness, I recommend adding a few tablespoons more of honey. You can also opt for coconut sugar, palm sugar or natural cane sugar. You can also replace the orange with lemon zest and extract or vanilla extract. The RecipeServes Yields: 36 x 1 inch diameter biscuits Prep Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 15 mins Ingredients 2 cups whole wheat flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt ½ cup butter 3 tbsp Tulsi Green loose tea by Chai Diaries ¼ cup honey (can increase if you like more sweetness) 1 tsp orange extract 1 tbsp orange zest (fresh) ¼ cup cold brewed Chai Diaries Tulsi Green Tea (must be cold or at room temperature) For garnish: 100g melted dark chocolate 70g Instructions Melt the butter with the loose-leaf tea and bring to a gentle simmer for at least 5 minutes This may begin to brown the butter – this is fine, continue to stir Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes Then strain out the tea leaves and let the butter rest and solidify – you may place in the fridge to speed up the process Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and zest together and set aside Cream the infused butter and honey for 3 minutes Then add the extract and dry ingredient and combine – it may look coarse Then add the tea and form a dough Roll the dough out into 0.25-0.5 inch thickness and use a cut out to make your desired shape biscuits Place on baking tray with parchment paper Prick them with a toothpick or fork Place the baking tray in the freezer for at least 15 minutes Bake in a preheated oven of 180C for 12-15 minutes Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely Once the biscuits are cooled, dip one side of the biscuit into melted dark chocolate and allow to set Store in an airtight container – this can last for up to 5 days You can refrigerate the dough for a week in a cling wrap

These are as Italian as possible, and since I had a whirlwind trip to the beautiful Lake Como, I’ve been feeling nostalgic for all that deliciousness that makes one forget about the world. If I had it my way, I’d be spending my lifetime in an Italian villa, attached to a farm, vineyard and surrounded by fresh produce, good books and a lovely town situated just 10 minutes away for a nice walk about. Unfortunately, certain dreams are to remain so, or so my mother says. So, after last week’s chocolate cream pie, I continue with similar flavours and ingredients – pie dough, chocolate, orange zest… I’m perhaps a bit predictable when it comes to cravings. This is a delight to make, and I recommend having a table of children attempt this and you are sure to have a great laugh (just make sure you’ve got someone else on clean-up duty…) Pie dough is rolled and cut into circles, stuffed with dark chocolate and orange zest, and neatly wrapped into tortellini shapes, placed on a baking tray and baked. Honestly, it doesn’t get more complicated. If you have ungraceful fingers to wrap as a tortellini, fret not, simply fasten the dough into any kind of shape you like – a wonton style, triangular parcel, samosa, ravioli… the aim is to keep them edible, after all. So here you, a simple easy and delicious mini Italian treat! To up the ante for dessert, serve with whipped cream, orange sauce, and a shaving of dark chocolate and pistachios! The RecipeServes 12 Ingredients 3/4 cup flour 1/3 cup cold butter, cubed pinch of salt 1/2 tbsp icing sugar 1-2 tbsp cold water handful of dark chocolate chunks orange zest water orange zest icing sugar Instructions Whisk the flour, salt, icing sugar together. Cut the butter into the mix to achieve coarse crumbs. Add the water just to combine into a dough and create a disc like shape. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C. Chop the dark chocolate finely and stir with orange zest. Roll the dough out into a thin shape. Using a round cookie cutter (3-inch cutter) make medium circles. Place the chocolate filling in the center (about 1-2 tsp) Dip your finger in water and lightly swipe around the edges of the circle. Fold the dough over to create a half moon and gently fasten. Then draw the two corner edges towards the center and set on the baking tray. Bake for 10-13 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar and orange zest.

This is an impromptu dessert that perhaps embodies the true essence of Kitchen Therapy. The pie dough is leftover from a very fun shoot I had for the new Aprons by Kitchen Therapy line… the cream is leftover from a night where I completely forgot to serve the cream with a chocolate cake… and I was faced with a dinner party invite that had slipped my mind. Normally one takes flowers or an artisanal tea or a great bottle of wine, but let’s be honest, a bit of food is always the best type. As I am the perfect house guest, I believe food is an essential gift for the host – only in haste shall I bring you flowers. A homemade treat is always welcome in any household. This is going to become my next go-to, because not only is it so simple and easy, it’s also eggless which makes it so much stress-free in terms of gifting! The only heating required is for the melted chocolate, which can be done in the microwave too, but honestly, a double boiler chocolate melt is a lot more therapeutic and assured-no-burning. I add just a tad bit of butter for consistency. While the chocolate melts, I whipped up the cream with sugar and vanilla. After swirling in the dark chocolate mixture and cocoa powder for added depth, just a bit of corn starch or flour does the trick of thickening and maintaining the consistency within the pie. These pies are heavy in terms of ingredients, but not in actuality – I can easily gobble up at least 6 in one sitting…  The Recipe Serves 12 Ingredients 3/4 cup flour 1/3 cup cold butter, cubed pinch of salt 1/2 tbsp icing sugar 1-2 tbsp cold water 150ml cream 1/4 cup icing sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 100g melted chocolate 1 tbsp butter 1 tbsp cocoa powder 1/2 tbsp corn flour orange zest sea salt Instructions Whisk the flour, salt, icing sugar together. Cut the butter into the mix to achieve coarse crumbs. Add the water just to combine into a dough and create a disc like shape. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Roll the dough out dough into a thin layer and cut out for mini tarts. Place in a tart tin, prick holes with a fork and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. Blind bake in a preheated oven of 200C for 10-13 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool Meanwhile, melt the chocolate with the butter in a double boiler. Whip the cream and icing sugar and vanilla. Once the chocolate has melted and cooled slightly, add the corn starch, cocoa powder and chocolate mixture into the cream until combined. Spoon out the filling into each tart. Sprinkle sea salt and orange zest on top. Set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.

A cake is what makes my world move forward. And I have a tendency to sort of celebrate even the smaller moments, because life is after all, a true celebration. And I have a knack of craving items and moments that are far from convenient at most times which tend to drive everyone around me mad. So while it’s monsoon (with no rain here), I am nostalgic for Christmas and warm spices and in dire need for a good old fashioned Christmas plum cake. This recipe is versatile wherein you can replace the plums with peaches, apples or pears, and perhaps even blueberries (though I’ve not tried that). The warming spices such as allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon along with fresh ginger do the job perfectly against the sweet and sour plums. The plums I get by my house are rather ripe and juicy – which works wonders in this cake with it’s jam-like texture. But this also means that it has a very low shelf life of 24 hours. I would not recommend going beyond that, unless you store the cake in the fridge which in my books is a complete no-no. And besides, 8 slices, 24 hours? No difficult task, I’d say it’s a piece of cake ;p  The Recipe Serves 6 Ingredients 1 1/2 cups flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup soft butter 1/2 cup castor sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 egg 1 tsp grated fresh ginger 1 tsp orange zest 1 tsp allspice 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg 2 tbsp yoghurt 1 tbsp milk 3/4 cup diced plums Instructions Preheat the oven to 200C and grease and flour a medium loaf tin. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and extract and beat for 5 more minutes. Add the yoghurt, milk, ginger, zest and spices and whisk again. With a spatula, fold in the dry ingredients followed by the plums. Pour into the cake tin and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely before turning out onto a serving plate.