Chai Spiced Pound Cake

Using different spice mixes in baking gives the baked goods different taste and feel. So by changing the spices used in a base recipe, you can make recipes appropriate for any season. For example use pumpkin pie spice in this pound cake and you have a perfect fall cake. Or use just one spice that you really like, may be cinnamon and cardamom for another tasty twist to the basic pound cake.

This Chai spiced pound cake recipe is from King Arthur flour catalog. The cake is perfectly tender and mimics the flavor of a cup of chai. I can never understood what 'Chai-Tea' means. It is on almost all of the bakery, coffee-shop and juice bar menus. I want to tell them that Chai and tea are synonymous and it makes no sense saying tea-tea. Well I guess it's gourmet or fancy way of saying tea.

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Lemon Almond Ricotta Bundt Cake

BM# 51 -- Baking Marathon: Day 22

Bake of the Day: Cakes -- Lemon Almond Ricotta Bundt Cake

I am not a health freak but I do look at what a eat. My motto is everything in moderation is OK. There was a phase in my life, few years back, when I tried making 'healthy' foods that really tasted 'healthy' (you know what I mean, right??). I'm glad that phase has passed and now I try incorporate healthy ingredients into my dishes but try to make them taste as normal as possible.

Coming to today's dish, I had a container of ricotta in the fridge waiting to be used up and a quick search landed me on this Lemon almond Bundt cake recipe. I loved the pics and decided to bake it.

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Eggless Carrot Cake with Ricotta cheese & Indian flavors

Blogging Marathon# 34: Week 3/ Day 1
Theme: Desserts with Vegetables
Dish: Carrot Halwa flavored Cake with Ricotta cheese

It's week 3 of BM# 34 and my theme for this week is 'Desserts with Vegetables'. I rarely make desserts with vegetables except for carrots and occasionally pumpkins. I would never dare to make desserts with vegetables that in my mind are meant for savory preparations. When I signed up for the theme, I was planning to get adventurous and try some desserts that were totally out of the box like potato halwa or something with beets. But when I saw my tasting committee, I decided to stay close to what I always make and so for the next 3 days I'm going to post dessert recipes with vegetables that you already know, but slightly jazzed up versions.

I'm continuing my baking spree with the third baked goody of the week (after this Chatti Pathiri and Kolacky Cookies). I have been planning to make carrot halwa flavored cake for a while now. Initially I wanted to make cupcakes, but after researching on various recipes I ended up making it as a bundt cake.

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Mango-Chocolate Marble Bundt Cake for Home Bakers Challenge

For this month's Home Baker's Challenge, Sangeetha @ Spicy Treats picked an interesting cake combination with mango and chocolate. I was skeptical on how this combo would turn out, but the end result was moist and delicious cake that the whole family loved.

I baked it in my 6 cup bundt cake pan, but this cake can also be made in a 9x5" loaf pan or a 8" round pan. Also I added some wholewheat pastry flour to add some fiber and nutrition to the cake.

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Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake

Blogging Marathon# 27: Week 3/ Day 2
Theme: Seasonal Dishes - Spring Dessert
Dish: Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake

Spring reminds me of Easter, colors and lemons, exactly in that order. I know lemonade is great for summer, but hearty desserts with lemon are excellent for Spring as well, me thinks. Bright, lemony desserts are the perfect way to end a Spring or a Summer meal. So today I have a lemon cake that is just oozing with fresh lemony flavor.

I used Meyer Lemons that have a nice citrusy background and are not as tart as regular lemons. You can of course make this cake with regular lemons. Meyer lemons are usually available end of winter and beginning of Spring.

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