I’ve been having a bad baking week.
One Monday, I was in the full mood to bake. But I did not want to bake a cake, so settled on an easy focaccia instead. It was easy – and everything went as per plan except that I think the temperature was a little too high – for my oven, and the top browned while the bottom was not completely cooked, so I had to turn it over, in an effort to get it sorted. It did turn out fine in the end, but it is a little annoying things don’t turn out as perfectly as you expect. Especially when the aroma filled the house, and it made me totally drool! Only to realize that it is not perfectly cooked! Next time I have to try this with a lower temperature setting. It was tasty, esp with olive oil and a little salt. But it was not perfect, so I was disappointed.
Edited to add: The recipe is from here. It is very easy and simple -just that I will bake it at a lower temperature, and maybe add the cheese on the top midway. I might even skip the cheese the next time..
And then we had a baking session with friends lined up – which I had to cancel when Poohi fell ill. So so so disappointing!
Yesterday, to make up for it, I decided to bake a whole wheat chocolate banana bread. It felt like a great recipe, with only 1 tbsp of oil! What brilliance. But then when I am in the mood to spoil a recipe – I can do it – very well. I replaced buttermilk with yogurt and then realized as I was spooning the mixture into the pan, that the batter felt too thick. Too lazy to do anything about it, I let it bake as is. Thankfully, it was not too bad. It is quite delicious, and we have already polished off a few slices- guilt-free. Low fat, you see 🙂 I even had a slice for breakfast.
It would have looked prettier if I were able to smooth the batter better 😦 But it wasn’t too bad – infact it was great to eat!
Next time I might bake them as muffins. With some nuts thrown in.. I should stop talking now, before I end up baking some more and eating it all up (:
Edited to add: Recipe from here.
Any Excuse to Write... 
Bah! What are you cribbing about man? 😐
I will lick the plate clean if I were there!
I just get a wee bit annoyed if it desn’t turn out perfect 🙂 And that annoyance makes me bake more – which is no good for my waistline 🙂
I can so relate to cook more if it doesn’t cook to perfection and also if one recipe turns out perfect I need a second recipe right then 😥
too bad for waistline indeed 😦 😦
if you call this a disaster then what would you call my attempts as?
they look droolicious.. can you pls post the recipe too?
Sure will do – will update the post with the recipes.
Ooh perfectionistic traits! What are you complaining about though? They look pretty yum! It’s better than my lemon meringue pie attempt earlier in the month. I ended up making a lemon tart as the meringue mixture seeped through the tart tin and formed on the baking dish instead on top of the pie!
They did not turn out as well as they should have 😦 So I can’t help feel a bit disappointed.
Lemon meringue! Yum! I haven’t had the guts to try out something so complicated yet!
If you find the top browning quick and the inside still not done just put a aluminium foil tent over the pan. It will take care of your problem, the top won’t brown quickly & the inside will cook. Most of my cakes and bread this is what happens- browns very quickly on the top but remains raw inside so this foil thing works.
I did cover it – when I noticed that the top browned too quickly. I noticed it too late, so it was already too brown. think the temp mentioned was too high – for my oven, as well. Next time I plan to reduce the temp, and keep an eye on it – constantly 🙂
I don’t try anything with whole wheat no matter how delicious it is the husband will not touch it. Whatever! I highly recommend this recipe -http://www.thefreshloaf.com/recipes/bananabread I made just 1 loaf and and it was over in 2 days (there are just 2 and a half people in my household. That half eats very negligible amounts!).
Will check it out right away! I love banana breads of all sorts! Husband here will eat anything with ice-cream 🙂 He will get a chance to give it a shot when he gets back tomorrow.
Smitha you better listen to the expert bake’rs tips for I can vouch for her yummy egg less cake which even after almost 2 years the husband keeps I am not trying to get the recipe from her and bake it for him 🙄
…the husband keeps complaining……………..sheesh how can wordpress gobble up an entire word from my comment??? 😯
I sure will – how can I dare not 🙂
Suma, checked out the banana bread! It looks yum! And so simple! Next week for sure 🙂
I plan to experiment with some beetroot loaf tomorrow – I have some beetroot to use up, and will meet some friends – so can pass it along 🙂
I wouldn’t mind eating up both the things you have baked…I can’t bake to save my life 😥
I told you to come over! You guys never take up on my offers 😦
I am quite sure that you whip up amazing stuff! I don’t mind if you send me some biryani in exchange of some cakes of mine 🙂
Lier lier pants on fire. Do not listen to her. I know she bakes with Saman and she is an expert cook. YOu made chocolate cupcakes and falooda no? POi soladhe ponnu….
I totally believe you, Suma. Saks, I am sure you bake far far far better than me. Cooking – I can barely cook, so let’s not even go there.
Oye next time you have ‘baking disasters’ just dial me..I dont mind coming all the way to UK to eat that lovely stuff!! I mean if this is baking ‘disaster’ everything I make in my kitchen is a hurricane+tornado+tsunami+earthquake+volcano (the volcano is for the burnt effect of course!)
As if!! Reading your weekend tales – you cook so much! Even the podis you make at home!! But you are welcome – any time 🙂 Next time you are in the UK, let me know – will send you something -if we can’t meet 🙂
Madam, everything here looks so perfect and absolutely droolworthy. We with the limited (read nil) baking skills are envious. 🙂
Your baking posts tempt me to at least start somewhere. Just a little scared. Maybe I will give it a shot over the upcoming weekend. 🙂
You should try 🙂 It is very very very simple – just follow the recipes completely(unlike me). Let me know if you have any baking questions 🙂
I am sorry… did you call it a disaster??!!!!
I have to hide this post from my hubby for sure.. God knows what he would label my baking experiments as!!!
They did not turn out exactly as they should have, no? My cooking comes under that category 😦
I can totally relate to what you are saying. There are times when I bake and every one at home is like “wow this is good, it is tasing good” but it is me who knows where things have gone wrong. For me unless it is perfect it isn’t perfect. I know where things could have been improved and I keep thinking “if only I could go back & re do it.”
The banana bread looks awesome re!
Thank god, someone understood:) I know! if I know it is not perfect – it is not 😦
The banana bread tasted good too. I am trying out a beetroot cake today – fingers crossed.
Chocolate banana cake and that too fat free???? Gah!!! 😦 I need visa and tickets. NOW!!!
Come! You’ve been threatening me with this since ages 🙂 I’ll bake you one of these when I get to India – for sure 🙂
You bake anything and everything. I will make sure to shift to Bangalore by then!
come come … the more the merrier
Yum yum yum! Choco-banana is like my fav combo in anything and everything 🙂
Then you should try this 🙂 Or if it is a cake you are after – I’ve tried this and loved it – http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/chocolate-banana-cake-362. Just use yogurt instead of sour cream – to make it more healthy 😉
Even I like choco-banana and they are looking good Smitha 🙂
Once in a while we all miss that perfection… so don’t worry 🙂 Am sure they taste great..and that’s what matters after all… 😉
The banana bread actually tasted even better the next day 🙂 And it was guilt-free snacking 🙂 Not totally guilt-free- but good enough for me 🙂
The pic doesn’t looks like a disaster smitha.I should have taken the pics of my baking disaster..
It was just that it did not turn out as perfect as I wanted it to:) But I have cooking disasters to make up 🙂
And this is waht you call a disaster! Hmm!! Sista, you and I need to talk!
That’s because I imagined it coming out perfect 😦
Next time you have a baking disaster just parcel the dish to me…. 😀
You might regret it, if you taste them 🙂
Two questions:
1. I have decided to make a start this weekend, and have chosen two recipes from your blog – the cookies using just three ingredients and the pineapple upside-down cake. Which one do you suggest is better for a trial for a novice to baking?
2. The pineapple upside-down cake uses pineapple rings in syrup. I was thinking of using freshly cut pineapple instead of canned slices. Would that make any effect on the cake? Should I add or reduce any of the ingredients to balance out the substitution?
Do let me know on these, and I think I’ll be ready to go. 🙂
Both of them are simple. You could start with the cookie – to give you some additional confidence and then move on to the cake.
You could definitely use fresh pineapple – am sure it will taste even better. For the 2 tbsp of syrup that you need to add, you could use some fresh pineapple juice. yum!!! All the best.
HOW did i miss this post .. Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo Howwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
along with the cookies i want this also .. DISASTER you say .. You need to visit SPECSAVERS 🙂 I am sure there are some on that hight street right by you ..
🙂 They did not look as nice as I imagined them in my head 🙂 What can I do? I am very imaginative 🙂
It look yummy and delicious to me …
They were not bad to taste, to be honest – but I got a little disappointed.
or is this is some sort of dhokha to put us off so you dont have to bake for us 🙂 bolo bolo tell tell
Arre nahi! I will send you the cookies – I promise!
send the disaster parcels my way… I promise to post pics of me eating them ! 😀 😛
😆
I second that!
Once I am back in blre – that is what I will do 🙂 And then you guys can curse me 🙂
Sigh Smita! Half-baked stuff can break one’s heart! I did that with some biscuits I once tried. They simply tasted like sweet dough in the center 😐
You know what I mean, don’t you? It did get cooked finally -but the top was a little burnt 😦
The texture of that choco banana cake looks quite good! I’m tempted to bake it in your variation… by adding yogurt! 😀
It was delicious! Even better as it sat – moist and yum! I wouldn’t have expected it to be so moist – but it was..
I will go knock on my Bakasur aka Swaram’s door, and we bot will just set about making plans to land up at your doorstep, like old days!
Oh please do!!! And when I move to blore – you guys have to come!
PS: I didn’t believe your title. And I rightly did so! They both look great!!!
They didnot turn out exactly how I wanted them too- the bread is looking so ugly 😦
I meant ‘Smitha’… not Smita!
You’ve heard of the silent ‘h’…. now you’ve seen it too! 🙄
sowwie!
Woah. Disaster?
You’re a perfectionist I think that is probably why 🙂
With all those offers to clean up the plates on which you serve even these, I suppose I won’t get any 😦 But me too would like 🙂
You make me want to get back to my baking… thank you for the motivation! 🙂
I am so jealous of all you people who can bake! And then you call this a disaster? Why make me feel more miserable about my incapabilities? 😦
Hey! Thank you so much for asking! 🙂
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to try out baking over the last weekend. You know why? The stupid Internet at our place conked off. And I can’t imagine baking without guidance from you guys. 😦 Next week, for sure, I promise! I even got the ingredients ready!
That looks so so yum! Why oh why do you live so far away, Smits??
I wonder that when I see your yummy posts too :(Any chance of you relocating to Bangalore too?
And disaster from which angle?? They look perfectly gobble-worthy! 🙂
The focaccia was a little burnt on the top, the bread -actually tasted even better the day after – I was amazed at how moist and yum it was!
Relocating to Bangalore, I wish! But as you know, our first pref will be Delhi if and when we do relocate, hopefully in a year or so. Lets see! Nonetheless covering a DEL-BLR distance seems far more achievable than a DOH-LON one, so the prospect is definitely exciting, you see! 🙂 🙂
I know. But as you say, Del- Blore seems far easier that Doha-Leeds 🙂 Hopefully we should be able to meet more often 🙂