Guest Baker Post # 13

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Saumya is a young passionate baker who started baking regularly and ‘seriously’ during the recent pandemic times. Soon she realised that baking is her calling and then there was no stopping! We love her bakes and are in awe of her talent.

Here is her colorful story in her own words:

I am honoured to be a guest writer for this website(www.renusbreadbakers.com) 😊😊

I started baking without putting much thought into it. I kind of stumbled into it. I studied in a boarding school from class 4th to 12th and never really had a lot of time to spend at home. I was someone who never stepped in the kitchen. One day my sister sent me a recipe of waffles and because of the pandemic I had a lot of time on my hands. So, armed with that recipe, I set off to begin my baking journey.

I tried that recipe and I took the first bite…. And….

Heaven!

As in, yes… For real….

And, that’s when I realized that it is indeed possible to bake from scratch, with close to zero knowledge, and end up with a product that is edible. And quite good, considering that I seldom baked.

I love measuring ingredients, being creative in decorating, waiting for it to cook and finally to dig in. Baking was never on my bucket list but now I think it is at the top of the list. That one recipe gave me a special feeling. First time I discovered that God had actually put a pretty neat talent in me. A yummy talent, so to speak!

I kept looking for new recipes and tried to bake more and more delicious goods. Sometimes I failed and sometimes I succeeded. I tried a new recipe every single day and after a few months I thought I was prepared to start a home bakery. 

My parents always supported me and I am blessed to be their daughter. It’s been 10 months since I started my home bakery. I cannot describe in words what baking means to me. I was able to succeed because of all the support from my parents, my grandmother who encouraged me to explore more recipes and start my own business.

Thank you Renu Ma’am for all the guidance and tips. I would have been lost figuring out what to do next if I wasn’t a part of your bakers group. ‘You don’t have to love cooking to cook, but you have to do more than love baking to bake. You have to bake out of love.’

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Cranberry sour cream bundt cake

Ingredients

• Maida- 180 grams
• Caster sugar- 150 grams
• Baking powder- 1 tsp
• Baking soda- 1/2 tsp
• Salt- a pinch
• Unsalted butter- 50 grams
• Oil- 60 ml
• Vanilla essence- 1 tsp
• Sour cream- 240 ml
• Milk- 60 ml
• Cranberries- 1/4 cup
• Cranberry essence- few drops

Method

• Preheat oven at 180 °C.
• Take butter, oil, sugar, vanilla essence and cranberry essence in a bowl and beat it well for 2-3 mins.
• Add in the sour cream and mix it using a spatula. Do not over mix.
• Add in sifted flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and fold gently. 
• If the batter is thick add some milk and then add cranberries. 
• Cranberries should be dusted with flour.
• Pour it in a prepared bundt mould and bake it for 30-35 mins

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Our guest baker Saumya is an ace baker and a master cakesmith. We love her cakes, bakes and enthusiasm. Do try out her Cranberry sour cream bundt cake and share your experience on the blog.