It is difficult for a natural cook to bake. I love to cook spontaneously, using what ever is available in the fridge. It is extremely tedious to read recipies, ensure that you have baking powder and baking soda and sodium bicarbonate and maida and corn flour... aaahhhhh... The devil lies in the details. For a person who thinks any powdered grain - rice, wheat, kadalai maavu and if nothing is there in the house, a bit of powdered almonds/ pottu kadalai will do and add a bit of flair to the sambar - you can imagine how hard baking is.
Not just the ingredients - you have to be so precise about their measures. Some people talk in cups. Others in gms and yet others in ounces/ pints. So many measures!!! I am a person who just tosses in the rice in the cooker and adds how much ever water looks right. No half measures for me! You can imagine my frustration when the recipie asks you to add 160 gms of all purpose flour. Why cant it be any purpose flour instead?
The ultimate test is however when I need to take the cake out of the oven. I am never sure about whether it is done. Neither am I sure about when it is cool enough to turn out of the dish. I keep telling myself that I should trust the recipie and leave it in for as long as it calls for. It needs a lot of faith and a strong will to resist the temptation of doing things immediately. Baking calls for patience. A lot of it.
However - end of the story is very beautiful. I baked a wonderful eggless red velvet cake with wheat flour and butter cream icing and made a beautiful angry bird icing on top of it. :) And my nephew loved it!
Not just the ingredients - you have to be so precise about their measures. Some people talk in cups. Others in gms and yet others in ounces/ pints. So many measures!!! I am a person who just tosses in the rice in the cooker and adds how much ever water looks right. No half measures for me! You can imagine my frustration when the recipie asks you to add 160 gms of all purpose flour. Why cant it be any purpose flour instead?
The ultimate test is however when I need to take the cake out of the oven. I am never sure about whether it is done. Neither am I sure about when it is cool enough to turn out of the dish. I keep telling myself that I should trust the recipie and leave it in for as long as it calls for. It needs a lot of faith and a strong will to resist the temptation of doing things immediately. Baking calls for patience. A lot of it.
However - end of the story is very beautiful. I baked a wonderful eggless red velvet cake with wheat flour and butter cream icing and made a beautiful angry bird icing on top of it. :) And my nephew loved it!
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