Almond Saffron Jelly Cake … Dessert to brighten the Festival Season

Eggless Almond Saffron Jelly Cake … desserts that light up life! I love the gentle play of flavours and often make desserts using elements from desserts I’ve created in the past. This was one such inspiration. A gently spiced eggless pistachio sponge, the simplest one bowl hand whisked recipe you’ll ever find, is topped with a smooth indulgent almond cream.

If you’ve stopped by on PAB in the past, you might know of my love for colourful desserts and saffron. I think it’s one of the most beautiful spices in the world, fragrant, rich and colourful. I use it often, generously too and I love the gentle flavours it adds to dessert. Pistachios with saffron might be my favourite pairing, and I use both very often as you can see.

Other favourites include mango and saffron, rose and saffron, almond and saffron work beautifully too! There’s so much you can do with saffron and because you need just a ‘little pinch’ or a few strands, it’s always good to buy good quality saffron.


I’m sure you are convinced about the absolute magic that saffron adds. Here in the Eggless Almond Saffron Jelly Cake, the saffron jelly shines! Once the cream has set, pour over a quick saffron jelly, tying in all the flavours of the festival season. A piped almond buttercream, garnished with flowers from the garden, and we’re all set! Happy Diwali!

Do tag me on Instagram at Passionate About Baking if you make this, or any other recipe from the blog. I’d love to see it!

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Eggless Almond Saffron Jelly Cake

A gently spiced eggless pistachio sponge, the simplest one bowl hand whisked recipe you'll ever find, is topped with a smooth indulgent almond cream.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Indian
Keyword agar agar, cake, cream, dessert, eggfree, eggless baking, eggless cake, Indian dessert cake, no gelatine, one bowl, saffron, sweet, vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Setting time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 45 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Eggless pistachio sponge

  • 100 g buttermilk
  • 25 g oil
  • 50 g castor sugar
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • Pinch salt
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
  • 85 g plain flour
  • 1 tbsp pistachios finely chopped

Almond cream

  • 400 g cream 25% fat
  • few drops almond extract
  • 2 tbsp cornflour
  • 100 g clarified butter/ghee
  • 2.5 tsp agar agar
  • 60 g sugar

Saffron Jelly

  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/2 tsp agar agar
  • Generous pinch saffron

Instructions

Eggless pistachio sponge

  • Preheat the oven to 180C. Lightly grease and line two 4″ cake rings tin with foil.
  • In a large bowl, add all the ingredients and give them a good whisk.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the tester comes out clean.
  • Cool completely on the rack and level if required.

Almond cream

  • Whisk together all the ingredients until smooth. Simmer over low heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly, until it begins to thicken slightly like a custard.
  • Whisk well and strain. Cool, whisking now and then, until cool enough to pour over the base.
  • Note: This can also be made in the microwave.
  • Place all the whisked ingredients in a heat proof bowl, and microwave for 30 seconds at a time, whisk, then repeat 3-4 times until it begins to just thicken. Cool, whisking now and then, until cool enough to pour over the base.

Saffron Jelly

  • Stir together the honey, water and agar agar in a saucepan. Simmer for 4-5 minutes, stirring often.
  • Take off heat and stir the saffron in. Cool and pour over the set cream.

Assemble

  • Wrap an acetate sheet firmly around the base.
  • Pour over about half the almond cream over each cake and leave it to set overnight.
  • Top with the saffron jelly and place it in the fridge or freezer until firm. Gently remove the acetate sheet.
  • Pipe over with almond buttercream, and garnish with rose and marigold petals, pistachio slivers etc.

Video

Scrumptious Lotus Biscoff Ice Cream Shake … the quick, perfect treat you will love!

Lotus Biscoff Ice Cream Shake … Deep, delicious, indulgent, comforting and oh-so-addictive, one sip down and you are transported to a happy place! I think it’s the charm and ease of sometimes using Biscoff in simple desserts which makes everything sooooo delicious.

As you can see, it’s difficult not to get inspired by this cookie butter. The more I use it, the more I enjoy creating with it. Yes it’s sweet but then petite or small portion desserts is what I do mostly. A little goes a long way. The desserts you see above are recipes I’ve created over time. All eggless, easily made vegan too because Lotus Biscoff is vegan or plant based. You can find them here or on Instagram.

This Lotus Biscoff ice cream shake is a 2 minute mood uplifter, a really quick dessert shake that is satisfying to the last drop. The cherry on the cake is the old fashioned swirl of whipped cream on top that adds the quintessential ice cream shake feel. After all, what s a shake without whipped cream, right? This cream whipper does the job beautifully!

You can play around with proportions, ingredients too. Throw in some instant coffee if you like, perhaps make it with a coffee or chocolate ice cream. Use a vegan ice cream and plant based milk to make this vegan quite easily since Biscoff is plant based. You’ve probably got the ingredients on hand already, so give this deliciousness a shot asap!

Do tag me on Instagram at Passionate About Baking if you make this, or any other recipe from the blog. I’d love to see it!

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Lotus Biscoff Ice Cream Shake

Deep, delicious, indulgent, comforting and oh-so-addictive, one sip down and it transports you to a happy place!
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Drinks, Snack
Cuisine American, British
Keyword Biscoff, dessert, eggless, simple, summer dessert, sweet
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 2 people

Equipment

  • 1 Blender
  • 1 Ice cream scoop
  • 2 Ice Cream Sundae Glasses

Ingredients

  • 6 -7 scoops good quality vanilla ice cream
  • 150 ml cold milk
  • 150 g Smooth Biscoff spread melted, cooled

To top

  • Whipped cream, drizzle of Smooth Biscoff spread

Instructions

  • Add the 3 ingredients to a blender and process for 30 seconds until smooth. Pour into tall sundae glasses, top with whipped cream, a drizzle of melted Biscoff spread and serve immediately.

Quickest & Simple Homemade Barbeque Sauce! You Never Need To Buy It Again.

Quickest & Simple Homemade Barbeque Sauce … you never need to buy barbeque sauce again. Here’s a drop dead simple recipe, ready in under 5 minutes, infinitely customisable and pretty darned delicious. All you need is a bottle of tomato ketchup to begin with and the rest you add in as you desire.

You won’t see me sharing savoury recipes often on PAB, but truth be told, my heart belongs to savoury! Make that spices & savoury dishes though I use spices very often in desserts too! Garam masala, a quintessential India spice, mix in cakes and hot chocolate? Yes please!

This homemade barbeque sauce is something I make in a jiffy, often alongside as fries cook in the wok, or with chicken being grilled for sandwich etc. Sometimes I make a bigger batch and keep it for a week. It never lasts longer and is way better than any store bought barbeque sauce. You can make it sweeter, hotter, more pungent depending on your personal preference & it tastes really fresh.

I have always been fascinated by the charm of spices, shooting them, styling them, enjoying the visual appeal. Spices are some of my favourite things to buy after fresh produce, to have in the kitchen. I especially enjoy stocking a variety of red chilies, so there’s always something flavoursome and /or fiery on hand to throw in!

The add ins for the my homemade barbeque sauce are pretty staple and can be easily substituted to taste or with what you might have on hand. It’s a simple play of flavours – sweet, hot, smoky etc. and you can use a variety of chilies if you like. I especially like a touch of smoked chili, gochugaru being a hot favourite, smoked paprika being another.

Talking about the humble chili, can you imagine how much these sheep are enjoying red hot chilies! It was in 2016 on a local trip to Lakshman Sagar in Rajasthan, a boutique hotel on the fringes of the badlands of Rajasthan, that I took the picture at a local red chili processing unit. It was sheer luck to catch sight of the sheep head straight for chilies that had been left out to dry!

India is a fascinating country to travel across and I always always have a camera in hand, you never know what you might stumble across!

The sight when the flock of sheep descended upon the rows and rows of whole dried chillies at a local factory had me gobsmacked. It was honestly a very special moment, a fascinating story, a memory I love to share!

When food meets regional cuisine, it cooks up a charming new story each time not matter which part of the world you go to. India is no different, but it is much more complex. Every city surprises you with so much variety that regional cuisine takes up a new avatar.

That trip to Lakshman Sagar was followed by an absolutely exciting trip to Banaras that filled my head with stories, the camera overflowing with images that would live to tell the tale, the stomach too full and happy …

As if that wasn’t enough, there was one more trip that was surreal, a trip to Karaikudi in the south of India. Karaikudi, the Land of Chettinad in the state of Tamil Nadu is steeped in history and is the most fascinating place ever.

I guess that explains why I’m smitten with spices and the colours of India! Let’s get back to this simple and finger-licking good homemade barbeque sauce

My favourite add ins are garlic powder & smoked paprika to add depth of flavour. For a sweet kick, try brown sugar, jaggery powder or maple syrup/honey etc. Coconut sugar adds really nice, deep notes too if you have it on hand.

Do tag me on Instagram at Passionate About Baking if you make this, or any other recipe from the blog. I’d love to see it!

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Homemade Barbeque Sauce

There’s no need to ever buy barbeque sauce again. Here’s a drop dead simple recipe, that is ready in under 5 minutes.
Course Appetiser, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword eggfree, eggless, savoury, simple, stovetop
Prep Time 1 minute
Cook Time 4 minutes
Cool 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4

Equipment

  • 1 saucepan
  • 1 spatula
  • 1 set measuring spoons
  • 1 Glass jar with lid
  • Stove top

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup tomato ketchup
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/8 cup water
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp Gochujang chilli/red chilli flakes
  • 1-2 tsp garlic powder

Instructions

  • Add all the ingredients to a small saucepan and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the sugar melts in. Simmer a little longer if you want a thicker sauce. Alternatively, you can add more water to thin it down
  • Take off heat, taste and adjust seasoning. Cool and store in a lidded glass jar in the fridge.

Raspberry Dream Cake … the Magic of Eggless Baking ♥

Eggless Raspberry Dream Cake… delicious pairings that are just so perfect! An eggless sponge moistened with Cointreau is topped with the tart ruby red fresh raspberries that make the heart of this dessert. Finished off with an incredibly flavourful raspberry cream, this dream cake is quite indulgent & satisfying.

If you’ve been here before or follow @passionateaboutbaking on Instagram, you’ll notice my love for desserts with a pop of colour, an edible flower too! My desserts are now all eggless and I’ve never enjoyed creating them as much as I do now. Going eggfree with baking was possibly one of the best decisions I made, something that has inspired me to think beyond my boundaries.

Take this Eggless Opera Cake for example. I’ve made a version with eggs for a Daring Baker challenge several years ago. If you had told me to go eggless with it, I would have politely declined, not as much as giving it a second thought! Cut to now, that Eggless Opera Cake turned out to be one of my most fun creations, something that satisfied the baker and dessert maker in me no end.

Think desserts, think colour, think flavours, textures … and think prettiness! I think the very word dessert should offer ‘poetry’ on a platter, a dish that looks as pretty as it tastes! Those desserts above are an example of what I enjoy doing, the recipes shared either on this blog or on my recipe feed on Instagram at PAB Recipes as also this Eggless Raspberry Dream Cake below.

It’s another mouth watering tin cake box dessert inspired by the Eggless Mango Dream Cake I shared a few days ago. I’ve been a little occupied of late as I try and get my new kitchen studio up and running. It’ll hopefully be ready soon, so until then, dive right in to this dream cake deliciousness!

Do tag me on Instagram at Passionate About Baking if you make this Eggless Raspberry Dream Cake, or any other recipe from the blog. I’d love to see it!

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Eggless Raspberry Dream Cake

An eggless chocolate sponge moistened with Cointreau is topped with tart ruby red fresh raspberries make the heart of this dessert. Finished off with an incredibly flavourful raspberry cream, this dream cake is quite indulgent & satisfying. Makes one tin cake {5.5x3inch}
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, British
Keyword baking, cake, chocolate, cream, dessert, eggfree, eggless, eggless baking, eggless cake, fruit, one bowl, raspberries, simple, summer dessert, sweet, vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Cooling/Chilling 4 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 5 hours 45 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Eggless chocolate sponge

  • 210 g buttermilk
  • 50 g oil
  • 100 g castor sugar
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • Pinch of turmeric optional
  • Pinch salt
  • 15 g cocoa powder
  • 155 g all purpose flour/maida

45ml Cointreau / raspberry syrup / simple lime syrup

150g fresh raspberries

Raspberry cream filling

  • 225 g cream cheese
  • 30 g icing sugar
  • 85 g whipping cream
  • 90 g raspberry sauce {recipe follows}

Raspberry sauce {Yield 90g}

  • 65 g frozen raspberries
  • 60 g sugar
  • 1 tsp cornflour
  • Juice of 1/2 lime

To garnish

  • Fresh raspberries mint leaves, edible flowers

Instructions

Eggless chocolate sponge

  • Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a 6″ tin with parchment.
  • In a large bowl, add all the ingredients and give them a good whisk.
  • Turn the batter into the tin and bake for about 40-45 minutes, until the tester comes out clean. Cool completely, then trim the top. Gently fit the cake into the dream cake tin {5.5x3inch}.

Raspberry cream filling

  • Whip the cream cheese with icing sugar until smooth. Reserve.
  • In a large bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks.
  • Whip in the cream cheese mixture and the cooled raspberry sauce.
  • Put into a piping bag fitted with a 2A nozzle.

Raspberry sauce

  • Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and leave to macerate for 30 minutes.
  • Simmer over low heat until the berries break down, mashing them against the sides.
  • Once the colour is nice and deep, the berries have broken down completely and the mixture has thickened slightly, 4-5 minutes, take off heat.
  • Strain the raspberry sauce and cool completely. refrigerate until required. This can me made in advance.

Assemble

  • Moisten the cake generously with the Cointreau.
  • Top the moistened cake with fresh raspberries. Pipe over the raspberry cream, level out and leave to set in the fridge for a couple of hours.
  • Top with fresh raspberries, edible flowers, mint etc.

Note

  • Since the dessert is set in a dream cake tin and uses fresh berries AND a berry cream, it is best consumed within a day. To keep it for longer, consider making this in a glass trifle or dessert bowl .

Video

Quite The Perfect Recipe For No-Bake Mango Cheesecake … Deliciously Easy

The simplest & most delicious No-Bake Mango Cheesecake… A recipe that uses just 4 ingredients for the cheesecake filling, this is the quickest, eggless, no bake mango cheesecake I’ve ever made and I’ve made many!! This one is also the simplest one!

I get a load of DMs on Instagram and recipe requests for mango based desserts through the mango season and this was yet another of my favourites, and I have many! There are no holds barred when it comes to mango and I’ve really enjoy the season.

This summer has been a season of plenty … plenty of mangoes with over a thousand varieties, plenty of ideas, loads of inspiration, tonnes of deliciousness. What that means is I get to share plenty of mango recipes with you! Thank you for stopping by!

It’s difficult to pick a favourite dessert when it comes to the king of fruits, but cheesecake lovers rule the world, so I’m sharing this absolutely delicious, no fuss recipe. The mango season is now drawing to a close on the subcontinent so hopefully you will try this recipe soon.

I really liked how this came together, almost like magic. I have a high speed blender so I just threw everything into it and had a smooth cheesecake batter in a couple of minutes. Alternatively, you can puree and strain the mango separately, then whisk everything together with a hand blender to get a smooth batter. The white chocolate adds enough sweetness and helps the cheesecake set.

Everything about this No-Bake Mango Cheesecake is pleasing. The colours, the texture, the set, the flavours and of course, the appearance. Hope you try this recipe soon!

Do tag me on Instagram at Passionate About Baking if you make this, or any other recipe from the blog. I’d love to see it!

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No Bake Mango Cheesecake

The simplest & most delicious Mango Cheesecake … A recipe that uses just 4 ingredients for the cheesecake filling, this is the quickest, eggless, no bake mango cheesecake I’ve ever made! Makes one 4″ cheesecake
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword cake, cheesecake, dessert, eggfree, eggless, eggless cake, fruit, Indian dessert cake, mangoes, no gelatine, nobake, summer dessert, sweet, vegetarian
Prep Time 30 minutes
12 hours 12 hours
Total Time 12 hours 30 minutes
Servings 2

Ingredients

Biscuit base

  • 50 g Digestive biscuits
  • 15 g clarified butter/ghee room temperature

Mango Cheesecake filling

  • 135 g mango diced
  • 125 g white chocolate melted
  • 150 g cream cheese softened
  • 35 g cream 25% fat

Instructions

Biscuit base

  • Run the biscuits in a blender to fine crumbs. Add the clarified butter / ghee and process briefly to mix. Turn into a 4″ foil lined dessert ring, flatten into a base and freeze until firm.

Cheesecake filling

  • Blend all 4 ingredients together in a high speed blender until smooth.

Assemble

  • Demold the biscuit base, secure an acetate sheet around the frozen biscuit base and spoon in the filling.
  • Set in the freezer for 3-4 hours until firm, peel off the acetate sheet and leave the cheesecake to set in the fridge overnight.
  • Top the cheesecake with a white chocolate ganache and mangoes etc.

Oreo Tiramisu Dessert Box … Fall in Love with this irresistible dessert

Oreo Tiramisu Dessert Box … if you love Oreos, if you love cookies and cream, if you love chocolate AND if you love fuss free quick desserts, here’s a dessert idea that you’re going to fall in love with. It’s addictive and sooooo delicious!

There’s always something exciting and interesting about bringing simple desserts together, and instant gratification is definitely one of the pros. Most cookie/biscuit base desserts are just that since it cuts out the time and effort that baking takes. As much as I LOVE baking, quick desserts like these have a special place in my heart! I make them seldom but I really enjoy doing so.

My new favourite was to serve desserts is in dessert boxes. They’re fun, look pretty, keep the dessert ‘contained’, travel well and offer a million possibilities. Think flavours, colours, layers, textures. There is just so much you can do with a dessert box, the possibilities are infinite.

Let me show you a few dessert boxes I have brought together over the last year or so – Nutella Dessert Box, Tiramisu Dessert Box, Lotus Biscoff Dessert Box, Blueberry Biscoff Dessert Box, Pistachio Dessert Box, Chocolate Strawberry Dessert Box, Black Forest Dessert Box, Mango Cream Dessert Box, Blue Matcha Dessert Box

So you can imaging how much I love this form of dessert and the Oreo Tiramisu Dessert Box is everything. The flavours are wonderful and the whole dessert comes together beautifully. We absolutely love it! It screams deliciousness with every bite and has you covered for so many special taste profiles! The bite of Oreo cookies is quite special too…

You get major Tiramisu feels as you dig into this Oreo Tiramisu Dessert Box , it ticks off the cookies and cream box, indulgent rich chocolate notes covered….and last but not the least, it has Kahlua or coffee which I love. If you don’t want to use Kahlua or coffee, a chocolate milk will do too, perhaps a chocolate syrup.

That’s the beauty of desserts like these. You just need a direction, an inspiration. Then you can go along and customise them as you like! Just make sure you pop an Oreo on top to finish it off and a pretty edible flower for that pop of colour!

Do tag me on Instagram at Passionate About Baking if you make this, or any other recipe from the blog. I’d love to see it!

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Oreo Tiramisu Dessert Box

Each bite of this Oreo Tiramisu is addictive and so satisfying, you’ll wonder why you never made it earlier!

Ingredients

  • 8 Oreo cookies {plus 2 small ones for the centre , optional}
  • 25 ml Kahlua {or a shot of coffee}

Mascarpone cream

  • 75 g whipping cream cold
  • 2 tbsp icing sugar
  • 100 g mascarpone cream cold {or cream cheese, whipped smooth}

Ganache

  • 50 g cream 25% fat
  • 50 g dark chocolate.

To finish

  • 1 tsp cocoa powder
  • 1 Oreo

Instructions

Mascarpone cream

  • With an electric hand beater, whip together the cream and icing sugar until smooth and firm.
  • Fold in the mascarpone. Fit a piping bag with a 2A nozzle and fill it with the cream.

Ganache

  • Heat the cream and add the chocolate into it. Stand for 5 minutes until the chocolate is soft, then stir until smooth.

Layers

  • #1 – 4 Oreo cookies {plus one small one for the centre, optional}
    #2 – 15ml Kahlua {or a shot of coffee}
    #3 – Pipe half the mascarpone cream over the soaked biscuits.
    #4 – Pour the ganache over the cream layer and place it in freezer for 10-15 minutes until it firms up.
    #5 – Top the ganache with 4 Oreo cookies {plus one small one for the centre, optional}
    #6 – 15ml Kahlua {or a shot of coffee}
    #7 – Pipe the remaining cream over the biscuit layer and level off.

To finish

  • Dust with cocoa powder and top with an Oreo cookie.
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