Happy April!!
I can’t believe we’re in mid April already!
Four years!  It’s been four years and two days since I published my first post.
It is a relationship. Â A bond between the writer/creator, blog space and readers/friends. Â A relationship I take quite seriously and cherish every bit of it.
Some days/months are hard. Â Sometimes there’s a block, and sometimes… life just happens.
I truly am thankful for all my friends who’ve known me from the baby stages of this blog to my new friends who’ve been so supportive.
The immense support and words are so fulfilling and many of you can attest to it.
This blog has opened so many doors to so many opportunities and possibilities. Â It might sound cliched, but I have to thank ‘YOU’ all for it.
Stories can be written, great recipes can be developed, photography can be lovely, but if not for you, a blog is a blog which has good stuff with no exposure.
I am especially thankful for the relations I’ve built in this process.
Cheers to all of you, and I am just overwhelmed with so many emotions that this space and you my friends and readers have brought in my life. Thank you. I mean it with all my heart.
Â
Had to celebrate this post by sharing a cake which was inspired by my most favorite cake of all time from my blog …HONEY CAKEÂ and one of my personal favorite story of the mini me and my balcony.
This cake is a sponge cake which is soaked in sweet syrup and served cold.
Hope you get to try out one of my favorite cakes.
Have a beautiful week my friends.
Luv,
Asha
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup almond meal
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 4 large eggs
- 2 sticks butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 tbsp of milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- For the syrup:
- 1½ water
- ½ cup honey
- 1 cup coconut powder
- 1 cup fresh pineapple juice
- ½ tsp fresh cardamom powder
- Thinly sliced pineapple baked in a 300 degree oven for 2-3 hours and left in the oven slightly open overnight.
- Mildly sweetened whipped cream.
- In a pan on medium flame add all the ingredients for the SYRUP except the cardamom and boil for 15 minutes. Take off the stove and add the cardamom powder, let cool.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- In a mixing bowl, whip the butter till light and fluffy. Add sugar ¼ cup at a time and beat well.
- Add one egg at a time along with vanilla extract and beat well.
- Mix the dry ingredients well. Fold it in the butter mixture and do not over mix.
- Bake the cake in a 2 ,8" baking pan anywhere from 35-40 minutes depending on how your oven works. Mine took 40 minutes. Check with a skewer.
- Let cool the cake for 20 minutes. VERY IMPORTANT TO COOL THE CAKE.
- Pierce both the cakes with wooden toothpick randomly. Take a cake plate or pedestal and keep one sheet cake on it, and drown it with the beautiful SYRUP,making sure to mix the syrup well before pouring, because the coconut tends to float. Now soak the other cake also and be careful to flip the soaked side to the soaked side on the pedestal. The top should be dry. Be careful and gently when you flip to stack it on top of that cake.
- Let the cake sit for 2 hours before frosting.
- Most importantly, frost the cake just before serving.
- Or you could serve the whipping cream on the side.
- Garnish with dried pineapple chips.
- ENJOY!!
Congratulations, Asha!!! Wishing you tons and tons more success 🙂 Hugs. Bina
Congrats Ash ????????????????….. Keep going Girl ????????
A big congratulations and wishing you many many more Asha…..
Congratulations on 4 years and I honestly hope there will be lots more! I love your voice, and the imagery you create through your words and stories, the photos, and the amazing recipes and food. It is always refreshing here and I find something that I can’t get anywhere else. Keep sharing and much continued success to you! xoxo
Congratulations lovely Ash! You so belong here and I wish to see your amazing recipes and stories for many many decades. I am so glad to have found you, one of the treasured connections I have made in blog world. And what a wonderful way to celebrate with this cake. You know you have made me very very happy:-) It looks fabulous! Sending you hugs.
Congratulations Asha! Many, Many happy returns and I know we’ll be seeing you for many years to come. Reading your post reminded me that I totally forgot my blog anniversary…oh well.
This cake is awesome and has all the things my hubby likes…he’s already requested it 🙂
Nazneen
Thank YOU dear Ash; for enriching our lives through your beautiful stories, for sharing your life experience with all of us, for giving us authentic, yummy dishes we all enjoy…! Your blog has been one of those we immediately spotted and distinguished for its fantastic photography and its beautiful stories. Stories that are full of emotions and resonate with all of us.
When you stopped blogging for some a while, we were honestly worried if you’re alright. Blogging brings people together. Even if we never met in person, we feel you’re a friend.
For all the above, THANK YOU!
Have a beautiful week ahead dear! xoxoxo
PS The recipe is of course delicious and we know we’ll love it, because so many desserts in Greece are baking in a pan and soaked in syrup:)
Congratulations on your blog-anniversary. What a gorgeous place you created Asha.
I am new to this space, but looking forward to learning from you and your amazing recipes.
Wishing you many more years to come with lots of success.
Cheers!
PS: I cannot imagine a better cake to celebrate. <3
Happy happy four and wish you many many more. Thank you for your stories and like I mentioned on facebookfor always being such an inspiration 🙂
Congratulations Asha on your anniversary!! So thrilled to know you and your beautiful recipes and blog!! You have achieved a lot in these 4 years and there is certainly a reason to celebrate! Well done on all your successes and cheers to many more! 🙂
Many, many congratulations, Ash! Such a heartwarming moment, isn’t it? Sometimes we don’t realise how much we have grown up with our achievements, and you have done it pretty well my dear! I wish you more success and loads of good luck coming your way! I saw your snapchat and found out that it’s the 4th anniversary of your blog! How amazing is that?! Congrats again and love you bunches XoXo
Congratulations Asha on your blog anniversary! I fell in love with your blog, your recipes and styling the moment I came across it..Your honesty and passion reflect in each of your blog stories..Love reading them when I get the time..I am new to this world but hope to learn and spread the goodness of Indian food in my part of the world.
You are an inspiration and I hope you continue to achieve success and the love of your followers 🙂
Congratulations!!! This cake looks so beautiful and tempting…definitely a great one to celebrate!
Oh this cake!! OH my FOUR years! Asha, thank YOU for your friendship, creating this space, sharing your love and wisdom. I’m so happy to have connected with you and have learned so much. You are such a generous and kind person and I SO hope to meet you in person one day. This cake is just fabulous. With so many flavors I love and crave! Adding almond flour makes the crumb extra tender and adds so much flavor! I gotta give this a go! Thank you my dear and happy happy anni to YOU!!!
Congrats Asha!!! So happy to have found you and your beautiful work. You are so talented and such a kind spirit. Wishing you the best and many more years blogging!! xoxo
Wow! It’s been 4 years..Hearty congratulations!! Well done and so so proud of you girl!! I thoroughly enjoy your cooking tips n creative recipes…cheers!! If I crave your ‘honey cake’ no other store bought cake satisfies me. I have to try making this one too! Awesome photography as always..hugs.
Four years? Congrats! Time really flies, doesn’t it? And what a cake for the celebration! This looks fabulous — thanks so much.
Congrats on the milestone Asha!! Its really wonderful to meet a lovely person like you through the blog. The first shot is so beautiful and the baked pineapple pieces on the top is stunning! I would love to grab the piece from the last shot ..lol 🙂
We came to LA couple of weeks ago for kids spring vacation. I knew that you were in SFO, but it was far away to drive. Would love to meet you some day. If I happen to visit SFO, will meet you for sure.
Congrats Asha so soon four years. Your baby is growing healthy. All the dear.
All the best dear.
Oh Asha – Happy Happy Blogiversary! It has been such a joy knowing you for almost 3 of those 4 years – every recipe you put out is sensational and every post a glimpse into your wonderful heart. Thanks for sharing all you do – and girl – thanks for your killer Instagram account – everytime I visit it I’m blown away! And – thanks for this cake – I simply LOVE that syrup with cardamom and honey – such a delightful cake – perfect for such a wonderful occasion! Congrats on 4 years and here’s hoping you have many, many more years of continued growth and success
Big hugs my friend!
This cake sounds delicious and the photos are just stunning!
This beautiful cake is well deserved. Congrats. GREG
Well. . .congrats for four happy years of blogging. Blogging can be difficult so you should be proud that you have been able to stick it out for four years. Your recipes are always so beautiful. . .a true testament as to why this blog continues to thrive in the vast sea of blogs. And this cake. . . so, so divine. The perfect way to celebrate such an occasion. BTW. . .I don’t think I will be able to get that honey syrup off my mind all day.
This cake is stunning. I love a pineapple coconut cake, just love the combo! Congratulations! It is a bond with the readers and all.
Hi Asha,
I’ve been making your recipes away from home at college. Your blog allows me to have the taste of moms cooking but with actual measurements (my mom is the classic Indian momma that does a pinch of this and a pinch of that making it very hard to replicate). Anyways, thank you for helping me get through my first year in my own apartment. I particularly love your pepper chicken recipe, gets me through midterms!
I’m in the process of making this cake to celebrate summer and I noticed you never mentioned when to add the 4 tbsp milk, I assumed to add it after the eggs and vanilla? Also was I supposed to grease the cake pans? I did to be on the safe side! I pray it turns out well!
I can almost taste it Asha..this is my kind of cake. Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂