I know I haven’t updated the blog for sometime but I do have a valid reason this time. Unlike other times when I dont update the blog due to lethargy or because I become more interested in what other folks are writing on their blogs, this time its because my in-laws are here and I am having fun with them
I know I have a lot of catching up to do in commenting on other blogs. I’ll visit soon and do that.
Last weekend they celebrated 43 years together so I had baked a cake. They loved the cake and were quite happy with my attempts at decoration. Mission accomplished! Please keep them in your prayers
I dont mean you have to comment here or anything, just send a small prayer when you happen to read this post.

It was simple vanilla cake with chocolate ganache frosting. I just blindly followed the recipe for ganache from the website. I just halved the recipe and omitted the addition of rum. The flowers and leaves are fondant. I still have a packet of Wilton fondant from my cake decorating class and I used that for decoration. The flowers were made from the tiniest cookie cutters and arranged according to my mood. I think I was in a good mood as I still like the arrangement

And here’s the couple cutting the cake.

I had made the fondant flowers the day before and they were set properly and were hard when I arranged them on the cake. I then covered it and we went for mass. When we came back after an hour, they had become glossy and slightly soft. You can see the difference in the 2nd and the 3rd pic. I dont know what happened. If any of you know the reason please let me know. It didnt make any difference to the taste or the appearance but I am just curious about the reason.
PS: Wishing Mandira from Baking Buddies a Very Happy Birthday in advance
May 18, 2009 at 9:05 am
The flowers are gorgeous and how thoughtful of you to bake them such a wonderful looking cake.
Thanks Rachel
Infact they like sweet things so I was waiting for them to come so that I could bake a few things for them
May 18, 2009 at 10:03 am
Wishing your in-laws many more happy anniversaries! The cake’s beautiful.
Thanks Sra!
May 18, 2009 at 11:26 am
Wow, the cake is superb HC! You’ve done a great job with decoration.
Belated anniversary wishes to your in-laws. Wishing both of them many many years of togetherness
Thankyou Uma
May 18, 2009 at 9:16 pm
a very happy anniversary to ur in laws homey… may they have yrs and yrs of togetherness and happiness!!
*pats back in appreciation*
that cake is B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!!!!!!!im officially in awe of u now.. it is really really very nice, homey…. im kinda speechless.. here i m making flop glazes… and look at u!!
happpy buddday to you!! i hope u have a fun filled,happy year ahead!!
and thanks soo much for the advanced birthday wishes..
Thankyou so much for all the wonderful wishes,Mandira
The decorations are the easy part babes,the glaze is not! I am sure with a little help you’ll become a pro in decorating. And I have accepted all the pats on the back and birthday wishes to return to you two-fold tomorrow
May 18, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Wow, love the decoration of ur cake and have fun with in laws!
Thanks Cham…yup having fun with them
May 18, 2009 at 9:18 pm
PS: i realise i need tuitions from u homey..seriously!!! lol
Anytime babes
May 18, 2009 at 11:11 pm
HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOMEY!!!!!!!!
have a hap hap happy birthday
may u live to be
a hundred-and-three
have a hap hap happy birthday
and may many more, many more!
yayyyyyyyyyy!
we used to sing this in school for every bday girl while she stood awkwardly and blushed at the whole class and teacher singing for her!!!!!
a ton of hugs n muahs homey!!!! me loves u!
Thankyou sooo much Crafty! Muah
You and Mandira made my day by wishing me!But dont you think 103 is too much
May 18, 2009 at 11:27 pm
now about this cake u baked….sigh
it is the PRETTIEST cake i ever saw…
its simply too pretty for words!! and boy it was a TALL cake!!!
u are a genius homey, u realy are ….i don’t think i’d ever cut a cake that looks like that. u’ve inspired me…when i get more free time, i’d like to do a crochet version of this!!!
ur in-laws must have been so so happy! me wants homey as neighbor!!
Wow…I would love to see a crochet version of this Crafty! Trust you to come up with creative ideas
Yeah my in-laws were happy with it. But I think I finished most of the cake as they eat very less and I cant resist chocolates
Now let me go and see if there is a handsome hunk in my neoghbourhood for you to marry
May 19, 2009 at 3:36 am
@crafty- i like that idea man!! of homey as neighbour…superb!!but pl note she’s looking out for hunks to marry you off to.. so u may want to amend the conditions of becoming her neighbour! lol
@homey- ok tell us. how long did u take to do the whole cake-start to finish…
Accha…it took about an hour to make the flowers and leaves. Half an hour to mix the ingredients for cake and to make ganache and about an hour to decorate. Phew….hard work
And I can look out for a nice guy for you too alongwith one for Crafty. So instead of Sri lanka we can live happily ever after in the US
May 19, 2009 at 3:44 am
firstly Happy Birthday To You!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
have a wonderful and brilliant year ahead!
and then belated anniv wishes to the in laws!
and the cake!! oooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh!! you are awesome woman!!!!!!! like crafty me wanna be your neighbour too! please!
i dont mind remarrying!
cheers!
LOL…I hope M doesn’t come and hit me
Anyway visit your brother and you’ll automatically become my neighbour
And thanks a lot for the wonderful wishes babes! You made my day and I’ll pass on your wishes to my in-laws.
May 19, 2009 at 8:53 am
Beautiful cake…really sweet of you to bake such a lovely cake for them…loved the pretty flowers !
Thanks Arch
I loved the flowers too!
May 19, 2009 at 12:58 pm
I just loved that cake..looks very elegant with simple flower decorations..
Thanks Vrinda
May 19, 2009 at 2:58 pm
WOW! what a beautiful cake. Anyone who can bake something like this is my best friend. *sheepish grin*
Wishing your in-laws a very happy anniversary.
Is it your birthday too? Happy Birthday Homecooked!
Thanks a lot Solilo for the birthday and anniversary wishes
Come over I’ll bake you a nice chocolatey cake….then you can decide if I can be your best friend :p
May 19, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Thats so nice of you!, cakes looks lovely!
Tahnks Seena
May 19, 2009 at 10:24 pm
Happy anniversary to the in-laws. They must be lucky to have you, you know!!!
Awesome cake. I need to come to you for baking 101’s. I have never baked and would love to start! Always handy for kids b’day parties
Thanks Sole….baking 101 sounds good…anytime
May 19, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Wow gorgeous, fabulous, excellent and tremendous cake, very elegant and beautiful frosting and flower decoration!!
Keep on rocking!
Thanks Priya
May 19, 2009 at 11:10 pm
@ mandy: yeah mandy! she’s looking out for u too!!!
Matchmaker Homey will have to start new blog – HomeMatched!!!! *crafty laughs wildly at her own joke*
@ homey: okie, am ready to move if you find a hunky guy as chocolatey as ur cake! but wat do i tell darlin bf?? the poor guy will be lost without all the crafty jokes n all (check joke right above) ok, so maybe u r doin him a favor too
but homey, we must go to SL..coz it sounds more likely a place for renouncing the world than USA…if we wanna un-renouce, we’ll come back to USA!!
LOL….you wont believe in college friends used to call me matchmaker
I used to tease others endlessly! Successfully matched up my cousin too :p Well if your bf has problems maybe we can arrange for him to get a house next to mine
May 19, 2009 at 11:12 pm
lol @ abha willing to remarry for chocolate-cake-making homey as neighbor! homey u got a lots of hunks to find now!!!
Place where I stay is close to the beach….so no shortage of hunks…but whether they are worthy of you all is the question
May 20, 2009 at 11:19 am
Wow…You did an awesome job with the cake buddy.Loved the color combination.
Thanks Dhanya…blue and chocolate looks nice na
May 20, 2009 at 2:39 pm
That cake is just too pretty to be eaten!
I understand (from some of the comments) that you celebrated a birthday? Belated birthday wishes to ya!
Now go make yourself another cake.
Thanks TBC for the wishes
I should make myself a belated birthday cake
May 21, 2009 at 10:10 am
If I were you, I wouldnt cut that cake. It is just too stunning!
You think? That is so sweet of you
May 22, 2009 at 7:50 am
43 yrs???? Congratsssssssssssssssss
Great na
Thanks for the wishes.
May 22, 2009 at 10:20 am
OOOOOOOOOOWAAAAAAAAAA:( am late here…..
haang yevnu post vatsuka masta khushi zatta! inner happiness u c 

….lol
oosi baat par ek joke :
neways Here’s wishing u a belated b’day!have a great year ahead, tarakki aap ke kadam choome…aur aap aise hi acche lajavaab dishes banakar hame recipe dete rahiye….ahem! bohot filmi hogaya nave
Hope u had a grrrrrrrr8 day dear! my heart felt belated anniversary wishes to ur in-laws too!God bless them with good health and many more years of togetherness
U’ve baked a gorgeous ..all decked up cake lady!nicely made, am sure they would’ve loved it. wish I was the knife in that cake cutting snap
Wishing u happiness always! will c u more often now on
sardar:yaar main bachpan mein 5th floor se gir gaya tha
Friend:tu mar gaya ya bach gaya?
sardar:yaad nahi yaar, ue bohot purani baat hai
ciya,tc
LOL Suparna…lovely PJ
Thanks for the lovely wishes! Aap bahut meherbaan hai
Next time come here…I’ll bake the cake for you and you can have the entire cake! Aani ithle bare bare saangun tunve maka mostu santos dilo
(Our konkani’s are a bit different na ?)
May 23, 2009 at 6:22 pm
this is late…but HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
gosh…that cake is SO beautiful…I would love to frame it or keep it forever and ever in a laser-protected case! being able to produce such professional, incredible cakes is my dream…
Thankyou so much for the lovely wishes! You are too kind
May 23, 2009 at 9:09 pm
I think this cake is gorgeous! What beautiful flowers! I would’ve loved to see a cut slice of that cake though! And why did I never think of using my various tiny cookie cutters with fondant? I am, after all, not very good at the pretty decorating stuff…
Thankyou Jamie. Actually the layers weren’t perfect so I didnt click a picture. Using cookie cutters was a last minute thought … as I procrastinated the cake baking till the last minute
May 25, 2009 at 6:29 pm
First time here Anniversary Cake just looks gorgeous…and I was zapped looking at such a beautiful cake decoration..to top it you did it yourself..co0o0ollll
Thanks Muskaan. If you have the cookie cutters, it isnt that difficult
May 26, 2009 at 2:41 am
you shud post.. i have nothing to look at and salvate at 12.30 since the past few days..
LOL…I will soon…promise
May 26, 2009 at 8:05 pm
Hi, belated wishes to your in-laws! Amazing cake.. wonderful decoration:-)
Thanks Shreya
May 27, 2009 at 7:06 am
Pls convey my Belated wishes to them and cake looks so gud wow…the deco is just mind blowing….lovely.
Thanks Priti
May 27, 2009 at 9:33 am
Dear HC,Morsels and chocochips are same ..
Thanks Vrinda
I was just wondering…hehehe…seems like a silly qtn na !
May 28, 2009 at 4:28 am
homess, I’m in diego. Wanna hookie?
May 28, 2009 at 8:48 am
That is the most gorgeous and awesome-est(!) cake I have ever seen…..absolutely amazing!
I can’t stop looking at the cake!!! Wonderful effort for your inlaws…I wish them many more years together!
Thanks PW soooo much
May 28, 2009 at 9:18 pm
you got an award!!!
Thankooo so much
May 30, 2009 at 4:08 pm
Having fun with one’s in-laws are always a good thing. I know they loved this cake. So gorgeous.
Thanks Cynthia
Yup they liked it a lot!
June 1, 2009 at 3:30 am
Can u post recipe of this cake please?
Hi Sia…the recipe is in the following link: Hope you enjoy making it.
http://homecooked.wordpress.com/2009/02/21/vanilla-cake-with-fresh-strawberries/
June 2, 2009 at 12:10 am
im doing a post a week…are u doing a post a month!!??post karo,homeeeey!!
LOL…I know Mandira!! I always think I’ll post something and then go and read other blogs…by that time its already time to get back to household chores. Now that in-laws are here…cant keep putting it off
Have taken pics…just have to resize and upload them. Will post in a couple of days. Pukka!
June 2, 2009 at 4:08 pm
What a gorgeous looking cake! Am sure your in-laws were impressed and touched by your gesture. Wishing them a very happy anniversary.
Thanks Laavanya for the lovely wishes
June 3, 2009 at 5:02 am
Belated wishes…..Wish they have many more years of togetherness, love and happiness. Cake looks extremely yum……
Thanks Lubna
June 3, 2009 at 9:18 pm
Hi da..
i knw its too late ,but its still i think its better late than never ..Wishig ur in laws a belated happy anniversary wishes …Cake looks just wonderful
Good wishes are always welcome even if they are a bit late. Thanks a lot
June 4, 2009 at 5:48 pm
That is one gorgeous looking cake, loved the colour of the flowers, nicely done!
Who wouldn’t love such a cake…good going.
Thanks Namratha…even I love the blue-brown combo
June 5, 2009 at 12:52 am
this is the 40th comment. after this it is mandatory for the blog owner to do a new post.
thanks!
devoted blog reader.
LOL…Mandira! Thanks to you I am getting off the couch and posting a recipe
June 5, 2009 at 1:24 am
have dropped ya a line at gmail and yahoo id!
do have a look!
Thanks Abhs….read and replied
June 6, 2009 at 12:19 am
It was your birthday?? I had no idea. *Rolls over and dies*
Well, anyway I hope you’ve had a wonderful birthday. The cake looks delish.
And you’ve been tagged btw.
LOL…Lyandra,its ok. No need to die over such a small matter
Thanks for the wishes…they are always welcome!
June 8, 2009 at 7:47 am
Congratulations! The cake looks amazing! Great job decorating it.
Thanks Kevin
June 9, 2009 at 7:28 am
How Pretty! It amazes me how people can decorate cakes so beautifully. I have never worked with fondant, but it looks like a miracle that one should have the ability to do such art. happy anniversary to your inlaws!
Thanks Soma
Fondant decorations are pretty easy…I find it difficult to cover cakes properly with fondant,so I use fondant for making small decorations. Even I am amazed at all the pretty things people manage to create with fondant!
June 12, 2009 at 12:13 am
Lovely blog.You are like the Nigella Lawson of India-why don’t I have people like you as my friends here.Till then I will live vicariously through your blog
Wow….thats high praise dear
I am an okay cook…not like Nigella! If you are in California…you are welcome for lunch
June 30, 2009 at 3:08 am
nice cake, very impressive colours and its looks very good.
Thanks
July 10, 2009 at 12:54 pm
prettiest cake i have evr seen!!
Thanks Neha
July 11, 2009 at 11:23 am
The decoration on the cake is so beautiful, that i wouldn’t even want to cut the cake ever…
amazing one…
Thanks Ishani..I too love the colour combo
August 21, 2009 at 3:20 am
Let me be the 50th to comment on this cake
Beautiful !!! love the flowers…you are very talented. I used to live in USA for past 10 years.. now back in india..last year.
Oh…I thought you were staying in the US. But I am sure you all are having loads of fun back home
Thanks for the lovely comment.