About

Over 10 years ago I bought my first set of baking-related utensils and ingredients from Target during the holiday season, with ambitious plans of baking Red Velvet cupcakes. Somehow on that day, I couldn’t find red food coloring in the store, and I conveniently forgot all about the cupcakes. In order to do something with the stuff I had bought, I decided to make Pound Cake. Mmmm. I have baked over a 100 cakes since that day, but nothing really smells as heavenly as a good ol’ Pound Cake.

Gripping story, isn’t it? I didn’t think so either.

Honestly, there wasn’t a big “o-m-g-I-was-destined-to-be-a-baker” moment, but I’ve always been into cooking and baking (my mother still blames my sister and I for the spectacular mess we made trying to create the “Death by Chocolate” cake at home during the 90s), and there’s something about the precision and predictability of baking that really appeals to me at a very core level. A line from the movie “Julie and Julia” sums it up perfectly:

“You know what I love about cooking? I love that after a day when nothing is sure and when I say nothing, I mean nothing. You can come home and absolutely know that if you add egg yolks to chocolate and sugar and milk, it will get thick. That’s such a comfort.”

Since then, I’ve been baking one cake after another – Frost. Click. Repeat. There have been years when I’ve baked an elaborate cake every weekend, and then there have been years where I just made a few cakes (and 50 kinds of green juice). Over the years I’ve dabbled into lots of things, baking- and cooking- wise, and all of it has been for friends/family, birthday parties, baby/bridal showers and casual get-togethers, but this year I’ve decided to really get commit to it and document everything that happens (and doesn’t happen!) along the way!

Because of this tiny little inconvenient, annoying thing named “arteries”, I don’t usually end up baking “just because” that often – but I cook wholesome, healthy (or healthy-ish) multiple times a week/weekend and I’m quite the obsessive meal-prepper, so some of what you see here will be related to that as well.

Life is busy right now (in the best way possible) and lots can come in the way, but I’ve decide to share it all! On this blog, you’ll find everything – recipes, pictures, experiments, failures, food photography, ideas and musings – all with a generous helping of sarcasm. And butter.

About the writer/baker/photographer

Cooking out of a bright, well-stocked kitchen in Foster City, California, Amruta is an Engineering Manager by day. Engineering Manager by night as well, most nights. Weekend Baker and Perpetual Dreamer of Cakes. And Pasta. One Bundt Pan away from renting a Public Storage unit just for baking supplies. Living among way more cookbooks than any normal person should have. Tea Fanatic.

Amruta lives with her husband, Nikhil, who is incredibly supportive and helpful. Or just wants Banana Nut Bread for breakfast. Who knows?