Perfectly moist and lemony bundt cake bursting with blueberries.

I was a bit dubious about using frozen blueberries fearing that they might sink to the bottom or become mushy and turn the batter grey; but they actually worked out like a dream.

The end result was a beautifully moist yellow cake dotted with pops of blueberries. The tanginess from the lemon is noticeable but not overwhelming, and the blueberry flavor just bursts in your mouth!

Here are some of my tips that will help ensure you get the best results.

TOP TIPS

1. Don’t overmix your batter especially once you add the blueberries.
2. If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them. Take them out of the freezer just before ready to use.
3. Be sure to toss your blueberries in 1 flour before adding them to the batter.  This helps keep the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the pan.
4. For easy removal of the cake from the bundt pan, make sure you grease the pan liberally with softened butter, followed by a dusting of flour. Once you have floured every part of the pan, bang it on the counter a couple of times to dislodge any excess flour and dump. Once your cake is baked, let it cool for about 20 minutes or until you can comfortably place your hand on the side of the pan. The pan should still feel very warm. Flip onto a plate or cake stand and tap around the pan until you feel the cake come out.
5. As with all baked goods, this cake tastes better the day after baking
6. Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for upto a week.

LEMON BLUEBERRY BUNDT CAKE

(makes one bundt)

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp lemon zest
• 200g unsalted butter, softened
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs , at room temperature
• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature (1 cup milk mixed with 1 tbsp vinegar)
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups (295g) fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a bundt pan liberally with softened butter, dust with flour and shake out excess, set aside. 
2. In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest by rubbing them together with your fingers until fragrant. Add butter and oil, and whip mixture until pale and fluffy. 
4. Blend in eggs one at a time. 
5. In a measuring cup stir together buttermilk and lemon juice. 
6. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix just until combined, then add in 1/2 of the buttermilk mixture and mix just until combined. Repeat the process with flour and buttermilk mixtures once more. Add the last 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix just until nearly combined.
7. In a small bowl, toss blueberries with 1 Tbsp of flour. Then add the blueberries to the cake mix and fold gently (careful not to over-mix). 
8. Scoop mixture into prepared bundt pan, spread evenly. Bake in a preheated oven for about 45-55 – 60 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes then run a sharp knife around edges to ensure the cake is loosened and invert onto a wire rack. Cool on rack.
10. Dust with icing sugar (optional) and cut yourself a big slice. Enjoy!

Notes: if using frozen blueberries, no need to defrost them. For more tips, see the recipe description above.

– the perfect tea time treat for fall.

It’s fall and the time of year when it just seems right to put apples and cinnamon in everything. And what goes perfectly with apples and cinnamon, why caramel of course!

Filled with apples and topped with a delicious caramel sauce, this cake is quick, easy and oh so good. It makes for the perfect fall treat with its warm cozy flavors.

You start off by making a simple oil based cake. Followed by folding in chunks of apples and toasted walnuts. Finish off by drizzling the mist freshly baked cake with a thick velvety caramel sauce, a sauce which literally takes minutes to make, and is SO good..

Tres leches cake is a popular cake in Mexico and Latin America.

It is an ultra-light sponge cake soaked in a sweet milk mixture–evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and milk–hence the name “tres leches” which literally means “three milks”.

The milks vary from recipe to recipe, but most recipes typically use a combination of sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and either milk or cream.

You’d think that all that milk in the recipe would lead to a mushy cake. But when done right, the combination of the three milks creates the right amount of sweetness and texture for a rich, moist, but still light cake.

It makes for the perfect summer treat: sweet, refreshing, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness, topped with whipped cream.

CAKE TIPS

• The whipped egg whites in the batter make it extra light and spongy, so make sure you whip them well.

• When adding the three-milk mixture make sure that you pour the mixture evenly and that you reach all the edges and corners of the cake.

• After the sponge cake is soaked with the milks, top it with whipped cream and fresh fruit. I used peaches and mangoes, but you can use any fruit that is in season.

• To whip cream, make sure the cream is really well chilled. For extra precaution, pop your metal mixing bowl and your beaters into the freezer half an hour before whipping cream.

• Store Tres Leches Cake in the refrigerator after covering it with plastic wrap. It’s best to store this cake for several hours or overnight before serving so that the cake has a chance to soak up the milk mixture.

• If you have leftovers, they can be stored, covered, in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Tres Leches Cake is one of the easiest cakes to make and it tastes DIVINE.

It’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser at your next party. Everyone will be coming back for seconds!

More easy cake recipes:

Old-fashioned Banana Cake

Fresh Peach Cake

Iced Lemon Pound Cake

I love summer for all its bounty – the beautiful cherries, luscious mangoes, juicy melons just to name a few. But, I especially love peaches.

This recipe is a mashup of my Strawberry Cake and Peach Crumble Pie.

It is composed of a simple batter with peaches mixed in and some arranged on top along with a sprinkling of crumble that melts into the cake when baked and creates pockets of gooey deliciousness.

Nothing fancy, but oh so tasty!

This Fresh Peach Cake is the perfect way to show off the season’s juiciest peaches. Whether you pair it with a cup of tea or a dollop of cream, it will be hard to eat just one slice.

Typically, having a bunch of overripe bananas lying around means only one thing in our house… Banana bread! But I decided to switch things up this time around and make a Banana Cake instead.

This easy banana cake recipe makes for the absolute best banana cake you’ll ever try. It’s moist and fluffy, packed with banana flavor with an added punch from the cinnamon. Perfect for teatime or snacking!

Tips for Making this Banana Cake

• Use dark, spotty bananas for a pronounced banana flavor, and to ensure your cake is deliciously moist.

• Make sure you’re using room temperature ingredients. This ensures everything mixes together evenly without over mixing.

• Don’t over mix the batter, otherwise it can get tough. This will help create a tall, light cake.

• I used an 8 inch square cake pan but a round pan would work too.

• This cake is perfect on its own or frosted with a layer of Nutella. You can even drizzle the cooled cake with Caramel Sauce.

• The baked cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge. If the cake is frosted then it definitely should be refrigerated.

• You can add a cup of toasted walnuts to the batter for an added texture.

If you have got a bunch of overripe bananas lying around – then I highly recommend you skip the banana bread and make this simple moist banana cake. It is tender, comfy, and has a delicious hint of cinnamon.

For more banana recipes – try these other favorites:

• Banana Nut Muffins

• Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes

• Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

So rich. So smooth. So creamy.

This is my go to recipe for Salted Caramel Sauce with all the tips and tricks to get it right every single time!

No thermometers, no fancy equipment needed. Just four basic ingredients and a whole lotta patience.

Lets go!

HOW TO MAKE SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE

To make the salted caramel, add granulated sugar to a heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat. Use a wooden spoon to stir to prevent the sugar from burning. The sugar will slowly start to melt and brown.

Once the sugar has completely melted, it will start to change color quite rapidly. As soon as its turns golden amber, carefully add butter to the sauce pan. Once the butter has melted, slowly pour in the cream. There may be some splashing due to the difference in temperature. Let the caramel simmer for a minute. Remove the caramel from heat and add the salt. This part is always a bit subjective. If you prefer regular sweet caramel to the salted variety add in about ¼ of a teaspoon to start, while for salted, I start with ½ a teaspoon and then adjust from there until I get the flavor I like. You can always add more salt but you cannot take away if you add too much!

Leave the caramel to cool down to room temperature. The caramel will continue to thicken. Pour cooled caramel into a jar and store in the fridge. The salted caramel will thicken as it cools, so just zap it in the microwave before using if you want it a little more ‘drizzle’ consistency.

The trick with making caramel sauce is in cooking the sugar just right.

The darker the sugar gets, the more intense caramel flavor your sauce will have. Too light and your sauce will be pale in color and taste like straight sugar. Too dark and your sauce will have a bitter taste that will ruin everything.

So as soon as the sugar reaches that picture perfect caramel shade, add the butter, immediately followed by the cream.

Below are some more tips to make the perfect salted caramel sauce every single time.

TIPS FOR THE PERFECT SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE:

• Use a heavy bottom and tall pan. Stainless steel works better than a nonstick pan because you’ll need to see the color of the mixture.

• I do not recommend making any substitutions to this recipe. For example, do not substitute granulated sugar with icing sugar nor brown sugar. It just won’t work.

• Take care not to add the cream to the sugar prematurely. If you do, the result will be more like sweetened condensed milk.

• Make sure all your ingredients are ready to go when you start making the sauce.

• Always keep an eye on it because the caramel knows when you’re not looking and will burn as revenge.

USES FOR SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE

Once you have a batch of salted caramel on hand, you will want to drizzle it over everything! Over brownies and apple pie bars, over waffles and pancakes.

You can use it as a filling in cakes and cupcakes, or make salted caramel frosting. You can add a dollop to your coffee or you can eat it by the spoonful…

The options are endless!

I bake cookies often. Not for any particular reason, other than I find them to be the quickest thing to whip together to satisfy my sweet cravings.

I end up baking half of the dough and stashing the rest in my freezer for the next wave of cravings.

#sorrynotsorry

These Milk Chocolate Chunk Oat Cookies are everything you’re looking for in a cookie: slightly crisp edges, soft in the middle, and melty bits of chocolate in every bite….perfection!

The rolled oats add to gritty texture of the cookies and there are chunks of chocolate scattered throughout. You can add chopped walnuts or raisins to add an extra oomph of flavor.

Notes:

• Once the dry ingredients are added, don’t over-mix the dough. With cookies, the less mixing, the better (once flour has been added). This will keep them soft and chewy instead of hard and dense.
• Don’t forget parchment paper to line your cookie sheet. Parchment paper prevents the bottom of these cookies from getting overly baked/browned, and prevents them from sticking to the baking sheet.
• Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking. Chilling gives the dough time to rest and results in a flavorful cookie with a tighter shape. If you chill the dough for more than 30 minutes, it will firm up and become difficult to handle. If this happens, simply let the dough come to temperature on the kitchen counter before using.
• Any milk chocolate will do. You can also use dark chocolate if you prefer a more bitter edge to balance the sweetness of the cookie.
• If you can’t find rolled oats, you can use quick cooking oats. The texture of the cookies might be a litter harder.
• These cookies are tender right out of the oven and will firm up as they cool. Make sure you let them cool on the baking tray for at least 5-6 minutes, before moving them to the rack to cool completely.
• Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze really well. Place them in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw.

Make a double batch and stash half the cookies in the freezer for another day.

It is always a wise idea to have cookie dough on hand in case of (sugar craving) emergencies

Garlic knots are strips of pizza dough twisted into the shape of a knot, baked till golden brown, and then brushed with a garlic and herb infused butter. I have been craving them ever since I last ate them at Pizza Pigrims in London.

With plenty of time on hand, I tried to perfect the recipe at home and turns out they are SO much easier than you’d expect and packed with flavor.

Nothing beats homemade dough fresh out of the oven especially if its smothered in garlicky buttery goodness.

These rolls are a cinch to make.It is a little hard to tie the dough into knots, but after a few tries you get the hang of it.

Below is a step-by-step guide on how to shape them along with a picture tutorial at the end of the recipe:

How to Shape Garlic Knots

1. Using your hands, shape the dough into a log.
2. Cut the log into 1-inch strips.
3. Roll each strip into a long rope, around 8-inches long.
4. Tie the rope into a knot.

Don’t worry if they are a little wonky (like mine :p), they still taste delicious.

Garlic knots are best served fresh out of the oven.  However, they are still  light and soft when served the next day. Simply heat them in a microwave for a few seconds until warmed through.

They are traditionally served as an accompaniment with a bowl of soup, pasta or pizza, but they are so delicious that they can be served alone, and can be a perfect addition to your iftar table.

They are one of the most satisfyingly delicious things to eat and are unbelievably addictive. Try them this Ramadan and let me know they turn out.

More delicious recipes you can try this Ramadan:

Shepherd’s Macaroni Pie

Stuffed Italian Pie

Chicken Bread

Cheesy Baked Pasta

How to shape them

Picture credits: Finecooking

This cheesy baked pasta casserole is my family’s favorite!

I’ve been making it ever since I first saw Shireen Anwer make it on Masala Mornings nine years ago. Which is why I am reposting this recipe because the pictures and the writing in the original post do not do justice to how awesome this recipe is.

Creamy, cheesy, and oh so comforting! This saucy pasta baked together with ground beef is a crowd-pleasing, no fuss meal which can be a perfect addition to your iftar table.

It is easy to make using basic ingredients and it is a great one to prepare early in the day and then bake in the evening right before iftar time.

This is one recipe your family is going to absolutely LOVE. So easy to make and even more delicious to eat!

The next time you want an incredibly easy weeknight dinner or something new for ifar, give this loaded cheesy pasta bake a try! And don’t forget to take a picture and tag it #spatulainmypocket on Instagram.

This cake comes together really easily with ingredients you more than likely already have in your kitchen. It is also an excellent way to make use of the juicy strawberries in season.

I also got to use my heart shaped pan, which I often feel gets neglected.

Do not do what I did, which is to try and tip out the cake from the pan!

This cake is way too delicate to be removed from a regular cake pan. Please use a spring from pan with a removable bottom or use any pie dish and serve the cake straight from it.

Here are some other juicy strawberry bakes you might like:
Strawberries and Cream Sponge Cake
Buttermilk pancakes with strawberry compote

Stay home, stay safe, and bake on.
xxx

Dense, chewy, delicious and oh-so-addictive!

As I hunker down in my home, socially isolated from everyone I know, I look back at all the things I made in a time that now seems so far away. So many recipes made and shot in my Manchester dorm, each bringing nostalgia in various forms.

These bars, for instance, were first made during one of my many dissertation-writing blocks. With my mind whirring, fingers crimping, and eyes bleeding after hours of slaving away over my laptop, I always headed towards the kitchen as my refuge.

Easy to make, quick to bake; these rich, gooey, dark golden bars were my ultimate comfort treat.

This recipe involves one pesky little step which might sound quite extra but trust me when I tell you that it makes a world of a difference!

Browning the butter

Browning butter is truly a magical process. Simply by adding a little heat, plain molten butter transforms with bits of nutty caramel notes that elevates the flavor of nearly everything its added into.

You can skip this step if you must. The taste won’t as intense and rich though.

After browning the butter, its all down to a one-bowl flow. It can’t get any easier than that. Here are some extra tips:

• Use dark chocolate to offset the overall sweetness of the bars.

• Bake until the top is set and the sides are beginning to turn golden brown. They will be soft when you take them out, so let them cool before cutting.

• My favorite way to eat these bars is cold when they have set up nicely. They are dense and chewy and o’so good.

Stay home, stay safe, and enjoy these delicious chocolate chunk bars.

xxx

2018 goes down in my personal history book as 100% major.  It’s been one of those years where I feel blessed far beyond what I even knew to ask for.  It’s been filled with gracious opportunity and a lot of hard work.

There have been highs and lows, lots of learning, some tears and plenty of of goodies have come out of my oven, both here and back home.

My phone has been stolen. My laptop’s hard drive has been corrupted. I got a job. I quit my job. Lots of family drama and other unpleasant stuff unfolded. But today we remember and appreciate all the nice things.

Looking through my photos made me realize how much has happened and how quickly time has gone by.

So here it is, my highlights from 2018:

#1

Oh the anticipation of traveling internationally for the very first time ALONE!

I’d been abroad before but never without my parents and siblings so you can imagine my excitement anxiety.

#2

Not having to share a washroom, a bedroom or any room for that matter with any of my many sisters is a MAJOR highlight for me xD

#3

The year I baked my first cheesecake!

And made truffles.

And ate a lot of berries.

#4

The Brathay trip.

The trip of a lifetime.

Rowing on one of the most beautiful lakes of the world, Lake Windermere, taking the ‘leap of faith’, and doing all sorts of other wild activities I never would have imagined myself doing.

#5

Meeting some awesome people and making some AMAZING friends from all over the world.

#6

Falling in love with the beauty of autumn.

#7

Experiencing the magic of Christmas.

#8

Exploring London with my crazy Russian best friend.  

#9

Visiting the infamous Dominique Ansel Bakery, and FINALLY trying the mighty ‘cronut’. A moment I’d been dreaming of ever since its creation.

The first bite was magical.

I’m swooning just thinking about it.

#10

The day I met Cupcake Jemma!!

Major fan moment!

My heart was thumping. My palms were clammy. We talked. I told her my sisters and I were huge fans. We took a photo (which came out horrid). And then I tried some of Crumbs and Doilies mini cupcakes.

A day I can relive over and over again.

I might have gone and visited her again. O.o #stalkerandproud 

#11

My first roller coaster ride at the Winter Wonderland in London.

It only took about two minutes, but the experience will stay with me forever. It was raining and I was laughing and crying.

The whole experience was just exhilarating! And nauseating.

#12

My first football match.

Though not a sports fan, I wouldn’t mind going again and again.

I loved the electric atmosphere and the excitement you feel with every pass, tackle and goal!

#13

And the highlight that made all the above highlights possible; being awarded the British Chevening Scholarship.

I am incredibly honored to be given this opportunity, to be one among the 1800 scholars out of 65,000 individuals who applied.

It still feels surreal.

Every time I walk through the campus feels surreal.

Thank you Chevening for giving me Manchester.

#14

Last but not the least, the highlight of not just this year but forever; having my laser eye surgery done.

It’s quite possibly the best thing I’ve ever done. It’s changed my life, my confidence, and my happiness. I am SO glad I took the leap and finally got it done. 

Huge thanks to my mother for pushing me to get it done (and my father for financing it :p).

I am incredibly grateful for all that has come my way this year and I want to thank you for sharing this journey with me. Your response to my Instastories makes my day.

Thank you for all of the love and support.

Happy New Year.

Love,

Noor

1. I absolutely HATE talking on the phone! It takes me about three days to acknowledge the message before I even think about replying. It’s nothing personal. I’m just not very good on the phone.

2. The early-morning hours are my favorite and most productive time of the day.

3. It took me three times to pass Math’s in eighth grade. I get frustrated just thinking about it.

4. I freeze up and turn completely silent in certain stressful situations or when I am nervous around someone in particular.

5. I love cheeseball 90’s movies. My favorites are: the Runaway Bride, and the Parent Trap. I could watch these a million times…and I may have done so by now

6. I am addicted to chocolate.

Which brings us to…

This recipe is defined by its triple dose of chocolate.

These deep dark brownie cookies are a chocolate lover’s dream, my dream.

They are thick and fudgy just like brownies.

They have an intense chocolate flavor and are full of walnut chunks and gooey bits of chocolate.

And they taste out.of.this.world!

Extra thick, extra fudgy and extra chocolaty.

And they’re super easy to make too!

The dough is made with a generous amount of cocoa powder and melted dark chocolate to give the cookies a deep chocolate flavor and very dark color. I recommend using chocolate having 70% or above cocoa solids (preferably Lindt) for that rich dark taste.

I recommend chilling the dough for at least one hour so that the cookies won’t spread too much while baking. If the dough is too hard to handle when you take it out of the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes.

Baking time is also very important! Bake the cookies just to the point when the edges start to set. I like to slightly underbake my cookies for extra fudginess and softness. Overbaking will make them dry. Baking time in my oven is exactly 12 minutes, don’t bake them more than 14 minutes. Keep in mind that baking time is different if you bake bigger or smaller cookies than what the instructions suggest.

If you’re addicted to chocolate just like me then you’ll love these cookies!

These are the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had. Period. Why you may ask?

• No fancy ingredients needed, only the basics; butter, sugar, flour, egg

• No electric mixer required. Just a whisk, saucepan, and some mixing bowls.

• No chocolate chips. We use bars of dark chocolate chopped into gorgeous shards and chunks; some big, some small. That way your warm cookies have pools of molten chocolate instead of just tiny chocolate bits.

They’re soft and gooey in the middle with a perfectly chewy edge. And my favorite part: they’re packed with dark chocolate which melts into the most gorgeous glistening pools of molten chocolate.

These cookies can be whipped up quickly, they taste AMAZING, they have the perfect texture, and I don’t see why you shouldn’t make them.

NOTES

• Use the best dark chocolate you can find. I recommend using either Bournville or Lindt Dark 70%. The slightly bitter edge balances the cookie sweetness perfectly.

• Chop the dark chocolate roughly. The larger the chunk, the easier it will spread into a molten pool of chocolate.

• I recommend chilling the dough for at least 20 minutes before baking. Chilling gives the dough time to rest and helps develop the flavor. It also prevents the cookies from spreading too much. The colder the dough, the thicker the cookies!

• Dough can also be chilled overnight. The next morning, allow it to sit at room temperature just long enough so that you can scoop it and bake for an extra 2-3 minutes.

• These cookies are perfect for when cravings strike. Seal cookie dough balls in a ziplock bag and stash in the freezer for up to three months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra two minutes, no need to thaw.

• When baking, the cookies tend to expand a lot so be sure to space the cookie dough balls apart.

• This recipe makes 14 cookies; I have halved the original recipe. But you can easily double the recipe it if you want to make more.

BEST COOKIES EVER

aaand I’m out.

What is Chevening?

Chevening is the UK government’s most prestigious scholarship award coordinated by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and managed by the British High Commission across the Commonwealth countries.

The selection criteria for Chevening Scholarships are aimed to identify “high-caliber graduates with the personal, intellectual and interpersonal qualities necessary for leadership.” You will need to be able to demonstrate all of the following mentioned skills at each step of the application:

• Personal, intellectual and interpersonal qualities necessary for leadership in home country.
• Motivation to develop career in order to establish a position of leadership within 10 years.
• A clear post Scholarship plan, outlining career objectives and how to achieve them.
• Commitment to networking to find global solutions.
• Commitment to networking within Chevening community, and alumni network in home country.
• Use studies and experience in UK to benefit themselves, their country and the UK.
• Able to successfully complete proposed course of study in the UK.

Specific selection criteria varies from country to country.

Selection Criteria for Pakistan

By researching the Chevening alumni and the list of awardees for this year, I have found that the subject areas most favored in Pakistan are:

• Cultural studies
• Development
• Education
• Environment and sustainability
• Law; human rights
• Management
• Medical sciences; healthcare
• Science and Technology

Specifically these are the courses that this year’s awardees are studying:

• Computer Science
• Conflict Security and Development
• Counter Terrorism
• Criminology
• Development Administration and Planning
• Development Studies
• Economics Politics and Public Policy
• Education
• Education and International Development
• Endocrinology
• Financial Management
• Gender Studies and Law
• Global Health
• Global Political Economy
• Governance Development and Public Policy
• Innovation Management
• International Accounting and Financial Management
• International Development
• International Planning and Sustainable Development
• International Relations and Security
• LLM
• LLM Human Rights
• Media Practice for Development and Social Change
• Neuroscience
• Public Administration
• Public Financial Management
• Public Policy

As evident, law and development studies are some of the most popular choices.

You must remember that Chevening focuses on developing international relations amongst the Commonwealth countries so your chosen course of study must align with that goal. It can’t be something like a Masters in Fashion Designing or Architecture. Chevening focuses on building future leaders who can come back to their home country and work to bring change and instill development.

So first things first; decide what you would like to study, how your past experience supports that, and how it aligns with your future goals.

WORK EXPERIENCE

This is the part I get the most questions about.

‘Is two years’ work experience mandatory?’

‘I’ll have two years of experience by the March next year, will that be okay?’

‘How did you get the scholarship if you only graduated last year?’

‘Does voluntary work count?’

‘I was a member of the OC teams at my universities MUN and other events, does that count?’

Yes, work experience counts. Yes, minimum of two years’ work experience is mandatory!

There’s a part in the application where you have to enter the exact number of hours you have worked, there’s no skipping that part.

Now the kind of work can vary. It doesn’t have to be two full years at one work place. It can be different kinds of work for different periods of time but they must all join up to make two years’ worth of experience.

According to the Chevening website:

“The types of work experience that are eligible for Chevening can include:

• Full-time employment
• Part-time employment
• Voluntary work
• Paid or unpaid internships
• Work experience can be completed before, during, or after graduating from your undergraduate studies.

Employment undertaken as part of your undergraduate or postgraduate course are not eligible.”

While you can’t count work you did at your university (class projects, school events/conferences/MUNs), you can mention them in your essays. For example, I mentioned being the Director of Broadcasting of the Job Fair and being a member of the various MUNs in my leadership and networking essays but I did not count them as my work experience.

Important!

What will make your application stronger is if your work experience and all your extracurriculars support your desired course of study.

It’s true I only graduated last year. It’s true I only worked an ‘office job’ for 3 months after I graduated. So how did I magically get the scholarship despite no work experience? That’s because my intended course of study was ‘entrepreneurship’ and I had two entrepreneurial ventures to back it up. Spatula in my Pocket and Nuts about Donuts may sound like just another Facebook page to some, or just a hobby to others but they are purely entrepreneurial in nature; started by me, run by me. And that’s how I built my application based on two of my own ventures.

You need to realize that if you run a Facebook page too, featuring your photography or your arts and crafts, but you’re applying to study law or environment sustainability you cannot use those pages to support your application. Your work experience must support your study goals.

In the end, what will make your application stronger is when your work experience and all your extracurricular activities support your desired course of study.

APPLICATION TIPS

Here are my tips for getting started with your application:

1.Decide on your course of study and then research the heck out of it. All the universities that offer it in the UK, the faculty, the modules, electives, entry requirements… everything.

Find out what matters to you, what you want to do in your life. You need to choose three courses. All three of your courses can be from the same university or you can choose the same course at three different universities.

Also, don’t forget to research the city as much as the university itself. Would you be comfortable living in a big and expensive city like London or do you prefer something smaller like the quaint city of Bournemouth?

I chose University of Manchester as my first choice because:

1. The Entrepreneurship program here is ranked as number one in the entire UK
2. Manchester is known as the city of innovation
3. Manchester is also known as the student city of UK since there are SO many students all from diverse backgrounds
4. You get the true “international” experience
5. It is relatively cheaper than other cities like London

2.Gather all your work experience details and extracurricular activities in one word document. This should include everything you have done in your life that matters; any events you may have participated in, any conferences/workshops you may have attended or helped organized during your college years or after. Were you a teacher’s assistant, a class representative (CR), best intern, employee of the month…any of these, just write them down.

3.Start working on your essays as soon as possible. Do not leave them for the week before the deadline. It takes time to perfect them and trust me these essays count ALOT. Write, edit, review, get someone else to review them too.

More information can be found here >> http://www.chevening.org/apply/eligibility-criteria

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Some additional questions:

Can PhD students apply?

PhD students can unfortunately not apply.

The courses you choose must be:

• Full-time
• Start in the autumn term (usually September/October)
• Taught master’s (i.e. not research-focused MRes programmes)
• Lead to a master’s degree qualification
• Based in the UK

Courses cannot be:

• Distance learning
• Part-time
• Less than nine months in duration
• More than 12 months in duration
• PhD or DPhil are not permitted
• Taught with more than one month of study outside the UK

Do you need to have a good GPA?

I think Chevening focuses more on the experience and the skills. A good GPA does help but a 4.0 isn’t necessary.

Is the scholarship fully funded?

Yes it is.  It comprises of:

• Payment of tuition fees (see point 1.2.a in relation to MBA fee caps)
• Economy travel to and from your country of residence by an approved route for you only
• An arrival allowance
• The cost of an entry clearance (visa) application for you only
• A departure allowance
• A contribution of up to £75 for TB testing, where this is required
• A travel top up allowance
• A monthly personal living allowance (stipend) to cover accommodation and living expenses.

Specifically…Manchester!

In just 5 days!

And I’m thrilled to finally tell you all about it today!   Seriously, it has been killing me to keep this to myself all this time.  My trustees told me not to say a word till the final award letter was here, and then ‘not till you get the visa’, and THEN ‘not till you book your ticket’!

But I’m happy to say that my plan is now officially a go, and in just five days, I’ll be flying across the ocean to my new life in Manchester.  And I cannot wait to get this adventure started.

I’ve been dreaming to study in the UK since I was about six when I first started reading Enid Blyton books and fell in love with girl boarding schools. And then came the Great British Bake-Off and I fell in love with Britain all over again. I dream of visiting the Dominique Ansel Bakery, roaming the streets of the Northern Quater, taking pastry classes at Le Cordon Bleu, and studying in a country where there is so much to explore and do.

And in just a few days, I will be making that dream a reality.

I am going to the University of Manchester to pursue a Masters in Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship fully sponsored by the British Chevening Scholarship Program.

Chevening is a UK government international award, which sponsors developing global leaders in obtaining a Masters degree at any British university. This program is financed by Foreign and Commonwealth office and is oriented at future leaders, influencers and decision makers from all over the globe.

After an almost year-long agonizing selection process, I am incredibly honored to be chosen as the youngest Chevening Scholar from Pakistan for the year 2018/2019!

Right now, I think it’s safe to say that I am officially feeling all the feels.

I can’t wait to be swept up in the newness of a brand new place with so much to explore and so many new memories to be made. I am just feeling incredibly excited and lucky that I have the opportunity to take an adventure like this. And more than anything, I am super excited to visit all the donut shops I’ve been stalking on Instagram all these years xD

That said, it’s also sinking in just how much I am going to miss my friends and family here back in Pakistan.  And how much life I am going to miss out on here while I am away.

With each passing day, though, the reality of this amazing adventure ahead is starting to feel more and more real.  And I absolutely can’t wait to get there and get it all started!!!  So thank you in advance for following along on the blog and coming there with me and making this entire journey possible. This scholarship would definitely not have been possible if wasn’t for your love and support that made Spatula in My Pocket what it is today.

I can’t wait to write and share all about my adventures, the wonderful people, places, and food I discover along the way. (Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram!)

Love you all and thank you!

Confession: Breakfast is my least favorite meal of the day. 

I’ve had a cup of plain coffee every single morning for as long as I remember.

Don’t get me wrong, I love breakfast food: pancakes, waffles, omelets, scrambled eggs! I’d eat “breakfast food” for 90% of my meals. But I just don’t like eating at breakfast time. 

I’d much rather have an omelet for lunch, granola for snack, and a stack of waffles for dinner.

And these pancakes, these gorgeous banana chocolate chip studded pancakes, I could have at any time of the day.

These are seriously everything!

Extra fluffy, soft, slightly sweet from the bananas, slightly bittersweet from the chocolate, perfectly golden brown.

In short, these pancakes are a blessing from the heavens.

I, sometimes, intentionally set aside 3-4 bananas and let them ripe just so that I can make these pancakes or my banana chocolate chip bread.

Whoever first thought of pairing up bananas and chocolate chips deserves a wildly prestigious prize in my book.

Making these pancakes is incredibly simple and if you want your pancakes to be as scrumptious as mine, I suggest you read the following tips along with the written recipe.

BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP PANCAKE TIPS:

• Use slightly over ripe bananas. The riper the bananas, the sweeter they are.

• DON’T OVERMIX: Mix the batter just until you see no more streaks of flour. It will be slightly lumpy. If you overmix the pancake batter your pancakes will turn out dense.

• Make sure your frying pan/griddle is hot before adding the pancake batter.

• Cook on low-medium heat to ensure that the pancake gets cooked in the middle and develops a crisp golden brown “crust” on the top.

If these next two pictures don’t make you seriously consider why you aren’t in your kitchen right this second making these pancakes, I don’t know what will.

This is a recipe you’re going to want to hold onto forever.

Which might explain why I am able to survive ten hour donut shifts in front of the fryer in this heat o.o

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With frying comes sweat and I mean ALOT of sweat. But the end result always makes it worth it.

After you take the first bite of be it a donut or a churro, the sweat and all your fried oil guilt *poof* disappears.

Churros are strips of dough deep-fried until they become crunchy, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, and served with warm chocolate sauce.

These Spanish/Mexican concoctions are addicting!

You won’t be able to stop at one. Also, they make a great snack to share with friends and family when watching the telly or just hanging out.

IMPORTANT

If you do not own a piping bag or a piping tip, that does NOT mean that you can’t make homemade churros.

No piping bag?

No problem. Use a plastic ziplock bag instead (easily available in all superstores, check the foil and cling wrap section)

No piping tip?

No problem. A piping tip isn’t essential, it just gives the churros their signature textured lines. You can just snip off the end of your piping bag or ziplock bag and pipe straight from it.

No thermometer?

No problem. Preheat your oil for minimum 10 minutes on high heat (thats how long it takes it to reach 190 degrees Celsius). Fry on medium heat. And then in between batches crank up the heat again because the drops very quickly as soon as you put the churros in.

This churros recipe might be different than anything you’ve ever made.

There will be several points throughout this recipe where you might curse my name, especially when you’ll have to exert every bit of energy you have in mixing the dough and then some when piping them into the hot oil.

You might also curse me when your piping bag bursts open because of the pressure (the dough is That thick) which is why I’m telling you beforehand to scotch tape the piping bag around the piping nozzle/tip two to three times. Just to be safe.

You’ll get through it and I promise you’ll love me when you bite into your first warm delicious churro dripping with dark melty chocolate.

This is what you should end up with.

Stodgy, white dough.  

You’ll need a large star piping tip and a piping bag, or a big ZipLock bag. And a knife!

You squeeze the dough in the form of strips onto a parchment paper, and slice it off with the knife. Doing this:

1. makes it much easier to plop them in 3-4 at a time instead of squeezing them straight into the hot oil one by one

2. that way chances of burning your fingers are less

Fry till golden brown. Toss in cinnamon and sugar. 

Dip them in chocolate and hallelujah!

Dip em once, dip em twice or maybe even thrice.

Now you don’t need to go to Disneyland to eat churros. You can make them at home anytime you want. How cool is that!

If you try this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, tag a photo #spatulainmypocket on Instagram so I can see it.

Cheers!

It’s been a long time since I posted anything but I promise that I had good reason – which I’ll get to later.

First can we just stop, wait a minute and admire the gorgeousness that this brownie is!

Look at that fudge.

Look at that shine.

Look at the corky piece of walnut peeking through.

Doesn’t it make you want to sink your teeth into it right now? 

These brownies have become my go-to brownies because they are THE best. 

They’re extremely dense, fudgy, chewy and have NO chocolate in them. That’s right, not a single square!

I almost wept with joy upon biting into my first, straight from the oven (hence the unruly cuts), square of deep dark chocolate deliciousness. I’m swooning just thinking about them.

I found the recipe on kitchn.com and was drawn to its name ‘Pantry Cocoa Brownies’ which is very apt because they really do just call for ingredients that I’m sure all of us have in our kitchens – oil, sugar, eggs, flour, and cocoa.

Nothing extra!

No need to worry about buying copious amounts of dark chocolate or melting pounds of butter or making buttermilk.

These fudgy chocolatey bars of goodness take half an hour to make and another half an hour to bake.

That’s an hour well spent I’d say especially considering you’ll have an entire batch of devilishly good brownies at the end of it.

The smell of chocolate wafting through your entire house is an added plus.

There are two things to note about the recipe:

1. I’ve added half a cup of chopped walnuts, they’re totally optional though. I personally love nutty and crunchy bits in my brownie. The original recipe does not call for any nuts.

2. The original recipe does however call for powdered sugar instead of normal granulated sugar. If you don’t have powdered sugar on hand, you can grind normal granulated sugar in a blender or food processor. But decrease the amount slightly because as compared to powdered sugar, granulated sugar is heavier in weight.

With that out of the way, make them and let them blow your mind.  

Cheers – Noor

Piled high with whipped cream and strawberries or ice cream and Nutella, they are the ultimate, indulgent breakfast/snack/lunch/dinner/midnight meal.

I got a waffle maker a few months ago. Since then I have made batches upon batches of waffles in search for the perfect recipe.

For me, a perfect waffle is:

• soft and fluffy on the inside

• crispy on the outside

• golden brown

• Irresistibly delicious!

After months of researching through different recipes available on the internet; I decided to test the ones that were the most popular worldwide.

One called for melted butter; the other vegetable oil. One involved eggs with the whites whisked till stiff; the other with the eggs mixed right into the batter.

I made waffles after waffles and forced my sisters to be the taste testers (a torture to which they happily agreed).

One fine Sunday, I found our *all-time favorite, no-fail waffles recipe*.

This recipe will impress waffle newbies and old waffle lovers alike.

This is it.

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This is, hands down, the best waffle recipe EVER!

These waffles are everything mentioned in the list above and more. They send you into a good food coma so deadly that it should come with a warning.

You will, obviously, need a waffle iron to make these warm, crispy waffles. I recommend you take the plunge and just buy it. It is worth the investment because after making this recipe once, I assure you, you will want to make them every day for breakfast/snack/lunch/dinner/midnight meal.

I ordered mine online at Daraz.pk. They had a sale going on and I found mine pretty cheap for Rs.1400/-.

>>Here’s the link to the brand I use<<

It’s small and it’s not fancy, but it’s budget-friendly and it works well.

After making waffles myself, I can tell with confidence that those sold at astounding prices in restaurants can be absolute crap. They’re often soggy, eggy, and bland. Homemade waffles are way way wayyy better and are really easy to make too. They are the new 2-minute noodles!

This recipe is pretty standard including all your basic kitchen ingredients. Dry ingredients in one bowl, wet in another. Whisk them together and voila, waffle batter.

We love them drenched with maple syrup or smothered with Nutella (heavenly!!).

Buying a waffle maker has to be the best decision I have made yet (other than starting this blog of course).

I hope you enjoy them as much as my sisters and I did. And if you do whip ‘em up please share on Instagram using the hashtag #spatulainmypocket

Much love!

Did you grow up eating zucchini bread?

I for one did not and I’m pretty sure none of my fellow Pakistanis did either. I didn’t even know we had zucchini in Pakistan until just recently!

Incase you are as clueless as I am, zucchini is indeed available in Pakistan.

It’s grown all year round, called ‘maaru’ in Urdu, is pale green in color, high in water content and bland in taste which makes it the perfect addition to baked goods.

It was a no-brainer I’d pick ‘Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread’ as my first zucchini recipe because, well:

a. its chocolate

b. its DOUBLE CHOCOLATE

Just look at it.

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It screams deliciousness!

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ve probably noticed that I’m a huge fan of fruit and vegetable based baked goods.

• Banana Nut Muffins

• Pumpkin Nutella Swirl Muffins

• Peach Crumble Pie

• Apple Pie Bars

^case in point

I don’t know who the crazy genius was behind the idea of incorporating vegetables in baking, but whoever it was, know that I LOVE YOU enormously.

I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical about putting in a mound of shredded green vegetable in a chocolate bread but the result blew.me.away!

It was deliciously moist, intense and chocolatey.

And the zucchini completely disappeared!

You can’t tell the zucchini is in there unless you’re looking for it. Which is why even my super picky, non-vegetable sisters went for seconds and thirds. We ended up devouring the entire loaf in a matter of minutes. ^.^

This double chocolate zucchini bread is perfect for anytime of the day, in any season and pairs wonderfully with a cup of hot coffee or tea.

I like it best when its fresh out of the oven. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature and warmed in the microwave for a few seconds or until all the chocolate bits are melty and gooey…Mmm.

Go buy some zucchinis and make this bread right now!

Don’t want to make a lot of effort?

Don’t want to end up with dozens of cookies?

Well this recipe, my friend, is just for you!

Six perfect chocolate chip cookies. Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. Loaded with chocolate and walnuts.

A recipe so simple, you’ll find yourself making it again and again. 10 minutes of mixing, 10 minutes of baking. That’s it! There’ll be a cookie in your hand in no time.

And trust me when I tell you, you won’t be able to stop at just one. You might end up eating all six, jussayin.

A FEW RECIPE NOTES:

• The chiller the dough; the less it spreads. That’s the rule: if you want thick cookies, chill the dough in the refrigerator. It’s cold right now so I don’t chill it but if you live somewhere hot, chill the dough prior to baking!

• The walnuts are optional. I just love the way they give more texture to anything they’re added to especially cookies, making them richer and fuller.

• If you can’t afford to go buy a bag of chocolate chips, don’t! Add in chopped up Dairy Milk, Bournville…any chocolate!

• This recipe requires a baking tray lined with parchment paper or wax paper. You never grease the tray for cookies! Parchment paper is the way to go.

• When the timer goes up, you may think that there is no way these cookies are cooked. They’ll look extremely soft and under-baked. But trust me, you do not want to over bake these. They will set with time.

• Also >> the cookies will slightly deflate as you let them cool.

(notes my sister wants you to know)

• Never offer just one cookie to your sister. 3 or maybe even 4 will do

• Eat all of the cookies the day you bake them, otherwise they will become brittle and crumble away

• If you can’t eat them all yourself don’t hesitate to give them to your sisters

• Make sure the dough has been chilling in the fridge overnight before you tell your sisters that you’re about to make cookies

With that out of the way, let’s bake some cookies!

(let’s just pretend the last 10 days didn’t happen :p)

I hope you guys had a wonderful winter break. My sisters are back in school and I’m home alone again in an early-January post-resolutions funk.  I hope you are having better luck keeping track of your resolutions. My ‘eating healthy’ one got stumped on day one.

No surprise there.

I have been trying to get back into a somewhat balanced diet routine after gorging on waffles and carrot cake all of last week, and I have started going on regular walks with my mother, so that feels good.
My work/study perspective still needs sorting out and I still need to decide on what I want to do with my life.

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But other than that it’s going okay.

I have a good feeling about this year. I really do.

This bleak and dreary weather calls for some serious comfort food and starting off the blank slate of the year with something rich and indulgent just feels right.

And what could be more indulgent then a bowl of creamy mashed potatoes + macaroni + rich meat filling all together in the form of a pie.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is my over-the-top version of the classic British Shepherd’s Pie

It has three parts to it:

1. The meat sauce

2. The mashed potatoes

3. The macaroni

It does take time to put the entire pie together but the end result will be well worth the effort, trust me.

And it’s super customizable too! You can:

• Add in sweet corn, mushrooms, olives, jalapenos

• Make it more/less spicy

• Use chicken mince instead of beef

• Leave out the macaroni layer entirely and you’ll be left with a traditional shepherd pie instead

This Shepherd’s Macaroni Pie is warm, hearty, and super comforting: the makings of a perfect wintertime comfort dish. My family loved it and I’m sure yours will too.

If you do make it, don’t forget to share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #spatulainmypocket

Cheers!

Kindly excuse my sporadic blogging schedule. I have been all over the place this year; the first half of which went by so quickly and the rest…excruciatingly slow.

Nothing remotely exciting happened in 2017 apart from the fact that I graduated from my university and was left at a tailspin of what to do next. Bouts of depression, tears, and heartbreaks is what tainted the last couple of months.

To say I’m looking forward to 2018 would be an understatement.

I hope it brings the much needed miracles, smiles, and opportunities.

It’s fitting to end with a blog post featuring a recipe I found and fell endlessly in love with this year.

A combination of sheer boredom and moldy bananas is what led me to first make these muffins.

I’ve gone on to make these many more times since then, and I can safely say my family and I are hooked!

They’re soft, not overly sweet, full of nuts and O so moist! There is simply no other way to describe how soft and delicious these banana walnut muffins are.

You won’t be able to have just one.

And they’re highly adaptable too. Add in a swirl of peanut butter, a giant dollop of Nutella

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…or leave them plain.

They’re delicious either way!

These muffins are best served fresh out of the oven with a cup of tea.

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container and warmed in the microwave before serving.

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If you make these muffins, do share a picture with the hashtag #spatulainmypocket on Instagram. I’d love to see your creations

It’s not that late to whip up a batch of these scary yet cute cupcakes.

Halloween or not, these cupcakes make for an adorable treat minus the blood splatters.

And they’re super easy too.

Here’s what you need to make this cupcake massacre for your Halloween party:

Cupcakes

I posted a recipe of my favorite chocolate cupcakes just a few days ago. You can find the recipe HERE. They’re super moist, fudgy and will make for the perfect base for all the spooky décor on top.

Frosting

I used my recipe for Buttercream frosting I posted years ago for all the cupcakes. Buttercream is light and creamy and holds its shape perfectly for piping.

Recipe: HERE and HERE

Owl Cupcakes

You will need:

Chocolate Frosting

Red M&Ms

Chocolate chips or chocolate M&Ms

Oreos

Method:

1. Spread chocolate frosting on top of the cupcake.

2. Push two Oreo wedges into the top edge of the cupcake to make the ears.

3. Top with two whole Oreo halves, icing side up for eyes. Dot the bottom of two chocolate chips or chocolate M&Ms with frosting and place on top of Oreo halves for eyeballs.

4. Place a red M&M in the center for the nose.

Cookie Monster Cupcakes

You will need:

Blue tinted Frosting (using Americolor Sky Blue Food Coloring)

Plain White frosting

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mini Chocolate Chips

Multi-Opening Decorating Tip (Wilton Cake Decorating Tip 233)

Plain round piping tip

Disposable Piping Bag

Method:

1. Spread a thin layer of blue frosting on top of the cupcake

2. Fill a piping bag fitted with the multi-opening piping tip and fill it with the remaining blue frosting

3. Make the Cookie Monster’s fur by applying even pressure to the piping bag and pulling directly up. (Watch this tutorial for a better idea) Cover the entire top of the Cookie Monster Cupcake with blue fur.

4. Pipe small dots of plain white frosting as the two eyes. Place a mini chocolate chip on each as eyeballs.

5. Stick one half of a chocolate chip cookie into the frosting to represent the Cookie Monsters’ mouth.

(on some cupcakes, I used the white part of an Oreo as the base of the eyes. But I think the white frosting looks better)

Bloody Broken Glass Cupcakes

*Inspired by the awesome Scran Line

You will need:

Grey tinted Frosting (using Wilton Black Food Coloring)

Edible Blood

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1 M Wilton round Piping Tip

Disposable Piping Bag

Rice Crispies

Method:

1. To prepare the sugar glass, melt the sugar in a pan over medium high heat till it starts changing color (do NOT stir). Pour onto a greased dish, throw on top some sugar crystals for a jaded effect and set aside to harden.

2. Transfer the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip. Pipe swirls of frosting onto the cupcake.

3. Using a knife, make gashes into the piped frosting. Drizzle the edible blood on top and let it trickle down the gashes.

4. Top with shards of the prepared sugar glass.

Or throw on some maggots aka Rice Crispies.

Group them together.

Drizzle spatters of blood on top and there you have it!

Your very own cupcake massacre.

This would make for a perfect centerpiece for a Halloween celebration!

It’s definitely an attention grabber.

I’ve tried all kinds of variations in the hope of finding the perfectly moist, melt-in-your mouth chocolate cupcake.

And trust me when I tell you, I have finally found my favorite version to share with you.

This is it!

This ridiculously easy, no mixer-needed recipe takes literally minutes to put together. And the result you ask? Sheer perfection.

Rich, moist, indulgent, and deliciously chocolatey; the perfect base for a big swirl of frosting.

These cupcakes pair well with all kinds of different flavors;

• Peanut butter

• Oreos

• Peppermint

• Salted caramel!!

But chocolate on chocolate is my favorite way to go.

This frosting is a Chocolate Fudge Buttercream: rich, fudgy whipped buttery goodness. It’s making my mouth salivate just writing about it…

Its dark, creamy and o’so dreamy.

This frosting will BLOW. YOUR. MIND.

The chocolate cupcakes are made with cocoa. The flavor is very dark, but not bitter in the least.

Then the combination of oil, coffee & buttermilk makes these cupcakes super moist. The cupcakes in no way taste of coffee. The hot coffee just helps the cocoa “bloom” and develop the intense chocolate flavor making them darker and richer.

Important tip!!
Make sure you fill the cupcake liners only 2/3 of the way full. Not ½ or all the way to the top.

Overfilling will lead to overflowing of the batter and result in flat mushroom tops.

Underfilling will result in tiny cupcakes with an unappealing overhang of the cupcake liner

If you want the perfectly risen cupcake…2/3 is the way to go!

Everyone should have a classic chocolate cupcake recipe in their life.

This is mine.

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Hope you love it as much as I do.

If you do try it, post a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #spatulainmypocket

I love to see all your creations

The time has come when mangoes and peaches have made their final descent and hot sweaty days of slaving in the kitchen are officially a distant memory.

 I may have found it hard saying goodbye to my summer desserts but I am loving fall and everything it has bought with it.

The cool crisp air. The warm brown orange hues. The piles of beautiful autumn leaves on the pavement.  The early sunsets. Halloween!

Pumpkin muffins. Warm tea. And apples. Lots and lots of beautiful apples and with it an endless list of things to make.

I can’t think of a better way to welcome fall with open arms than with these warm cinnamon-ny apple pie bars.

Shortbread crust. Cinnamon apples. Crumb topping. Salted caramel.

The perfect fall dessert!

These bars struck me in the middle of a caramel cinnamon autumnal daydream.

I was craving apple pie but had neither the patience nor an audience to feed an entire pie. This recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction proved to be a Godsend!

A quick version of the classic apple pie without all the hassle.

These apple pie bars taste even better than the original and they’re much easier to make.

They richness from the shortbread crust, the sweetness of the apples, the nuttiness from the crumble and the saltiness of the caramel together create magic in your mouth.

These nutty apple pie bars consist of 4 delicious components:

1. The shortbread crust is flaky and buttery and takes literally seconds to put together

2. The apples are warm and gooey and they make your entire house smell of cinnamon a smell so deliriously good, it makes me want to bottle it up and wear it as perfume.

3. The crumble is made up of oats, brown sugar, walnuts and more cinnamon. It has to be my favorite part of these bars. This crumble topping has infact been featured on the blog before. Remember this beautiful peach pie from last summer? Yup that’s the same crumble on top. The same bits of crumbly buttery deliciousness.

4. The salted caramel to balance the richness and sweetness. You can skip it out completely but I mean why would you? Its salted caramel!! Edible molten gold! *swoooon*

You may think that all these layers and components would take a lot of time to put together but trust me when I tell you, this recipe is super quick. There’s no chilling or blind baking involved. It takes no more than 20 minutes to put the whole dish together and bang it into the oven.

A note about the original recipe:

Sally‘s version calls for 115g of butter and ¼ cup of sugar for the crust. I found the crust too greasy and sweet the first time I made this recipe and so I used less butter and also reduced the sugar the second time around. This ratio works out perfectly.

Have it with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and I guarantee they’ll become one of your favorite fall treats as soon as you take the first bite!

See you soon with some spooky treats.

I’m not ashamed of it. Not one bit. I would gladly eat a slice of this moist, buttery lemon cake any day of the year.

I love my monstrous frosted layered cake creations but sometimes, just sometimes, I crave the comfort of a simple, homely, fresh out of the oven cake. A cake that doesn’t ask for planning or fancy detailing. A cake that can be whipped up in minutes.

This lemon pound cake is just that.

Simple, delicious, and ridiculously easy to make.

It has a soft, fluffy, moist texture with a bright lemon kick from the tangy glaze on top. It’s buttery and lemony and it literally melts in your mouth. And it couldn’t be easier to make.

Here are some tips to remember:

1. A pound cake gets its fine, dense (not heavy) texture from the all the mixing. The mixing incorporates air, creating volume, which then levels the loaf. So make sure you beat the sugar and butter well and again after the addition of each egg.

2. Buttermilk gives you a moist, flavorful cake. The acidity in the buttermilk reacts with the baking powder making the cake lighter in texture. To make homemade buttermilk; combine ½ cup whole milk with 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice.

3. The cake gets most of its flavor from the lemon zest so make sure you do not skimp on the zest. Only use the thin, yellow zest layer of the lemon, which contains the lemon oils, and avoid the white layer which tastes bitter.

4. Grease your loaf pan very well. I like to oil the pan, line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper, and then coat the pan with flour. This ensures that the cake will pop right out of the pan in one piece.

Once the cake is slightly cooled, I like to top it off with a thick lemon glaze. The glaze gives the cake a burst of citrus flavor and takes on a beautiful almost matte finish once it hardens.

This super tender, delicious lemon pound cake makes for a perfect evening snack.

It has become go-to lemon pound cake recipe. Maybe it will become yours too.

My love for Nutella is nothing new on this blog. (Remember these Nutella cinnamon rolls? Nutella swirl muffins?!)

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…Nutella is one of man’s best gift to mankind.

Also, maybe the worst.

The eating straight-out-of-the jar habit has me looking like a beached whale. o.o

I’m obsessed, and this obsession resulted in me adding lots and lots of Nutella to my brownies.

Because why not?

There’s no such thing as too much chocolate. Am I right or am I right?

And these brownies… oh man.

Chewy around the edges, fudgy on the inside. These brownies are the BEST brownies I’ve ever made.

Thick? ✓

Fudgy? ✓

Crispy, crackly top? ✓

Swirls of Nutella? ✓

Brownies to end all brownies? ✓ ✓

If you’re looking for a rich indulgent treat, these are it. Make these today, tonight, right this moment! Trust me you won’t regret it.

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and hashtag any of your creations to #spatulainmypocket. I would love to see your creations! Also like my Facebook and other social media so we can keep in touch.

It’s still hard to believe this blog is two years old. When I first started out, I had no idea it would turn into a business, a career. With time, I feel I have deviated from why I first set out to blog.  With this post I hope to become regular again.

Here’s to a fresh comeback, sticking to promises and loads of love & happiness to everyone.

Below is a list of some cake trends and things that I have been obsessed with over the summer. Hope you enjoy!

Naked Cakes

The naked cake trend is by far my most favorite cake trend. I’ve always played for the more cake; less frosting team and when these cakes started trending last year, I was game!

The thin frosting layer with the slightly exposed cake underneath gives beautiful rustic look. Though I think a lot of people don’t appreciate the understated elegance of naked cakes. A simple naked cake adorned with fresh roses looks and tastes way better than the swirly ruffly over-frosted cakes people still opt for.

Tiered Cakes

Tiered cakes are another recent obsession. After the first disastrous attempt about a year ago I’d let go of all hope of ever stacking cakes and not having them look as if they are about to slide off. Fast forward to 10 months later and that fear has poofed away! Stacking cakes is so much fun!

I’ve made 4 (almost perfect) tiered cakes this past month alone. I wish every order is a tiered cake order from now on

Russian Piping Tips

I’d seen Russian piping tips all over the internet, bought a set about a year ago, and promptly forgot about them. It wasn’t until I saw this tutorial by iambaker that I remembered I had a set lying forgotten in the kitchen drawer. They have become my newest favorite thing ever since!

Russian tips are piping tips with intricate cut outs resembling different flowers.

They result in beautiful delicate flowers that look like they might have taken you hours of work but instead take you just seconds. You do need a lot of practice and patience and gobs of frosting.

Wilton Burgundy Gel Food Color

This tiny bottle of food color yields the most exquisite shades of pink; bubblegum pink, to my favorite Barbie pink, to the hottest color of the year, ‘millennial pink’.

It is stronger and works way better than normal pink food color. I’ve been sneaking it onto cakes in the form of flowers, swirls, blobs..any way I can

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

 

Picture credits: https://topsecretrecipes.com/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-copycat-recipe.html

 

I blame Always Hungry for this obsession -.-

She-Wolves: England’s Early Queens

A few months back, I stumbled upon an Instagram account featuring Princess Diana’s most iconic looks and that was it. I was hooked.

I have since then seen every video there is about her on Youtube, every documentary on Netflix. I’ve made my sisters sit through her funeral show twice, sobbing the entire way through.

 

Credits: http://princessdiana-legacy.tumblr.com/

 

And when it seemed like I’d researched everything there is about Diana, I moved onto the other British Royals. First the Crown (second season come quick!) and now Helen Castor’s miniseries, She-Wolves: England’s Early Queens.

I’m halfway through the second episode and, guys, I am seriously considering taking up British History as a major for Masters studies next year o.o

Jojo

This one here is a forever favorite of mine but gets a special mention because she is 6000 miles away and I MISS HER MORE THAN EVER.

Summer wasn’t summer without our Vigo rides, peach iced teas, stalking and Community sessions.

Love you, Jojesmojes!

And thats it!

What have you been loving this summer? Let me know in the comments down below, I’d love to know!

Despite the short outbursts of rain here and there, it’s been SO hot.

The kind of hot where all you feel like doing is blasting on the air conditioner, putting Netflix on, and devouring mint chocolate chip ice cream (recipe coming soon!).

It was on one particularly hot day that I was craving something cold, something creamy when I decided to hunt down a recipe that didn’t require much of my energy or time. Going through my huge recipe stash, I found this magical recipe. A Shireen Anwer classic I remember jotting down in my journal years ago.

Kulfa or kulfi is a popular street food here in Pakistan. Its a frozen milk based dessert, perfect for a hot summer day. The authentic recipe calls for cooking down milk and sugar for hours and hours till its reduced to half. It’s a slow and tiresome process. The cheat version, however, is so much quicker and so much better!

It’s rich, creamy, and sweet…not to mention delicious. And it is SOOO Easy to make. Chuck-everything-into-the-blender easy!

Try this cheats version, you won’t be disappointed.

LET’S HAVE CAKE TO CELEBRATE.

3 layers of rich moist chocolate cake, sandwiched with a dreamy creamy chocolate fudge frosting, and topped with drizzles of smooth lush chocolate ganache.

It is World Chocolate Day after all. And it’d be rude not to indulge in chocolate (not that I do it everyday? Those last 4 jars of Nutella. Nop. Not me.)

This is hands down the best chocolate cake you will ever taste.

It is super easy to make; no fancy equipment, no complicated ingredients needed. Just two bowls and a whisk (a mixer, if you’re me).

I went for the naked cake look because my family isn’t too big on frosting. Also, I think naked cakes look prettier.

I used my rusty 6-inch cake pan for a taller cake. And topped it all off with some of these beautiful flowers from the garden.

Some tips to make sure your cake turns out perfect every single time:

• Make sure the eggs and milk are at room temperature. Makes a world of difference! Trust me

• DIY Buttermilk: 1 cup whole milk (at room temperature) + 1 Tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice

• Butter at room temperature for a smooth, cream frosting is a MUST. It should be soft but not too soft that’s its melting and has an oily sheen to it

• No, sugar crushed in a grinder will not work for the frosting

Try this cake for the next birthday party, anniversary, World Chocolate Day — it’s a show-stopper!

The mere name conjures up images of steaming piles of desi goodness, all yellow and white and heavenly. Your brain teases with memory of the spicy aroma and your heart leaps in anticipation.

Biryani is the heartbeat of our nation and nothing feels better than knowing that you have mastered the art of making it.

Today I am going to share the recipe that’ll make you the master of biryani too.

Over the years, I have tried more than 15 different biryani recipes with varying degrees of success.

This one is my baby. So read carefully and follow each step to the book.

If it seems like too much work… Well then, you are simply not ready yet. You can start with the easy peasy chicken karahi :p

I’ve tried to explain each and every step in the recipe as clearly as I could but here are some extra tips that make all the difference:

• Slice onions as thinly as possible. The thinner the onions, the crispier they’ll be. If your onions aren’t thin enough, they won’t brown evenly and will turn soggy. You want the onions to be nice and crunchy so that you crush them up easily and not have big onions bits in your biryani.

• Don’t skimp on the whole spices. All the different spices that together make up what we call ‘garam masala’ are essential to the aroma and taste of agood biryani. It might be frustrating to collect and add all the bit (and you might hate biting onto a piece of illachi) but trust me when I tell that you it’ll be worth it!

• The secret is in the masala. Use red, ripe tomatoes, ½ kilo of them which is around 4 large ones. The riper they are, the better the masala ends up being. Together with the green chilli paste and ginger garlic; MIX MIX MIX. Mix till oil appears on the surface

• Have patience. Cook the chicken low and slow. Cook the rice till al-dente. This step is something which I always mess up and so get my mom to do it for me

• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. That’s what mums are for

So, one fine Sunday why not ditch the store-bought biryani masalas and make this delicious authentic Sindhi Biryani from scratch. Its rich and spicy and filled with herbs and succulent meat and potatoes. A family favorite at my house and will become your’s too InshaaAllah

A lot has happened since I last talked to you.

For starters, I am well into the 3^rd week of final year at college. Weeeeirddd. I know.

They aren’t joking when they say that your college years fly by, are they?  First year feels like just yesterday. Nothing has changed – except that a lot has changed.

Most of you might know that I’ve been gaga over donuts for the last three months or so. What started off as a class project has now turned into (dundundun) my life. Nuts about Donuts, a small homebased business selling artisan style donuts.

I’ve made over 500 donuts since I started Nuts about Donuts o.o (Check out its insta and Facebook and give it some love)

My life has been pretty much donuts all day every day. I legit don’t have time for anything else. And that my lovelies is why I have been missing from Spatula for so long.

I first started food blogging to share my love for food but over time it started to feel like a chore. The editing, the photography, the writing; all started to become too planned and systematic. It felt like too much for me to handle, what with the donuts and school work. This blog was all about doing and sharing something that I love.

I took a self-proclaimed 5 day holiday from Nuts about Donuts just yesterday, announcing on the page ‘we’re closed for a bit’, just so I could do something else, like STUDY maybe!

And it’s during this so-called break that I decided that I shall return back to thy blog.

I MISS YOU GUYS.

And what better way to make a grand return then on NATIONAL PANCAKE DAY.

If you’ve been following along for a while, you might have noticed that there is a fair share of pancake recipes on this blog.

These pancakes are made using the same recipe I shared a couple of posts ago.

Top those soft fluffy pancakes with a simple 3 ingredient strawberry compote and you have a killer combination.

The homemade strawberry compote is super simple. Just three ingredients and a few minutes simmering on the stove-top. You can puree the compote for a smoother consistency or you can leave it chunkier as it is (like I did).

Make use of the fresh strawberries this spring to jazz up your pancakes. Leftover compote is delicious drizzled over ice cream too.

Tomorrow I’ll be making biryani. Recipe to be posted veeeery soon, I know a lot of you have been waiting for it since ages.

See you in a month then. Just kidding. I’ll try and post a new recipe each week.

Love to you all.

–This hearty, moist banana bread dotted with ooey gooey chocolate chips

–This easy braided chicken bread

-Or these sumptuous pumpkin muffins swirled with Nutella

I could eat bread all day long.

And there’s nothing more satisfying than making your own bread, your own dough, from scratch. Especially tear and share breads. Especially cinnamon rolls. Especially “Nutella” Cinnamon rolls!!

This light fluffy dough, is filled with Nutella and butter and cinnamon, then baked until gooey and brown, and topped with drizzles upon drizzles of cream cheese glaze and more molten Nutella.

Yes, I put Nutella IN the rolls and ON the rolls.

There’s no such thing as too much Nutella in my world. :3

These rolls are best fresh from the oven, but they also keep for a few days in an airtight container in the fridge.  Just place one on a plate and microwave for 10-15 seconds, and they’ll be just as good as the day they were made.

These cinnamon rolls are what dreams are made of! They’ll leave you scraping the plate clean and wanting more.

Make these for friends and family, or just because it’s Tuesday and you’re wacked out —you won’t be disappointed.

-William Shakespeare, Macbeth

It’s finally Hallow’s eve!

This post is quite accidental to be honest. I hadn’t planned on doing a Halloween special this year what with being swamped with college stuff, cake orders, and buddy nonsense.

I had an ignored Chocolate Cake lying in my fridge; plain top, frosted with chocolate buttercream, and chocolate drips on the sides. If you have ever tried my classic chocolate cake, you’d know that you end up with one lone egg white because the recipe calls for 2 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk.

And that one egg white is the reason why we have a Halloween post this year!   It’s nothing like last year’s grand spectacle where we murdered a Red Velvet Cake and loved every minute of it. :3 But its awesome nonetheless!!

That one egg white has been used to make ghosts to adorn the cake with. Cute little meringue blobs together with their chocolate ball eyes made for adorable ghost toppers. The whole idea came out exactly as I had pictured.

The meringue ghosts were super easy to make; just three ingredients, four if you want to stretch it. The only thing I’d impress upon is ‘patience’. Patience when:

-beating the meringue to make it stiff and glossy, takes 3-5 minutes.

-baking the meringue till it easily peels off the parchment paper, round 60-90 minutes

-letting the meringues dry, round 2-3 hours

Other than that, they’re a breeze to make. This recipe only makes 10-12 meringue ghosts, just enough to top a cake with. But you can easily double the recipe to make more. Just remember the meringue code; for each egg white, use 1/4 cup caster sugar.

That is, if you’re using:

• 1 egg white: ¼ cup sugar

• 2 egg whites: ½ cup sugar

• 3 egg whites: ¾ cup sugar

• 4 egg whites: 1 cup sugar

And so on…

Do give these tiny ghost buddies a try. They’re crunchy on the outside, and soft and mallowy on the inside.

Happy Halloween!

But sometimes the overpriced plates of pasta drowning in white sauce just don’t cut it. Sometimes what you need is good ol’ dal chawal.

Dal (curried lentils) is comfort food in all its comforting glory! It comes together in minutes and is very healthy and filling.

It’s perfect for vegetarians and meat eaters (especially after Bakra Eid) alike.

If you’re a newbie to lentils, fear not. This was the first dal recipe I ever made, and I’ve made it a dozen times since. It’s super easy to cook. It involves none of that pressure cooker hassle. I’ve never used a pressure cooker and never intend to use it in the future either. That thing gives me the jeepers! Its the fault of all the horror stories told about the pressure coolers exploding.

Lentils cook beautifully well by simply boiling them in spiced water.

There’s two parts to this recipe: the cooking of the lentils and the tempering. I’ve tried to explain each one of the steps involved as clearly as I could.

It’s a classic Shireen Anwer recipe (bow down for the queen). So you can’t go wrong with that!

Do give this recipe a try. It’s spicy, creamy, and reminiscent of the dal you get served on the roadside restaurants.

Coupled with roti hot off the tandoor or plain boiled rice, this dhaba dal is sure to become a family favorite in your house.

If there’s any recipe fit for a mighty comeback it would be a pie. Nothing beats a good ole pie!

A savory pie to be exact. Made with meat and cheese and dough and carbs.

It is so so good! I kid you not.

This recipe consists of two separate recipes.

• one is for the pie filling,

• the second is for the base and top of the pie which is essentially a tweaked up recipe of my foolproof pizza dough

It makes for two pies. I made one with the beef filling, and stuffed the other one with a random shredded spicy chicken mix.

You can go wild with the filling;

• sub the ground with chicken or sausages

• add in corn, beans, mushrooms

• drizzle in some Sriracha

• or a dash of paprika

This is YOUR pie and the world is your pickle. Add in anything and everything your heart desires!

How this pie works?

You fit half of the dough onto a pie plate, spoon on the filling, and then top with another piece of rolled out dough; plain or go fancy like I did with some rusty lattice work.

If you want to learn how to do proper pie lattice, check out this tutorial.

This pie does take time to come together.

1. Make the dough. Let it proof.

2. Make the filling. Let it cool.

3. Assemble the pie.

4. Bake. Let it cool.

And THEN you get to dig in.

But it’s all well worth the time and effort…for this pie really is scrummy. You’ll find yourself going in for second And third helpings. Maybe more. :3

I’m sure you’ll love this Italian Pirazo Pie; it’s a twist on the classic meat pie, easy to make and deeply comforting.

If you have any questions or comments let me know in the comment box down below.

Last year of college! Can you blame me?

Oh the jitters. Which would justify why I’ve been hankering down in the kitchen everyday all day long. Nothing like some good fall baking to make everything better.

These pumpkin Nutella swirl muffins are the BOMB. Bursting with fall flavors, these muffins will make your house smell like the most glorious bakery in Italy.

Pumpkin and Chocolate were meant to be together and when that chocolate is in the form of luscious Nutella, you know the muffins are bound to be out-of-this-world good.

They’re soft, tender, and extremely moist.

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You won’t be able to stop at one!

For my fellow Pakistani peeps who aren’t accustomed to the pumpkin ecstasy, let me tell you that it is d.e.l.i.c.i.o.u.s!

Pumpkin puree makes everything silky, soft and extremely moist. It doesn’t have a very distinct flavor which is why you add spices like cinnamon and nutmeg to amplify it.

I have yet to see pumpkin puree being sold here in the supermarkets of Islamabad, which is why I made my own pumpkin puree from scratch. I’ll do a step by step post on it if you like. It’s very simple, just slice a pumpkin up, de-seed it, and roast in the oven till fork-tender. Cool and then scoop out all the soft bits. Chopperize or blend till smooth. Fill up disposable Ziploc bags with it and freeze. It lasts for up to a year.

Be it the classic Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread or Pumpkin Fettuccine, homemade pumpkin puree can be used for all sorts of things; both sweet and savory.

Give pumpkin a try. You won’t regret it.

Thick, fluffy, downright delicious. This is the only pancake recipe you need!

What’s better on a weekend than to sit home in your pajamas and eat a stack of fluffy pancakes doused in chocolate syrup?

And could there be anything better than pancakes to start your Eid holidays with?

Not really.

These pancakes are so light, so fluffy I could die!

A whole batch takes just minutes to whip up. Serve them smothered in Nutella, maple syrup, or jam; they’re awesome either way. Make these today, tomorrow, every day!

xoxo, Noor

That’s what I snapped last week when I was baking this peach pie. The therapeutic value of making a pie really is just bazoom!

Last week wasn’t a particularly good week (refer to last post).

What kept me from going over the edge was baking. And cooking. All day long. I would start my day with pancakes, moving onto pasta, naans, pizza, and ending with iced tea.

But nothing could beat the making of this pie. It was so SO relaxing and stress relieving.  Even if it was just for a few minutes, I stopped worrying about everything else and just enjoyed the feel of the cold butter in my hands, and the wonderful aroma of the juicy peaches and the cinnamon.

Thank you Sally for this wonderful recipe!

I can’t believe I’ve gone this long without making an actual pie (these tiny things don’t count).

This pie involves a flaky crust filled with juicy peaches and topped with a walnut cinnamon crumble.

It’s sweet. It’s juicy. It’s delicious.

If that doesn’t scream summer to you, I don’t know what will.

I’ve used the same pie crust I used for the Apple Hand Pies. It’s buttery, flaky, and everything a good crust should be.

*As mentioned, the vegetable shortening in the recipe is Crisco and it’s easily available in every big supermarket.

A few pointers before we head straight to the recipe:

• Use very very cold butter and shortening. Cold fat when melts in the oven causes the pastry to puff up creating little air pockets which makes the end result so tender and flaky.

• Be gentle with the pie crust. Unlike pizza dough, it doesn’t require kneading. Just mix till it comes together.

• Use fresh peaches that aren’t too ripe nor too hard.

• Walnuts are optional in the crumble but highly recommended.

• Ice cream is NOT optional >> You must serve this pie with vanilla ice cream.

A slice of fresh homemade peach pie and a nice big scoop of vanilla ice cream, it might just be a slice of heaven!

And there you go. Peach Crumble Pie.

I did it. I made a pie from scratch!

–Pablo Picasso

Have you ever wanted something so bad you think you’d die if you don’t have it? And when you think you’ve finally gotten it, its snatched away from you?

If yes, then this chocolate pudding is especially for you.

Eat it warm, eat it cold; it provides comfort like no other.

Chocolate pudding is just one of those things that never fails to bring a smile on your face or warmth to your toes.

Its rich, its creamy, and it is so so SO easy to make even my fogged up brain can whip it up. Just needs a little bit of patience and whole lot of whisking!

To start, combine sugar, cocoa, salt and cornflour.

Whisk in 2/3 cup milk and an egg.

Heat the rest of the milk to a scalding temperature.

Then whisk in the egg cocoa mixture and cook over high heat until the pudding thickens into a luscious, silky consistency.

Then remove the pudding from the heat and stir in vanilla extract.

Pour the chocolate pudding into a big bowl to chill. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding, so a skin doesn’t form.

Then, chill the pudding for an hour or two in the refrigerator or eat it warm. Enjoy!

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You make your own naans!

The idea may seem daunting at first but I hope by now I’ve got you well acquainted with handling all sorts of dough. Be it: my foolproof recipe for pizza dough used to make not just this beautiful braided chicken bread but also these cute little mini pizza pies. Or this super easy and frugal recipe for flour tortillas which makes these BBQ taquitos all the more delicious. And how can we forget, my all-time favorite, the soft puffy puri…O’so good!

Homemade garlic naans are much easier than you think and irresistibly delicious! It’s the same foolproof pizza dough with certain key changes that makes it all the more yummy and garlicky.

The dough is incredibly forgiving. If it’s too dry, add more water. If it’s too wet, add more flour. A soft dough is what you want in the end.

Softer the dough; softer and pillowy the naans are.

I cooked half of the naans on a grill pan, and the other half on a plain non-stick pan. It doesn’t matter whether or not you own a grill pan. Both result in gorgeous looking naans, and they taste just the same!

Cook for a minute or until you see bubbles starting to form. Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side until large toasted spots appear on the underside. Brush with butter mixed with chopped coriander.

Place the naan in a kitchen towel and repeat with the rest of the naans.

Then serve warm, sprinkled with some fresh coriander or sesame seeds.

And get ready, because these garlic naans will blow your mind! Buttery and garlicky, these naan are incredibly soft with all those giant air pockets. 

You may never go back to buying store-bought naan again.

Some of my favorite ways to enjoy these naans? Soaking up the masala from this Chicken Karhai or with this sumptuous kebab masala.

Easy, comforting, and packed with flavor!

Made using fresh herbs, garam masala, fenugreek leaves; this is a true South Eastern feast. And what’s better than to enjoy it with some good ole puris.

What I love most about this kebab masala is how quick it is to put together.

It has two steps to it;

1. The kebabs

2. The masala

You start off by making the kebab mix, shaping it, and then shallow frying till golden brown. Set aside.

Next you make the masala; everything cooked together till onions and tomatoes mush up. I did end up grinding the whole mixture just because I don’t like bits of onion in my gravy. It’s up to you though. You can leave it as it is or grind it till smooth like I did.

Lastly, add the fried kebabs to the masala and let it simmer on low heat till kebabs are cooked all the way through. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with puris, and voila, you’ve got a sumptuous dinner ready in no time!

And now the Puris.

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Would you believe me if I told you that these puris too take NO time at all to make and devour?

I got the idea of making them halfway through while I was frying the kebabs. I just mixed together all the dough ingredients, kneaded it for a few minutes and let the dough rest for round 20 minutes. Then made balls and rolled them till very thin, fried in very very hot oil.

A few tips to keep in mind while making puris:

• The dough must be kneaded to a hard consistency. Don’t be tempted to add in more water

• Yogurt helps in making soft puris, so don’t skip it

• Oil for frying must be Hot. Very very hot

And that’s it! Soft, flaky homemade puris ready in no time at all.

This will make for a perfect Sunday brunch meal. Make this for your family tomorrow and remember me in your prayers.

This time last year, I sat with my laptop; editing, tweaking, hesitating and finally hitting ‘publish’on the first post on spatulainmypocket.com. *dundundun*

With that one click, I gave permission to everyone in the world to read what I had written and see what I had made. That’s the day Spatula in My Pocket was truly born. It started as a hobby and in the space of an year, has become a part of my identity. A part that I am immensely proud of. So, in this post I am going to indulge myself and talk about my magnificent journey so far (lots more to come, InshaaAllah!)

There is special surprise at the end for you, so start scrolling!

Spatula in My Pocket has opened new worlds to me, found me new friends, a sense of purpose, and above all, it has given me confidence to overcome the crushing fear of failure and TO TRY.

The year has passed by so quickly.

From interviews, shoutouts, being mentioned in Buzzfeed, Parade Magazine, winning the Foona best blogger competition and baking bazillion cakes. This year has been a roll coaster ride.

Some of my favorite posts from this year have been:

This decadent red velvet cake with whipped cream cheese frosting + its Halloween rendition

An all-time family favorite, Chicken Karhai

S’mores. Brownies. PIE. >>> S’mores Brownie Pie

First post, the rich gooey molten lava cake

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, also involving a mention of my first ever attempt at a Wedding Cake

First Bake Stall!! Sigh. Memories.

This to.die.for Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart

The ultimate comfort food…Fettuccine Carbonara

My brother’s birthday cake: strawberries and cream cake

Also can we just admire these pictures?

I threw myself a little blogiversary party.

Nothing much.

Just some mini cupcakes, normal cupcakes, donuts, and a giant pink ombre cake topped with MORE DONUTS. ^.^

Lastly, thank you all so much for your continued support and love!

I appreciate everyone who visits this humble website even when weeks go by without any new posts (guilty as charged).

Spatula in My Pocket is for you guys.

I hope and pray with all my brownie-loving heart that the next year and the years to come bring endless prosperity and joy and rainbows and sprinkles to the domains of Spatula in My Pocket. I vow to be a better blogress and update more exciting recipes and answer all queries diligently!

And now, without any more sentimental words, here’s the recipe for THE CHOCOLATE CAKE my inbox gets flooded with requests for. MUCH LOVE!

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HAWAIIAN BBQ TAQUITOS

I seem to be on a Hawaiian roll right now. Hawaiian pasta, now these taquitos.

What’s next?

Hawaiian pizza, maybe?

For those of you wondering what a Taquito is…it’s a tortilla filled, rolled and then baked to perfection.

They’re super easy, tender, and incredibly delicious!

You can go wild with the fillings.

I went for the classic Hawaiian flavors that I know and love…pineapples and mangoes, paired with a spicy tangy BBQ chicken, caramelized onions, and loads of fresh cheddar cheese.

I’ve used my own homemade tortillas, the recipe for which I posted yesterday. You can use store bought ones but trust me when I tell you that homemade ones are 100xxxx better.

These taquitos have become a family favorite at my place. I’m sure you’ll love them just as much.

Soft, round flatbread, which when filled and baked turn into the most amazing, flakiest thing imaginable.

The thing is, tortillas are a bit hard to find here in Pakistan. Supermarkets in Islamabad have only just recently started stocking the brand Old El Paso. And even if they are available, they can be quite expensive, a pack of 8 for Rs. 400 something.

Why not take some time out and make them yourself?

Trust me, they are way wayyy better than the lifeless store bought ones which you have to reheat again and again to make them soft enough to be edible.

Homemade tortillas require just a handful ingredients;

• Flour

• Baking Powder

• Salt

• Hot Water

• Shortening

The term “shortening” in the recipe may raise a few eyebrows. But not to worry. Shortening is a saturated fat similar to butter but with a higher melting point. It makes for the most delicious and flaky pie crusts. And it makes for the softest pliable tortillas ever! But like tortillas, shortening too is hard to find here, I was lucky enough to buy it off from a friend who found Crisco in a small wholesale shop tucked away in the narrow alley of Raja Bazaar, Rawalpindi. But it’s now available in large supermarkets like Al-Fatah or high-end stores like Essa Jees in Islamabad. You can sub with butter, but the result just won’t be the same.

These tortillas are literally SO easy to make.

1. You make the dough using very very warm water.
2. Let it rest.
3. Form small ping pong sized balls.

4. Cover and let them rest.

5. Then roll out each ball as thin as possible. Thinner you roll= flakier the tortilla!

Roll out so thin that you can see the counter beneath

6. Then cook each tortilla on a hot griddle till light golden brown on both sides.

7. Wrap in a kitchen towel to keep them warm and retain moisture.

Then use them to make whatever crazy Mexican creation you have in mind. Or place in a disposable bag and freeze.

Once you try these homemade tortillas, trust me, there’s no going back.

Oh and check back here for a recipe using these tortillas!

Finding the perfect recipe (only on Spatula in My Pocket, yo) is only the first step in the magical world of baking. Since I know the struggle of a beginner baker, I’ll be guiding you through the basics, There is a lot to know and I am really excited to share all! So, I’ve divided it into various sessions:

• Basic Baking Tools

• Bakeware

• Baking ingredients

• Baking hacks and DIY stuff

First off, we have the basic baking tools that every single one of you should have; regardless of the fact that you’re a die-hard baker like me or just an occasional one timer. It’s a small list of relatively inexpensive items that will be an investment for years to come. You don’t need fancy equipment for baking, sometimes just a faithful whisk and a good ole bowl does the work. I still use my mum’s shaadi-wala (more than 25 years old) hand beater and cake tins. Plain and simple. Nothing fancy and over the top.

I am not saying that you should go all out and buy all of these tools at once. When I started baking, I admit, I hardly had any of this stuff and didn’t even know about them. It’s with time that I learnt and started investing.

All these tools are brought from either Pakistan, Saudi Arab, and America. I will give you an in-depth detail of each tool. Links to where I bought them and the prices are mentioned at the bottom. Hopefully you’ll find them or even better alternates.

Measuring Tools

I started off using mugs that we use for tea as the measuring cups and the normal tablespoons and teaspoons that we use to eat as measuring spoons. It is with baking over and over again that I leaned that baking is not art but more of a science. Precision and accuracy in measurements is paramount to a good baked product.

I used to use the measuring cup for wet ingredients too, and that is so so wrong. Liquids are different from dry ingredients. They weigh different, and if you forget that, it can all go wrong from there. So use a pyrex measuring cup for liquid ingredients. Proper measuring cups for dry ingredients. And for smaller quantities use actual measuring spoons and not the spoons you use to eat dinner with.

This measuring jug is plastic, which I wouldn’t recommend. It’s near to its end, doesn’t clean up that nice either. A nice pyrex one is on my to-buy-list. It should be on yours too.

Electric Hand Mixer

An electric hand mixer for all the mixing and beating, yielding perfectly smooth and fluffy frostings and batters. It dates back to before I was even born. It’s my mum’s and I’ve been using it for years, and it works perfectly fine.

Spaaatooolas

YOU MUST BUY THESE. These beautiful, magical, man-made creations. They wipe your bowls so clean that not a spick of batter is left hanging there. They glide ever so smoothly, making mixing a dream; smoothing and delicious. And they cost near to nothing! My favorite is the orange one. It broke. Split in two. Like my heart.

Silicone Brushes

Excellent for greasing pans with butter or oil, perfect for egg-washing and glazing, easy to clean; overall perfecto!

Cupcake liners

No you cannot grease a cupcake tray and then pour in the batter and bake cupcakes straightaway. You need paper liners. Why? Because cupcakes are not muffins. Cupcakes are soft and moist and much more delicate than muffins. They’ll stick like glue to your cupcake tray and you’ll be left with trying to scour out each cupcake out and scratching it while scrubbing it clean. Cupcake liners not only help make eating a cupcake easier, they also help the make the handling of the cupcakes so much easier. Also how pretty do they look… Tiny polka dot, bright pink ones with hearts, pink check boxed ones… totes adorbs.

Offset Spatula

An angled or an “offset” spatula is very useful for frosting cupcakes and cakes, and loosening cakes and cookies from their pans. I have a large 10” one for smoothly frosting large layer cakes and a non-stick one of loosening cookie and brownies from the parchment paper.

A palette knife like seen here is also helpful for the same reasons.

Baking pans

Baking pans are obviously a necessity. Round pans for cakes. Loaf pans for breads. Loose-bottom pans for cheesecakes. Muffin trays for cupcakes. Donut pan for donuts. You name it, you need it. There a pan out there for everything and IWANTTHEMALL. Baby steps. Start with a basic 8-inch round cake pan, a square 8-inch pan for brownies, and a standard 12-sized cupcake tray for cupcakes. Also, if you’re into homemade pizza, then a round pizza tray would be needed.

Prestige and Wilton are the top-notch brands for baking ware. Prestige is easily available in every big supermarket here in Pakistan. Wilton bakeware can be ordered online (link mentioned at the end of the post).

Parchment Paper

It not only helps prevent cakes or anything for that matter from sticking to the pan but also for stacking and storing cookies or even frozen parathas in the freezer.

Ice cream Scoop

An ice cream scoop is not just meant for scooping ice cream. Trust me when I say I’ve hardly ever used it for ice cream. This is the most versatile tool in my baking tool box. I use it for:

• Scooping out perfectly proportioned cookies

• Scooping out cupcake batter leading to same sized cupcakes

Sifter:

For light airy cakes, and smooth frosting without any sugar or cocoa lumps…that’s where a sifter comes in.

Piping Tips and Piping Bags

Wilton piping tips and plastic piping bags for those beautiful swirls and piped roses on cupcakes and cakes. Bought them from Amazon, got them shipped here through a friend. A set of four basic tips, comes with 12 piping bags. Extremely good quality. I recently bought more piping tips through a Facebook page (I’ll leave the link down below), and let me tell you that even though they are nowhere near Wilton, they are pretty darn good.

Whisk

One of the most inexpensive tools I reckon in my kitchen and most definitely in yours too. It is the most effective and invaluable. Perfect for mixing both dry ingredients and liquid ingredients. If you don’t have an electric beater, then the whisk is the way to go.

If you bake, you will need a cooling wire rack. Great for:

• Cooling cookies and cakes

• Catching the drips off of donuts and cookies

Wooden spoons

I swear by these. They’re hard and sturdy. Make mixing cookie dough so much easier. Perfect for dealing with hot caramels as well.

All these products have been bought from either:

• Al-Fatah, Islamabad

• Hyperpanda, Madina

• Amazon, Seattle

• Baking Tools, Facebook Page

Prices: all below Rs. 1500 excluding the electric hand beater (which in my mum’s time, I’m sure, cost below Rs. 1000…but they’re pretty dang expensive now)

Pasta is the most eaten, loved, and yearned thing at my household. Every other aftari will see to a bowl of either spaghetti or penne.

And if you follow me on Snapchat, then you won’t be surprised by how cray cray my family is over pasta.

This pasta is nothing like the others. As its name indicates, it’s Hawaiian! Albeit with a cheeky (cheesy) twist on it. The perfect mingle between spicy and sweet.

And as you might have guessed, it has…pineapples in it!

Spicy chicken sausages paired with the sweet syrupy pineapples…makes for one delicious pasta.

It is SO simple. I know I say that every single time. But trust me. Just a handful of ingredients, and presto, you have an entire meal in front of you.

Put your pasta on a boil, and start slicing them sausages. Make this pasta for aftari today. I know you’ll love it.

All families have certain dishes they love to cook and eat. Mine goes gaga for these mini pizza pockets! Put 12 dozen in front of them and they’ll still demand more.

I am sure you will face the same situation with your siblings, cousins, random guests when you try these magical pockets of dough and cheese and everything nice. (unless they are gluten intolerant. Oops)

This recipe is especially handy because it makes A LOT of mini pizzas pies (3 dozen to be exact). So they are the perfect, fuss-free party food. Easy to make, fun to eat.

The chicken mixture is a scaled down version of the filling in the Chicken Bread I posted eons ago. A very simple, creamy chicken filling made with loads of butter, milk, and cheese. Divine. (calories, what calories?)

Also, these pies feature:

• fresh bell pepper

• sweet corn

• tomato

You can customize the vegs according to your own taste. Leave out the corn if it makes you gag. Add mushrooms instead, or even olives would be lovely.

The recipe is super fun to make. Get your kids or siblings involved and make a kitchen party out of it like we did!

I rolled out the dough, got my sisters to cut it out in circles, place them in the cupcake tray, and then fill em up.

First the pizza sauce or chili garlic sauce, then comes the chicken filling, then the vegetables, all topped with shredded mozzarella. Bake till the dough is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly on top.

Dip into a bowl of this sweet and sour imli chutney and I dare you to stop at one.

If making for a party, you can prepare them beforehand, cover the cupcake tray with foil, and keep refrigerated till you’re ready to bake them. They take literally less than 20 minutes to cook. They also freeze well. Line the unbaked versions in a airtight container or a ziplock bag and freeze for upto 3 months. The day you need to use them, leave to thaw till the oven gets preheated and then bake as you would normally.

You’ll be the Queen/King of the household after you make these… Or their pizza pie slave forever.

Try the recipe and let me know how they turn out by sharing a picture on Instagram with this hashtag #spatulainmypocket!

Happy baking!