Indian cuisine is known for its rich flavours, tantalising aroma and diverse textures. Sweets hold a special status in the Indian culinary landscape. They are much more than desserts that cater to the sweet tooth; they represent celebration, festivities, weddings, and culture. A box of Indian desserts offered as a gift fosters bonding across relationships, presenting a sense of warmth and togetherness.
Some sweets even form the identity of a place, for instance, the Mysore Pak or the Kozhikode Halwa.
This raises an interesting question. Can something already perfected over a period of time be improvised again? The bakers at Hot Cakes believe so, pushing the boundaries of tradition, and marrying the desserts with exotic ingredients. The inventive sweets are ingenious and downright delicious, alluring sweet lovers who love something familiar yet something novel.
Here we present sweets that hit a perfect balance between creativity and authenticity.
Kerala Coconut Milk Premium Halwa
Halwa, the Indian version of the fudge made using flour, ghee, sugar, milk and nuts takes many forms and shapes. While the infamous Gaajar Ka Halwa (Carrot Halwa) is creamy and textured, the ghee halwa is so soft that it simply slides down our throat.
Hot Cakes has introduced a unique twist to this traditional treat by incorporating rich coconut milk to the recipe. This lends a deep, rich and sweet flavour with a subtle undertone of nuttiness. And the starch imparts an al dente consistency to the Kerala Coconut Milk Premium Halwa, making it soft yet firm enough to bite in.
Grampoo Peda
The peda is a luscious sweet prepared by simmering and reducing milk until it thickens and attains a thick and creamy texture. The Khoya or the milk solid is sweetened with sugar and infused with cardamom or saffron resulting in an irresistible taste.
At Hot Cakes, the creative reinterpretation involves topping our pedas with a clove, thus the name Grampoo Peda, where Grampoo means clove in Malayalam. The potent aroma of the clove introduces a delightful contrast to the otherwise milky aroma of the peda, creating a new experience.
Strawberry Burfi
The classic Indian milk fudge, or the burfi is traditionally made by condensing full-fat milk, sugar and ghee. Once the sweet is set and cooled, it is skillfully cut into diamonds, rectangles or squares. Burfi is often referred to as the Indian cheesecake by some pastry chefs as it has a faint aroma similar to a cheesecake and also shares a visual resemblance, although the taste is distinctly different.
As a part of the creative innovation, Hot Cakes has added a burst of strawberry flavour to our burfis. The pink pedas infused with the typical fragrance of wild strawberries gives your taste buds a refreshing break from the flavours you are accustomed to. We have also added pineapple burfi and orange burfi on similar lines to create a range of sweets that tantalise your palate.
At Hot Cakes, we have artfully woven innovation into these traditional sweets, aiming to allure a broader audience. As we know, Indian sweets carry with them rich histories, traditions, and cherished memories in terms of flavor and taste, and hence we ensure that our creative twists compliment, rather than overshadow the original essence. So, the next time you find yourself with a plate of these delectable delights, take a moment to savour not just the flavour and taste, but also the rich history and tradition that come with it.