“Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.”
Julia Child
PASSIONATE ABOUT BAKING… that’s what I am!! Been baking at home for over 15 years, and enjoy it more and more each passing day. It’s challenging, inspirational, creative and therapeutic. I am inspired by seasons and the colours that nature offers. My blog has photographs and recipes of my adventures in the kitchen, and a little bit about my other interests – nature, art, photography, props, travel …
I am a SAHM (stay-at-home-mother), or rather, a “Domestic Engineer” as the lexicon glorifies us mere mothers to be, with two temperamental yet fun teens. My passions in life include baking, cooking, nature, art and photography; in many ways about FOOD as an art. My mantra…‘Do It From Scratch’ which must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too! Not a very experimental eater, but I seem to have developed a knack for experimental cooking! My family enjoys good food, and this gives me something to do. I love exploring new ingredients and cuisines, and sing the locavore anthem.
My current passion is making as well as developing recipes that use fruit, mainly in desserts, and bakes using alternate grains like oats etc. Food styling is something I absolutely adore. I use a Canon EOS 50D which I am still exploring. I also write an online baking blog for the Times of India, one of India’s largest newspapers. You can find me here under the name The Rabid Baker {rabid: (adj) marked by excessive enthusiasm for and intense devotion to a cause or idea}. Better, Homes & Gardens India featured me in their January 2011 issue. I write on a freelance basis {recently did 4 recipes for a diabetic mag}, do cookbook and product reviews, and sometimes carry out recipe testings on request. My dream …writing a baking book one day!
Deeba Rajpal
Blog: http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/the-rabid-baker/
Blog: http://mactweets.blogspot.com/
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{All my work is under copyright. Please ask if you want to use it.}
Deeba, congratulations on getting your own space! You stood out even otherwise and I know you will have a great innings here too:) That was a very nice about! You have a great smile – keep it on!
Hi,
Loved your site…Awesome recipes…
I have recently started baking..and I love it..I myself is foodie by nature and love cook, eat and serve yummies…I baked my 1st cake few days ago and was really proud of it..However it didnt look fluffy but tasted good…I had used sqaure glassware for the same. Should trying a round bottom glass ware will help?
Pls let me know…bbye and happy baking…
Hi Archana, Thanks for writing in.Am replying here since I don't have an email address for you. I've never baked in glassware in the oven, so am not too sure. Maybe you can buy a baking tin, & expeiment in that to compare.I love baking in tins, & somehow feel I wont get the same results in glassware.Where do you live? Will try & help you look for some…take care
I just accidentally fell into your site… not to worry, it didn’t hurt! It’s WONDERFUL and I will be adding it to my favorites… so many recipes to try!
WoW!
love your blog!
Hi Deeba,
I read about you on the daily tiffin. In one of your articles you mentioned about keeping the kitchen clean as an obsession. Actually it must be a blessing because that is one of the things I can't do and would really like to learn how to in a proper methodical way. What's your daily routine? How do you keep your stove top, counters and cabinets clean? And also plan your meals and do your grocery.. Have you posted any pictures of your kitchen? would love to see it and where and how you make the delicious gourmet meals.
Hi Vinita, Thanks for writing in; wish you'd left your email address, but will reply in brief here. I have pictures of my kitchen, but havnt posted them anywhere. It's a largish kitchen, not fancy, but suits me. Yes I plan my grocery & meals at least a day in advance, & if am caught off guard, make do with basic pantry items. Basics like butter,eggs,flour,sugar,essences,potatoes,tomatoes,onions,garlic,limes are always to be found in my kitchen. When I work in the kitchen, I like to do all the clearing & washing myself, even though I have household help.I do not start a second thing without clearing,washing,cleaning & putting away all the stuff from the first thing. I clean my kitchen counters too, & only then embark on my next project. Also, I like to keep all my knives, baking tins, casseroles in their own designated places. Just makes me feel less hassled! Hope this helps…
im certain you get this all the but i had to compliment you on your amazing skills!! im a culinarty arts student and i was looking up black forest gateau becausing im making it in class tomorrow and i can only hope mine is half as good as yours
I wish I was a culinary arts student too. Thank you for your very kind words. I'm sure your cake will be a huge success!
Hi Deeba,
Amazing blog, amazing recipes!
Finally found a site/blog by an Indian, staying in India. The moment I read the words "baking is not widespread in India, & ingredients are hard to come by", I felt 'this is it!'. Somebody from India bakes and knows that some ingredients and tools are difficult to find!
And what a list of recipes!
I bake occasionally and keep reading blogs for recipes and tips.
Few questions popped up in my mind like, where did you buy a springform pan from? and where to get cream with 35% fat? ('Amul fresh cream' says it has 25% fat) would home stored 'malai' do?
Happy Baking!
Shweta
Hi Deeba,
Thank you for your reply. Yes your reply and your blog does inspire me to be more organized. My email is vkhade@hotmail.com
Congrats Deeba on your BEAUTIFUL blog and photos! I so admire and respect all you've done. I'm terrible at baking but LOVE Indian food, not great at that either. Find it difficult to balance all the spices. I like the different flavors of Malaysian curries and Indian curries. Keep up the great blog.
I'm agree with you blogging is therapeutic!
Your blog is absolutely amazing.
Love the photos and the positive energy in all your post.
I'm so happy following you on twitter.
Kind regards,
Cata
I love the way you photograph and present your food. It is as good as the pictures which you would find in a cooking magazine.
Lovely blog. Quite an effort.
One question… do you really eat all that you bake?
Your blog is absolutely beautiful. The pictures are just amazing and just by looking at them, you feel the love and the passion for baking.
I'm very impressed … and positively jealous!
Hey…thank u for the welcome & wonderful to be here. I want to read every post of ur sweet & cute blog but have just about entered the world of blogging when was gifted my very first own net book a month ago,never thought i'd be able to post pics in my blog before that but have a lot to catch up with shuttling between finishing schooling,experimenting in the kitchen & blogging…..
& wana try a lot of ur recipes too.
Love the way u have tweaked ur minima template….
will cya again soon
Hey…thank u for the welcome & wonderful to be here. I want to read every post of ur sweet & cute blog but have just about entered the world of blogging when was gifted my very first own net book a month ago,never thought i'd be able to post pics in my blog before that but have a lot to catch up with shuttling between finishing schooling,experimenting in the kitchen & blogging…..
& wana try a lot of ur recipes too.
Love the way u have tweaked ur minima template….
will cya again soon
Hey…thank u for the welcome & wonderful to be here. I want to read every post of ur sweet & cute blog but have just about entered the world of blogging when was gifted my very first own net book a month ago,never thought i'd be able to post pics in my blog before that but have a lot to catch up with shuttling between finishing schooling,experimenting in the kitchen & blogging…..
& wana try a lot of ur recipes too.
Love the way u have tweaked ur minima template….
will cya again soon
hi vindee, thank you so much for your comment on my blog. it's lovely to meet other foodies from our part of the world. i lack the precision required for baking- so dont really have any cake recipes of my own. i look forward to visiting your beautiful website for ideas and recipes. best wishes, shayma
hi deeba,
you blog is very useful ,& absolutely beautiful m loving the way u present ur food ,after watching ur recipie m jus carzy aboutit .i have tried some of ur recipie too they r absolutely marvellous in taste ,,,,,i have request ,can u please teach me how to make a princess cake for birthdays ……..
Your blog is a great read and you have some fantastic photos. I especially enjoyed your post about Nanimo bars, I'm from Canada and those were one of my favorite treats as a kid!
Cheers,
Julia
Hi Deeba….I just happened to see ur blog and am truly amazed at the wonderful things u make!! Although I am not a very active baker…I just pick up recipe from TV shows…will surely try some of urs. If u could pls guide me where to find moulds/ tins/ cooking choclates somewhere in Gurgaon ..as we have just relocated to this place little while back!! Thanks a ton.
Congratulation your receipes are wonderful…you very good…bye bye Luciana
You are in New Delhi?! I spent four months in Southern India and two months in Nepal in my college days and I long to return! I am so excited I found your blog!
What an inspirational blog! So many delicious recipes, I wouldn't know where to start. I have my eye on the pistachio and olive oil brownies though..
wonderful site & fantastic photos
Hi Deeba,
Awesome blog… I love the way you present the dishes..it really shows your passion towards baking and cooking. I am very new to baking and think I am already in love with it.
I have tried some of your recipes and they really came out fantastic although not as beautiful as you make them look.
We being vegetarians, I suppliment the eggs with organic egg replacer and may be thats the reason they dont come out to be so fluffy and spongy.
Request for some egg free baking recipes….plz..
Thanks
Hi,
Just stumbled on your blog and am entralled. Am a foodie. believe that I love to cook, but am too scared to start a recepie. Have decided to try a few of your recepies.
BTW, am planning on buying an over. Please suggest whether a normal OTG will do or do I need something better. And also what pans and dishes to buy as a starter kit.
would love to share more.
Rgds
priya
I just recently found your blog and I LOVE IT!!! You are an amazing blogger. I just wrapped up my last year teaching to become a SAHM myself. I really look forward to focusing on nurturing my family and I expect to visit your blog quite often to find recipes to do so.
Thanks for sharing your talent and I might give some of these recipes a whirl myself.
Hi..great website! Could u tell me where can I find baking supplies..pans etc in gurgaon.
Thanks
Beautiful presentation and crisp writing, which makes me come here often. Love all your posts. Best wishes.
Hey Deeba,
Congrats on getting your own platform at TOI!
Deeba,
This morning I found you in my e mail box and I always check out the blogs who stumble into my life. I pleasantly walked through it and after about 30 minutes I could tell PassionateAboutBaking is one of the most professional , good looking and heart warming blogs I've seen. You are inspiring and a leader to follow. I am so happy to have you as a friend
and to build a blog friendship with you. I'm following you by RSS feed don't want to miss any of your posts.
By the way do you take your own pictures? they are fabulous!
Lovely blog you have. Thank you for stopping by mine. Your passion in baking really shows. I'm definitely coming back here to get inspiration and recipes. Have a great weekend!
your passion can be seen in your beautiful creations and also your photos- you put so much love in it! how can one go wrong? Excellent blog, will come here often!
Awesome mouthwatering pictures…delicious recipes…a wonderful blog…
beautiful blog…..have been cooking & posting for some time now and now about to start baking…hope to do it successfully…am going to use ur recipes and hopefully they turn as nice as yours…cheers!!!!!
Priya´s last [type] ..Bharva Baingan Stuffed Eggplants
Hi Deeba,
i just love ur blog and keep trying ur recipes…they are surely a Hit!!!
thx for ur beautiful blog….
cheers
I think it’s awesome that you’re doing all this even after how challenged we are inIndia to find quality baking stuff.
Miss Stovetop´s last [type] ..Ratatouille Sandwich
Love your blog & all the amazing recipes.
That granola recipe will be a complete hit.
Gr8 job
Woww.. awesome recipes and a very beautiful blog
Similar to its author.. 
Do visit my lil’ blog too
Do continue writing such fab recipes and help budding cooks like me
Cheers,
Gopika
Gopika´s last [type] ..Stuffed Chappathi Roll
Hi Deeba!
Thank you so much for all your help! You’re truly an inspiration
Hi Deeba,
Oh my god absolutely lovely blog and based in India how perfect!
Just starting to bake and the first stumble is when the book mentions allpurpose flour – what do we use – maida? any recommended brand that gives a good result? and how much is a stick of butter – says unsalted so i suppose amul wont do any others ahhh and thirdly chocolate i tried putting in regular eating chocolate and of course the result was disastrous!
Would love a resource guide of ingredients where to buy things in Delhi so hopefully things turn out worth eating! Currently thats the first struggle and the family trying to ban me from baking as they have to try out all the things(thats the only word for it) that I bake!
many thanks
deedee
You have a very nice blog and the recipes are amazing.I have a similar blog with recipes from around the world have a look.http://bakingtips.org
Hi Deeba
Congratulations!! You have an amazing blog. Just love your recipes, photos and PROPS. They are all so lovely.
Just a beginner in blogging. But I am quite inspired by you.
Will keep visiting and happy to follow you!
Rinku Naveen´s last [type] ..Fruit Custard
Hey Deeba! Glad i found your blog through ‘Eat and Dust’!
You have a wonderful blog! LOVE LOVE LOVE your photos!
I have never been too much into baking but looking at your blog makes me want to change that!
I am definitely going to try some of your recipes!!
Hi, i found your blog via google. it’s pretty great. i may come back again. thanks Hello! Appreciate the great write-up. Keep writing!
“The challenge lies greatly in trying to try recipes with substitutes” ….
Have you tried replacing eggs in any of the recipes… especially brownies and baked pies? I do not wish to use things like Ener-G Egg Replacer. Ingredients like yogurt etc that are commonly used in Indian kitchens is what I am looking for.
Hi Deeba..hopped here from Anita’ s blog, it is indeed a pleasure to read about you…now that you have mentiond that u have written for TOI, I think I have come across your article…
You really have an enviable collectibles, assuming u have sourced it from Delhi..
Now coming to baking..that too in India is a challenge, first a good oven (pls reccomend me any), then sourcing the ingred, which itself a huge challenge and on top of it frequent power cuts..inspite of that u manged so well is rather an inspiration for us..
I took baking only after moving to US, but once I go back to India,I dont know how I will manage the baking..do help me with choosing a good oven…
and coming to photographs..its really good, Canon eos is a good camera, do we need to know the photography to handle a DSLR.
Finally an awesome and inspirational blog, am glad that I found you
Do visit my blog sometime if time permits…
Sukanya´s last [type] ..hot and spicy chicken wings with barbecue sauce
I always visit your page and retrieve everything you post here but I never commented but today when I saw this post, I couldn’t stop myself from commenting here. Fantastic page.
Hi Deeba,
I just discovered your blog today and it looks like something my wife would love! Emailing her about it now. I’m not much of a baker myself… but I like to eat baked goods.
Anthony@Swanson Vitamins´s last [type] ..Swanson Premium D-3 Passes ConsumerLab.com Independent Testing
Your blog was tweeted by a friend yesterday. Thought I’d check it out. Best decision ever.
You got a very excellent web site, Glad I noticed it via yahoo.
Great blog … came here from the FB post by BlogAdda.
Looks great …
Just curious … what breed is Coco?
Cheers,
Madhu
Madhu Nair´s last [type] ..Hornbill Festival 2011 – 10 Day Trip!
Thank you Madhu. Coco is a cocker spaniel & is a naughty 3 months old!
Some really nice stuff on this website , I enjoy it.
Fantastic website. All posts have a process to learn. Your hard work is very good and i enjoy you and wanting for some more informative posts.
Excellent blog. Plenty of helpful information here. I was looking for this.Thanks for sharing!
Hi Deeba,
I am a great fan of your blog and visit the same daily. Keep up the good work.
Thanks,
Ritu
Hello! I just would like to give a huge thumbs up for the great info you have here on this post. I will be coming back to your blog for more soon.
Congratulations on possessing actually one among one of the vital subtle blogs Ive arrive across in some time! Its simply superb how much you’ll be able to take into account away from a thing mainly merely because of how visually beautiful it is. Youve place collectively an amazing weblog site area –great graphics, films, layout. This is actually a must-see website!
This is a really good read for me, Must admit that you are one of the best bloggers I ever saw.Thanks for posting this informative article.
HI! When I read the word Delhi, my interest in your blog suddenly grew by leaps! Your blog is picture perfect and beyond the best! Loved your awesome recipes. I guess I can take a lot of cues from your photographs coz though I can dish out decent food, photography is just not my cup of tea!! Glad to have stumbled on your blog
easyfoodsmith´s last [type] ..POM LIMEADE
Loving your blog, it is very inspirational. The photos make you want to eat the screen! I’ll be looking at your blog to find the use of “alternative grains” in baking, which is far superior than white flour! Was going to ask you, what do you do with all your baking? I love to bake too, but don’t do it often because I end up eating way too many sweets then! You mentioned you use fruits in baking, which I love so I’ll be visiting your blog for fruit recipes too! Thank you and looking forward to reading more.
maam,
i m a student and i want to learn baking but i cant join any classes and in my city i cant get much ingrediant so plz help me with some basic recipes . waiting 4 a rpl
I like the way you described yourself and your work. I am too an avid food lover, but may not be as good as you. I like shopping for ingredients and I keep experimenting with variants and combinations. This is what keeps me busy. Love your posts.
Divya Bhaskar
MyGrahak.com