Children's Day 2022: Mumbai baker tries out recipes from a children's cookbook by Shivesh Bhatia

Representation pic

He is a 26-year-old baker and digital content creator who loves styling and photographing his cakes as much as he loves working the oven. Self-taught, Shivesh Bhatia's only regret is that he wishes he had started baking sooner. "I started at 16, but I felt I lost out on so many years. I see young kids who are doing a great job - it makes me happy." It's what prompted the Delhi resident to put together a book of interesting recipes that would encourage kids to get into the kitchen, pick up the whisk, bake and discover the passion.

Andheri resident Caydn Louzado making recipes for friends - the two and four legged ones - from A Cookbook for Special Days, Special People

A Cookbook for Special Days, Special People (Rs 799) released recently. It's a beautifully illustrated book with 50 kid-friendly recipes. His brief to Delhi-based visual artist and design mentor Maitreyee Namjoshi was to keep it as vibrant as possible, but at the same time, let the sketches reflect details, texture and depth. For instance, in the no-bake mango cheesecake recipe, the colour and texture of the puree keeps changing at different steps, based on the ingredients added to it, giving it a more realistic feel, similar to what you'd see if you looked at pictures. "As a seasoned baker, one assumes everyone knows cooking and baking terms. So, when Maitreyee asked questions, I realised that illustrating it for kids was a good way to help those who are starting on this journey," Bhatia tells mid-day.

Shivesh Bhatia

The book is divided into special days, spread over 13 months. From Hot Chocolate Day in January and Holi in March to World Emoji Day in July (yes, there's a poop emoji vanilla cupcake recipe in here) to Christmas in December - there are corresponding recipes that also rely heavily on seasons.

"When I started baking, it was always for special occasions like a birthday or rakhi. I realised that to encourage kids to pick up an activity like baking, special days are a great place to start. It allows them to look forward to something outside of their daily schedule. While picking the days, we went through the calendar and shortlisted those we thought would be important for kids, like chocolate or pet days where they could make something for a pet or even a stray. We also wanted to introduce them to seasonal produce so there's a reference to World Mango Day too."

Emoji poop cake

‘For an art student like me, the sketches added to the appeal'
We asked Andheri-based tween baker Caydn Louzado to select a few recipes and try them in his kitchen

"I think the book is very thoughtfully put together and well laid out. The use of seasonal produce, as well as reference to festivities, makes it interesting. Most of all, I love the pictorial depiction of the entire process. It makes you want to cook. The illustrations are magical. Being an art student, I had to take a second and third look at how well they were being depicted. The recipes are easy to understand, which is important for the success of a recipe book for kids since it helps you nail the steps, just as the chef intended it to be. I will share these with my building and school friends since we are all on a WhstsAapp group. I also have an Instagram page with a small following of 450, and I hope to put up a story and tag Shivesh."

Peanut Butter Puppy Biscuits

Growing up, Louzado always wanted to have a dog but couldn't. "I love dogs and wanted to bake these doggo cookies for my neighbours' pets. I didn't have to go looking for ingredients as everything I needed was already available at home," he adds.

Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
2 tbsp mashed banana
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup whole wheat flour (for dusting)

Take a microwave-safe cookie rack and put parchment paper on it.

Louzado used special bone shaped cookie cutters to make the biscuits interesting for his furry friends

In a bowl, add in whole wheat flour and baking powder. Use a spatula to mix these two together. In the same bowl, add in peanut butter, mashed banana and water. Use your spatula to bring the dough together. The dough might be a little sticky, but that is okay.

Once combined, use your hands to make a big ball of dough. Dust a generous amount of whole wheat flour - around 1/4 cup - on your kitchen counter and transfer the dough ball on it. Flatten the ball a little by pushing it down with your hands. Then take a rolling pin and roll out the dough till it's 1/4" thick. You can add some more flour if the dough starts to stick to the kitchen counter or the rolling pin.

Next, use a cookie cutter in a shape of your choice to cut out individual cookies from the rolled-out dough. Remove the excess dough from the edges and place each cookie on your cookie rack. Put these in the microwave and cook them for 3-4 minutes. Let the biscuits cool down completely before giving them to your furry friend.

No baked oatmeal and raisin cookies

"My dad constantly tells me to bake healthy eats since that's the need of the hour. I thought that I should make this recipe so that I can also inspire other children to eat healthy. The process was fun because the recipe is so, so easy," says Louzado.

Ingredients
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup peanut butter
3/4cup rolled oats
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Line a tray/plate with parchment paper. In a microwave-safe bowl, add peanut butter and honey. Heat it in the microwave for 15 seconds and then use a spoon to mix the two. Put the bowl in the microwave and heat again for 15 seconds. In the peanut butter-honey mixture add in oats, raisins and cinnamon. Using a spatula, mix everything until all the dry ingredients are fully covered with the peanut butter-honey mixture. With the help of two spoons, scoop out small balls of the cookie batter on the tray/plate lined with parchment. Lastly, freeze the shaped cookies for 20 minutes.