My Favorite Apple Pie Recipe

There is nothing more comforting than a slice of apple pie. I love chocolate and believe me I do love it, but there is something about apple pie that screams to be eaten and can beat a chocolate dessert on certain days. Buttery and flaky crust, a sweet tart apple filling, beautiful lattice work or even the simple kinds, with a scoop of ice cream or without, apple pie is comfort food; the perfect comforting dessert.

I have been wanting to share this recipe for a while now and I am glad I have managed to do it this year before thanksgiving. I have made this recipe so many times that I have lost count. Generally a recipe that I make this often lands up on the blog sooner than later. But with this pie it took a while to have it up on the blog. Somehow whenever I made it, I was never able to photograph it. It always got over before I got a chance to shoot it. But finally I did get to take pictures of the finished pie and here I am today sharing the recipe for my favorite apple pie on the blog.

My Favorite Apple Pie Recipe

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If you are a fan of peanut butter, you will go nuts for these peanut butter filled chocolate cupcakes with a chocolate mousse frosting on top. This is an eggless recipe.

Peanut butter mousse filled chocolate cupcakes (eggless)

When I started TPC, my customized cake business, one of the first orders I got was from this girl Ankita. Ankita found me through instagram and the first time we met was on her birthday when she ordered her birthday cake from me. I was new to Chandigarh, had no friends, and pretty much my life revolved around just my parents and relatives and baking cakes. When I shared this with her, post her birthday she made it a point to invite me to an event she was hosting. From there our friendship started, and I am so glad it did.

I am no longer taking cake orders now, concentrating on my photography and the blog. As I was in town for Ankita’s birthday she asked me to make a cake for her. She mentioned she likes chocolate, peanut butter, nutella, dark chocolate and roasted almonds. I knew I had to make a cake that somehow got all those flavors together and still didn’t feel like a mishmash.

Peanut butter mousse filled chocolate cupcakes (eggless)
Peanut butter mousse filled chocolate cupcakes (eggless) Peanut butter mousse filled chocolate cupcakes (eggless)

I ended up baking my vegan chocolate cake but this time added half butter because I like the taste and richness that butter lends to a cake. Filled one cake layer with peanut butter mousse that I adapted from here, another with a thin layer of nutella and a chocolate mousse filling, topped with dark chocolate ganache. For the decoration I made dark chocolate and roasted almond shards and filled the top of the cake with the dark chocolate shards. The cake was sinful, and an absolute success. I had shared pictures from my phone on my IG stories, but couldn’t take any for the blog.

Since I had some peanut butter mousse left and this is a recipe to be shared, I decided to make cupcakes which I could photograph for the blog post. And here I am today sharing it with you.

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The Spice Madams

SpiceMadam subscription box

I met Meghana at one of the pop up festivals in Dallas.  She and Kim, her business partner and co-founder of Spice Madam, were two bright and cheery people that you couldn’t miss at the festival. On the pretext of being a food blogger and photographer, and potentially interested in their spice boxes I took Meghana’s number. Honestly, I just wanted to be friends with her.

Meghana is one of those people, whose energy and spirit is contagious. Kim shares that same energy and the two make excellent business partners. When we met for coffee afterwords Meghana told me more about Spice Madam and I was intrigued by the concept.

Founded in December 2013, Spice Madam is a global lifestyle brand that brings friends and family together through food. Every month, Spice Madam subscribers explore, discover & experience a different culture through each box. The Spice Madams, as Meghana and Kim are known, create subscription boxes filled with global spices and recipes, music playlists and fun cultural facts. A shopping list & meal plan is included to save time for busy lives and the authentic recipes are researched and tested to ensure that every customer can make them in their home kitchens. I can attest to their recipes- I shot the recipes for their Senegal subscription box and each dish was something I would want to make at home.

Spice Madam Travelers kit

Lamb kebabs with sumac and pita bread Read More →