11/20/2018
This year's Diwali season celebrations were extra special.
I’m so fortunate that ever since I’ve moved to the Bay Area, I get the privilege to offer a dessert prepared by me for the Diwali Govardhan Puja Annakut, at the Bayvp (Bay Area Vaishnav Parivar Temple). Each year, BAVP comes up with beautiful themes for the Diwali Annakut celebrations. I am in awe of the devotion of the volunteers, how each year they take out time out of their schedules juggling work & other responsibilities to create extraordinary sights & spend hours to light up the Temple with beautiful rangolis & art work. This year, the theme was Dwarka Sheesh Mahal. Sheesh Mahal translates to 'mirror palace'. Over 183,000 mirrors were used by the volunteers in putting together this Sheesh Mahal theme. A sight to behold, the Annakut celebration was grand, as always. Here is a little glimpse of it in one of the pictures.
So as I was wondering on what cake recipe to present for Ankut, I decided that it needed to be “Indian Sweet” related.
Gulab jamun is one of the yummiest, desserts, enjoyed best when it's made fresh. I decided to incorporate this sugary doughnut into a delicious spice infused Vanilla cake. My contribution for the Ankut celebration had to be this Gulab Jamun Cake!!!!! The cake is topped with Jamun, pistachios, saffron, and a spice-infused sugar syrup for the final finish!
Gulab jamun cake | Diwali Ankut celebration 2018.
Pic credits: Shashi Desai
