Hey there guys! We’ve been kinda busy chez Con Affetto what with Valentine’s Day (Did YOU take part in our fab V Day contest? No? Worry not, watch this space for more fun contests coming your way soon!) and ‘Bake For Family’ Month’– which is currently on in full swing. Speaking of ‘Bake For Family’ month, we had the Con Affetto bake off recently at our office and it was not only the most awesome work event imaginable, it was also a trip down nostalgia lane. Everyone at work shared stories of how they had first gotten started with baking and it took us right back to a sleepy little small town in Rajasthan where two little girls had BIG gourmet dreams! Yeah, true story!

Two little girls with big gourmet dreams Take a trip down nostalgia lane with us!

Growing up in Bhilwara in Rajasthan, we only ever had stodgy, old fashioned cakes covered with mounds of buttery cream from the only bakery in town.

Blast from the past! Remember these cream cakes from our childhood days?

Baking at home was not that common and the only delicious, gourmet cakes we tasted were few and far between. We had one such encounter with a divine tasting cake at a friend’s birthday party and were stunned to hear that her mum had baked it! We promptly trooped back home and began badgering our own mum to bake exactly the same version of deliciousness we’d had at our friend’s. Mum rose (literally!) to the occasion and learned how to bake the cake we craved for from our friend’s mum- and that was our first foray into the many delights of baking. Spurred on by our craving for all things cake-y, Mum began what would be a long standing tryst with baking. Recipes were procured from around the world, sometimes painstakingly noted down over the telephone; ingredients were sourced from willing relatives and friends travelling to the nearest big city and baking experiments were made manifold in our tiny home oven. Our baking repertoire slowly began to grow. From being required for special family occasions, the very act of baking itself became the occasion, with the entire family eagerly anticipating the ‘event’. From helping Mum with the prep; to sitting around the oven watching those delicious cupcakes or cookies begin to take form; to helping with the clean up (batter licking experts to the rescue!), baking was a family affair all right! For the two little girls with cupcake-y visions; it was a dream come true!

And this is what Con Affetto memories are made of :)

Fast forward to many years later. The little girls were all grown up now, and had moved away from home to pursue other goals. Yet the warm memories they’d created around the family oven, stayed in their hearts. It was to these memories that one of the little girls, now grown up, returned, in a bid to recreate the same magical experiences for her own children. Armed with the passion for baking she’d inherited from her mum and driven with her own exceptional talent for crafting, she began creating gourmet bakes for her kids and crafting them into gorgeous edible bouquets. Very soon, not just her kids, but friends, neighbours and relatives were swooning over her drool-worthy creations. And that’s when inspiration struck the two sisters with erstwhile cupcake dreams! What if they could recreate the magic from their childhood and translate it into something for everyone to enjoy? What if their edible bouquets could become something much more- a celebration of baking and crafting, of love?

Baking…Crafting…Creating magic with gourmet baked products @ConAffetto

The Con Affetto idea had just been born! The coming together of passion, creativity… and a generous sprinkling of magic! Inspired by the beauty of flowers and the delectable temptation of gourmet bakes, it was the birth of edible bouquets chez Con Affeto!

The Con Affetto Story! A dream come true :)

And it had all begun with a charming little family baking tradition Inspired? We hope you are because there is no better time than ‘Bake For Family’ month to start creating some family baking traditions of your own! If YOU want to get your family involved in baking, here are three easy ways to get your whole family in the kitchen and baking!

1. Get them to prep with you!

Start prepping as a family before B Day ;)

Don’t just assemble all the ingredients you need to start baking a cake and expect the fam to turn up and be all excited. Totally not happening! Build up the excitement and anticipation by getting them involved in choosing a recipe, shopping for ingredients and deciding on a day for your family bake off. That’ll get them all pumped up and looking forward to the day which has the whole family in the kitchen and baking.

2. When you have your whole family in the kitchen and baking, DON’T have unrealistic expectations

Get your inner Monica to take a chill pill, just this once! (Image Credit: theodysseyonline.com)

On the B Day ;), don’t channel your inner Monica and be all antsy about keeping things clean, organized and expecting perfection. Remember, when your whole family is in the kitchen and baking with you, your aim should be to create memories and experiences that will last a lifetime. Expect a little (or a lot of) mess- especially if there are young kids involved, some goof ups- and a whole lot of fun! You may even have some baking disasters to begin with and that’s all part of the family fun. Keep at it, and not only will you bond with each other, you will create great memories- and eventually some great bakes as well!

3. Set aside a specified day and time

Get everyone on board; set that date in stone!

If you really want to get your whole family in the kitchen and baking, you’re going to have to plan well in advance. Fix a day when all of you are available and have at least two hours on hand, pencil it into everybody’s calendars and make it clear that this is one family date nobody can miss! Even if you can do it only once in a month or two to begin with, be consistent. Eventually it will be a day everyone looks forward to and wishes would happen more often!

Do you have any family baking stories of your own that you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you!

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