Winter is here and I only feel like curling up in a warm cozy blanket and sipping a mug of hot chocolate. On one such cold morning, as I was walking past my local bakery, I stopped to take a peek at the freshly baked goods. The aroma invited me in and at that moment, a wave of nostalgia hit me, instantly teleporting me to my preteen days!!!
Voila! It was Susan Aunty’s home-baked cakes and other goodies!!!
Before we rewind to the pre 2010 era, when broadcasting mediums like YouTube were in an infantile stage, smartphones were just entering the market and people were glued to dish TV and cable network, I suggest you to get your hot cocoa, tune into some heartwarming music(like Send me on my way by Rusted Roots which was the OST in Matilda 😁) and get ready for the second edition of The Petrichor Chronicles.
It was a different world altogether. Back then in slow, calm and quiet Bangalore, buying a cake meant visiting the only neighbourhood bakery and accepting their limited flavours and pricing options. It wasn’t as quick and easy as today, when one craves a sweet treat & ta-da it is right at your doorstep!
It was during those times that a friendly neighbour, Susan aunty started her home bakery and took the entire apartment complex by a storm!
While walking back from school with my mother, the house with the colorful orchids would always catch my eye. Susan aunty would be standing in her little garden with her pug Sasha, watering the plants, talking to my mother while a wonderful aroma of cinnamon and vanilla would come wafting out her window. She would bake a fresh batch of cakes every Wednesday and would invite us in to her home.
As a child, my impression of cake was only a chocolate cake with frosting. I had never even thought that a cake could exist without icing! Susan Aunty introduced all of us to the world of rich, standalone cakes. I still remember her most famous cake – The Tea Cake. It used to be light, fluffy, absolutely scrumptious and melting in the mouth! She made exotic flavors – the orange cake which was infused with fresh orange juice and zest, the carrot cake made with freshly grated carrots with a dash of cinnamon and a sprinkle of nutmeg, the classic chocolate cake with dark cocoa and a beautifully patterned Marble cake(a fusion of vanilla and chocolate cake).
In the pre-smartphone era, she ran a successful home business!
She had an industrial mixer to fold the ingredients, two ovens, a kitchen food weighing scale, cling wrap and a sealing machine. Her marketing was pure word of mouth, no flyers, no texts, no WhatsApp groups. She was so fantastic at sales that no one could resist buying her cakes. She would meticulously take orders on Tuesday, patiently bake, precisely pack everything and would spend hours talking to her customers, asking their feedback and incorporating it.
I was a child of 8 or 9 at that time and I looked at her bakery set up with curious eyes. I had never even seen an oven before that and to me, it seemed like this magical device that would make something so wonderful from a soggy batter.
During the summers, she used to sell a variety of squashes such as lime and ginger, which were so unique in taste that I still haven’t found a similar one in market till date. In every apartment event or celebration her stall would be set up and would be sold out within no time!
One December morning, she introduced us to the concept of soaking the choicest of dry fruits and letting it dwell until it was ready to be made into a Plum cake. And that cake was just wonderful! It was indulgent, delectable and heavenly!
And suddenly, I realised, I was reliving a memory of carefree days, full of fun and frolic. As adults, sometimes we forget about those simpler times when a piece of cake would bring a smile to our faces. As the year comes to an end, hope this Petrichor Chronicle brings back your close winter memories from your childhood and fills you with love, laughter and warmth. I am grateful to the support you keep showing to my little blog.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, my dear readers, and here’s to ending this year with a note of peace and starting 2026 with hope, love & light!
Let’s bake some joy!
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