Self-taught baker, Forbes 30 under 30, and author of five cookbooks, Shivesh Bhatia is an inspiration to many home bakers embarking on their entrepreneurial journey. With 3.2 million followers on Instagram, his social media is a go-to directory for people with a sweet tooth looking to replicate easy and irresistible dessert recipes at home.
The recent feat that Shivesh has unlocked is his fifth cookbook - Chocolate, featuring around 100 dessert recipes. Whether you are a newbie or a seasoned baker, you will cherish this book for the lip-smacking creation guide it is.
Why did Shivesh pick Chocolate as the title and star ingredient for the dessert recipes? “While so much has changed in these years, what has remained a constant part of my journey is chocolate,” reads an excerpt in the book. He thinks that chocolate is a crowd-pleaser and a versatile ingredient with which bakers can create magic.
Dessert Recipe Book Is A Work Of Trials And Errors
You would think that Shivesh is a seasoned baker now, and if you give him random ingredients, he would turn them into a lip-smacking creation. He can 100% do that (there are no two ways about it), but creating a recipe book featuring 100 dishes is not as easy as it seems. While speaking to Slurrp, the baker confessed that it took him around a year before Chocolate could be released.
Image Credit: Shivesh Bhatia/ Instagram
Every dish featured in the book undergoes many trials. “There's a lot of effort that goes into each trial, making sure that we get it [recipe] exactly how we imagined it,” he added. Among all the recipes in Chocolate, creating Banana Chocolate Swirl Cake took Shivesh a lot of time to perfect. “Such recipes are complicated to assemble,” he added.
He also believes that recipe trails are a part of his job, especially when the task is to compile a recipe book. “There have been a few recipes that we have had to drop because I wasn’t happy about how they turned out,” said Shivesh.
Image Credit: Shivesh Bhatia/ Instagram
Shivesh Bhatia Excels In Making Eggless Desserts
If you follow Shivesh and his recipes, you must have noticed that he makes many eggless desserts. The book also features many such recipes, which vegetarians and vegans can follow through.
“My last book was Eggless Baking, and now I am kind of getting more and more comfortable with baking without eggs, and I am more confident about the technique and ingredients,” Shivesh said.
Image Credit: Shivesh Bhatia/ Instagram
It took him a long time to shake off the preconceived notion that many people have regarding eggless baking. “It was a challenge to create desserts without eggs and ace the texture, it should be as good if not better. However, I feel more confident and secure about new things.”
Shivesh Bhatia’s Tips For Home Bakers And Pairing Chocolates
Shivesh has been baking since he was 16. Today, he is a seasoned pastry chef who learnt everything by baking disasters, learning from failure, and giving his all to perfect a recipe. While sharing a few tips on pairing chocolate, he said that the ingredient pairs impeccably with pistachios. He even has recipes in his book like Choco Pistachio Chequered Cake.
Image Credit: Shivesh Bhatia/ Instagram
“Biscoff and chocolate work extremely well because both are people pleasers,” he added. Home bakers can also pair chocolate with passion fruit, hazelnuts, almonds, and even popular Ferrero Rocher. He even has a recipe for Ferrero Rocher cake in the book.
If you are a fan of Shivesh Bhatia and are planning to start your entrepreneurial journey, he has some tips for you. He suggests,
- Many people forget to have fun while baking. It is a science and you have to be precise, but it is more important to enjoy the process and learn from every mistake.
- Always invest in good quality ingredients. From chocolates to truffles, Shivesh recommends high-quality ingredients (of course in your budget) because they are building blocks for your final recipe.
- You should always be open to experimenting. It is a bit intimidating, but it is also important to cross the boundaries of your comfort zone and enter the creative space.
Home baker or not, you should add Chocolate to your long pile of cookbooks, and it will definitely inspire you to try making dessert this holiday season.
Image Credit: Shivesh Bhatia/ Instagram