Valentine's Week︱This Chocolate Day, gift a healthy cake and eat it too

Lucknow-based home bakers and cake designers are going the extra mile to ensure that the Chocolate Day is celebrated with health in every bite

Cake designer and chef Shweta Bhargava,

Artisanal baker Niharika Bajaj

Shaifali Bhargava, a professional home baker

If you love chocolate, but don’t indulge due to health reasons, here’s a way you can ensure you or your partner aren’t deprived today, as we celebrate Chocolate Day. From chocolates and cakes to dips, everything can take a healthy turn. Here, home bakers and cake designers tell us how they are going the extra mile to ensure that the day is celebrated with health in every bite. From flourless cakes to homegrown fruits and herb-based treats, there’s something for everyone.

Flourless sweetness

Cake designer and chef Shweta Bhargava, who crafted a gluten and sugar-free cake for cricketer Virat Kohli to gift his wife, actor Anushka Sharma, during the last IPL, believes it’s heartening to see Lucknowites embracing a healthier way of celebrating. She says, “Eating and enjoying a guilt-free dessert is my vision for the dessert lovers in my city. My pure Belgian chocolate heart bonbons and gravity-defying cakes — made without using wheat flour or maida, with just almond or ragi flour — are just a few highlights from my curated Valentine’s Week menu.”

Some bakers are also prioritising home-grown or organic fruits to cater to their clients’ preferences.

Pure chocolate is the way

“My first conscious effort is to bring the purest ingredients to the people of Lucknow. For Chocolate Day and the entire week of love, we have created the healthiest cakes and more. We use only pure cocoa butter chocolate and pair it with homegrown ingredients like narangis, farm-fresh strawberries, and passion fruit, whipped with khajoor or jaggery. Prices go up to Rs1,500 for a 750gm cake, but people don’t mind when they can truly have their cake and eat it too,” says artisanal baker Niharika Bajaj.

Saying no to fondant, yes to herbs

For Shaifali Bhargava, a professional home baker, fondant chocolate cakes are a thing of the past, and she’s happy to see Lucknow embracing healthier alternatives. “When I introduced herb-based fruit cakes that aid digestion, without fondant or white sugar, which causes glucose spikes, I wanted a cake that everyone could enjoy without hesitation. While some assume that flavour might be compromised, the truth is that these cakes are both satiating and refreshing. My fresh herb-fruit cake for the season of love is back on shelves for the city’s lovebirds,” she adds.