Mandakini Gupta gave up a career in television journalism to stay at home and bake cakes, breads, tarts and cookies to her heart’s content. As well known for her bran bread as for her chocolate zucchini cake, the cognoscenti of the city beat a retreat to her door come evening. That is when the day’s baking and decorating is done and the famous green fence of her garden can hardly be seen because of the line of cars of mothers lovingly carrying birthday cakes home or friends who have come to pick up a lemon poppy seed cake for a party. She needs a day’s notice for birthday cakes, works alone without any household help and maintains her quality fiercely. She also does bars of chocolate on order for which she uses only the finest couverture. I have often talked to my friends, mentioned Smitten (Mandakini’s trade name) and been astonished to discover that each of us have our own products that we keep ordering. All thanks to the sheer range of products she does: everyone seems to have their own favourites from this elfin lady’s repertoire. My own is bran bread whose outer 
surface is studded with seeds and whole grains.
Contact her by calling 9810010735 or by emailing smittenbakery1@gmail.com. All orders have to be picked up at her residence near Shahpur Jat.
