Diwali’s sweet delights

Diwali, a five-day festival of lights celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains across the world, celebrates new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. This year the holiday lands on November 14. Diwali celebrations frequently include fireworks, candles, and other forms of light displays. Additionally, as with many holidays around the world, food plays an important role, especially sweets. Over at Food & Wine, cookbook author and blogger Hetal Vasavada shares her favorite Diwali sweets.

Vasavada describes the large family gatherings during Diwali that culminated in a gigantic family feast. “There were a hundred-plus of us at my cousin’s house each year,” she explains. Now that she has moved across the country away from most of her relatives, Vasavada has had to create new traditions. She and her mother mail each other sweets, with Vasavada’s contributions featuring Indian takes on American cakes, bars, and cookies. This is the style for which at the blogger and author of Milk & Cardamom: Spectacular Cakes, Custards and More, Inspired by the Flavors of India has become known.

After Vasavada realized she is not alone in having to create new Diwali traditions since she has been separated from her family, she launched an online bakery, also called Milk & Cardamom. Her goal with the bakery is to bring desserts like her burfi barks and gulab jamun Bundt cake to more tables around the country. “It’s a way for my desserts to reach more people, and at the same time, it lets me be a part of a lot of families’ traditions,” she explained.

Photo of Shrikhand parfait from Milk & Cardamom by Hetal Vasavada