Moulding dreams into tasty cakes

How highly qualified one could be? How high a salary one might receive? Nothing can replace the happiness that comes with work satisfaction. For a few, love for work and passion to bring life to their dreams forces them to quit high profiled jobs and follow what their heart says. 

Though she had been working with Wipro for seven years, Radhika Deshpande, currently living in Gachibowli, wasn’t happy with her IT-based work and decided to quit her job which has paved way to fulfill her hobby and dream of cake baking. 

“Baking was my childhood hobby. I always have fun in helping my mother when she bakes cake for my brother and me. My mother was the first teacher to teach me the basics of cake baking. That is when I started to indulge myself in baking plain cakes with coloured chocolate gems all over and gift to my dear ones during special occasions and festivals,” she said.

Her stay for two years in Belgium helped her to further learn about varieties of cakes and its making. She has put in efforts to fine tune the nuisances of baking. “I wanted my childhood hobby to be explored with creativity attached, and make it a real time job,” she added.

Her specialization in baking colourful and creative style of cakes impressed many who suggested that she take it up as commercial business, which is when she gave a try and nurtured her baking skills with advanced training. Her teacher Radha Dhaka, one of the professional cake baking experts, has trained her on how to make fondant cakes, especially on how to bring in human figures on to the cake.

Radhika’s talent to design unique fondant creations over cream cakes has attracted as many as customers from every corner of the city, Hyderabad. “I work on wedding and engagement cakes more now. I always think of what kind of fondant creation could jell with the occasion. I have given out a cake with a couple sitting together, which resembled the bonding that seems to bloom over,” she relates.

She takes extra care when it comes to children. It is because children enjoy to witness colorfully designed cakes with animals, toys, etc. “I alone come up with ideas that goes with the occasion and even welcome the concepts that customer wants from me.” She recently made a cup cake representing the gym based equipments required to keep body fit, besides, a doll representing a girl doing work out. It was specially asked to thrill the birthday girl who does immense work out.

“Amongst all, the making of biryani cake was a challenge. The minute details: each rice grain, onions and other spices were made with hand over a 1kg cake. It took almost three days to complete. This encouraged me to come up with few more ideas over trendy food items that can bring more customers into my fold. I went on doing cakes that carry the designs of pav baji, chapati, starters.”

Her strict maintenance in quality without using preservatives has spread the demand for her varied cakes. “I plan my orders and make them fresh. I don’t prefer to bake them long before the delivery and freeze it. These fresh cakes live up to my customer expectations”, she said.

She is quickly becoming more popular with her new designs and concepts; however, it is the pride in her mother’s eyes that she finds invaluable. “My mother is greatly excited to see me take up her interest in baking cakes and do so much more,” she expresses.  

By: Sushma Nagaraju