IT professional turns ‘Dessert’ engineer, shares her journey
Hyderabad: Do you remember the times when we would go to small bakeries in our neighbourhood to buy a simple birthday cake for someone special?
There were no fancy cakes and designs to choose from or home-bakers to dial up and place an order. That is when Ashwini Sarabhai, an engineer, decided to give up her illustrious corporate career at Infosys and start a unique cake business.
The Dream Cakes started in 2006 expanded into India’s first online cake academy in 2012. And known for her expertise in realistic-looking sugar flowers and other cake decorations, Ashwini has been a finalist in the Cake Masters Magazine Awards 2018 and 2019, aka Cake Oscars, in the category of Sugar Flowers.
Born and brought up in Mumbai, 42-year-old Ashwini moved to Hyderabad more than 10 years ago. “Although I have been keen about baking since my teenage years, my interest peaked when I went to the US. While my company had sent me there on professional work, I began taking up cake courses whenever I had some free time. I enjoyed baking so much that I did my Master’s in baking, took part in competitions and came back to India,” says Ashwini, whose next step was to quit her job and pursue her passion for baking.
She has been awarded India’s Top 10 Cake Artists by Cake Masters Magazine, UK for 2 consecutive years in a row, 2017 and 2018. She also launched Sugar Magazine – India’s first cake art magazine to encourage talent of the artists based in India. From the basics of baking to more advanced courses, she has trained around 10,000 students.
“Baking a cake is truly an art – I am more into creating couture and elegant cakes than quirky ones. Apart from taking orders for weddings and special occasions, I also make realistic sugar flowers that people order to adorn their dessert tables or to give to their loved ones as bouquets. To make a flower, I can take anywhere from 15 minutes to six hours as it all depends on the detailing and the look,” she says.
For her, it is all about getting close to nature, observing and achieving that perfection in cakes and flowers. “Apart from nature, I also take inspiration from a dress or anything that catches my eye when I am designing a cake,” shares Ashwini.
The entrepreneur gets her orders mostly from word of mouth and social media. She charges anywhere from Rs 3,000 per kg and above for a designer cake.
“Many were puzzled that I was leaving my IT job to bake cakes! It was difficult for me to make them understand, but my entire journey has given me immense satisfaction,” she says. Now, even her kids – Aditya and Aarya – run a baking channel on YouTube called ‘Princess Bakes’.
The Dream Cakes take only prior orders and you can reach them out here: https://www.instagram.com/thedreamcakes/
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