Theme-based cakes are the in-thing in town. Be it wedding, reception or birthday, a theme cake is a must-have these days. For many home bakers, this is a dream that they are nurturing. Pooja Raj, an M.Com graduate, started to bake at home because she fell in love with cakes when she was in school. She eventually became an expert. The journey was not easy-breezy. There were challenges along the way, but she overcame them.
She can’t say no to the customers who demand the cakes seen online, which are mostly not from our country. Sometimes, it is challenging to replicate such cakes due to lack of exact ingredients as well as the climate and humidity in our region. Also, the tools need not be available always. This is when online shopping comes to her rescue. “Even if I order online, it takes time to get delivered. But yes, I create cakes with my own recipes and that is my specialty,” she explains. “With alterations in design and some extra ingredients to survive the humidity, it is possible to recreate some of these cakes,” she adds.
She decided to take up baking as a profession after joining M. Com. “Until then I had no such plans. My family was not happy about my decision initially. But once I started to earn from it, they were okay,” Pooja says. The theme for a cake is decided through an interaction with the customer. In the initial stages of her business, she got popularity through her satisfied customers. Now, after five years, she has decided to brand her business as ‘The Butter Story’.
Pooja doesn’t compromise on the quality and this challenge keeps her going. She also maintains a distinct style of hers. Pooja also received an award from Amazing Cake Ideas under the category of ‘World’s Ever Dynamic Cake Decorator’ in an online competition. “Adil Ibrahim is the first celebrity I ever made a cake for. I can’t explain how excited I was,” says Pooja, who has plans to expand her business.
