Buttercream brush strokes and summer berries dotting a beautiful three-tiered cake, this wedding season’s cake trends are fresh, floral and full of finer details. And they are mouth-watering delicious.
SUGAR SHACK
Instagram: the_sugar_shack
Founder: Muskan Nahar
Muskan Nahar is a first-generation baker in her family. Schooled in Lavonne Academy of Baking Science and Pastry Arts, Bengaluru, she started her venture ‘Sugar Shack’ in 2019. The awakening of her passion emerged from her interest in the arts and led to a home-based bakery that offers enticing flavours of cakes. From her best-selling Rasmalai cake to Mexican-based Tres Leche, Muskan is one of the youngest cake designers in the town serving standout creations and unique taste in cake confectionary.
Finding your wedding cake design
Everything is theme based nowadays. First you need to be clear about the theme, next is your guest list. Also make sure to go through your food menu because you might exceed the variety of desserts and the cake might go to waste. Flavours, design and size are other elements that you need to be clear about.
Trending wedding cakes
We can’t compete with the international market on designs due to access to raw materials. In Nepal, the scenario is completely different. At Sugar Shack, the trending designs are rice paper sails cake, pastel flowers and floating cake.
Best wedding cake design
Recently, I made three different tiers of cake with three flavours. The bottom tier was dark fantasy, the middle vanilla, and on top was chocolate caramel. A simple white coloured cake decorated with rice paper sail, gold leaf, and a caricature of the bride and groom on the top which was the most challenging part. Finding these elements was a hassle and also time-consuming but to bring this style and features together escalated my cake-making skills. In the end, the feedback I received from the clients gave me that satisfaction and sense of accomplishment.
Expanding the horizons of flavours
‘Sugar Shack’ started with innovative recipes like Rasmalai Cake, Masala Chai Cake, Gulab Jamun Cheesecake, and others. I made this fusion of flavours mostly inspired by the cuisine of Nepal and India, some of the creative confections that were not available in the market. Adding to that, what also separates us from the crowd is quality because we don’t use pre-mixers or opt for substitute ingredients like margarine, instead we use ghee and everything is made from scratch.
Infusing happiness into every celebration
From Muslim and Christian to Hindu weddings, we have made cakes for all types of people and occasions. The growing demand for personalised cakes is not only for weddings but other ceremonies like mehendi, haldi, roka, engagements and anniversaries. The cake is the centerpiece of any event and thus, we have become a huge part of making someone’s day special.
Pricing
At first, people are hesitant about our pricing when they look at the menu but once they try our product they stick by ‘Sugar Shack’ because I never compromise on quality. Our cakes are cream or genoise-based, not fondant cakes which have completely different flavours and the price starts from Rs 800 to 1,800 per pound based on the flavours.
JULIE’S
Instagram: cakes.julies
Founder: Julie Pradhananga
Before opening Julie’s, its founder Julie Pradhananga worked as a cabin crew. But that was until a month’s training at Radisson Hotel got her exploring and experimenting with recipes in the kitchen. She always had an interest in bakery and the cake market was not commercialised so she was mostly baking for friends and family on birthdays and ceremonies. But with the attention and appreciation she got for her cakes, she knew that it could become a profitable business full time. Julie’s was established 19 years ago in 2003, and is one of the most sought-after bakers in Kathmandu.
Best wedding cake
A couple from my friend’s circle called me from the US to design their wedding cake. I had to prepare a wedding cake in one week which required multiple concepts and lacked the raw materials in the market. For the wedding day, I made this golden three tier cake, and to my surprise, the cake topped the event. From their wedding reception, the groom and bride called me to appreciate my work. I was so touched by this incident.
Stirring emotions
Besides quality and taste, each product is embedded with a hint of emotions. Julie’s is totally customer based. We don’t compromise on quality and meet every customer’s needs from costing to design. Julie’s believes that customers are always right.
Cakes: A combination of science and art
Cake-making is a combination of science and art. Talking about the science, art of baking from putting the right amount of ingredients to baking at the correct temperature, the ability to intellectually examine the process is crucial. While science leads to art, it gives meaning and appreciation of beauty. As they say, every cake has a story and each cake is different. Hence, science and art combine in cake-making harmoniously.
Finding your wedding cake design
Plan! Plan! And Plan! Or else you’ll lose your desired wedding cake
Trending wedding cakes
Nepali market is different. I’d say it works according to the customers. Theme-based cakes seem to be in trend.
Pricing
It depends on the quantity and design. Prices of wedding cakes start from Rs 1,200 per pound. For the flavours we give the privilege to our clients to pick any.
PEPRIQA
Instagram: pepriqa
Founder: Ruchi Singhal & Abha Jajodia
Inspiration can strike at any time and the initiators of PepriQa, Ruchi Singhal and Abha Jajodia launched their home-based brand by delving into several food vlogs. Another inspiration was the lack of consistent food suppliers for their house parties and get-togethers. The self-taught home cooks are friends and started PepriQa in 2019 after receiving good feedback for their food from family, friends and relatives. They not only bake cakes but create a food platter for any occasion.
Best wedding cake design
Difficult to choose one but I do recall a personal one. It was an anniversary cake that I baked for my parents. What made it special was that I didn’t bake it from my kitchen and I was totally out of my comfort zone, without my usual tools and ingredients but I pulled it off and the smile on their faces was the best compliment I received for a cake.
Weddings, cakes, food and more
It’s beyond cakes for us when it comes to wedding season. There are many events around weddings and for each of the events, people expect different themes. We custom make the food and desserts as per the themes. May it be English wedding cakes, Bengali sandesh, or fusion flavours – we do it all. We know it’s a special time for the family and we give our best to blend with the culture and theme of the event.
Keeping up with the trends
There are amazing talents in Kathmandu when it comes to baking but where PepriQa stands out is by “keeping up with the trends” and bringing fresh designs to surprise our customers each time. Quality of ingredients is another very important emphasis and we never compromise there. We also take special requests like vegan, plant-based or gluten-free options
Finding your wedding cake design
Three things – aesthetics, quantity, and flavour. It becomes easy for us after that.
Trending wedding cakes design
Minimalism and elegance, these two are most important. There was a time when people experimented with fondant cakes or over-designed cakes but not anymore.
Pricing
The cake price depends on the weight and the flavour you opt for. The average price for a two-tier would be around Rs 5,000.
