A Guide for Customers into the World of Custom Cakes

A great restaurant website

A Guide for Customers into the World of Custom Cakes

Custom-cake

- By Akhileshwari Anand Raj  

With social media making the world smaller than ever, bakers themselves have a hard time keeping up with the trends in the cake & bake industry. I can only imagine how confused a customer must be when he or she hears words like couverture chocolate and fondant draping. Since celebrations are an integral part of our lives, and cakes and other baked goods are an integral part of these celebrations, we decided to put together some basic terms and products. This should guide you, the customer, in making an informed order and ensuring that you are getting what you want!

 

Cakes and Flavours

This is the base of your baked goods. Whether it is a half kilogram cake or ten, the flavours are what make it. While many of us know the basic flavours - chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, etc., here are some flavours which you may be unfamiliar with:

  1. Red velvet - it is a chocolate-based cake, which had a higher cocoa content and is not as sweet as your regular chocolate cake. The recipe uses buttermilk and vinegar, which makes it taste quite different. It is coloured red and is topped with cream cheese - which is tangy and not sweet like normal buttercream.
  2. red-velvet-cake
  3. Banoffee - a very popular pie flavour, this is nothing but a banana +toffee flavour. Bananas are used fresh, and condensed milk is usually cooked until it caramelizes, which brings in the toffee flavour.
  4. [caption id="attachment_31306" align="alignnone" width="300"]banoffee-cake Delicious banana cake on table. Sliced fruit biscuit with caramel and buttercream on wooden catering plate, copy space[/caption]
 

Frosting

The icing on your cake is where things get quite complicated. It can be covered and decorated in many ways, and this list covers the most commonly used ones -

[caption id="attachment_31305" align="alignnone" width="300"]frosting-cake Unrecognisable woman decorating a delicious layered sponge cake with icing cream[/caption]
  1. Butter Cream - made of butter, sugar and any flavouring, it is the cream you usually eat on cupcakes. It is rich, creamy and usually quite sweet. It goes well with almost any kind of cake, so you can’t go wrong with this.
  2. Whipped Cream - this is the soft white cream that you find in a black forest or pineapple cake. It is very light, almost air-like, and sweet enough to compliment the cake. It keeps the cake so fluffy that you can keep eating the cake and never feel full. It is usually used in cakes and isn’t as common on cupcakes.
  3. Cream Cheese - this frosting is cream cheese and sugar, and adds a tangy and sharp taste which is great at cutting out the sweetness. Since it is a unique taste, it doesn’t pair well with all flavours of cakes. It is popularly used with red velvet and carrot cakes and is an easy crowd-pleaser.
  4. Ganache - this is a mixture of quality chocolate and heavy cream, so it makes an incredibly rich topping for your cake. This can be used for any cake but it adds a chocolate flavour, so it won’t pair well with some fruit combinations. It makes any chocolate cake very decadent and is great for decorating too!
  5. Fondant - This is used to wrap the cake, and is a clay-like sugar-based product. This is used for decorating because it holds its shape very well, but people are using it much lesser now to wrap an entire cake with because it doesn’t taste like anything but sugar. It is also not a very healthy food to eat in large quantities, part of the reason why home bakers have phased it out of use as a frosting.
 

Decoration

People want to customize their cakes more than ever now, and we see photo pull-out cakes, liquor bottle cakes and even cakes with moving parts! Let’s take a look at some of the popular things used to decorate cakes -

  1. Sprinkles - the most popular things on cakes are sprinkles of all colours, shapes and sizes. You get them in glitter form and metallic colours too. These are just sugar-based and are safe to eat in any amount.
  2. Sugar flowers - elegant cakes now feature flowers made of sugar or gumpaste, especially for weddings and engagements. These look very lifelike and are a piece of art themselves. These flowers can be eaten because it is made of sugar and other ingredients.
  3. Fondant toppers - these are made from fondant and placed on the cake. While these are commonly used as it is easy to work with to shape, it is not something that people prefer to eat.
  4. Photos or money in pull-out form - memory cakes are very in right now, and photos or even money is put in clean plastic sheets and placed inside the cake, and the person can pull it out. It is safe to decorate with and does not affect the cake.
  5. Toys - many birthday cakes have cartoon figurines and even race cars on them, and they’re all safe to place on the cake as they will be cleaned thoroughly before using it.
 

Serving sizes

While deciding how much cake to order, your best bet would be to speak to your home baker who will help you understand how much you need. Here is a chart that you can use to estimate how much cake you would need to order. Mini here means 250 grams, and Regular means 500 grams/ half a kg.

Number of People Suggested size of cake
2-3 Mini
6-8 Regular
10-15 1.0 Kg (Large)
16-22 1.5 Kgs
24-30 2.0 Kgs
32-38 2.5 Kgs
40-45 3.0 Kgs
54-60 4.0 Kgs
69-75 5.0 Kgs
 

Food colouring

Food colouring has been a topic of debate for decades. The dilemma for the baker and the customer is natural v. artificial food colouring. This should explain how one is different from the other -

  1. Natural - derived from fruits, vegetables or other herbs, this is definitely the healthier option for anyone to consume and in any quantity. The issue is colour pay off. When you use natural options, the colour is never dark or rich enough. For example, red velvet cakes have a striking deep red, which is very difficult to achieve with beetroot juice. When you try to use more of the natural ingredients to deepen the colour, the baked good’s flavour is bound to change and it affects the overall product. This is why clients ask for artificial food colouring. But this is a perfect option for pastel and light colours.
  2. Artificial - this comes in many forms and is always safe to eat. But the effects it has on over consumption is a cause for worry as you are filling your body with these chemicals. Immediate effects include staining of your mouth - tongue, lips and teeth. Some of these even stain your hands when put to use. The pro of using this kind is that it doesn’t alter the flavour of the cake, and it has a really good colour pay off - you can achieve even jet black using this!

Recommended Posts

5 chocolate recipes
5 Chocolate Recipes

5 Chocolicious Recipes - Powered by Mona Lisa and Dezaan India  ...

Read Article
India Bake Show (Virtual) 2021
India Bake Show (Virtual) ...

The dates for the India Bake Show Virtual Cake Competition has moved...

Read Article
Nutty Buddy Cookies
Recipe: Nutty Buddy Cookies

Nutty Buddy Cookies by Chef Anip Kumar - Powered by NatureFresh Professional...

Read Article
Eggless Double Chocolate Muffin
Recipe: Eggless Double Chocolate ...

Eggless Double Chocolate Muffins by Chef Shweta Dutta Nath - Powered by...

Read Article
India's Top 100 2020
India’s Top Home Bakers ...

For the second consecutive year, HomeBakers.co.in has revealed India’s & City's Top...

Read Article
Eggless Cocoa Pista Biscotti
Recipe: Eggless Cocoa Pista ...

Eggless Cocoa Pista Biscotti by Zulekha Badar - Powered by Van Houten...

Read Article
Mississippi Mud Cake
Recipe: Mississippi Mud Cake

Mississippi Mud Cake by Megha Kwatra - Powered by Van Houten Professional...

Read Article
Vegan Quiche Recipe
Recipe: Vegan Spinach and ...

Learn How to Make a Vegan Spinach and Corn Quiche - A...

Read Article
Eggless Apricot Chocolate Cookies
Recipe: Eggless Apricot Chocolate ...

Eggless Apricot Chocolate Cookies by Deepali Sawant - Powered by Van Houten...

Read Article
Christmas Plum Tart
Recipe: Eggless Christmas Plum ...

Eggless Christmas Plum Tart by Chef Nidhi Chadha - Powered by Nature...

Read Article
Sugar-Free Chocolate Sponge Cake
Recipe: Sugar-Free Chocolate Sponge ...

Sugar-Free Chocolate Sponge Cake by Anna Gigi Joseph - Powered by Van...

Read Article
Baker's Guide to Baking Oven
Best Oven for Baking ...

We all want to have the right appliance to suit our needs...

Read Article
Chocolates Sweta Dutta Nath
Recipe: Chocolate Truffles, Bars, ...

Chocolate Truffles, Bars, Rocher & Fudge by Chef Sweta Dutta Nath  ...

Read Article
How to Use Fondant and Gum Paste in the Monsoon
How to Use Fondant ...

Most of us love the rainy season. It brings some reprieve from...

Read Article
How to Price Your Cakes & Bakes
Pricing a Cake: A ...

The most commonly asked question in the baking community is about pricing...

Read Article
Baking & Cake Decorating Online Classes
Exclusive Baking and Decorating ...

Our masterclasses are all currently being held online, and we have brought...

Read Article
Mello Royale Baked Triple Chocolate Cheesecake
Recipe: Triple Chocolate Cheesecake ...

Preparation Time - 25 mins Cook Time - 50 mins Number Of...

Read Article
cake-decorating-icing
Basics: Colouring your Icing

- By Akhileshwari Anand Raj How to use food colouring to get...

Read Article
Banana Toffee by Chef Gaurav Wadhwa
MILKMAID Recipe: Banana Toffee ...

Preparation Time - 10 mins Cook Time - 2 hours 10 mins...

Read Article
Milk Cake By Sonia Gupta
MILKMAID Recipe: Tres Leches ...

Preparation Time - 15 mins Cook Time - 20 mins Number Of...

Read Article
Lemon Oat Tart by Smriti Iyer
MILKMAID Recipe: Lemon Oat ...

Preparation Time - 20 mins Cook Time - 45 mins Number Of...

Read Article
Honey Cake By Avin Thaliath
MILKMAID Recipe: Honey Cake ...

Preparation Time - 45 mins Cook Time - 15 mins Number Of...

Read Article
Eggless Brookies by Chef Arvind Prasad
MILKMAID Recipe: Eggless Brookies ...

Preparation Time - 2 hour 15 mins Cook Time - 15 mins...

Read Article
Recipe: Digestive Oats Biscuits ...

Preparation Time - 15 mins Baking Time - 20 mins Number Of...

Read Article
Recipe: Vegan Banana Muffins ...

Preparation Time - 10 mins Baking Time - 20 mins Number Of...

Read Article
Recipe: Nankhatai by Rupali

Preparation Time - 10 mins Baking Time - 20 mins Number Of...

Read Article
Recipe: Lemon Meringue Cake ...

Preparation Time - 40 mins Baking Time - 1 hour 30 mins...

Read Article
Recipe: Tandoori Paneer Pizza ...

Preparation Time - 30 mins BakingTime - 20 - 25 mins Number...

Read Article
Recipe: Parle G Brownies ...

Preparation Time - 15 mins BakingTime - 15 - 20 mins Number...

Read Article
Recipe: Tutti Frutti Cookies ...

Preparation Time - 15 mins BakingTime - 15 mins Number Of Servings...

Read Article
Recipe: Chocolate Orange Brownies ...

Preparation Time - 20 mins BakingTime - 20 - 25 mins Number...

Read Article
Whole-wheat Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe: Whole-wheat Carrot Cake ...

by Akhileshwari Anand Raj   This recipe is one of the winning...

Read Article
Recipe: Sponge Cake by ...

Preparation Time - 15 mins BakingTime - 25 - 30 mins Number...

Read Article
Recipe: Mango Cherry Cake ...

Preparation Time - 15 mins BakingTime - 30 - 40 mins Number...

Read Article
Kesar Pista Ice-Cream
MILKMAID Recipe: Kesar Pista ...

Kesar Pista Ice Cream This recipe for brookies is by Chef Shalini...

Read Article
Recipe: Eggless Pancakes by ...

Preparation Time - 15 mins Cooking Time - 15 mins Number Of...

Read Article
Easy Ice Cream
Recipe: Easy Ice Cream ...

Preparation Time - 15 mins Cooling Time - 1 - 2 hours...

Read Article
Cucumber Cake
Recipe: Cucumber Cake by ...

By Akhileshwari Anand Raj Preparation Time - 20 mins Baking Time -...

Read Article
Recipe: Croutons by Bhavika ...

By Akhileshwari Anand Raj Preparation Time - 10 mins Baking Time -...

Read Article
Recipe: French bread by ...

By Akhileshwari Anand Raj Preparation Time - 60 mins Baking Time -...

Read Article
Peanut Butter Choco Chunk Cookies
Recipe: Peanut Butter Chocolate ...

Would you like to try making big, thick, chewy, soft cookies loaded...

Read Article
Mango Cheese Cake By Zulekha Badar
Recipe: Mango Cheese Cake ...

Preparation Time - 20 mins Baking Time - 15 mins Number Of...

Read Article
Baked Yoghurt
MILKMAID Recipe: Baked Yoghurt ...

Preparation Time - 10 mins Baking Time - 25 mins Number Of...

Read Article
Apple Crumble Bars
MILKMAID Recipe: Apple Crumble ...

Preparation Time - 15 mins Baking Time - 30 mins Number Of...

Read Article
Marble Cake
Recipe: Marble Cake by ...

By Akhileshwari Anand Raj Preparation Time - 15 mins Baking Time -...

Read Article
India Bake Show (Virtual) 2020
India Bake Show (Virtual) ...

INDIA BAKE SHOW (VIRTUAL) 2020 INDIA BAKE SHOW IS GOING VIRTUAL!!! HomeBakers.co.in...

Read Article
Eggless Choco Chip Brownies By Noopur Shah
Recipe: Eggless Choco Chip ...

By Akhileshwari Anand Raj Preparation Time - 20 mins Baking Time -...

Read Article
butterscotch banana bread
Recipe: Butterscotch Banana Bread ...

By Akhileshwari Anand Raj Preparation Time - 20 mins Baking Time -...

Read Article
Amarnath Banana Cupcake
Recipe: Amaranth Banana Cupcakes ...

By Akhileshwari Anand Raj   Preparation Time - 15 mins Baking Time...

Read Article
Black Grapes Cheesecake
Recipe: Black Grapes Cheesecake ...

By Akhileshwari Anand Raj   Preparation Time - 30 mins Baking Time...

Read Article
Orange Almond Loaf
Recipe: Orange Almond Loaf ...

By Akhileshwari Anand Raj   Preparation Time - 20 mins Baking Time...

Read Article
cover photo
Recipe – How to ...

by Akhileshwari Anand Raj   Marshmallows are universally liked, right from little...

Read Article
Eggless Gluten Free Chocolate Brownies
Recipe: Gluten-Free Eggless Brownies ...

By Akhileshwari Anand Raj   As the world has been staying indoors...

Read Article
Versatile Sugar Pastes
Sugar Paste: Types and ...

It is quarantine time and there is no better way to spend...

Read Article
Baking Flavours & Extracts
Baking & Cooking Flavours ...

As bakers, whether hobby bakers or professionals, we all like to experiment...

Read Article
Aashu Shah Edible Cake Lace
Recipe: Edible Lace by ...

By Akhileshwari Anand Raj   The caking world has grown from simple...

Read Article
Spinach Filo Cups Recipe
Recipe – Spinach Filo ...

Looking out for easy appetizer recipes? Try this simple and easy to...

Read Article
In Conversation with Sonia ...

Homebakers.co.in, in collaboration with Anybody Can Bake, has launched , a 60...

Read Article
A Crash Course on ...

by Akhileshwari Anand Raj   Social media is the ‘new’ medium of...

Read Article
Holi Cakes
Cakes to Order this ...

by Akhileshwari Anand Raj Holi is a widely celebrated festival in India,...

Read Article
The Great Delhi Bake ...

Register NowJavascript on your browser is not enabled. THE GREAT DELHI BAKE...

Read Article
Annaprasanna Topper Tutorial
Annaprasana Toppers Tutorial by ...

By Akhileshwari Anand Raj Theme cakes are always in trend, and cupcakes...

Read Article
How To Use Fresh ...

By Akhileshwari Anand Raj Flowers have always been a beautiful way to...

Read Article
Valentine's Day Desserts
Gifting Ideas for Valentine’s ...

by Akhileshwari Anand Raj February is the month of love, and you...

Read Article
Tina-Scott-The-Incredible-India-Collaboration
In Conversation with Tina ...

by Akhileshwari Anand Raj   is a multi-award winning cake artist who...

Read Article
The Great Bengaluru Bake ...

by Akhileshwari Anand Raj   The Great Bengaluru Bake Show was held...

Read Article
Women Baking Entrepreneurs: Government ...

by Akhileshwari Anand Raj   With the rise of the home baking...

Read Article
The Great Pune Bake ...

Register NowJavascript on your browser is not enabled. The Great Pune Bake...

Read Article
The Great Bengaluru Bake ...

The Great Bengaluru Bake Show 2020 The Great Bengaluru Bake Show 2020,...

Read Article
Top-100-Bakers-Brands-2
India’s Top Home Bakers ...

The first-ever list of India's Top 100 Home Bakers, City's Top 25...

Read Article
The Great Bake Shows ...

How to register for the Cake Competition? Read the rules for the...

Read Article
Shweta-Somaiya-Profile
A Chat with Shweta ...

by Akhileshwari Anand Raj is a Top 10 Cake Artist of 2019,...

Read Article
Dr-Asheena-Batra
A Chat with Asheena ...

by Akhileshwari Anand Raj is a dentist by education, but she left...

Read Article
Cupcakes-Diwali-Indian-Motif
Top Cakes & Baked ...

by Akhileshwari Anand Raj   Diwali is coming soon, and it definitely...

Read Article
Cook-and-bake-with-Deepali
A Chat with Deepali ...

is the founder of Cook and Bake with Deepali Culinary and Patisserie...

Read Article
Shikha-Magic-Colours-India
Chat with Shikha, Director ...

Meet Shikha Reema Aggarwal, the Director at Magic Colours® India. Magic Colours®,...

Read Article
Joonie-Tan
A Chat with Joonie ...

by Akhileshwari Anand Raj   is a pastry artist based in Bangalore....

Read Article
Sulakshan-Parameswaran
Chat with Sulakshan, The ...

Meet Sulakshan, the man behind “Ossoro”. Ossoro is a premium food flavour...

Read Article
Home Baker Stories – ...

- By Akhileshwari Anand Raj   is a Hyderabad based home baker,...

Read Article
FSSAI registration
FSSAI Registration for Home ...

Get FSSAI Registration for Home Bakers easy and quick Advice on FSSAI...

Read Article
anupama-profile
Home Baker Stories – ...

- By Akhileshwari Anand Raj is a cake artist from Bangalore. She...

Read Article
basabi-sarkar
Home Baker Stories – ...

- By Akhileshwari Anand Raj is a homemaker and home baker from...

Read Article
Home Baker Stories – ...

- By Akhileshwari Anand Raj is a home baker from Kochi, with...

Read Article
Home Baker Stories – ...

- By Akhileshwari Anand Raj is a 41 year old from New...

Read Article
pooja lakhotia
Chat with Pooja Lakhotia

-By Akhileshwari Anand Raj   is the founder of Choc-O-Lock Culinary Art....

Read Article
Aashu-Shah
Home Baker Stories – ...

- By Akhileshwari Anand Raj , a home baker from Hyderabad and...

Read Article
Start a home baking business
How to Become a ...

Do you enjoy baking? Are you looking forward to becoming a home...

Read Article
Rumana Jaseel
Chat with Rumana Jaseel

is India's one of the top cake artists from Kochi. She runs...

Read Article
India Bake Show 23 Bengaluru Competition
India Bake Show 2023 ...

How to register for India Bake Show 23 (Bengaluru) Competition? Read the...

Read Article
The Great India Bake ...

Register NowJavascript on your browser is not enabled. The Great India Bake...

Read Article
chef-bhakti-arora
Chat with Chef Bhakti ...

- By Akhileshwari Anand Raj Chef Bhakti Arora Manekar is one who...

Read Article
FSSAI
FSSAI Registration & Licensing ...

Register NowJavascript on your browser is not enabled. There’s a lot of...

Read Article
Hima Bindu
Chat with Hima Bindu, ...

- By Akhileshwari Anand Raj Ms. Hima Bindu is a renowned cake...

Read Article
home baker making a Chocolate cake
Home Baked Cakes vs. ...

- By Akhileshwari Anand Raj One of the biggest pet peeves of...

Read Article
Chocolate ganache in a wooden bowl .Top view with copy space
Types of Ganache

- By Akhileshwari Anand Raj The Baking world has been taken over...

Read Article
artificial-colorful-colors-68525
Natural Food Colouring for ...

- By Rima Chakraborty With spring just around the corner, all I...

Read Article
Subhashini-Ramsingh
Chat with Subhashini Ramsingh, ...

- By Rima Chakraborty Ms Subhashini Ramsingh is a renowned cake artist,...

Read Article
Michelle Peris
Chat with Michelle Peris, ...

- By Rima Chakraborty I read something few days back and it...

Read Article
Arati-Mirji
Chat with Arati Mirji, ...

- By Rima Chakraborty At the onset, being a home baker seems...

Read Article
Radha-Dhaka-Cake-Artist
Chat with Radha Dhaka, ...

- By Rima Chakraborty When I first Ms. Radha Dhaka, owner at...

Read Article
The Great Bengaluru Bake ...

Official press release by - Rima Chakraborty   Let me be honest,...

Read Article
7 Sugar Alternatives To ...

The new year is upon us and we all like to keep...

Read Article
Baking Essentials for Home ...

A big hello to all the beautiful home bakers in India. Just...

Read Article
blogs-cake-photography
Baking – Great activity ...

Kids and Baking! How cute does that combination sound to you? Well,...

Read Article
You bake, Whizzy delivers!

  If you are running a home baking business in India, you...

Read Article
First-order-birthday-cake
The first milestone!

Crumbs and crickey! Well, it was not just any regular day at...

Read Article
The Great Hyderabad Bake ...

Official Press Release, By Rima Chakraborty, 18 November 2018 HomeBakers.co.in announces its...

Read Article
How to Register as ...

  Home Baker Registration: Go to Click on “Register as a Baker”...

Read Article
A sweet sliceable treat ...

Hi everyone. We keep on celebrating a lot of occasions like mothers’...

Read Article
Frosting

Well, we have all heard that we can judge a cook by...

Read Article
Cake Photography Tricks For ...

I want to share something today. Once upon a time, I used...

Read Article
Hand CraftsManship In Cake ...

We all enjoy cakes, especially the icing on cake takes our heart....

Read Article
Subscribe for updates

Subscribe to our e-mails about special or exclusive promotions and useful articles on bakery products and baking. We will never share your details with anyone else and you can unsubscribe at any time. By subscribing, you consent to receiving email communications from HomeBakers.co.in

Open chat
1
Need help?
Hello 👋
This is Rithika from Homebakers.co.in. How can I help you?