Everyone has something that touches their soul, and for me, it’s baking.

For you, what is the most rewarding part of baking/ cake decorating? 

Divya Ramachandra:- Everyone has something that touches their soul, and for me, it’s baking; especially the decorating part. When I start working on the cake, I am completely involved and lose track of time, enjoying every bit of the process. Baking and decorating might be quite a laborious process, but is very relaxing at the same time. It takes away all the stress of everyday life and I really enjoy it.

In my work one’s imagination is brought into life. The most rewarding part is when my clients tell me that my cake made their special day extra special.  That’s when I feel all the effort I had put in is totally worth it. ☺

When it comes to baking, most people think of cakes, pastries, cupcakes and cookies please tell us what is baking for you?

Divya Ramachandra:- Even though I bake cakes, pastries, cupcakes and cookies, cakes have always been special to me – I enjoy eating as well as baking them.  When I bake a cake for someone, I think that it should be able to connect to that person and tell a story. It shouldn’t just be another item on the table but it should be able to speak about the person and be a part of the conversation. 

In your experience, how far and advanced the Baking Industry has evolved? 

Divya Ramachandra:- The Baking industry is like an ocean – the deeper you go, the more you can explore. For a person standing outside, he/she can only see the waves and other things visible at the top. However, it is only when one takes a plunge do they get to know more and discover the real beauty inside. As a child, I had seen only buttercream cakes with very limited flavours. It was only later that I saw the entry of whipped cream cakes and fondant cakes. Now, there are so many different fillings, frostings and different edible mediums to achieve different outlooks. When it comes to basic bakes we have so many options like gluten-free, vegan, keto, and many more. The advent of social media and technology has made this even more fascinating. With many ways to learn, to improve and get connected to the likeminded people, it has no doubt made our life much easier.   

Please tell us how important sugar paste and colour mix are for a baker and which is your favourite sugarpaste brand? 

Divya Ramachandra:- Our eyes touch the food before our mouth does, and an eye-catching entry will always be the first to catch you. A good sugar paste and a good mix of colours will help us achieve the finish we want effortlessly. Initially, all I knew was fondant and I was using it to do about everything – right from draping the cake to making figurines. I used to struggle to get that level of finish I wanted. Later, when I discovered other mediums, I got to know how effortlessly I could achieve the desired finish. I love to use Saracino modelling paste to make the figurines. It is sturdy, firm, yet soft and easy to work with. Getting the right colour is also very important. I have always been using brands like AmeriColor and Magic Colours and am very pleased with the results I get with them. They don’t affect the taste nor texture of the medium, even when we use more colouring to achieve darker shades. 

Given a chance which celebrity or a politician would you like to bake for and what will you bake for that respective person? 

Divya Ramachandra:- I would love to bake for Sudha Murty. She is an inspiration to many like me and I have a tremendous respect for her for the person she is. Her simplicity and altruistic nature simply amazes me.  I will bake a cake that will depict how her selfless philanthropic actions have inspired others. Apart from that one day I do want to make a bust cake of Yogacharya BKS Iyengar. His contribution to yoga is unparalleled.   

You were the winner of The Great Bengaluru Bake show, please tell us about the journey of becoming the winner and what did you bake that day? 

Divya Ramachandra:- My journey with baking started as a child. My mother used to bake simple cakes and my siblings and I used to love it. My first baking experience was when my brothers and I secretly baked a cake for our parent’s 25^th wedding anniversary. My first tryst with Cake decorating started when I got to know about fondant from my cousin sister Sri about 10 years back. That’s when I started decorating cakes for my kids. Baking was always for my family and friends. Only from past 3 years, I started baking commercially.

The Great Bengaluru Bake show organised by homebakers.co.in is a great platform for home bakers to showcase their talent and also to get connected to home bakers from around the city. Many thanks to Anjana and team for putting up a great platform for bakers everywhere.

Once I got to know about the event, I started planning the cake. Initially, I was not able to finalise on the theme. However, when I saw a Lion king cake on the ‘net, I decided to do the famous scene in the movie where Rafiki the baboon reveals Simba to the Savannah. My prizewinning cake depicted two scenes from the movie ‘The Lion King’. As mentioned earlier, the one where Rafiki, reveals Simba to the pride while the proud parents look upon and the other one is the Hakuna Matata scene where young Simba, Pumba and Timon walk on a log with the gorgeous waterfall as the backdrop. 

Making Rafiki was quite a task; his posture was complex and added to that was the weight of Simba, whom he was holding. Giving the proud and calm expression to Mufasa and Sarabi, the parents of Simba, was very satisfying.

Do you have any recipe or something that you create now, which makes you feel emotional when you cook or bake

Divya Ramachandra:- I love trying new recipes and combinations for cakes. It once happened that my cupcakes sank, so I had to make another batch. But, I didn’t feel like throwing away the old batch. So, I filled the cupcakes with a new filling that I had made and gave it to my guinea pigs (kids, hubby and niece). They absolutely loved it, and named it “A Devil to Die For”. Mistakes gives birth to new flavours! ☺🍰🎂

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