Baking the Difference

Tell us about your love for cake decorating & how it started?

Sheila Dialdas Khanchandani:- When we were young I used to watch my mom baking cakes for our birthdays. She watched a lot of cooking and baking shows and wrote down the recipes to try. When we were older she told us to learn baking and cooking which would be good for our future. I remember the first cake she made was from a box and it was for us a rare treat. When I entered college and studied food and nutrition I had a semester with baking as a subject. This got me to know the effect of food ingredients and balancing of recipes. 

Baking has evolved over the years, bringing new charm and excitement among people. Kindly let us how you keep yourself updated with the trends in Baking? 

Sheila Dialdas Khanchandani:- There is still so much to learn in baking. The newer art forms of gravity-defying illusion cakes, cake mapping and bust cakes are trends with a lot of scientific calculations and lots of planning. Youtube channels and IGTV are a source of inspiration for learning the art of cake decorating too. I watch a lot of these and Instagram is one of the best ways to learn and of course online tutorials. With the advent of the Internet into our lives, it has made everything easy for bakers to do a lot of things especially inspiration for decorations and styles. 15 to 20 years ago we had to invest in books or join baking classes just to find out basic baking and styles. 

What is your favourite Cake decorating trend at the moment? 

Sheila Dialdas Khanchandani:- My favourite trend at the moment is the drip cakes fault line cakes and buttercream cakes with textures and floral cakes. 

What are some things you do differently now than when you first started cake decorating? 

Sheila Dialdas Khanchandani:- Today I do a lot of research and planning even for a simple cake. 20 years back we had to depend on client input and instinct. Experimenting with flavours and textures of cake is very important. 

Please tell us something about Sheila’s cakes. 

Sheila Dialdas Khanchandani:- Sheila’s cakes started when I used to gift cakes and pastries to functions or birthdays I used to get invited to. I still make complimentary cakes for friends and close family. People used to say that sheila’s cakes taste so good and through word of mouth I started getting orders. 

Have you ever had a ‘soggy bottom’ cake accident? 

Sheila Dialdas Khanchandani:- So far I have never had a soggy bottom cake accident. Since I work alone I take utmost care of my products. 

What has been the most rewarding part of your journey as a home baker?

Sheila Dialdas Khanchandani:- The most rewarding moments of my career is winning the dream cream contest in July 2002 sponsored by the launch of Rich cream. And most recently the top 25 home bakers in Mumbai and top 50 top home bakers in India. 

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