‘Confections’ of a cake lover
CHENNAI: The entire process of baking seemed tiresome to Vinita Chundi. With so many terms for so many techniques used to prepare so many different pastries, the 23-year-old didn’t understand why someone would spend a lot of time with a difficult recipe.
However, it was in 2017 when she decided to make a red velvet cake, with her friend, for her mother, Prameela Srinivas. “My mother loves cakes and baked goods, and I wanted to surprise her with a cake. But our first cake was a complete flop. I was upset, but I watched many videos and I managed to learn how to make it eventually,” says Vinita. From watching YouTube and celebrity social media chefs, Vinita was slowly able to teach herself the various techniques and skills required to bake.
“I didn’t know what ingredients to use. There were oil-based cakes and butter-based cakes — it was all too much. My father gifted me an oven, and slowly, I began to learn the science of baking and understanding my oven. After much trial and error, I managed to get the hang of things,” she says. Her second attempt at baking was a huge success, and thus her journey began.
“Eventually, once I got used to baking, I began getting comfortable with the process as well, and got more familiar with the measurements,” she says. Her penchant for innovation has led her to make unique confections like icing made of paneer and sugar, red velvet truffle, and butterscotch caramel cake.
Her day job as a medical equipment professional keeps her travelling for a major part of the day and requires a lot of time to be spent on the field. Although fulfilling, Vinita returns after a long day, tired. Surprisingly, this is the moment when she begins baking. “Even though I feel tired, what keeps me going is the end product. I have an image of the final output, which looks amazing and tasty, and that lets me work through the night. I come home by 8 pm, start baking at midnight, and sometimes I’m cooking until 3 am or 4 am,” she says.
Her mother Prameela was her motivation and support. “She always tells me to try out a new recipe. She is the person who told me to never regret my decisions. She says, ‘If you really like something, you are not going towards failure,’” says Vinita. With her mother’s help, she runs her Instagram page, @vinchusbakes.