BENGALURU: Each artist uses a different tool of choice. For some it’s a paintbrush, whereas others may prefer their bare hands. But all Srivatsan Sriram needs is a whisk and some ingredients to bake a cake. This biotechnology graduate from Bengaluru University has now carved a niche for himself by baking realistic theme-based cakes, where he sculpts superheroes, cartoon characters, animals, jewellery and a host of other things related to festivals, entertainment and more. Calling his venture Sri’s Cake Lab, Sriram is now occupied with baking Easter eggs, ahead of the festival on April 4.
“Preparing Easter eggs is a long three-day process. Since it is made of marzipan (cashew nut and almond paste) it takes at least a-day-and-a-half to dry. These Easter eggs are hollow and filled with a range of surprising gifts like chocolates, stationery items, jellies and key chains.” The food entrepreneur relies on various tools to make his creations. These include OHP sheets, emulsion blenders, lace, colours, brushes for painting, gold lustre and bling, which are used extensively to add intricate details to the desserts.
According to Sriram, the three things used to make a theme-based cake are marzipan, fondant and modelling chocolate. “I do not use any machines or advanced technology to bake the cake. From sculpting the cake to adding minute details to it, I do it with my own hands. I handle the coating, designing, photography, social media content and also customer deliveries all by myself,” says the 25-year-old.
So far he has more than 200 customers in Bengaluru and Chennai and has delivered cakes like anti-gravity cake, or variants themed around camping, forests, film reels, and a wristwatch, among others. Not just Easter, Sriram has also given his customers something to indulge in for other occasions like Krishna Janmashtami, Deepavali and Christmas. His Instagram page (@sriscakelab) has images of the cakes he has made since January 2020.
“Although I am qualified in biotechnology, I want to pursue baking, which is my passion. My plan is to start working on sugar-free cakes to cater to diabetic customers,” he says, adding, “After every order, I set aside a percentage of my earnings as God’s offering. I have been following that since I started.”