Christmas corners of baking bounties
New year is around the corner and the inevitable fitness resolutions are already being drafted. But before we get to the boring, strict routines, it is only right to celebrate the year end with homemade decadent cakes, syrup-laden sweets and delicious baked goodies. Irrespective of whether you are an amateur baker still struggling with measurements and recipes or a professional who can easily whip up complex desserts with ease, the first step is to pick out the right equipment and tools for your creations. These seven stores in the city are the ideal spots for everything from moulds and mixers to essence and chocolate:
Passionate Baking
At a time when baking supply stores were unheard of in the country, Passionate Baking emerged as a unique concept. As they gained a loyal customer base, their product line grew, as did their shelves, until one day they established an entire store of baking supplies. “It has been a wonderful journey filled with learning, joy, connection, growth, and lots of love”, smiles Farzzana Imran Currimbhoy, the founder.
The store has a wide product range to cover a baker’s every need, ranging from ovens (commercial and semi-commercial) and stand-mixers (including the highly sought-after KitchenAid ones) to pastry packaging and everything in between.
About the Christmas season ahead, Farzanna says, “Christmas is the most wonderful time of year at Passionate Baking. We make sure to stock novel products such as Christmas toppers, special Christmas packaging, Christmas fondant, chocolate moulds, and much more. You name it and we’ve got it all under one roof.”
Purchase at M-73 3rd Avenue, Anna Nagar, East, Chennai - 600102 or call 04426289807
Price: Starting from Rs10
Poppat Jamal & sons, Mount Road
Why hassle through various locations when you can find all the equipment you need for the festivities at one place? Founded in 1901, this century-old chain store will provide you with a myriad of home products, specialising in bakeware. From baking dishes, trays, and nozzles to cake toppers and other decorative accessories, Poppat Jamals has everything you need to bake a wonderful cake in your commercial or home kitchen, says J Ravi, the store manager. “Our bakery items move fast and we have a large collection of different brands so customers can choose as they prefer. We are very particular about our service. Customers don’t even need to come all the way to our store to check out the products. We can send them images of the items and they can make their decision from the comfort of their own homes,” he adds.
If you decide to stop by for some Christmas bakeware, you can enjoy their offer of up to 75 per cent discount on their products.
Purchase at poppatjamals.com or call 28522213
Price: Rs 50 onwards
K&A Cake Decors
This place has been a common spot for bakers in the city since 2015. Located in Ashok Nagar, K&A Cake Decors has all the basics that a baker needs – varieties of moulds and spoons to additional ingredients. “Unsalted butter, whipping cream, different kinds of moulds are customers’ recent favourites at the store. With Christmas only a few days ahead, there is a huge demand for plum cake containers,” says Lokesh T, the store manager. The recent attraction is the store is morde chocolate. This chocolate – available as milk chocolate, dark and white – can be melted and used while baking to add more flavour to the yummy cakes, explains Lokesh. The great news is that the store will be expanding next month with a lot more baking items and tools to cater to the needs of the bakers in town. Six years into the business, the store has regular customers in and around the city, especially for the basic baking needs including cooking cutter, containers, and shaped moulds.
Purchase at 4/2, 49th street, 7th Avenue, Ashok Pillar, Chennai or call 7905549218
Price: Rs 10 to Rs 7,000
Royal Baking Mart
From ingredients to the packaging, Royal Baking Mart promises something for every stage of the process. The newly found store (2020) is equipped with essence, plum cake mixes, moulds and boxes, as well as holiday specials such as Christmas themed cake toppers and moulds, tags, ribbons, and cookie cutters. Those looking to indulge in trends can also find a shell for the popular bomb cakes — the shell explodes like a bomb to reveal the cake.
Apart from customisation, the store also excels in keeping their customers updated. "We have a WhatsApp group with our customers where we regularly update them of what we have in store. And we believe in transparency. We only offer what we can deliver," says Tarun M Jain of Royal Baking Mart. Those in the city can get products delivered to them through Zomato, Swiggy and Dunzo, however, Tarun urges bakers to come and explore their collection to get a feel of what they'd like.
Purchase at or call 35522191
Price: Rs 15 onwards
Baker’s 360 Degree
This one-stop store in Nolambur is every bakers’ dream; reason: Baker’s 360 Degree has everything from a to z — moulds, sprinklers, toppers and everything else that’s needed for baking. “My target is home bakers. In most of the shops, one cannot simply buy 100 g of cocoa powder or whipping cream, but here everything’s possible,” says the shop owner Naushad Ali who started the store in February 2021.
Special items line the shelves — cake toppers and decor, jar dessert bottles, icing bags, silicone moulds, palette knives compounds, varieties of packing materials and sprinklers. Other fancy items like dry berries, flavoured mayonnaise, essences, any kind of baking tools etc., are also available. “We have everything from `10. The range of silicon moulds starts from `40 and we also have moulds for `350 and more. We have essence starting at `20 and also for `200, which will be of premium quality. The price depends on quality and quantity. A few customers are very specific about the brands and we serve their needs,” he adds.
Purchase at Bharathi Salai, Nolambur Phase II, Mogappair West or call 8925245987
Price: Starting from Rs 10
Currimbhoy’s, Adyar
Established in 1889, Currimbhoy’s has become a well-known brand associated with every bakers’ needs in Chennai. Serving everything food preparation and service, you have a gamut of kitchenware and tableware to choose from — cake, jelly, tart and pudding moulds, spring form pans, trays, cupcake paper, cake cutters, cookie cutters, icing bags and more. The store is the ideal shopping experience if you are looking for a good deal, “We go on sale every year from December 1 to 31 in all our branches. We’ve been annually hosting this for 30 years. All our customers know about it, and there is much wait for the sale when everything in the store is 20 per cent off,” shares Zephra Currimbhoy, a sixth generation owner of the store.
The store also offers a range of Meyer products imported from the USA for a more professional and offbeat alternative — doughnut moulds, mini muffin moulds, carbon steel and non stick pans, and more. If your preferred product is not available, you can also ask them to source it for you with some prior notice. All products in the store can be delivered to any part of Chennai within the day.
Purchase at 47, Adyar Bridge Road or contact 42607857.
Jain Baking Solutions
Edible, non edible, decorative and packaging items, Jain Baking Solutions or JBS is a treasure trove for the essentials. If you are looking for something new to try this holiday — apart from all the staples they have to offer such as cake stands, boxes, hampers, silicone moulds, fondant moulds, and more — you can work with their 3D sled chocolate mould that allows you set chocolate in different pieces and assemble them to create a mini version of Santa’s ride. The store also has orange peels, ginger, nutmeg powder and other goods for a rich Christmas cake.
And for a full experience, you could try something unique and experiential. “JBS allows you to rent out a space where you can prepare, create and pack your cakes,” explains Shilpa Ranka, the owner of the store. When you are there to pick up baking accessories, you could also pick up decor items on your way out.
Purchase at 56, 111, Avadhanam Papier Road, Purasaiwakkam or visit jbsbazaar.com
Price: Rs 10 onwards