Cupcakes are turning out to be a fad in Kochi these days, so says Ann Benjamin whose book on cupcakes, icings and cakes will hit bookstalls in the coming months. Introduced to the world of chocolate making and cake baking after she became a mother, Ann is currently on a quest to popularise 101 ways of baking cakes in the sweetest, tastiest manner ever.
Her book describes the mocha cupcakes which are coffee and espresso infused with a creamy buttery flavour, a better choice for the coffee loving soul. The twirls in the vanilla cream coated cup cakes are as frothy and lip-smacking as they are in the pictures posted on social media. Ann who runs A’s Chocolate Factory, is very particular about making the latest flavours in cupcakes available in town and her list of favourites include carrot, cream, vanilla and banana varieties topped with different icings.
“In the past, people used to order only cakes for special functions. However, now, the trend is changing and customers are demanding cupcakes of different sizes and types. I have a good number of orders for baby showers demanding baby-faced icings atop cupcakes.” Ann has made it a point to explain that homemade cakes are a bit more expensive than those sold in shops. “We are very insistent that we use home made butter, unlike the bakeries where they use margarine. This is why our cakes tend to be a bit more expensive. Her book will describe more than 50 varieties of cakes and icings as well.
“My favourites include the rich moist chocolate cake, Sherridan cake with a coffee flavour and rumberry cake and those with Irish creme,” she says. Ann is also specialised in making cakes using alcohol.
“Here, we have introduced a variety. We also make alcohol icings, famously known as the alcohol coffee liquor which is a batter of alcohol and butter mixing, she says.
There are other specialities of icings that will be described in her book. There are the basic vanilla, chocolate butter cream, mocha fudge and caramel icings, which are frosted and piped and decorated as cream foams. Ann who is an expert at coverture chocolate is a successful chocolate maker, if her weekly sales are an indicator.
Dakshinamoorthy Swamikal There is another side to Ann. She is a model too and played a role in the hit movie ‘Charlie’.