Flavours of a Passion

Homebaker Jeyadra Vijay Selvan is a self- taught cake artist. She learnt to make cakes and cookies in a professional manner by watching YouTube videos and referring to cook books.

A computer engineer, she worked with an IT company for about six years before she got into baking on a full-term basis. Little did she know that what started as a passion would one day turn out to be her career. 

Jeyadra is also a photographer, a food stylist and conducts workshops. It has been two years since she took her passion to a whole new level. In a chat with Surupasree Sarmmah, the young baker talks about the first cake she made, her favourite flavour and more.
 
Your very first cake...It was an orange chiffon cake. 

Do you generally have a concept in mind?I always have one thing in mind — to bake a cake with good ingredients and not use chemicals and artificial ingredients and preservatives. I am not into fondant or gum paste cakes. I primarily bake only  whipped cream cakes.  I make sure to keep them as natural as possible. 

Your favourite cake flavour...I have a weakness towards chocolate. Belgian chocolates and red velvet has always been my favourite. 

The three must-have ingredients in your cakes...Pure vanilla extract, blueberries and Belgian chocolates. 

One of the most challenging cakes you have worked on till now...I can’t call any of them  challenging. I have my heart in what I am doing and I learn something new each time.

Your favourite creation...Colour drip chocolate cake is my favourite and I make it every now and then.  

Cakes that are popular now..Since it is mango season, people look for cakes with a mango twist. Other than this, blueberry and chocolate cakes are in demand. 

Any challenges you have faced till now...I am a self-taught baker, so every time I am trying out a new thing, I fail. However, I practise till it is perfect. Learning from an online video is a challenge as there is no touch and feel experience. 

Any baking tips you would like to share...Baking is a science and the most important thing is correct measurements. I would say that beginners should use a weighing scale to get the accurate measurement.