A birthday party where all the kids get to frost their own cupcakes? That too during lockdown? It does sound too good, but thanks to Nupur Bansal it happens to be true and doable. Creating customized treats for virtual birthday parties, this home baker has enabled fun celebrations recently with DIY kits that include frosting bags and colourful sprinkles along with the cupcakes. You could also add a DIY pizza kit or a Nutella sandwich kit to the spread.
Say cheese!
Along with the DIY kits, offering desserts like flavoured yoghurt, cheesecake, and cupcakes, Nupur formally launched her brand The Tiny Baker a fortnight back. “Though I have been baking for family and friends for years — during lockdown many of my well-wishers pushed me to get started professionally. I had the time at hand and the situation had created a demand,” says the self-taught baker, who got hooked to the oven when she baked her first homely chocolate cake more than a decade ago with her mother. However, Nupur’s favourite is her signature cheesecake. “Cheesecakes are best when they are not baked!” declares the 32-year-old, who also says that her no-bake fusion recipe, Motichoor Cheesecake, is the fastest moving dessert followed by her Salted Caramel Cheesecake. While her cheesecake offerings include Gulab Jamun, Nutella, and Blueberry variants, she also bakes brownies and tarts.
Philly in the belly
What were the challenges of starting a baking business in the middle of lockdown? Nupur answers that there is a struggle for the right ingredients. “I am finding it difficult to find Philadelphia cream cheese. Whenever I do find it, I quickly stock up!” says the baker, who prefers using the D’lecta Philadelphia cream cheese for cakes and makes all the toppings from scratch — like the blueberry compote, salted caramel sauce and other jams. With a focus on cheesecakes and cupcakes, the doting mother-of-two promises more flavours and innovative variants soon. Keep an eye on her posts on Instagram to stay updated.
Cheesecake at INR 2,500 per kilogram. DIY kit with four cupcakes at INR 400.
Photos shot by: Ashwin Prasath