Kolkata bakery Caramella's artisanal tiramisu boxes make the dessert more viable for dinner tables

The tiramisu is a winner at every table, but sourcing a block of authentic tiramisu for your next family dinner could be quite a chore if you are looking for single-serve or pocket-friendly options. Akshita Agarwal’s new artisanal bakery Caramella is dedicated to this notoriously decadent Italian dessert and also works towards making its format more practical as a weekend indulgence.

“Kolkata doesn't really have a place that's dedicated to tiramisu, when people want some they have to head to a pricey restaurant, which is not very price-conscious. And people do love this dessert here, my brand is only a month old, I’ve already got more than 90 orders! There's no one actually experimenting with flavoured tiramisu either. So my tiramisu boxes work out great because not only do we have seasonal fruit variants, but it also has many portioning options. There are half-pound celebration boxes/bowls, and one-pound tubs, we also have it in 1.5 lb and 2.5 lb. They can be customised with or without alcohol as well,” Agarwal shares.

Tell us about your novelty, the flavoured tiramisu

We're trying to infuse flavours to the mascarpone which is the staple ingredient in the dessert. I always knew authentic tiramisu would have its takers in the city, it's such a rarity, especially when you actually think about the disappointing variants available. In fact, I've even had tiramisu that’s made with sponge cake and not ladyfingers that’s traditionally supposed to go into the dessert. I feel so many eateries compromise on the ingredients. So, I’m offering the classical recipe with a blend of interesting flavours. My tiramisu tubs are my best-sellers as they are so convenient.

You always planned to pursue professional baking

Yes, I'm self-taught so this is something I've always wanted to do. I had planned on starting something from home and then scale up and maybe go for a brick-and-mortar presence eventually 

What are the challenges of sustaining a niche, artisanal service amid a pandemic?

Sourcing the ingredients has, of course, been a challenge, since our line-up is so ingredient-specific. But we've also wanted to step things up in terms of packaging because that seems to be in demand, people also love it for gifting purposes, sorting these elements too have been quite tricky 

You also plan on introducing a flavour every month…

Yes, this month it’s peach tiramisu because we can find peaches easily at the moment. The idea is to look at how each flavour is received by the buyers, if something does really well maybe it could become a fixture on the menu

Caramella’s one-pound tubs start from Rs 950