Unique Hobbies

Aeliya always had a passion for making things from scratch. “My romance with clay started when I was in college. I used to make jewellery with potter’s clay or terracotta and my creations were very popular on campus,” she recalls.

Slowly, Aeliya moved on to make things out of coal porcelain. “By then, I started using candle as a medium and would make flowers and insects like ladybirds and beetles on it,” she adds.

But once she graduated and started working in an MNC, she was left with little time to pursue her hobby. “But my hands would twitch even at work,” she laughs. So she would create things whenever she got some time off. “I also started making customised clay magnets and using my artwork on gel candles and started experimenting with different clays,” she says.

She then realised that she could do the same with edible ingredients. “I realised that there are certain food items that have the same quality and could be used for cake decoration. Slowly, I came across sugar or gum paste which is also known as fondant and thought why not make edible shapes with my passion. Also innovative cakes are a trend in the market nowadays and unique cake toppers add to their beauty,” she notes.

Soon after she had her second child, Aeliya left her corporate job and started pursuing her passion full-time. She used this period to sharpen her skills. “I didn’t go to any institute and learnt everything on my own,” she adds.

“My friends then told me that I might as well learn the art of baking. Though baking sounds like an easy process, it’s far from that. It requires a lot of scientific techniques which I learnt by reading. My brother-in-law, who is in London, sent me a book to learn more. He also started sending me cutters of different sizes,” she notes.

Today, Aeliya bakes amazing cakes and cupcakes with toppers that are equally stunning.
“Since cupcakes are in trend and a lot of people bake them, I like making unique cupcakes with floral toppings. I even make bouquets on them,” she explains. She even makes ‘Angry Birds’ and superhero-themed toppers like ‘Batman’. Name any theme and she can make a topper and cake as per that.

One her most beautiful works is the sandal topper. The delicate piece takes around two days to make. Explaining the process of creating the topper, she says, “I first cut the basic shape out on the paste with a knife and then fine tune it. I don’t use any mould to create the shapes. So on an average, each topper takes around two or three days. A shape like sandal takes a day to be created and then the finer details like fixing the buckle take another day.”

Aeliya’s toppers are so popular that she gets a number of orders. “If a person has something in mind, I tell him or her to send me a photograph. So I can make it according to their wish. My speciality is half-kg theme cakes,” she explains. She also enjoys experimenting with as many shapes as possible. “So far except one or two designs, I have never repeated myself,” she notes.

Another favourite design of hers, which is unique, is the handbag cake. “It’s something that college girls really like.” She gets a number of requests on her Facebook page — ‘Cake Toppers Shoppe Bangalore’ too. She perfectly sums up her love for making cake toppers as she says, “I have finally found my nirvana.”

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> MetroLife / by Deepa Natarajan Lobo, Bangalore / DHNS – November 10th, 2014