It’s simple that the youthful inhabitants of Chennai has wrapped the Pinterest aesthetic round them in full power. From the drip of their outfits to cafe-hopping, the aesthetic consumption has seeped into their core. And that is when the cake-for-one enters the scene with bow decor, Garamond font, and pastel frosting which appears to be like extra like a portray than a dessert. Bingo, it’s the identical Bento cake which first took over in 2021 and which nonetheless has the group hooked.
House-baker Al Huda, who runs The Glaze at Nungambakkam, receives 90-100 Bento cake orders each month, with most of them coming from school college students within the close by areas. “In relation to muffins, I get extra orders for Bento muffins,” she says. With Valentine’s Day simply handed, the Bento cake storm has solely continued to rise.
Ms. Al Huda says that not many shops or bakeries within the metropolis supply Bento muffins. Therefore, home-bakers have turn out to be the go-to consultants, able to personalise each element to the client’s needs. “I’ve made tonnes of heart-shaped Bentos for Valentine’s Day, and plenty of ribbon muffins as what we name ‘pookie-coded’, a part of the Gen Z lingo,” she says. For this home-baker, it’s each the aesthetic and the affordability going hand in hand that makes Chennai’s crowd fall in love with these little Bentos.
Workshop too
“Every little thing that comes from South Korea has an enormous fan-base among the many youthful crowd of Chennai,” says Jannathul Firdous, a home-baker who runs The Gaiety Nook in Chennai. Other than promoting muffins, she is well-known for her Bento cake workshops within the metropolis the place contributors discover ways to make a Bento cake from scratch. “I began with cupcake workshops, however when Bento cake grew to become the pattern, I couldn’t cease. I used to be planning to conduct different pastry workshops too, however Bento cake workshops are probably the most in demand,” provides Ms. Firdous.
What began out of necessity in South Korea with extra nuclear households needing smaller, particular person parts led to the delivery of Bento cake. The identify ‘Bento’ itself means comfort, and it comes from Japan. It has blown up all over the world. It’s not solely purchased for a birthday celebration but in addition for a snack.
Amrutha Muthuramasamy, a beginner in home-baking, says she plans to modify from her MNC job to being a full-time baker. “I began cultivating baking to alleviate stress from my day job and of all of the baked items, I really like making Bento muffins probably the most. It’s my forte as I may even paint Monet-style artwork on them,” says Ms. Amrutha. “I’ve been making Bento muffins and getting orders from folks I do know, however I’m planning to go full-time after making some strong plans.”
Model and customisation
No two Bento cake look the identical due to customisation and the baker’s type. Ms. Firdous too has her inventive course of set aside. “Pastels, soothing-coloured Bento muffins are my type,” she says. “Proper from selecting the right color palette, which is often soothing pastel colors, to creating certain that the muffins are moist and shaping them into the right spherical, each little element counts,” she notes.
Printed – February 16, 2025 10:52 pm IST
