Anybody remember the days where wedding cakes meant decorated styrofoam? Gone are the days where the wedding cakes were inedible and filled with horrendous, plastic tasting icing. We bring you a feature with the lovely Deepa, who’s cake creations are not only visually stunning, but wonderfully delectable as well!
Who owns the magical hands that create the masterpieces of Spring Bloom Cakes ? Who is Deepa outside a baker/pastry chef? Hobbies? Interests? Help our readers get to know you better!
My name is Deepa Mathan, I am the owner of Spring Bloom Cakes and outside of delighting my customers with baked goods, I’m a mother of a handsome boy, a wife, a daughter, and a sister. My favourite thing to do is spend time with my loved ones. I also enjoy cooking and trying new recipes. My newly discovered hobby is canvas painting.
How old were you when you first started baking?
When I was 18 years old, I decided to take a 4 month class as a simple hobby. It taught me basic baking etiquette and decorating.
Are you trained professionally?
No it was simply a hobby that transformed into my passion. A little time, dedication and fun can do wonders.
When did you decide to turn baking into a business?
During my maternity leave, I was laid off from my job. As my maternity year came to an end and I was looking for a job, my family and friends encouraged me to turn my hobby into a business. Since I was already making cakes for events for my family and friends, word of mouth is how it began.
How long have you been in the wedding industry? Do you offer delectables for occasions other than weddings?
I have been in the wedding industry for just over 4 years now. Yes, I offer delectable for almost anything and every other occasions you can think of.
Do you remember the first wedding cake you ever made? Tell us about the experience. What kind of cake was it? Was it for a family member or friend? (If you have pictures, that would be great)
About 6 months into my business venture, a couple contacted me for their wedding cake via a Kijiji post. It was for a simple three tier red velvet wedding cake.
How did you go about marketing your business when you first started? Word of mouth, social media etc.
When I started it was Kijiji and Facebook, but over time it has primarily been word of mouth.
Judging by your instagram, you have made many a variety and style of wedding cakes. Tell us about one of the most difficult requests you received for a wedding cake and how you executed it. What were some of the challenges you faced with the making of said cake?
The most difficult one was definitely the 9 tier cake. The hardest part of it was the delivery and assembly of the cake at the venue. We had to take them in three separate parts and assemble it at the venue, including the flowers cascading on top tiers and on the third tier forming a floral bouquet. I had to make sure it was all aligned, straight and sturdy enough to stand tall the entire event.
Name your top 3 requested items for the following:
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- Cake flavors – Coffee, Chocolate and of course Vanilla
- Icings – Nutella buttercream, Cream cheese and coffee buttercream
- Cake/icing combinations – Chocolate cake with ferrero rocher filling, Red velvet with cream cheese, coffee cake with coffee crisp filling
Often times, couples will focus on the design and size of a cake and will be lost when it comes to choosing flavours, fillings etc. What do you usually recommend for people who need a direction with their selections?
I normally suggest my popular flavors and couples would normally come in for a cake tasting before they decide. Once flavour is decided we discuss design, price and delivery.
What are some unusual flavour combinations that are underrated and don’t get enough credit?
Definitely the coconut cake with cream cheese. I think it’s because people are just afraid to try something different so they normally tend to stick with their taste of comfort.
Have you received requests for tropical flavours that can be more difficult to acquire in canada (jackfruit/passionfruit/mangosteen etc)? How do you go about fulfiling such requests?
Interestingly not but I think you just made me want to experiment a little with my tropical side.
When it comes to wedding cakes, long gone are the days where a 3 tiered, white wedding cake with a bride/groom topper was your only option. Today, we have seen trends from cupcakes to half ‘n half wedding cakes all on trend. What is a current trend couples are obsessing over.
Modern abstract designs and naked cakes which always make every cake unique.
How long on average, do one of your luxury wedding cakes take to put together (start to finish)? Do you have assistance or do you work alone?
Anywhere between 36 to 40 hours per luxury wedding cake for baking and decorating, all the way to an additional couple of hours for delivery and assembly at the venue. My personal slave aka husband helps me with delivery and purchasing of all supplies from top to bottom.
Everyone has a speciality and what would you say is yours? Is there something you love making more than others? (3D Flowers vs piped designs etc)
My specialities are the handmade flowers but my new found obsession is hand paintings on cakes.
What is your go to icing for the exterior of your cakes? Fondant? Marzipan? Buttercream? What are the differences between these and what kind of looks do these work best for?
Fondant it is! Fondant is made of marshmallows and icing sugar. Fondant gives the cake a very clean look and the sharp edges people desire. Buttercream is the second preferred choice, however during the hot summer months it is probably not a good idea as the heat melts it away. Buttercream is made of butter and icing sugar. As for Marzipan, it’s a rarely used icing and it consists of almond paste and icing sugar.
The Sri Lankan wedding cake, often referred to as rich cake, is a popular item at Sri Lankan weddings. Are you able provide this particular cake for your customers? If you do, do you offer them in individually wrapped packaging or do you provide the cake and leave the packaging/wrapping up to the customers themselves?
Unfortunately no because I work alone and the cake orders itself keep me extremely busy.
Ordering and making the cake is one thing, but we imagine one of the more stressful aspects is transporting the creation. Do you offer delivery? What do you do/use to transport a cake safely! Do you transport fully assembled cakes or assemble at location?
All wedding cakes includes free delivery within the Greater Toronto Area. For all other cakes, delivery is available for an additional cost. We use our SUV to transport all cakes. My husband and I deliver together and the assembly really depends on the size and floral arrangement of the cake.
For customers who wish to pick up the cakes themselves? What do you recommend they bring? What type of vehicle is best for transporting the masterpieces? How can they ensure that the cake stays intact during transport?
I recommend an SUV or Minivan so they can place it safely in the empty trunk. If not I ask them to bring another adult with them to hold onto the cake while they drive.
What kind of cakes do you offer to cater to those with dietary concerns? Do you offer GF cakes, eggless cakes, sugar free cakes etc?
I rarely get those requests and unfortunately at this time, I am not offering them.
Do you offer tastings for potential clients? If you do, take us through what happens during a tasting.
Yes, the cake tasting offer is available to all clients who are considering to order with Spring Bloom Cakes with a 30 dollar deposit upon confirmation of the cake booking and the deposit is credited towards their order. We book an appointment for the tasting and I ask them to bring sample pictures so I can get a sense of what they are expecting. Once tasting is done and they confirm the order, we discuss and sketch the cake design. The final step is deciding on flavours and the order is completed with their deposit.
How long in advance do customers need to book Spring Bloom Cakes for their big day? Do you offer a contract? What details are included in the contract?
I do not have a formal contract as it’s purely based on a deposit and the relationship I have with all my clients. As for how long in advance, my advice is always the earlier the better. For wedding cakes however, I recommend at least 8 months ahead of time.
Some clients want the luxury cake but are looking to stick to a budget as well. Do you offer foam cakes for clients looking for a cheaper alternative? If you do, are couples able to customize and select their own designs or do you have select premade designs only?
I do offer an array of real cake and dummy cake options, however the cost does not differ by much given the amount of time and work required does not change between the two. I do not have any pre-made designs.
For clients who wish to have edible cakes but are looking to stick to a budget, what do you recommend to cut cost? Are there any tricks to getting the luxury look on a budget?
The best advice to reduce cost on edible cakes is to cut the details on the cake itself such as handmade flowers, custom toppers and intricate details.
Hungry yet? Our sweet tooth is itching to bite into one of Deepa’s creations. All of you lucky enough to share a city with this innovative cake gal, make sure you check out her Facebook page to book her for your special event. Don’t forget to follow her Instagram to keep up with her fabulous creations.