Is a birthday, anniversary, or any special occasion coming up? Well, a cake is a must! Symbolic of love and happiness, the irresistible smell and delicious taste make you give in to your temptations and cravings. As they say, “Bakers make the world smell better”, Storiyaan interviewed Gursifat Kaur, a teen baker and the Co-founder of “Dessert In Trousseau”, a home-bakery committed to cater to your cake and cookie cravings!
Back in 2012, Gursifat developed an attraction towards cakes and started off with making a biscuit cake. After a couple of failed attempts, she finally cracked it with her mothers’s motivation. After a 2-day cupcake workshop, Gursifat realized that baking made her happy and went on to make an Instagram account with no future plans. Slowly, her dedication and hard work earned everyone’s appreciation and love and she now dreams of becoming a Pastry Chef. Maintaining and running a bakery, that too, at such a young age isn’t a “cakewalk”. But “Passion can make you do wonders” and Gursifat is the perfect example of it!
Dig deeper into the conversation and read about Gursifat Kaur’s journey of being an amateur to owning a bakery of her own!
GURSIFAT KAUR- THE BAKE-A-HOLIC!
Interview
Questions and answers
From baking biscuit cakes in the oven to owning your own bakery at the age of 18, you seem to have come a long way. What is it about baking that you associate yourself with the most?
Baking is a form of art, and it is something that spreads love around. And love and art are something I associate with myself the most. On the practical part, baking requires perfection at every step, and I always tell that I look for perfection all the time, so I think baking and I go hand in hand.
How did you come up with the name “Dessert In Trousseau” and what is the significance of this name?
Dessert In Trousseau means bakery elements placed in a hamper adorned with creativity. It is me and my sister who run this business, and the name combines my sister’s passion for creativity and my passion for baking
What are some of the types of cakes that are extremely hard to bake?
Talking about myself, for me it would be structure cakes. I don’t like the idea of using fondant. So, I find working on fondant cakes hard.
Could you share some tips on how an amateur baker can go about improving in these niches?
If you really are passionate you will go with it. Be creative with flavors and texture, be disciplined with time, be professional, have effective communication skills as it does attract customers. And have knowledge of your finances. These are just basics but will take you far if done right!
Can you talk a bit about Reviving Heaven?
Reviving Heaven is my signature product that is Nutella Bites which I came up with in 2020. It was just a pop-up dessert that was widely sold, and I started getting requests to ship it pan India. So, I worked on it and made a cake mix of it. The name actually came from the feedback I received; people told me it was a heavenly bite. And I also lost my mom and dog in the past, so I associate reviving heaven with them, but my customers associate it with the Nutella bites.
As a self-made home baker, have you ever had to encounter clients who compared the prices of your delicacies with those from giant conglomerates? If yes, how did you deal with them?
This is the most basic situation every home baker faces. Home bakers may not sell out the best product, but they do invest a lot of effort, mostly single-handed unlike big companies, and we make sure the product is of the best quality. The only way I reply to my customers is that I will provide them with their money’s worth, the quality would not be compromised in any way.
How can people sign up for your online sessions and what can I expect in the same?
You can sign up via WhatsApp or Instagram. You can expect to learn 3 basic sponges which you can use in at least 35 ways, 4 to 5 cake coverings like whipped cream, ganache, and different homemade fillings. I teach 20 techniques on how to cover and complete your cake. The sessions are really fun!
With the world moving towards a sustainable way of living, what steps do you take to ensure little ingredients are wasted, or go bad, in your bakery?
The first thing I do is, my ingredients are well measured so my end product will have the right amount of everything, and none is left behind. Just in case there is some extra I put it up on sale. About sustainability, I prefer buying from the local vendors instead of buying online which leads to producing certain waste.
People often tend to get creative when it comes to baking requests. Have you ever had a really unique baking request from a client? What was it?
During my initial stage, a client did come up with a request to add alcohol to the cake. As I was still a fresher I knew alcohol in the oven may end up doing something completely different than expected, so that was the first unique thing I created. Being a self-taught baker, everything was unique and new, so I gradually found out how diverse baking can be!
These days people are trying to opt for healthier versions of their desserts. Do you provide any customizations for health-conscious clients or those suffering from diabetes?
When I started, I didn’t know it could be possible but recently I came up with dry cakes for those who can’t consume sugar. And now I am working on something for those who can’t take sugar. Baking needs experience in such areas and I am trying to acquire them. I am trying to cater to different people and ready for the challenges!
Talk to us about a common baking tip/ advice that has helped you the most?
Give it your heart and soul, be dedicated to your work, the focus should not shift. Baking isn’t just about mixing ingredients. Know how to manage your finances, be sure on where to invest, and how to save though it’s a home bakery.
Learn to sell, learn to build. If you can do both, you will be unstoppable.
Quick 5
1. Your favorite self-baked dessert – Nutella Bites
2. A pet peeve of your profession – When people ask for discounts or recipes
3. One work to define the art of baking – It’s an emotion
4. The best cream to work with – Whipped cream
5. A cake garnish, you love using – Sprinklers
To order freshly baked delicious goodies, you can contact Gursifat Kaur through her Instagram linked below