Facebook and Instagram seem full of posts posts of cakes and cupcakes, and more often than not, when you follow the link to the bakery’s page, it turns out to be an at-home run, serving baked goods on an order-to-order basis.
The craftsmanship seems astounding, which is surprising, since most of these businesses are run by people who have never had professional training and just enjoy baking in their free time.
Chantelle Sumra of Eventique Events has been baking for as long as she can remember, but finally thought of pursuing her passion last summer. Sumra has no professional training but has always been an avid baker. She credits YouTube and Pinterest, in particular, for helping her through her at-home baking endeavour, garnering insight from recipes online and from social baking boards. She makes everything from scratch and is a one-woman unit, doing all of the baking and decorating.
Asked if she wants to pursue a career in baking or open up a bakery in the future, Sumra said she’d rather do it for fun than making it a job. It’s always been a hobby of hers and the plus side is that there is a high demand for the product.
Khadijah Bhatti of Cakes by Khadijah also started baking at a young age with the aid of her mom. Bhatti started baking cakes on her own at the age of 10, and by the time she was 13, her moms friends started to take notice of her baking talents, she recalls.
“Well, I used to make cakes a lot for places my mom went and once my mom’s friend asked for a cake for her sons birthday and she said she’d pay me, and also suggested that I start taking orders,” she said.
Bhatti credits the Food Network’s “Cake Boss” and Anna Olsen, as well as YouTube, for inspiration and technique. Now 15, in the two years since she started taking orders, she estimates she has done roughly 60 orders, averaging at least two cakes a month. The cakes take anywhere from two to four days to complete, depending on the extravagance of the order.
Both Sumra and Bhatti balance a mix of work and school along with their passion projects, and often turn away orders because of busy schedules. Sumra thinks the market for at-home bakers is competitive, because it’s become a lucrative side project.
Most of her advertising happens through word of mouth, usually at parties where her cakes are on display. She’ll get numerous inquiries of cakes for similar occasions. People want the wow factor at their events, and custom cakes, with prices starting at roughly $60 and going up, are a requirement.
Both Cakes by Khadijah and Eventique Events credit social media such as Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for exposure. Sumra, who has only been baking to order for the past year and a half, says many of her social media followers and “likers” are people who have attended events where her cakes were served.
Daniella Javier
It’s amazing how there’s so many talented individuals out in the community! I have a friend that has a whole cupcake kit, and all the tools that a bakery would have! But, like the individual in your article, my friend just likes to bake for fun!
Samantha Faith VanDeventer
This is so cool! They are so talented. I wish I could make a cake like that! I would never leave the kitchen and I would probably be 500 pounds. It’s amazing they have made jobs out of doing something they enjoy. Their stories are intriguing and it’s so lovely to know how people come to their passions. This is a really interesting article! 🙂