Today we’d like to introduce you to Kokab Hasan.
Hi Kokab, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I did not plan to be a baker, I had not even planned to be in the US. I grew up in India and my life of 30 years has been a series of serendipitous events all of which have magically led up to this moment where I can proudly and gratefully say that I make a living out of the work that I enjoy most! I was quite the nerd of my family, I had studied chemistry at college in India, in the US I trained as a programmer and worked in web development for two years. Baking started as a hobby when my daughter was about to be born in 2019. I craved for very specific flavors such as butterscotch, black forest, and mango, the cravings were strong that when my husband and I could not find them anywhere near us, I decided to try baking them on my own. And voila, before I knew I had found my own passion and stress buster.
That really is the long and short of how I got into baking. I kept on baking for fun, started baking for friends and family and when the pandemic struck, I found myself with so much time at my hands that I set up a Facebook page and started taking orders. That was a turning point, I am so grateful to the people of Austin who appreciated what I had to offer, they have supported my small business, have shared advice and recommendations on what they like or don’t like. My hobby turned into a business, and it has been instrumental in helping us settle in and really feel like we are truly part of the local community here.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As they say – “difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations”. For sure it came with its own challenges. This was the first time I was doing any sort of business. I learnt along the way how to interact with people from a business perspective, being my own accountant, assistant, photographer and whatnot. I never took any classes or training for the baking/cake decorating. Initially, every order was a challenge for me. I used to watch videos online to understand how I could do a particular design, how to make a figurine or how to structure a multi-tier cake. For every new flavor asked I used to try at least 3-4 recipes to make sure it was up to the mark. I started off during covid, so getting supplies, sanitizing them and making sure all precautions are taken was a lot of work. I am highly inquisitive of any trending/challenging design, if I see it somewhere, I got to try it. Initially, I used to spend hours and hours on the techniques and to achieve the finish. Additionally, having a 2-year-old around who was as much interested in every process as I was, wasn’t a piece of cake. I literally had to guard the cake with my life (still do).
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in custom cakes, cupcakes, cake pops and all table desserts. I offer over 14 flavors to pick, from classics to fusion, got it all! I love to try new flavors and trending designs. Our current most popular flavor is Butterscotch, Ferrero Rocher, and Gulab jamun cake, it brings the fusion of two very different flavors from the two different parts of the world and tastes divine. All my ingredients are wisely picked to balance and give the best flavors that you won’t forget. I take all the pride to say-I am obsessed and love doing anti-gravity, hyper realistic and working cakes.
So far, the most challenging cake was the working tea dispenser cake, I had to make sure the cake didn’t collapse, and tea comes out of it. I remember rotating carousel cake, the first working cake that I made, I was in awe at how beautiful it turned out. The process of brainstorming for an extraordinary cake gives me an adrenaline rush- planning, balancing, executing antigravity cakes, where the cake is literally hanging in air or balanced on an ice cream is something extremely gratifying. Magic always happens at the intersection of two disciplines and baking is exactly that – it is part science and part art. Like a scientist, a baker needs accurate timing, precise proportions and just like an artist, a baker also needs an eye for detail and the desire to practice and better their craft. I pay close attention to each and every detail from baking to decorating so cakes are not just treat to the eye but also party in the mouth. I am extremely thankful to all my wonderful customers for giving me the opportunity to make such challenging and astonishing cakes.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
When I first started using social media, never in my dreams had I thought of monetizing it or using it to establish a business. Facebook and Instagram gave me the platform to start, showcase my work and reach out to thousands of people. Instagram profile became my portfolio. And thanks to all YouTubers out there for sharing their work and letting me learn from them. Not to forget, the best resource in life is life itself- it teaches you so much in such different scenarios. I believe every mistake is a learning opportunity, you never fail, you just learn what not to do again. When I look around I feel I have so much that I have learnt/learning/will learn more – from online resources, my peers, seniors/masters in the field, etc- options are endless and so is the process of learning.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/cake.itout?utm_medium=copy_link
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CakeItOutByKokab/
