Cupcake heaven

Saturday, 17 May 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Newly-opened Angel Cakes in Pelawatte offers a delicious concoction of cupcakes and cakes

By Cheranka Mendis Unlike many other trends that seem to come and go, cupcakes, with their combination of sweet icing and fluffy sponge in irresistibly cute packages, seem to have held their ground over the past couple of years.

Social media sites are constantly flooded with cupcakeries with mouth-watering photographs of cupcakes and frosting trickling down the edges or dressed up to match any theme – be it Minions, Batman, or a personalised function. Certainly, there seems to be a wide choice of bakeries. So what made Amanee Jayawardena Tissera join this rat race of the cupcakes and open up her very own cupcakery, Angel Cakes, down Parliament Road, Pelawatte? “It was a long term passion and dream of mine; coupled with the high demand for the cupcakes I made for relatives, friends and friends of friends that became the ingredients in finally creating my own space for cupcakes,” she said, smiling from behind the counter as she replaced a plate with a new batch of cupcakes. The ambiance Stepping into Angel Cakes is like entering the bedroom of an eight-year-old girl. Pink and pastels, a pretty sofa in the corner, white cupboards – everything has a dash of the soft-hued. It is an incredibly adorable and chilled out place to hang out. Having only opened its doors few weeks back, the response has been great; and at times overwhelming, Amanee added. “It is true; everyone who tastes our cupcakes and cakes once has always made a trip back!” Oozing with flavour This is no surprise. I first bit into one of Amanee’s cupcakes at a friend’s birthday. Going with the ‘in-trend’ theme, Minions, the cupcakes were decorated with cute Minion faces starring up at us hungry people. One bite in, we were in heaven. Soft and gooey with a little surprise of cream in the middle, the cupcakes were delicious and the two trays were wiped clean within a few minutes. Even though she is now doing this on a larger scale, the cupcakes retain the same quality and taste. A perfectionist by birth, she looks into every aspect of the baking and icing – “I am involved with the baking of every single cupcake. I taste the fillings and the batter and make sure everything is just as I like it; it is only then that we present it at the display.” Wide variety There is a variety of flavours on offer – vanilla bean, espresso, salted caramel, mocha, chocoholic, chocolate ganache, chocolate mint, white chocolate strawberry, chocolate hazelnut, divine coconut, key lime, passion fruit, cinnamon sugar and red velvet are all on the menu. Having tested a few of these flavours, it is safe to say Angel Cakes serves up some of the best cupcakes in the city. She also has an assortment of cookies in big jars, tempting customers to reach out and grab one as well as the cakes and cake pops available. Craving a chocolate chip cookie? If so, what would you like – dark chocolate chip, white chocolate chip, chocolate chip and coconut or chocolate chip and cherry cookies? If a cookie isn’t enough, why not try the dark chocolate chip or white chocolate chip brownies? Cake pops are available in vanilla, chocolate, coffee and red velvet. Her personal favourite is the double chocolate chip cake, she said. Love for baking “I love baking,” she said, “I really enjoy it.” For Amanee, her interest in cooking and baking was picked when she was attending Home Science Lessons back in school. She then went on to study cooking and baking in Australia and is a qualified chef. Having mastered commercial cooking there, she went over to New Zealand where she engaged in a number of small bakery-related courses. It was here that she developed a soft spot for cupcakes and a passion for baking. “When I returned to Sri Lanka, I started baking for friends and family. Through them, their friends contacted me and at one point my days started becoming a blur with the orders that just kept coming in.” This is why she thought of opening up Angel Cakes. Her support force All cupcakes are made according to her own recipe, with alterations and little tweaks to what she originally learnt. Her little helpers and her biggest critics are her children, son Miki and daughter Michaela. “They tried out everything first. It was with their nod of approval that I went through with it.” Balancing her life as a mother and owner of a cakery is no easy task; and for this she has her husband and mother to thank. Her family and friends have also been supportive from day one, she added, which helped her build her business. “Even though it is stressful at times, the customer response, which has so far been all positive, is gratifying,” Amanee beamed. Angel Cakes is open from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays and from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.