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Artistic Nasreen Ashkanani is showing the world why Bahrain is ‘Pop’ular on the cake front by unveiling her bite-size goodies on the international stage.
The Bahraini baker, who has been creating miniature edible works of art for the past three years, put her talented touches on display for all to see in a recent, first-of-its-kind International Cake-Pop Convention held in the US.
The event featured more than 180 bakers from 26 states and nine countries under one roof, networking and sharing their expert techniques on how to make and decorate tiny cakes on a stick.
According to Nasreen, owner of Popilicious Cake-pops, it was an honour to be a part of the global cake-popping community.
The 33-year-old telecom product marketing manager, from A’ali, said: “It was an overwhelming feeling to be surrounded by so many cake-poppers who travelled from different places to attend the convention.
“I finally got to meet those who have been out there in the field years before I started, those who I have been following over social media and are inspired by.
“Bahrain was the only country from this region attending the international conference and it just goes to show that cake pops are more than just a passing fad.
“Cake-pops are versatile. Its appeal is the customisability as compared to other desserts and the size. This conference is further proof that this industry is gaining ground.
“Taking the Bahraini experience to the other side of the world, sharing my challenges, the culture and the local sweets market on the island was fantastic.
“I felt so welcomed. Many were surprised how cake-pops had reached the Middle East and how we have added our own touches with regards to flavours, techniques, as well as shapes related to our culture such as Hookah, Camels, Ramadan cooking pots, lanterns and so on.
“Being at that show has helped me position myself and my skills amongst the advanced bakers, connect with them and learn new techniques. I brought these skills back home with me to practice, master and eventually add to the local and regional market. I’m hoping to participate again next year with more to add to the convention.”
Nasreen’s tasty titbits have caught the attention of other conventions. She attended one in London and was invited to participate in the Dubai International Hospitality Championship. She may have found her true culinary calling but her rise to success was a fortuitous one.
She was first introduced to cake-pops when browsing online one late evening and she had come across images of the desserts. Nasreen then decided to tackle the task first thing in the morning and soon enough she was a moulding, shaping and decorating machine.
Nasreen said: “I never really intended to become a cake-popper. I just fell into it by accident. I have always enjoyed arts and crafts and have had a great obsession towards miniature items. Combine that love with my product development career and I got the perfect avenue to blend both my creativity and my desire to create something from scratch.
“At the very start, I was just trying them out and shared them during events with family and friends. I wasn’t expecting them to become popular, but then people began requesting samples. At the time I had no interest in making a business out of it as I was just doing it for fun.
“Once I agreed to make some for a relative it was hard to turn down the rest of the requests. Soon word spread and along came more clients and prospects.
“I’m always trying to learn more, trying new methods of melting and colouring chocolate and making different delicious recipes. For that reason, cake-popping was more than just a hobby for me, it was the space I had created for myself to push myself forward.
“That’s how my cake-popping journey started, by trying different recipes, different ways of handling chocolate, different methods of moulding and shaping. It was a very challenging, self-taught experience but it surely was a very rewarding one seeing how far I have reached, especially when I go over the pictures of my first humble cake-pops.
“I have enjoyed seeing the idea grow into a solid and wanted product in a market that is so niche, yet, one I absolutely love.”
Nasreen was inspired by cake-popping pioneers Bakerella along with other poppers on social media sites and from various food channels.
The making behind it can be very creative. The mixing of cake-crumbs with frosting into rounds and then covering them with a delightfully crispy outer shell of colourful candy coating makes for a very sweet confection.
Once dipped, the desserts can be covered with candy sprinkles, sanding or sparkling sugar, edible pearls or glitter, chocolate jimmies, finely-chopped nuts, crushed cookies, dried coconut, or even your favourite crushed candy. The sugary options and varieties are endless.
Her basic cake-balls evolved into different forms, adding a variety of pops into her portfolio such as marshmallow, rice crispy, chocolate-covered Oreo, fortune cookies, macaroon and meringue pops tailored to match the themes of any party or event.
She has incorporated several traditional touches to her artistic bites suitable for occasions such as Ramadan and Gergaoon, as well as Eid.
Nasreen said: “There was a huge demand for those treats and they have quickly gained popularity. Take one look at a cake-pop and you can see why, they are small and, oh so cute!
“Kids love them as do adults for the fact that cake-pops can be completely customisable, which has made them one of the hottest new desserts. People are always looking for new ideas and cake-pops can act as a unique centrepiece.
“I have not stopped at making cake-pops only with sticks. I have also arranged them into unconventional towers and floral arrangements, adding a new flavour to the cake and arrangements market within the country.
“I’m hoping this is just the start of how creative we can be with cake-pops. For example, I have customised cake-pops towards some of the things that are very much related to our daily activities such as shisha, Hajj (pilgrimage)-shaped dolls, Ramadan lanterns and even Vimto bottles!”
Currently popular social media account, Instagram has been doing wonders for her business in terms of reach and exposure. However, she has future plans to move on to an online channel and a store to be able to serve more walk-in customers to add to the orders taken online.
Nasreen hopes her endeavours will help motivate others into following their dreams, striving to reach a wider audience and introducing new cake-pop concepts and trends. Some of her traditional flavours currently include dates cake, Basboosa, Konafa and Zalabia.
She said: “My motivation comes from the fact that I have very big dreams and I want to achieve a lot in my life. I’m also motivated by my mum and dad who have always worked really hard, as well as many of my friends and colleagues. The best part is that I get to do what I love, share it with people and feel connected to a world that is bigger than my own.”
To find out more, follow Nasreen on Instagram @popilicious_cakepops
