Blown away by bento

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Though the pandemic has driven many of us to turn to minimalistic celebrations this year, a cake is a must-have at every joyous occasion. Food lovers in Thiruvananthapuram have been falling in love with Bento cakes, miniature cakes that weigh 300 to 350 grams. The petite cakes whipped up in pastel shades are around three to four inches in diameter and fit neatly inside takeout boxes. 

Krishna Ajith is one of the chefs who introduced this new sensation in the city. “The Korean-inspired bento cake or lunchbox cakes is a good choice for a nuclear family celebration or those living in hostels. Bento is a Japanese origin word meaning convenient. The bento cakes are cute as they are delivered in disposable boxes, which gives extra protection for the cake inside.”

Krishna started baking lunchbox cakes when enquiries for small cakes started coming to her online baking venture, Cakecstasy. She has now come out with a slew of flavours like coffee, salted caramel, Nutella, lemon, white chocolate, biscoff and berries. The miniature cakes are all priced at Rs 390 each. 

The making
According to Krishna, baking bento cakes are harder compared to the other kind. “The cooling time after completing crumb coat for bento cakes is only five to six minutes. It is also a little challenging to fill the flavoured layers in between the cake slices. The cake is then finished with a covering of buttercream and decorations and icing,” she says. White chocolate vanilla and Dutch chocolate Nutella are the bestsellers. “I plan to roll out vegan and sugar-free bento cakes soon,” she adds.