KOCHI: Kochi-based patisserie chef and cake artist Elizabeth Njavally’s creations are easily an eye candy. The youngster’s homegrown venture ‘Artisan’ offers a plethora of designs with unique detail. A graduate in bakery art and pastry science from Lavonne Academy in Bangalore, Elizabeth ventured into baking full-time in 2017. “I was in Class X when I came across the art of baking and its creative aspect. My aunt was the one who taught me the basics of making a fondant. The figurines and decorations caught my attention,” says Elizabeth.
Ever since, she has been keen on keeping her creations stand out. “That doesn’t mean taste is not important,” she quips. “But if you see a cake, it should linger in your mind until you take a bite,” adds Elizabeth. The engineering graduate found her true calling when she realised that she’s investing more time in baking than her 8 to 5 job. Elizabeth is an expert with sweet offerings and the artisan concentrates on fondant, buttercream cake, and colourful sweet table treats including cake sickles, cookies, macarons, and more. “Fondant cakes come in chocolate.
The flavours most demanded in buttercream are chocolate praline, chocolate caramel, milk chocolate, ganache, butterscotch, and vanilla praline,” says Elizabeth. But the milk chocolate praline is a clear best-seller. “Instead of making plane milk chocolate, I add caramalised cashews or hazelnuts mixed with milk chocolate to give the cake a crunchy element,” she adds.
Elizabeth is not a fan of following the done and tested themes and designs. She is always on the lookout for something to experiment with. “Once, this client wanted a heaven-themed cake, without the generic concepts such as angel wings or figurines. I made the cake using dried wafer sheets and topped it with a few sugar flowers. It was the most unique concept I have done so far,” explains Elizabeth. The French dessert Yule Log cake that represents the Christmas tradition of the West where Yule logs are burnt was also another innovation she flaunts. “To get the log finishing, I used chocolate ganache, and inside, I filled a chocolate praline layer. The outer portion was milk chocolate. In most of my creations, I try not to incorporate repetitive designs,” says Elizabeth.
Price from `1,300
Instagram: @artisan_by_elizabeth_njavally
