Based in London, Faiza Hasan’s deliciously beautiful cakes have acquired a loyal fan following. Her love for baking and cake decorating led Faiza to set up the Cake Bar which provides custom made cakes for all occasions such as weddings, birthdays and other special events using the finest ingredients for vegan, gluten-free and sugar-free requirements. Faiza speaks to Blue Chip about her inspirational journey and her love for showcasing her artistic talents through baking.
The Cake Bar has gained great popularity in London, what has been your most recent project?
Faiza Hasan: “I would have to say that my most favorite recent project has been the cake I made for my brother’s engagement dinner. I had made a dozen roses which were transported to Islamabad. Another project which I am very excited to be working on is a spinning and musical interactive birthday cake for a special baby girl.”
Your cakes have acquired a loyal following; can you elaborate on how your cakes are healthy and use the finest ingredients for the best quality?
FH: “I work to cater to my client’s preferences i.e. dietary requirements, allergy constraints. The key though is to use the freshest organic ingredients for each cake.”
Your cakes are very artistic and each cake is a masterpiece, what inspires your creativity?
FH: “Design and concepts come from the people who are around me: my parents, my parents-in-law, my husband, they are all so artistic, especially my mother and mother-in-law. They are so effortlessly stylish. I try to soak in everything I see and incorporate it in my designs. My inspiration can come from the outdoors, flowers, beautiful colours, — pretty much anything and everything.”
Your live baking demonstrations at Le Creuset have become very popular, how did this come about?
FH: “I was always a big fan of Le Creuset products and when I moved to Wimbledon a year ago I came across their store in the Wimbledon Village. One conversation about baking led to another with the store manager, Rory, and before I knew it, I was standing in front of my neighbors and doing what I love the most!”
Your artistic sense and creativity extend to your work with Le Creuset where you won an award for designing their shop window for Halloween, how was that experience for you?
FH: “Being able to work with a well established company such as Le Creuset has given me an amazing platform to work on. The first year I was working with them, there was a nationwide competition for all their stores to see which shop had the best Halloween window display. There were certain guidelines and restrictions for the window display, but the most important criteria was to highlight Le Creuset pots and pans. After some head scratching I was able to come up with a unique concept which earned the Wimbledon Village store first prize. This experience has given me an immense amount of confidence and led me to push myself to make the cakes I dreamt about.”
Are you continuing your association with Le Creuset?
FH: “Yes, of course, that is an ongoing partnership. The staff at the Wimbledon Village store are wonderful and it gives me an opportunity to meet people from my neighborhood.”
Have there been any all time favourites in terms of flavours or design that clients can’t get enough of?
FH: “Chocolate is the absolute favourite; vanilla and red velvet are also very popular. I have been blessed to have made numerous cakes. The greatest aspect of a boutique cake house is that no design is ever repeated. One cake design that I have a fondness for is my window display for Le Creuset made during Wimbledon. It was extremely well received and went viral on social media.”
You recently made Pakistani themed cupcakes for a British Pakistan Foundation event which were very well received; can you tell us about that?
FH: “The BPF is a very important platform for Pakistani women based in the UK so I was very honoured to be asked to makes cakes for the event. The design element was simple but extremely effective.”
