The New Indian Bride

This week is going to be sweet because we are featuring all the delicious, tantalizing, sweet treats that appear at weddings!  This week TNIB is all about cupcakes, cakes and mittai! Is your mouth-watering?  Mine sure is!  

Let’s get started with my favorite little indulgence - the cupcake!  Who doesn’t love this perfectly sized, moist, flavor filled, sweet treat?  I know I do! I also know there is no one better to share the secrets of wedding cupcakes than up and coming cupcake artist Radha Champaneria of Radha’s cupcakes. I am thrilled to feature Radha on TNIB today!

TNIB: Why are cupcakes great for weddings?

Radha: Cupcakes are great for wedding since they are small and the bride and groom can actually pick a ton of flavors. With a wedding cake, it’s just one flavor and it needs to be cut up and served. With cupcakes, you can have a variety and place it on a desert bar with other assortments. I have even had someone ask me if it would be possible to do cupcake towers as a centerpiece, which I think is a great way to give your guests their sweets!
 
TNIB: What do most couples ask for in their wedding cupcakes? A particular style? Flavors? Colors to match their wedding colors, etc?

Radha: Red Velvet is by far the most popular flavor. Next would be chocolate. In the end, I think it all comes down to how outgoing and adventurous the couple is with flavors. As a baker, when I do tastings, I not only make flavors the bride and groom request but also try to encourage them to try other flavors they would not have considered. Some people love to have cupcakes match their color theme and when that is the case there are so many options such as using colored liners for the cupcakes, or stands, linens and flowers to add a great look to match.

TNIB: Are there any trends in cupcakes right now? Are they trendier than before with the newish chains like Sprinkles and Karas?

Radha: I have to say yes, cupcakes are more trendier now since people pretty much do what you could do on a cake on a cupcake instead. But at the end of the day, I personally feel that the simpler the cupcake the more elegant and appealing it looks.

TNIB: Any tips for making a Radha quality cupcake at home?

Radha: The cupcakes I make are not recipes I have created myself. But even to follow a recipe and get it perfect can be hard. It’s all about consistency, measurements and lots of patience. Baking is not something where you can rush and cut things out. I like to put my own little twist on each recipe and do something a little different but that’s only possible when you keep trying until you perfect it.

TNIB: How did you get into cupcakes?

Radha: I have always enjoyed cooking, baking and entertaining. I always wanted to learn how to decorate cakes so I took up some basic classes. Actually, I ended up taking four types of cake decorating classes. As beautiful as cakes are, I feel cupcakes are just more fun and you can do so much with them. Getting into cupcakes had a lot to do with my friends and family, who of course get to enjoy my baked goods and simply enjoy them. Most of my orders are for birthday, baby shower’s, bridal showers and I am just starting to do weddings. Of course some people order them just so that they can have them!

If you are a bride to be in the SF Bay Area and if cupcakes are part of your celebration then Radha is the cupcake artist for you!  Become her fan on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/radhascupcakes?ref=ts or contact her via email at radhachamp@yahoo.com.