Today we’d like to introduce you to Amna Khalique.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Although I officially started my business a little over four years ago, I have been baking for as long as I can remember. I was born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan. At that time there weren’t too many options for dessert or fancy restaurants. So my mom used to bake/cook everything from scratch such as birthday cakes, cookies and donuts, to homemade kulfi/ice cream. It could also be that my mom liked challenging herself by trying out new recipes while staying frugal. As a child, I remember helping my mom measure out sugar and butter, trying to use our bright red kitchen scale that was extremely temperamental and would stop working halfway through! I guess I was always in and around a kitchen where something was always happening, it was always exciting. I didn’t realize it until much later, how much all of that impacted my interest in baking.
When my son was around 6 months old, I started baking. A lot. I was home with a newborn functioning on very little sleep, but I also wanted a creative outlet. I started tinkering with layer cakes. This was something I wasn’t familiar with and was extremely nervous that these tall cakes would collapse! Spoiler: they didn’t collapse but I did mess up in other ways. Like forgetting to add sugar to cake batter, dropping a filled cake pan in a hot oven and so on. But, that’s what it means to be a self-taught baker. All these were teachable moments for myself. And then on my birthday one year, as a present to myself, I officially created an LLC for my company which meant I was officially in the baking business! And I haven’t looked back since.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has generally been a smooth road for me, thankfully. Other than the minor hiccups of the initial stages where I usually forgot a key ingredient and had to make several trips to the grocery store or skipped a step when baking. But as mentioned earlier, this was all part of the learning curve. I think the most difficult aspect of it all has been trying to strike a balance between work and home. But isn’t that the struggle for everyone? Initially, time management was a struggle where I was staying up until 2 or 3 am, trying to finish up a cake(s). But over time, I have (mostly) figured out a way to plan my day/week accordingly. It also helps that both kids are in school and I’m able to bake and decorate without interruptions.
However, it does get difficult when I’m baking for a market because that requires a lot of time planning, prepping, baking, packaging, and not to mention clean up. And since I’m a one-woman show – I’m doing everything behind the scenes. Which is also why I don’t do too many markets as of now.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I started off with taking orders for celebration/layer cakes. But over time the menu has evolved and I also bake cookies, granola, brownies, and more. Everything in my kitchen is baked from scratch, to order using premium ingredients. There are no shortcuts here! My cakes are never too sweet and it’s something I’m most proud of, and really what I’m known for amongst my clientele. I am personally very picky about dessert and prefer baked goods that don’t make my teeth hurt! All cakes I make/design have a touch of whimsy and gold detailing. I love using cakes as my canvas to create unique designs using palette knives, paintbrushes and other artistic techniques.
During the pandemic lockdown, I also started learning how to make puff pastry (regular and invert puff, both) as well as croissant dough. I also dabbled in baking sourdough but that requires a different temperament and patience which I don’t think I can manage just yet. However, I’m really proud of learning how to make puff pastry by hand, it’s quite a feat! Rolling out that block of fridge-cold butter by hand requires a very different skill set!
It was also during lockdown when I started offering monthly weekend boxes which have become quite popular. These are as assortment of items that I’ve been working on in the kitchen such as Madelines, Palmiers (made with hand-rolled invert puff pastry, of course), Cardamom Buns, Danishes, Kouign Amann and more. These bakes are inspired by what I’ve been craving or something I saw on The Great British Bake Off, or from my travels. It’s a really fun project, one that I’m excited to work on some more this year.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
That’s a really tricky question since it can be so subjective and there’s no singular way of defining it. I don’t equate success with monetary gain, although I’m sure that’s one of the more common ways of looking at it. I think success is when you’ve managed to create something you love and this could be anything – your career, home, family life, etc. – and you’re still able to sustain it while living life on your own terms. I realize how that sounds cliched and also very unrealistic for many. But I truly believe, that in order to be successful in anything, you need to be true to yourself and setting realistic expectations, rather than what’s expected from you.
Contact Info:
- Email: bakery.sugarplum@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sugarplum_bakery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sugarplum.bakers
Image Credits:
Amna Khalique
