Brought to the subcontinent by British traders, cakes are now so commonplace that most festivities are incomplete without one. They are also relatively easy to make at home – more so now, with better ovens and kitchen machines, while on the commercial level baking cakes has become an extensive, technical endeavour.

Local bakeries employ mainly technical workers to look after baking cakes, and six to seven people are involved in making the finished product.

In the industrial sector of Islamabad, a Tehzeeb Bakers plant uses raw materials such as wheat, butter and sugar to make a number of the bakery’s products, including several kinds of cake. The cakes are baked in special stainless steel containers, and their ingredients are tested using machinery before being handed over to workers.

The process begins with one person who combines fine wheat flour, sugar, eggs, butter and milk into a thick paste that is transferred to the cake pans. A second worker places the pans in the ovens, and a third monitors the baking process.

When the sponge has been cooked through, the cakes are handed over to decorators, who ice the cakes and decorate them with sugar, candy, chocolate and flowers and other designs piped out of icing.

Mohammad Saddique, a senior chef in the industry, said the recipe for a sponge cake is the same around the world, but it is the decorating that is an art.

“The freshness of the sponge and the smooth and creamy decorative icing or frosting is what makes it different. The icing can be made from different things; fresh cream, food colouring, sugar, fruits or something else,” he said.

He added that “in the old days” people mostly bought cakes for birthdays, which were made to order, but “things have changed and the production of cakes is becoming a small industry”.

Tehzeeb Bakers manager Hadees Chaudhry said sponge cakes are made at the plant to maintain quality and flavour. The ingredients are tested before and after the products are made to ensure they meet international standards and the role of the workers is limited to handling the machinery.

“We used eggs and quality oil and butter to prepare the cake. The eggs and oil are procured from abroad,” he added.

Mr Chaudhry said the ingredients were healthy and there were no preservatives used.

He added that on special occasions such as Eid, the bakery has to produce more cakes to meet demand, and said: “We set the new trend in making cakes, which began with fresh cream and pineapple cake that is still popular with the people.”

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2018