Tshego's art of cake making is the icing on top

Spira Tlhankane | Friday June 8, 2018 16:36

 

But no machines involved but rather a product of fine and elegant two hands. For 35-year old Dorcas Tshegofatso of Cakes by Tshego, innovative cake decorating and making is something she does on a normal basis and has become part of her life. For what started as a small effort to bake has now boomed into a business.

Some people may think that all you need to make a beautiful cake is just topping something attractive, but Tshego’s cakes show that there is a lot of practice and imagination involved. From digital cameras to sports stadiums, Tshego makes them all.

Her skill in making these cakes is more of an art than just a simple moulding. From wedding to birthday cakes, Tshego tackles them all. To top it all, she never went to culinary school, nor got anyone to teach her the art of cake making. “I mostly research and I can say I am self taught,” she tells Arts & Culture.

Thankfully, she had the encouragement from her family when she started, even advising her to pursue it further. “I didn’t think of it as a business until I registered the company and started making cakes for various clients,” she said.

Infact Tshego tells Arts & Culture that husband has been her financier from the start but she is still working from home because she feels it’s too soon to branch it outside the confines of her home.

She however acknowledged the fact that her cakes would have been more accessible to her clients if she had moved to different place. 

Like any small business operator Tshego says she often gets under pressure especially with cake deliveries. She said she is currently alone in the business but intends to find an assistant soon. She added that currently she markets her business through social media and works on her clients’ recommendations.

So far her biggest challenge has been lack of products in Botswana. “I am forced to make trips to South Africa as a result,” she said. 

Sculpting cakes can be intimidating, but the young entrepreneur says she is not afraid of challenges.

“Whatever cake a client wants, I challenge myself to do it. What I am doing is artistic but I have never done art,” she revealed. She said she has observed that the cake business grows and is profitable especially when it is priced in a certain way. “I charge P600 upwards depending on size and design.”