For the love of cakes

ECONOMICS graduate Jaslyn Rangson has always had a hunch that she would not be putting her degree to much use.
Armed with a love for baking, and the quaint cafes of London, on top of a lingering dream to open her own cafe, Rangson decided to chase her delicious dream upon returning home from studying in the United Kingdom.
Jaslyn Cakes kicked off as a home-based business, but soon garnered enough attention to take shape as a bricks-and-mortar business. It has been calling Bangsar's popular Jalan Telawi its home for over a year now.
Running a cafe is no bed of roses, so it's a great thing that Rangson is backed by experience she gained while working at various cafes in London.
"These cafes are where I draw my inspiration from, and it is through working there that I come to understand the details and effort it takes to run one," said the 26-year-old.
The work experience proved to be of good use because it has helped Rangson navigate through feedback and criticism, establish a proper system, and manage staff.
Now, Jaslyn Cakes has a good routine up and running, and a stream of customers who frequently come back for her lip-smacking offerings.
"My favourite aspect of the job is meeting new faces and greeting the regular ones. Our team is also really tight-knit and we work really well together," she noted.
What makes Jaslyn Cakes stand out from the other confectioners?
I think it's our down to earth style that customers can relate to. We don't try to make fancy flavours or designs, but stick to the simplicity of things such as butter cakes and cookies. You could say that our presentation is also very homey and rustic.
A lot of ingredients that are used in your cakes are organic. Is that intentional?
Well, I just think that if you are taking effort to make nice cakes, you might as well put good stuff into it. I avoid artificial colourings and preservatives, and bleached products because I want to make the calories in my baked goods worth consuming.
That's thoughtful! And what are some of your crowd-pleasers?
People tend to go with things that they are the familiar with, so my cheesecakes and chocolate cookies are the bestsellers. Recently however, the banana cake is getting really popular too!
Do you follow TV shows like Cake Boss or DC Cupcakes to get inspired?
Actually, I do not watch TV at all. I prefer to read books, and I own a lot of cookbooks! Most of my visual inspiration comes from Instagram; you can actually travel the world browsing through the app. I make use of location tags to see the variety of cakes from other bakeries around the world.
What are your interests outside of work?
I'm a really homey person, so I usually just like to stay home and read. Otherwise, I'd use the time to catch up with my friends and family. I have an interest in travel as well, and hopefully, I would have more time to do that and see more places in the future.
Finally, are there any plans for expansion?
At the moment, there is no plan to expand physically; I'm content with the current set-up. However, I would like to start something related to the business, such as a food blog, and maybe do some food styling as well.