Threshaka Troup ignites passion, discovers Something Sweet
Published:Thursday | February 17, 2022 | 12:06 AMKrysta Anderson/Staff Reporter
Threshaka Troup always knew she was capable of whipping up magic in the kitchen. But the culinary enthusiast never dreamed that life would land her in the dessert lane with the establishment of Something Sweet.
“Something Sweet Ja offers custom cakes, cupcakes and cookies. I would say my speciality is cheesecake,” Troup told Food of her new baking venture. Her love for pastry began back in high school. Lacking the necessary tools to make her favourite sweet treats, she resorted to watching baking and cooking videos.
One day, when the right opportunity presented itself, she tried her hand at making cookies and banana bread. “When COVID-19 just started, I had a lot of free time being at home on lockdown days, so I started testing recipes and buying a lot of baking tools,” she revealed.
With every recipe, she sought feedback from co-workers and friends. It was there that she began receiving requests for banana bread, and “I started selling them. I started the business only offering banana bread.” From there, she grew to specialise in an assortment of cakes – vanilla, chocolate, chocolate and caramel cakes, as well as strawberry, blueberry, Oreo, Baileys and Oreo-Baileys cheesecakes, along with cupcakes, cookies and brownies.
The response so far has been great and Troup, who attributes the positive reviews to the unique taste and high quality, is grateful for the support from her customers. When it comes to her clientele, it’s all about the collaborative effort in order to bake the dream requests into sweet realities.
“Most times, the clients have a general idea of what they want. I usually ask a series of questions to figure out the specifications and request a picture if they already have an idea. Some clients will pick the size, flavour and colours they want and give me full creative freedom with the design,” she shared on her creative process.
Although she struggled with sourcing certain cake ingredients and supplies during the previously mandated lockdowns, she pushed forward, buying what she could in bulk and dedicating her limited time to specific shopping days. “I also found it difficult to secure reliable bearers for delivery initially. I now have someone I know and trust to do deliveries,” she added.
To date, Troup’s most memorable orders include a Baileys chocolate cake with Baileys chocolate ganache filling, topped with blueberries and strawberries; and a chocolate Oreo cake with chocolate sauce and Oreo filling shaped in the form of a breast and covered in fondant. “These were fun cakes to make,” she reflected.
When asked what’s next for her and her cake business, the proud baker said, “Something sweet is coming,” from new flavours to exciting products. “We bake our pastries with quality ingredients and love. We have the taste and texture you can’t get anywhere else,” she asserted.
Find Something Sweet is on Instagram, @something_sweet_ja.