Saudi Gazette Homemade cakes always taste better than those brought from stores since commercially prepared cakes are usually dry and stiff, and way too sweet. But due to the fast pace of lives, women these days rarely get around to baking. I wanted to find ready-made cakes that tasted as if they came out of my oven to serve weekend guests or to surprise my children after school. My quest helped me find a cosy little bakery called ‘Tami's Pastries' and the minute I walked into the shop, I met with an unforgettable aroma of freshly baked cakes, cookies, brownies and several other freshly baked delicacies. The ambiance is colorful, cozy and vibrant. The wooden door frame and wooden signs give it a homey touch and the walls are painted apple green and turquoise. The exquisite interior makes you wonder when you can get your hands on those yummy munchies. The bakery specializes in baking cakes, cupcakes, and cookies. The cupcakes are soft and moist and they taste light but flavorful. I figured since I was doing a review, it would only be fair to my readers if I tried a bit of everything. The red velvet cup cake mimics the taste of strawberries; tangy and sweet. The vanilla cupcake is for those with mature tastes: simple, subtle, yet rich. And chocolate lovers of all ages and sizes will fall in love with the chocolate variations and a heaven for chocolate lovers. There are Nutella cupcakes with creamy Nutella filling that would melt in your mouth, kit-kat cupcakes with chocolate wafers inside, Oreo cupcakes, M&M's, and plain chocolate ones too. The baker and owner of the shop, Arwa Abduljawad, inherited her baking expertise from her mother and she named her bakery ‘Tami's Pastries' to honor her mother, whose name is Tamima. Arwa is originally from Madinah but she also lived in Yanbu, and is currently residing in Jeddah. “Ever since I was 10 years old, I used to watch my mother baking and working in the kitchen. After we moved to Jeddah, my mother continued to bake sweets but she used to work from home and did not open a shop,” said Arwa. After getting married and graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in accounting from King Abdul Alziz University, Arwa thought of starting her own baking business. “I love cooking, baking, and making desserts. It was always a hobby to try new recipes and bake at home. When I decided to start my business, my mother taught me everything she knew. The secret with baking is that it is very sensitive. If I get a recipe from the internet from a different country, I have to slightly change it because the climate and humidity in Jeddah affects the taste and texture of the cakes. So by trial and error and adding my personal touch, I created my own recipes,” Arwa explained. Arwa is fastidious in using only the finest ingredients. “I use only the best butter and I like to bake and decorate with Swiss chocolate because I think its taste is superior to other types. The ingredients I use are quite expensive but I try to keep my prices in a reasonable range. The regular cup cakes cost SR5 each while the mini-cup cakes cost only SR3 each,” she said. Arwa's bakery started out as a home-based business but when her cakes gained immense popularity and she could not keep up with requests, she hired someone to help, and rented a small shop where she could showcase and sell her delicious treats. Arwa also makes colorful party favors like marshmallow or truffle lollipops and custom made cakes for occasions. __
