Chantilly Cakes News
We are based in Bromhof, Randburg, and try to be accessible within the community.
Chantilly Cakes on the Radio!
Your cakes are known for being imaginative and unique — how do you go about turning a client’s vision into a cake?
It is all about helping the client see what is possible and then working with them until they are happy and excited about ordering a cake.
Part of the process is asking a number of questions:
When is it for? If the cake is going to involve a lot of fondant work that takes time. You would be surprised by the number of people who contact us, send a photo, and say “can you make this for collection tomorrow”.
How many people is it for? If it is a 15cm cake then you can only do so much detail. I have done detailed fondant toppers for cupcakes, but they take a lot of time and so can be expensive to produce.
What is the theme? The Lion King, Spider-Man, Frozen etc.
Flavours? We have best sellers such as carrot cake or chocolate fudge, but we are always open to what the client wants. For example, homemade caramel buttercream with crushed Oreos!
What type of decoration? 3D sculpted fondant, buttercream, edible printing etc. We then spend time going back and forth working with the client until we have a look that they are happy with. I use various free resources online to put together a final image.
Sometimes it can be a mix of techniques such as the Vampire Diaries cake we did where there was a hand sculpted silver photo frame, a printed photo of Damon, handmade roses, and royal icing blood trails!
The budget can determine the type of cake as a printed image can be cheaper than taking days sculpting something.
Dennis was in the centre of Joburg today talking to the fantastic people at Sauma HD Radio.
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Here are some of the questions that we covered.
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Tell us how Chantilly Cakes started. What inspired you to turn baking into a business?
I have always cooked and baked. In my previous job I would sometimes bake treats and take them into the office and colleagues would rave about them. So, in 2022, when I found myself unemployed, my partner and I decided to bring in some extra money through baking and it grew from there. We started to sell our baked goods at markets and got very positive feedback. We have used markets to grow our brand recognition and suggestions from customers (such as Paint Your Own Cookies, or Empire Biscuits) have become some of our best sellers.
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We heard that Dennis's father played a role in this journey — can you tell us more about that legacy?
Back in the early 1950s my father apprenticed at a bakery but he then went into the RAF and became a mechanic. However, he was always the go to man for family celebration cakes. His speciality was traditional wedding and christening cakes, fruit cake, marzipan and royal icing, with very detailed piping and latticework. He did the wedding cake for my sister, so I knew that it was possible to produce stunning creations from home.
You work with fondant sculpting — from dolphins to stormtroopers. How did that skill develop?
I have always enjoyed artistic pursuits and studied art way back at school. Later I became a design technology teacher so I was working with students to create something that not only met a design function but looked good as well. I used to paint for fun in the past so this is allowing me to do something artistic as part of our business.
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Theme Your Celebration!
Whatever theme you set for your party we can help. Here is an Asian themed party we baked for, the client wanted cupcakes with fondant sushi, and a cake topped with a 'painting' created totally in buttercream.
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Contact us to bring your celebration to life!
Bridal Expo
We love being challenged to do something new. Pictured here is a wedding cake with roses and gypsy breath (Gypsopilium) sculpted from fondant. You can see it at the Bridal Expo (hosted at Oakfield Farm on 29th and 30th June 2024).
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Remember, whatever your wedding's decor theme, we can provide a wedding cake to match.
May the Fourth Be With You!
On May 4th Chantell was grabbed by a cookie-seeking Stormtrooper.
Lots of fun was had at the Tin Road Market, and lots of Cookies eaten!
Let Us Help!
We can now help you take a shortcut to decorating cakes with your kids. Go to
our Kids Shop for more details.
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Christmas Is Coming!
Here at the Chantilly Cakes Kitchen we are hard at work developing new goodies ready for all of our upcoming Christmas Markets.
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In December see us at:
2 - Tin Road Market
3 - Rusty Route Market
9 - Blairgowrie Primary School
10 - Chartwell Castle
15 - Randpark Ridge Carols By Candlelight
16 - Kloofendal Nature Reserve
17 - Walkhaven Dog Park
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We hope to see you there. Or you could go to our Xmas Page and order goodies direct from us!
Cookies in the Workplace
We are now taking our cookies into the workplace! Local businesses have been treated to visits from the roving baker with choc chip cookies and Texas tea cakes. If you are "in the north" and would like to set up a visit to your workplace please contact us
Captain Cupake Visits
Captain Cupcake was invited to spend two mornings at a local pre-school. The lucky children (and teachers!) learned a little about being a baker and each got to decorate their own cupcake. For more about the fun (and how to have Captain Cupcake visit you) please follow the link.
Grogu at Randridge Mall
A great time was had by all at the Randridge Mall Easter Market - especially the excited client who had ordered a GIANT cookie in the shape of Grogu (Baby Yoda). If you have something (or someone) you would like to see in cookie form, just contact us to discuss your request!
Bedford Centre Market
Great fun was had by all at the Bedford Centre Market on 3rd, 4th, and 5th February.
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Lots of Valentines-related goodies were sold (they can be found in our dedicated Valentines Shop).
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We also had the chance to show off the new 'table front' (thanks again Alex for the design!).
Cresta Christmas Craft Market
It was fantastic to meet up with so many fabulous people in the run up to Christmas. We are looking forward to 2023 so that we can get moving on all of the great ideas that we discussed with customers and other vendors.
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Below is a slideshow of some photos from the market.
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