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W
ow! This is the only word to describe Dashriya Naidoo’s stunning cakes – especially when you realise she is only 14 years old. This remarkable Grade 9 learner is fast making a name for herself in the competitive world of bespoke baking. “I actually fell in love with cooking before baking,” confesses Dashriya who is one of a set of triplets. “I used to cook meals and ask my sisters to judge them as if I was a contestant on MasterChef.” Her mom was initially the family baker, but as the creative craft bug started to bite Dashriya, she too began to experiment with her baking – and eventually started a business which she named Whipped by Dash. “Thankfully I haven’t had many flops or disasters but during my first week of taking orders I received an order for a chocolate cake. The customer collected it and unfortunately it fell over in the car on her way home. The lady sent me a picture of the ruined cake, and because I was so set on making a good first impression, I made her another cake and delivered it to her house an hour later. It was very stressful, but I don’t regret it. I’ve learnt to put an extra dowel stick into my cakes just in case.” Customer favourites – apart from vanilla and chocolate – include coffee cake with coffee icing and orange cake with cream cheese icing, while Dashriya has a personal favourite: “I love red velvet cake because it’s the perfect combination of flavours and the cream cheese icing is, well, the icing on the cake,” she grins. Her range includes
LEFT: Dashriya – doing what she loves best.
a dash of
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… TAKES THE CAKE. FOR 14-YEAROLD DASHRIYA NAIDOO, HER CREATIVE MASTERPIECES ARE HER PASSION – AND ARE FAST HITTING THE SWEET SPOT WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY, WRITES LEE CURRIE w w w . t h e r i d g e o n l i n e . c o . z a
