Rich chocolate cake layered with luscious chocolate ganache, maple syrup cupcakes with delicious maple syrup Swiss buttercream, delicate vanilla sponge cake with strawberry jam and vanilla Swiss buttercream, red velvet with yummy white chocolate ganache, pumpkin passion cake with cinnamon and light cinnamon Swiss buttercream…
These are just some of the amazing flavours that have inspired an instant following among customers of Sweet Retreat, which specialises in highly styled treats that range from mini cupcakes to towering multi-tiered wedding and fun birthday cake creations. All of their cakes are made from scratch, using only the freshest and finest ingredients.
Sweet Retreat is the brainchild of Sarah Brown and Julie Eady, both from England. Skilled in baking, cake decorating and sugar artistry, Sarah ran her own cake decorating business in England before coming to Thailand. Since September 2013, the duo began teaching bakery skills and then developed a non-profit training programme called The Baking Project, with a passion to empower Thai women that have been given the opportunity to leave behind situations in which they were vulnerable and at risk, enabling them to reach their full potential.
Whilst in training, each trainee has to achieve the highest professional standards in food and hygiene accredited by the British City & Guilds and Food Hygiene Asia. They also have to display excellent skills in bakery and sugar crafting to graduate and receive certification. Trainees then have the opportunity to work in Sweet Retreat, where they can continue to grow in confidence.
The first team of graduates have come a long way; with initially no skills in baking and no knowledge about sugar artistry, they are now professional bakers in their own right. For Sarah and Julie, it has been very encouraging to see the women begin to take ownership in the bakery, demonstrating great pride in their work and looking truly honoured as people compliment them about their work. This marks a great leap forward as they are recognized for their amazing abilities, without the stigma from their past.
Sweet Retreat is just over a year old; however, the bakery is fast becoming known for their amazing creativity and sugar artistry as the word spreads around Bangkok of their custom made designer cakes. Their website and Facebook page is full of numerous styles and themes for celebrations cakes, covering weddings, children’s birthdays, general celebrations, cake pops, cookies, and customised decorated cookies. Sweet Retreat also specialises in custom centerpieces that include, but are not limited to, beautiful sugar flowers and sugar models that are freehand modelled into anything you can imagine.
The more orders Sweet Retreat receive, the more women they will be able to train and employ. It is incredible to think a skill such as baking and sugar crafting is really helping to transform lives. When you teach with love, wonderful and amazing things can happen!
For more information about Sweet Retreat, please visit their website, Facebook page or Instagram account.
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