BAVINA SOOKDEO
In the tranquil village of Tabaquite, Kye-Leigh Ragoonanan, the creative force behind KyCo-Sensations, brings her passion for baking to life. As a child, Ragoonanan enjoyed spending time in the kitchen alongside her mother.
“From a young age, I always loved trying new things and crafting business ideas with the purpose of creating things that people can enjoy its quality from. Even though I knew little about frosting cakes back then, my passion for baking stemmed from helping my mom in the kitchen and experimenting by myself on what flavors each ingredient adds to a recipe and those that make it outstanding,” she recalled.
Inspired by the tranquility she found in cake-decorating tutorials during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ragoonanan decided to enroll in a cake-decorating course.
“I discovered how satisfying buttercream piping was in cake tutorials that I came across online…the tranquility that it brought me was my ‘light-bulb moment’ where I decided to sign up for a cake decorating online course at UWI, whilst still attending my CAPE classes at AS JA Girls’ College, San Fernando, in 2021.”
“After that, my talent for baking and cake artistry was quickly picked up on and I opened my small online business while pursuing my (bachelor of law) degree at (the Institute of Law and Academic Studies).”
Asked why she loves baking, Ragoonanan explained, “For me, piping on cakes and baking is like meditation mixed with indulgence. It calms my mind once I’m focused on the task at hand, like a stress-coping mechanism.”
[caption id="attachment_1072287" align="aligncenter" width="408"] Kye-Leigh Ragoonanan, owner ofKyCoSensations.[/caption]
KyCoSensations offers custom cakes, cupcakes, and cakesicles, with bento cakes being Ragoonanan’s specialty.
“Since I’m a home baker, my online business is located in Tabaquite, where cakes can be picked up. However, I mostly do deliveries to selected points for convenience to my customers.”
Asked about Easter cooking, the young baker said, “My idea of Easter cooking/baking is replicating the cheerful pastel colors and delightful flavors that Easter brings, in sweet treats.”
To add a touch of sweetness to your Easter celebrations, she shared her recipe for white velvet lemon curd Easter bunny cakesicles.
White Velvet Cake:
1 (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 egg whites, room temperature
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup buttermilk
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp clear vanilla extract
Lemon Curd:
3 large egg yolks
⅔ cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp lemon zest
¼ lemon juice
⅛ tsp salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Bunny Design:
24oz melted white (or preferred color) chocolate
4oz white fondant
2oz piece pink fondant
12 palette sticks
Preheat oven to 350°F and grease an 18-inch pan, adding a circle of wax paper to the bottom.
Using a mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, and sugar on high speed for five minutes and slowly add in egg whites.
To a small bowl mix together buttermilk, oil,
