STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Vera Engelbertink from Zoete Kruimels

September 21, 2021

Thao Armstrong

In today’s Student Spotlight, we’re bringing you Vera Engelbetink from Zoete Kruimels.

Vera runs a Bakery & Cake Studio in the East of the Netherlands. Having worked in marketing & communications as a digital consultant, Vera used her baking as her own creative outlet. She started baking full-time in 2019 and opened her bakery and studio in 2020!

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How did you get into cakes?

I had been designing birthday and wedding cakes outside of my work until I decided at the end of 2019 to take the leap and start baking full-time. I’ve always wanted to own a storefront and in 2020 that dream became a reality. A strange year to start my business, with all the Covid restrictions that we’ve had since we opened, but we’re almost celebrating our 1 year anniversary so I’m pretty proud that we’ve managed to pull through.

I always loved to bake, especially since starting college and attended a semester abroad in Scotland. While I was there I fell in love with the tea rooms! I got serious about baking when I started my job as a digital consultant, it was a creative outlet for me. Demand for my cakes grew gradually over the years and decided to make it my profession.

Don't worry too much about finding your style right away. It will come with time and you'll discover what you enjoy creating as you grow.

What made you decide to take an online course?

I fell in love with Thao’s signature modern cake design and wanted to take my buttercream cake skills to a higher level. I also loved that they are always available via the platform with lifelong access.

What DTC course have you enrolled in and how have they helped you?

I was an early adopter of the DTC courses and I’ve finished the concrete buttercream, two-tier watercolour cake mastery courses, the chocolate & red velvet cake bundle, as well as the salted caramel & chocolate sails courses. The DTC courses have really brought my cake design skills to the next level. Also the recipes and the efficient work methods have been invaluable and have given me the confidence to make it my profession and open my storefront.

What advice do you have for people starting out in their modern cake making journey?

Invest in good materials such as a proper turntable, scraper, baking pans and cake cutter, because those will make a big difference.

Also, don’t worry too much about finding your style right away. It will come with time and you’ll discover what you enjoy creating as you grow. And if you’re ready to take the next step, invest in good workshops and courses because they will be worth every penny.

And practice, practice, practice!

Check out Vera's work

Any cake disaster story?

Well, forgetting a cake order is probably the worst thing that happened to me so far. Luckily my client was flexible and I’ve managed to make one for her to pick up the same day. But yes, that’s my number 1 cake fail and I hope it will remain the only one!