The Punk Patissiere – Sanji Parveen
What makes a ‘good’ cupcake?
If we’re speaking technically, it’s the fluffiness of the sponge, the silky smoothness of the frosting, and a perfectly flat top. But we don’t just settle for good down the Lane. Oh no. We’re striving for greatness, an unforgettable edible experience, and for that you need to “trigger a memory. A great cupcake makes you feel something, and it keeps you coming back for more.”
Now, we’d love to pretend that we’re pâtisserie pros, but that crumb of know-how comes from one of the newest faces down the Lane. Meet the founder, managing director and head pâtissière of Eat The D*mn Cake: Sanjida Parveen.
A little bit about Sanji…
A self-taught pastry chef and self-proclaimed punk, Eat The D*mn Cake is Sanji personified: bold and daringly imaginative whilst still cosy and welcoming. With records hanging from chains off the ceiling, neon signage and Guns ’n’ Roses posters on the wall, it defies the pastels and polka dots cliche that you’d expect from a gourmet cupcake shop, just as Sanji hoped it would.
Sanji opened the doors to 24A Wentworth Street last September. And whilst the cakes lining the window may give away what’s inside, their bold name and hot pink personality will have you quickly realising that this is *not* your average bakery.
What’s the mission of Eat The D*mn Cake?
“Our mission, on a daily basis, is to serve cakes to people, cakes they’ve never eaten in their entire lives. There’s no sort of flavour you won’t get when you come here. We want to invite people to forget about the world and just eat cake. In a way, I’d like to think we’re some sort of cake heaven, because in a world where everyone is shamed for enjoying something sweet, we want to be a bridge.”
Describe Eat The D*mn Cake in three words…
“Can I have four? Ok then: Freddie Mercury of cupcakes.”
How does your personality influence Eat The D*mn Cake?
“I’ve always been a very rebellious person and all my flavours have a story.”
Karate Kick (matcha and wasabi) for instance, was dreamed up at a trial shift at The Shard. Tasked with creating a dessert Sanji opted for a perfectly executed cupcake, paying homage to the restaurant’s Asian roots with her flavour choices, and topping it with a white chocolate shard to represent the iconic London location.
Lady Di (rose and pistachio) on the other hand is the epitome of grace with its perfect Swiss meringue rosette, pink lustre dust and dried rose petals. “Because we’re rebels, but rebels with a cause. And who represents that? It has to be the late, great Lady Diana Spencer.”
As an entrepreneur, what’s the most important thing to focus on when launching a business?
“Quality. Quality topples everything. Just as our flavours are unmatched, our quality is too. Everything here is made with a lot of love (and a lot of precision). We have our own kitchen and we do everything in-house – the cakes, the pastries, the syrups for our drinks, the nut butters and jams. My staff all joke that ‘If chef could, she’d grow the nuts herself!’, but I won’t sell something if I wouldn’t buy it.”
What’s your favourite flavour?
“That’s like choosing a favourite child! But OK, I’ll tell you just this once…
I like classic flavours, and our red velvet (or as we call it, The Bloody Ripper) was the first cupcake I ever tried to make. It took me one year, five months and 12 days to perfect, and with having spent so much time working on it, I feel like I’m cheating if I have something else!”
Why Petticoat Lane?
“I’d always wanted to start my own business, but I didn’t feel like people took me seriously. The thing with me though is if you tell me I can’t, then you can bet I’ll do it, and I’ll take 10 photos showing you I’m doing it! So we saw lots of places and in the end were having to choose between two. There was just this spark here.
It’s a lot to do with the history of the area. Petticoat Lane, it doesn’t exist – the name was wiped out. But over the centuries so many businesses have started here and survived.
I wanted to see what I could do from a place that has so much history and so much heritage of people working hard to succeed. It’s so inspirational to me. I’m a newcomer, and it’s a matter of pride, to be here, to be motivated, and to be encouraged by what’s been built around me.
And you know, we’ve got Shoreditch, Liverpool Street, Aldgate – we’re in the middle and have the best of all worlds!”
And, how’s it going so far?
In a little over six months Eat The D*mn Cake has already got over 120 five-star reviews on Google, been the ‘Feature Friday’ on the food discovery app, Neotaste, and hosted pop-ups at venues like Winter Wonderland and St Katherine’s Docks.
Now if that isn’t ‘started down the Lane and now we here’, we don’t know what is. So what are you waiting for? Come and Eat The D*mn Cake!
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