A regular day in Samaya's life starts with her going to school in the morning, returning by afternoon, finishing her school homework and baking in the evening to fulfil her orders. It is only after she has completed all of her orders that she calls it a day and heads to bed. It leaves one wondering about the pressures on this 11-year-old, but as Samaya very sheepishly points out, she loves baking so much that it simply doesn't tire her!

Ever since she was 3 years old, she was a keen helper in the kitchen. Inspired by her nanu's baking escapades, she insisted on holding the beater with her nanu, whenever a cake was being made. An active kitchen was her haven, and she could sit for hours watching her mum and nanu, both food enthusiasts, prepare delicacies.

Her mother Nabila recalls, “Every time we tried to bake something, she would always come and try to help out, but at that time it wasn't really helping out, it was more of a mess. Initially, I used to fuss about the mess she made, but my mother always told me that if she's interested, let her learn, don't brush her off.”

At the age of 5, Samaya stepped out of the side lines, and made her very first paratha, and has never looked back since. By the time she was 9 years old, she had started baking on her own, and for her 10th birthday, she was delighted to receive her own oven and an electric beater as a gift from her family, along with some other baking essentials.

“I had been wanting to go buy an oven for a long time, so when I saw it packed and sitting on the table as my birthday present, I was super excited! I love baking, and I can make red velvet, black forest, vanilla, chocolate and coffee cakes, but now, I want to try baking even more varieties of cakes,” says Samaya excitedly.

With friends and family loving and regularly ordering Samaya's decadent creations, her mother Nabila decided it was time to start a Facebook page for her so that she can do what she loves a little more professionally. With that thought in mind, they opened 'Piece O Cake by Samaya.' It is primarily managed by her mother, who deals with the correspondence and passes on the orders to the little chef.

“Thankfully, Samaya's teachers are co-operative and encouraging. I believe grades should not be the only important thing in a child's life, as these extracurricular activities will build them up. I have told Samaya that as long as she can manage good grades in school, she can keep on baking. This has also lead Samaya to be very good at time management. In fact, during her half-yearly exams, she had double the orders, but she managed just fine,” expressed a proud Nabila.

Every Friday, Saturday and during holidays, Samaya and her nanu go to baking classes where they thoroughly enjoy learning new techniques and recipes together. As much as she loves baking, breaking eggs is not her forte, grumbles Samaya, “Breaking eggs is the only part that stresses me out and I don't enjoy doing it. Otherwise, I love decorating my cakes and coming up with new ideas on how to decorate.” So passionate is she about baking that she spends most of her free time watching baking videos on YouTube and television shows.

From chocolate chip cookies to fruit and lemon tarts, and from dark chocolate ganache cakes to peach and custard trifles, she makes her desserts from scratch with the finest ingredients and they are totally worth those extra calories!

A rare display of talent and dedication from an 11-year-old is commendable beyond measure. So the next time you want to binge on some cupcakes and homemade cookies, or order a cake for a party, drop her a line on Facebook, and see her unveil magic with her two little hands!

Piece O Cake's Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/Piece-O-Cake-By-Samaya-1787740794855236/

Photo courtesy: Piece O Cake