Inspiring Conversations with Sai Shankar Sadhu of Cakesplosion

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sai Shankar Sadhu.

Hi Sai Shankar, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
One word to describe our story would be: unpredictable. Cakesplosion was born during the pandemic, when people resorted to minimizing celebrations to small groups and relying solely on cake-cutting as the main part of the event. Birthday parties, anniversaries, and more were all changed to just cake cutting because, honestly, that’s all you need to signify a celebration: cake. Cake is the only thing that separates a party from a meeting. However, the pandemic made it incredibly hard for people, including me, to get a cake.

The pandemic occurred on my 12th birthday. I just started making new friends in middle school and had my heart set on inviting loads of people to my birthday. When the pandemic hit, I still had hope things would smooth over by my birthday in May. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. The pandemic lasted until May, and my big party had to be reduced to an intimate family get-together with just my parents and my sister. I had so many plans and ideas for this party, and now I can’t carry any of them out.

I’m a very stubborn individual, so regardless of the circumstances, I decorated my house very grandly and made sure it was fit for a big party, even though it was only for my family. Now all that’s left is the cake. My parents were hesitant to buy cakes from stores at the time because little was known about the virus, and many still believed it spread mainly through food. Many bakeries shut down; the only places selling cake near us were grocery stores, which were a big no-no since they had hundreds of workers and posed a higher risk of contamination.

My stubbornness led me to bake my own cake from scratch, and it turned out amazing for my first time. I had 0 experience before this, unless you count my insane addiction to watching Nerdy Nummies as a child. That was honestly the only “training” I had to make this cake.

My mom, like every other mom, posted about my new baking success, which led many neighbors and friends to ask whether I had truly made this cake all by myself. Once they heard I did, I received many requests to make cakes for their upcoming events. I loved baking, and I enjoyed every part of making my own cake, so I happily agreed. At this stage, I didn’t really “sell” my cakes. I would only charge for materials, not for labor. It was honestly a labor of love for me. I enjoyed doing this.

Still, I had no formal business at this point. I was just helping my friends. It wasn’t until my parents bought a new house in a new neighborhood that Cakesplosion truly came to life. Housing prices dropped sharply during the pandemic, making this the best time to buy a good home. My parents jumped at the opportunity to buy a house in a newly built neighborhood.

Upon stepping into my new house, I made two friends who shared my passion and skill for baking. After connecting and realizing we all love baking, one of our moms suggested we start a business together. We had a lot of free time on our hands, and many people were in dire need of cake, so Cakesplosion was born.

Immediately after we started, we received an order every single day. We have gotten better at our craft, and our baking skills have improved tremendously. Slowly, my friends (both older than I am) began to settle into higher education and handed me the reins to Cakesplosion. I honestly didn’t think Cakesplosion’s hype would last much past the pandemic, since people can now go back to their old bakeries and grocery stores for cake. But Cakesplosion offers something beyond safety: taste and perfection. We always make our cakes fresh and stay as far away from mass production as possible. Focusing on a small number of cakes at a time will allow us to craft cakes that are as close to perfection as possible for our clients.

Perfection doesn’t mean smooth edges or crisp piping; it means creating a cake that provides an experience, not just a stomach full of sugar. We want our customers to enjoy the whole experience of ordering a cake, selecting the design, cutting it at the end, and enjoying it with friends and family.

Every cake is customized and personalized to the person it’s intended for. At Cakesplosion, we do cake right.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been kind of a smooth road with some bumps along the way. Starting Cakesplosion was incredibly fun, but it was hard to get situated with everyone so quickly. The friends I started Cakesplosion with were friends with me within 2 days. We didn’t actually know much about each other, except that we all live near each other and share a love for baking. It’s been difficult to coexist as a team at first, but later on, we realized we’re honestly the best group and, in fact, the perfect group for adventure. We all had our own specialties in making a cake, whether it was creating fondant structures, baking the cake, or decorating it. I was really skilled at decorating. Piping came naturally to me, but I was less experienced with fondant or baking a cake from scratch, since the cakes I used to make were all from a mix, and I never used fondant to decorate them.

By working together, we all grew into skilled bakers who could confidently bake, decorate, and use fondant.

The toughest part of the journey was when I was left in charge of the business. My co-founders were incredibly skilled and indispensable, and I wasn’t sure I could keep Cakesplosion running the way it has always been on my own.

However, thanks to the experience I’ve gained working with them, I’ve been able to refine my skills across all areas of cake making and the business side, including customer accounts, marketing, and more. I was also a high school student on the business track, so I could apply what I learned in the classroom to the real world.

Fast-forward to now: I’m an Honors Management major at the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. I still run Cakesplosion and handle customer orders to this day. I have created 2 cookbooks to preserve our proprietary recipes, and I’ve also been featured in magazines and mentioned in various clubs and organizations for my work with Cakesplosion.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At Cakesplosion, we never make the same cake again. That’s our brand. We despise the idea of flipping through a design catalog book to find the design for the cake of your dreams. How is getting a cake that millions have purchased before special? It just sucks the life out of our craft.

We’re known for providing an experience with our orders. From consultation to delivery, we communicate with our clients about what they are looking for and what would suit their occasion. We’re not like most bakeries that offer design catalogs or bake cakes from photos. Scrolling through Pinterest to find a cake you like and requesting it doesn’t make it special. It doesn’t make that cake YOUR cake. At any celebratory occasion, you should have something that represents you, unique, and custom-made for you. That’s the specialty that we provide.

We ensure no two cakes are the same and that all our clients receive cakes that reflect their personalities. We are more than capable of making a cake that you find on Pinterest, but literally, what’s the specialty in that? You’re getting a cake that someone else had made for their occasion, so that’s why we work with clients to make sure they get a cake for THEIR occasion, and they get a cake that fits them and who they are.

You can go to grocery stores or other bakeries, but you won’t get the same experience you would with Cakesplosion. We prioritize 100% customer satisfaction for all our orders. This is why we avoid mass production: it won’t ensure every cake receives the attention it deserves.

Cakes are very important, and honestly, that’s the main reason that even when parties came to a stop during the pandemic, cakes didn’t. Without cake, your celebration isn’t a celebration. Cake truly brings people together. Think about it, when it’s time to cut the cake, everyone drops what they’re doing to gather around and watch the cake cut. There’s a value in cake that’s beyond common perception. Cakes bring people together and are the highlight of any occasion. That’s why even diabetics or people who have a strong hatred for cakes will still end up ordering cake for their event; you literally can’t throw a party without cake!

At Cakesplosion, we ensure that no matter what your opinions are about cake, we create an experience that you won’t forget. And we don’t just make cakes, we offer dessert cups, cupcakes, and even cake pops. I treat every order like it’s my own, and I ensure the person it’s intended for is happy and elated. We provide an experience, not just a dessert.

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Honestly, the biggest things that help me do my best in life and as the owner of Cakesplosion are my people. My friends and family have been my biggest support system from the very beginning. My parents, especially, have always let me follow my dreams and never once held me back as I built Cakesplosion. They trusted me, supported me, and showed up for me every step of the way. Cakesplosion truly would not be where it is today without them.

On the creative side, Canva has been a game-changer for me. It has been with Cakesplosion since day one, from designing my logo to creating posters, promotions, social media content, and even merchandise as the business grew. I am very particular about design, and Canva is the one place that consistently brings my ideas to life exactly how I imagine them.

I have even had clients ask me to design invites or posters for their events because they loved the branding I created. Canva did not just help me market Cakesplosion; it helped me grow it and build stronger relationships with my clients.

Between the people who support me and the tools that help me create, I have grown Cakesplosion with confidence and heart.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cakesplosion.weebly.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cakesplosionsph/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SphSkr/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sai-shankar-sadhu