The classic charm and nostalgia of vintage cakes
Summary
Square, circle, tiered or heart-shaped, vintage designs have caught the imagination of pastry artists
On a recent Wednesday at the Lavonne Cake Studio in Bengaluru, Joonie Tan recounts an amusing incident. “We received six orders that day for the exact same vintage cake," says the chief pastry artist of Lavonne Cake Studio. The vintage cake design that Tan is referring to is a pale cream cake decorated with swirls of Italian meringue buttercream icing. Adding a dash of elegance are six thin black satin bows placed lightly on the icing. “The cake looks pretty and that is probably why we received back-to-back orders for this design," Tan says.
In the National Capital Region (NCR), bakery chain Fleurons gets 10- 15 in-store orders for vintage cakes on most days to celebrate everything from birthdays and weddings to save-the-dates and baby showers. “The trend of vintage cakes has taken off in the last year driven by Instagram and Gen Z who want everything to be aesthetically pleasing," says Simar Manchanda, who co-founded Fleurons with his sister, Ravneet, in 2021.
Square, circle, heart-shaped or tiered, vintage cakes also known as Lambeth cakes (named after Joseph Lambeth who pioneered a decorative and layered style of piping in the 1930s) are a leading trend in the cake world today. In contrast to modern cakes that can come in a variety of shapes, be it minimalist or decorated with imaginative fondant figurines or sugar art, vintage cakes are distinguished by their ornate piping decoration. Simple and elegant, what explains the resurgence of these confections?
Netflix series Bridgerton, set in the Regency era, can be credited as one of the reasons that set off the trend in the West in 2023. In India, Tan believes there’s a stronger reason than social media virality that’s pushing demand for these whimsical, feminine cakes that are rich with detail. “I think there’s also an emotional connection—people are drawn to that old-school, romantic aesthetic that reminds them of family celebrations, vintage tea parties or even royal icing cakes from the past. It’s ‘nostalgia-meets-trend’ and that’s powerful."
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It’s this enticing mix of nostalgia, tradition and a play on flavours that’s reflected in Mysuru-based SAPA Bakery’s recently launched Vintage Cake Collection. The cakes, founder Dina Weber says, were inspired by her childhood in Germany. The ingredients and flavours of the seven cakes in the collection showcase it rather delectably. The classic Black Forest Cake, for instance, is a light chocolate sponge layered with sour cherry compote, dark chocolate Crémieux, Chantilly cream and shaved chocolate. The Frankfurter Kranz, which translates to “wreath of Frankfurt" is a dense vanilla Bundt cake that features red currant gel, vanilla buttercream, and caramelised hazelnuts.
“Berries like redcurrants, strawberries and raspberries, which grow in Germany in the summers, are acidic and work great as fillings for cakes, and that’s what we’ve done in this collection," she says. The cakes are priced ₹2,000 upwards depending on the weight and flavour of the cake, Weber informs.
Talking about flavours that work for these cakes, the answer from Tan and Manchanda is the same: the options are as wide as the customer’s imagination. “Plain chocolate is popular, so is the chocolate with strawberry combo. We also do a lemon, raspberry and vanilla flavour where the base is vanilla sponge, the icing is lemon and raspberry-flavoured with whipped cream used for piping," Manchanda elaborates.
At Fleurons, the starting price for vintage cakes is ₹1,500-1,800 for one kg. At Lavonne, it’s all about classic flavours like decadent chocolate sponge with rich and creamy chocolate ganache frosting or lemon sponge with berries compote.
The task of piping is labour intensive: the baker is not merely placing blobs of butter cream on the cake, but piping scrolls, swirls, shells, garlands, rosettes and more with their hands. It’s a well-honed craft that can, at times, take a couple of hours.
“Lambeth-style piping is very technique-driven and so having strong piping skills is essential. It’s a lot about pressure control, consistent spacing and symmetry. You also need to have an eye for detail and design balance," says Tan. Price-wise, vintage cakes in Lavonne start at around ₹4,500-5,500 for a small, single-tier design weighing 1-1.5kg
Chennai-based baker Al Huda needs only 15-30 minutes to pipe a vintage cake. “I enjoy making these cakes because they really tap into your creativity. You need to possess an innate artistic sense and know which colours and piping design would look good on a cake," says the 24-year-old, who started her baking studio, The Glaze in 2023. Not just that, her vintage cake series on her Instagram handle @theglaze.in, has earned her a steady fan following.
Talking of a trend within a trend, it’s her heart-shaped vintage cakes and coquette cakes, i.e. vintage cakes done up with satin bows, that are the best-sellers. “There’s at least one heart-shaped vintage cake going out of my studio kitchen every day," she laughs.
Most of the orders Huda receives are from influencers “who want it for the aesthetics", youngsters aged 20-25, and parents of teenagers. “I have fathers coming in and ordering these pretty cakes for their daughters," she says. Vintage cakes at The Glaze start from ₹750 for half a kg.
As for whether the trend’s going to be short-lived or here to stay, all the pastry chefs think it’s going to be around for a long while. “It has got a lot of nostalgic value, it’s fuss-free, and it’s affordable, which is why it’s here to stay," says Manchanda.
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A slice of history
Vintage cakes, also referred to as Victorian piped cakes or Lambeth cakes (named after Joseph Lambeth who made them popular in the 1930s), date all the way back to the 17th century when cake decorating in Europe was considered an elite art. The overpiping style got another push in the 1930s, thanks to Joseph Lambeth, an American who popularised the piping technique, and went on to author a book called ‘The Lambeth Method of Cake Decoration and Practical Pastries’. History aside, in India, vintage cakes in bright colours beautified with thick swirls of whipped cream and sugar roses were the mainstay of birthday parties right up to the 90s.
