<p>The last couple of years saw many food trends rage on the Internet. The latest thing to catch people's imagination is the Korean bento cake. </p>.<p>Bento cakes, mini cakes or lunchbox cakes, call them whatever you like, have become a viral sensation in India. These aesthetically pleasing petite cakes weigh between 240g to 400 g and are just two to four inches in size. </p>.<p>These eye-catching confections with quirky captions are perfect for individual servings and have been flooding Pinterest and Instagram feeds lately.</p>.<p>Although bento cakes were initially found and popularized in the bakeries of South Korea, the term "bento" is a Japanese word which translates to "convenience." The concept originated in Japan in the 12th century to pack lunch boxes with fresh fish, meat or veggies and rice or noodles. In Japan, "bento boxes" generally refer to single-portion take-out meals or home-packed meals packed in wooden lacquered boxes for convenience. </p>.<p>Bento boxes soon became popular in neighbouring countries like China, Taiwan and South Korea. The latter took it to the next level with several Korean bakeries making kawaii (cute) lunchbox "cakes-on-the-go." </p>.<p>"In the pandemic, when celebrations became intimate, there was no use for big cakes," said Bengaluru-based cake artist and home baker Vaishali Nagarajan of My Culinary Experiments (her Instagram handle) to <em>DH</em>. "Due to the rising popularity of Korean food in India, bakers were soon experimenting with bento cakes with cute designs, textures, icing, and flavours. I make these cakes in different flavours such as basic vanilla, chocolate, pineapple, and exotic ones like matcha, biscoff, rasmalai, and Nutella." </p>.<p>"Though bento cakes are mini-sized, the effort and creativity I put into baking and decorating them are the same as a regular-sized cake. From the height of the cake to the icing to the fillings, it's all about precision."</p>.<p>Another challenge for Nagarajan was sourcing the bento boxes when the trend started. Usually, like a clamshell container and recyclable, one bento box costs Rs 40. However, the prices have come down now, and it's easily available. </p>.<p>Nagarajan initially started making these with buttercream and simple text messages, but later she started curating theme-based bento cakes as per customer requirements. Though one can do the icing with whipped cream, Nagarajan prefers buttercream for its smooth texture. It also does not require refrigeration like whipped cream, which is delicate and airy and quite a task to transport. She fondly recalls how she made a quirky fondant bento cake for a customer's bachelorette party by mixing and matching the icing with buttercream and funny fondant figurines.</p>.<p><em>(Deepa Shri Rajan is a food, travel and lifestyle blogger and Instagrammer based out of Bengaluru.)</em></p>
<p>The last couple of years saw many food trends rage on the Internet. The latest thing to catch people's imagination is the Korean bento cake. </p>.<p>Bento cakes, mini cakes or lunchbox cakes, call them whatever you like, have become a viral sensation in India. These aesthetically pleasing petite cakes weigh between 240g to 400 g and are just two to four inches in size. </p>.<p>These eye-catching confections with quirky captions are perfect for individual servings and have been flooding Pinterest and Instagram feeds lately.</p>.<p>Although bento cakes were initially found and popularized in the bakeries of South Korea, the term "bento" is a Japanese word which translates to "convenience." The concept originated in Japan in the 12th century to pack lunch boxes with fresh fish, meat or veggies and rice or noodles. In Japan, "bento boxes" generally refer to single-portion take-out meals or home-packed meals packed in wooden lacquered boxes for convenience. </p>.<p>Bento boxes soon became popular in neighbouring countries like China, Taiwan and South Korea. The latter took it to the next level with several Korean bakeries making kawaii (cute) lunchbox "cakes-on-the-go." </p>.<p>"In the pandemic, when celebrations became intimate, there was no use for big cakes," said Bengaluru-based cake artist and home baker Vaishali Nagarajan of My Culinary Experiments (her Instagram handle) to <em>DH</em>. "Due to the rising popularity of Korean food in India, bakers were soon experimenting with bento cakes with cute designs, textures, icing, and flavours. I make these cakes in different flavours such as basic vanilla, chocolate, pineapple, and exotic ones like matcha, biscoff, rasmalai, and Nutella." </p>.<p>"Though bento cakes are mini-sized, the effort and creativity I put into baking and decorating them are the same as a regular-sized cake. From the height of the cake to the icing to the fillings, it's all about precision."</p>.<p>Another challenge for Nagarajan was sourcing the bento boxes when the trend started. Usually, like a clamshell container and recyclable, one bento box costs Rs 40. However, the prices have come down now, and it's easily available. </p>.<p>Nagarajan initially started making these with buttercream and simple text messages, but later she started curating theme-based bento cakes as per customer requirements. Though one can do the icing with whipped cream, Nagarajan prefers buttercream for its smooth texture. It also does not require refrigeration like whipped cream, which is delicate and airy and quite a task to transport. She fondly recalls how she made a quirky fondant bento cake for a customer's bachelorette party by mixing and matching the icing with buttercream and funny fondant figurines.</p>.<p><em>(Deepa Shri Rajan is a food, travel and lifestyle blogger and Instagrammer based out of Bengaluru.)</em></p>