A San Jose woman with a passion for art channels her creativity into making entremets: layered mousse-filled cakes topped with a glossy mirror glaze.
Gaurangi “Gauri” Malekar’s company, Better Butter Bakes, might be found on the Cupertino Farmers Market at De Anza College every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Better Butter Bakes also participated in three San Jose Made events over the summer.
“I wanted to make cakes that are not just desserts, but also works of art that combine food and creativity,” said Malekar.
“The process is very meticulous,” she added, “and I pride myself on offering cakes that not only taste exceptional but also stand out visually.”
Malekar said there aren't many cake shops that concentrate on mirror glazed cakes and together with her artistic background, she saw this as a chance to create something unique. Customers appear to be joyful with the outcomes.
“Gauri's passion and artistry really shine through in her entremets,” said San Jose resident Tacy Framhein. “They're almost too delicious to eat, but impossible to resist.”
“What impressed me most was the excellent presentation,” said Hema Kundargi of Cupertino, who first tried Better Butter Bakes' offerings on the De Anza Farmers Market in August. “The flavor was exquisite and the texture was just perfect. The cakes are a feast for the palate and the eyes.”
The undeniable fact that Malekar does this alone is one other plus point for her.
“I wanted to support a local, small, woman-owned business,” Framhein said. “It was a real godsend to find out that the pickup location was about 5 minutes from my house.”
“I am happy to encourage a young entrepreneur to follow her passion,” said Kundargi.
Better Butter Bakes' “Brun” entremet consists of dark chocolate mousse and crème brûlée with a chocolate sponge cake and a milk chocolate crunch. Customers select the colours of the mirror glaze. “The Passion” consists of passion fruit mousse and a mango crème aux, with a hazelnut cake and hazelnut crumble.
“I ordered 'The Passion' for my husband's birthday last year and 'Brun' for Christmas Eve and my husband's birthday this year,” said Framhein. “Both have such a balanced taste and texture – not too sweet – and have been a huge hit.”
Malekar emigrated to attend San Jose State University in 2011, initially studying interior design before switching to the engineering field.
“I've always had a passion for art and creativity,” she said. “But living in the Bay Area, specifically San Jose, I quickly realized that the technology industry is the dominant industry here.”
Malekar said she was encouraged to pursue a secure profession path, so she decided to major in management information systems and eventually got a job with a company.
“At first I was proud to work in the Bay Area, but that pride quickly faded,” she said. “The long hours and the work itself left me feeling empty. It was clear that I didn't belong here.”
Baking remained her comfort, she said. During the pandemic, Malekar decided to pursue what really made her joyful. She enrolled within the now-closed San Francisco Cooking School.
“For the first time in years, I felt like I belonged,” she said. “I wasn't pretending to be someone I wasn't. That's how Better Butter Bakes was born.”
She said the entremet “Blush” was inspired by South Asian and Arabic flavors. It is a lychee and rose flavored mousse, with pistachio cremeux, pistachio brittle and pistachio cake.
Inspired by these early experiences together with her aunt, Malekar began experimenting with making her own desserts. She began with pre-made cake mixes and eventually moved on to more sophisticated baked goods like eclairs and macarons.
Malekar is the one baker at Better Butter Bakes and now uses a business kitchen at 1721 S. Rogers Ave. in San Jose. Her family helps with the day-to-day operations. Her parents still live in Dubai but come to go to not less than yearly. Her aunt now lives in San Diego and Malekar often drives there to eat her desserts.
“I have an incredible support system – my husband, my sister, my mother, my in-laws and of course my dog Mia,” she said.
To order Better Butter Bakes cakes, visit https://www.betterbutterbakes.com. Customers must pick up the cakes from the San Jose kitchen.
Originally published:
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