From Home Kitchen to Thriving Bakery Business: Mubina’s Winning Recipe
With a passionate spirit and creative flair, Mubina is revolutionizing the bakery industry as the proud owner of ‘Melting Moments’. As a home-owned business that specializes in unique cake designs, she is driven by her mission to provide customers with a truly unforgettable experience.
From her personal touch of care to ever-evolving flavors and designs, Mubina stands out with her commitment to creating both personalized sweetness and magical moments. In this inspiring session of Founder Talks, SMET delves into the world of cakes, desserts, and true entrepreneurial passion with Mubina and her passion for Melting Moments.
The story behind how Melting Moments started
Mubina, a passionate HR professional from Bangalore, moved to Bahrain 15 years ago. She felt a strong pull towards baking and making desserts for her loved ones. Her friends were instantly hooked on her treats, and soon enough, they began placing orders for her cakes.
Mubina’s first themed cake, a guitar-shaped masterpiece for her son’s birthday party, was a smashing success, and she knew she was on to something. She began taking orders for themed cakes and her signature chocolate cake, which had quickly become a fan favorite. As the orders kept pouring in, Mubina realized that she had the makings of a business on her hands. And so, Melting Moments was born, and it has been thriving for the past 12 years.
While chocolate is a universal favorite, Mubina loves experimenting with new and exotic flavors, some of which you won’t find in regular pastry shops. She has come up with some delectable flavors such as Pink Lemonade Cake, Chai Latte Cake, Lemon Strawberry Cake, and Cookies and Cream Cake. It’s no surprise that customers keep coming back for more.
Obstacles faced along the way
As Mubina started her home baking business, she quickly realized that there was no shortage of competition in Bahrain. With so many people staying home and starting their own baking ventures, it was becoming increasingly difficult to stand out in the crowded market.
One of the biggest challenges she faced was the perception that home bakers were not as trustworthy as established bakeries and pastry shops.
Despite the fact that she poured her heart and soul into every creation, Mubina knew that it would take time to earn the trust of her potential customers. But she believed that once people tried her cakes and desserts, they would come back for more.
With a lot of persistence and word of mouth, She slowly built up a loyal customer base who appreciated her unique flavors and techniques.
Another challenge that Mubina faced was keeping everything fresh in her kitchen. Since she operates out of her own home, there was no one to check her inventory or ensure that everything was within its expiration date. She had to make a conscious effort to regularly check her ingredients and throw out anything that was old or expired. This required a lot of effort, but she knew it was crucial to maintaining the quality of her baked goods.
To make matters even more challenging, some of the decorative ingredients she needed were not available locally due to Bahrain’s strict rules and regulations.
She also had to be creative in finding alternatives when certain ingredients were not available, like using freeze-dried berries to add color and flavor to her cakes.
Regardless, Mubina persevered and came up with efficient ways to overcome these obstacles.
The best part about working in Melting Moments
She has a passion for experimenting with new recipes, and working at Melting Moments allows her to do just that. Among her most popular creations are her chocolate cakes, which come in different styles such as punch cake, Mud Chocolate Cake, and sponge cake with an intense chocolate flavor that just melts in your mouth. She takes pride in the fact that she hasn’t compromised on the quality of ingredients she uses and has maintained the same recipe throughout the years.
One of the best parts of working at Melting Moments for Mubina is the opportunity to learn something new every day. She loves the planning and decorating aspect of the job and feels a sense of excitement and satisfaction when delivering an order to a happy customer. Seeing their happy faces and getting positive feedback is the most rewarding part of her job. Mubina feels grateful and humbled by the loyalty of her customers and the positive feedback she receives.
Mubina’s love for baking led her to publish two cookbooks – “Cakes, Desserts, and Beyond” and “A Confectioner’s Secrets.” Her first book, “A Confectioner’s Secrets,” was a hit, and she received rave reviews from readers.
Mubina’s recipes are easy to follow, and even beginners can bake a cake that tastes just as good as one made by an expert. Her secret lies in using basic ingredients that are easily available everywhere, even for the most exotic of flavors. She encourages home baking as it eliminates the need for preservatives and additives that are often found in commercial baked goods.
How is Melting Moments standing out in the Market?
Mubina’s dedication to her craft sets her apart from her competition. When a customer approaches her with a design request, she goes above and beyond to make it perfect for them. Even if it means researching unfamiliar cartoon characters, she takes the time to understand the theme and create the best possible design for the cake. Her attention to detail extends beyond design to flavor combinations as well.
She always checks with her customers to see if they want ganache, a fudgy feeling, or a crunchy texture, ensuring that every cake is tailored to their preferences.
For her, it’s not just about making money, but also about the satisfaction of knowing her customers are happy with her desserts. This dedication is particularly evident in her best-selling flavor, red velvet. Unlike other commercial bakeries that focus solely on the color of the cake, Mubina understands the intricate combination of three different ingredients that create the distinct red velvet flavor. This attention to detail and commitment to quality is what sets Mubina and her bakery, Melting Moments, apart from the competition.
In addition to her exceptional baking skills, Mubina also shares her knowledge and passion for baking through workshops. She recently organized a workshop for kids in a mall, which turned out to be one of her most successful events to date. Originally targeting 10 kids, the event ended up accommodating 15 due to overwhelming demand. The workshop garnered significant coverage and praise, making it one of the biggest and most memorable events of Mubina’s career.
What are some skills important for this business?
The talented baker emphasized the importance of being multi-skilled and multi-talented. She pointed out that cake construction requires a great deal of precision and attention to detail. Symmetry is essential to achieve an aesthetic and visually pleasing result.
But the art of baking doesn’t end there. Decorating skills are also crucial to make the cake look as delicious as it tastes. Baking itself is a science, with ingredients reacting in specific ways to create the perfect texture and flavor. The baker stressed the importance of understanding the science behind baking and using it to create her own recipes.
For instance, when baking a chocolate cake, she adds coffee to intensify the chocolate flavor. The customers won’t be able to taste the coffee, but they’ll notice the intensity of the chocolate flavor.
But it’s not just technical skills that are essential in this line of work. Good communication skills are also crucial to understand customers’ needs and preferences and making them feel comfortable trying new flavors. She uses her communication skills to build trust with new customers who may have reservations about trying something new.
What can we look forward to ?
Melting Moments is looking to expand in Bahrain and open a romantic bookstore cafe inspired by the beautiful pink-themed interiors of Peggy Porschen and the way they showcase their cakes and desserts. Another goal for the future is to encourage home baking and get people to try their desserts and recipes.
Melting Moments believes their cookbooks stand out, especially the second one which includes stories and tips for each recipe. The book is a comprehensive guide with explanations of all the terms and techniques, so readers do not have to search elsewhere for information. Melting Moments wants to reach a larger audience and hopes to become more well-known as a new author. There is a lot of work to be done, but Melting Moments is ready to put in the effort to achieve its goals.
“Starting your own business, whether it’s baking or anything else, requires a lot of research, It’s not going to be a cakewalk. There will be plenty of competition, and people will try to bring you down. But you have to keep learning as you go along.”
Any advice for new Entrepreneurs?
Mubina is a savvy entrepreneur who knows the ins and outs of running a successful bakery business. She spoke about the importance of managing finances with a sense of seriousness, explaining that profitability and cost control were essential skills for any business owner. But then she broke into a laugh, warning that relying solely on Google or YouTube for recipes was not always the best idea. “Trust me, not all recipes are created equal, Always do your research and check the reviews before trying anything out.”
As she talked about her business, it was evident that Mubina was deeply invested in understanding her customers. “You have to know what they want, what makes them happy, and what will keep them coming back,” she said. “It’s not just about baking great cakes, although that’s important too. It’s about reading their minds, adapting to different cultures and tastes, and making sure every detail is perfect.”
It was clear that for Mubina, baking was more than just a business. It is a way of creating joy and bringing people together through the universal language of sweets.“If you have the passion if you believe in yourself, you can achieve wonders,” she said. “Just focus on what you’re doing, cut out the negativity, and never give up.
Even if you fall down, just pick yourself up and keep going. There are no failures, only lessons learned.”
Last thoughts for our readers
Her passion for dessert-making is infectious, and it is clear that she isn’t content with simply resting on her laurels. She has big plans for the future. But despite her success, the baker remained humble and focused on her customers’ needs. “It’s never about you when you’re in business,” she explained. “It’s about them – the people who are going to be using your cookbooks, the people who are going to be tasting your desserts. That’s why I’m always looking for ways to improve, to make something that truly resonates with my audience.”
Mubina’s passion for baking and sharing her knowledge with the world is evident in her books, and her love for experimenting with new flavors is a testament to her creativity. Melting Moments is more than just a bakery; it’s a testament to Mubina’s love for baking and her dedication to sharing her passion with others.
“There are so many desserts out there that I’m dying to try,” she exclaimed. “And I’m just as passionate about tasting them as I am about creating them. That’s why I’m always experimenting with new recipes, always looking for ways to push the boundaries of what’s possible.”
No products in the cart. 
