Bento Cake Origin – UPDATED
“It comes from the East to stir us up”, as my buddy Washington used to say, this little cake came and became a collective craze. If you don’t know what we’re talking about, you must have spent a few months in Narnia and missed this moment.
The Bento Cake originated in the Far East, more precisely in South Korea, and spread worldwide. Strongly present on all social media platforms, this little cake brought joy (and despair) to many bakers across Brazil. Some went for the artistic route, others stuck to the phrases, but almost no one could escape the famous Flork, that easy-to-make meme that says a lot for us.
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Almost 3,000 Bento Cakes made!
Here, we’ve made almost 3,000 little cakes (a round of applause for me, my sanity, and my wrist), and I’m going to share with you the easiest way to assemble, store, and sell a lot of this beauty.
What will we see in this recipe?
In this recipe, we’ll only cover the assembly, but I’ll leave here the links for the filling, cake batter, and frosting I use:
Let’s go! Get ready, it’s so easy that if you blink, you’ll miss it!
Bento Cake Assembly
Ingredients:
- 1 cake batter that doesn’t crumble too much, it can be one you’re used to or click here to learn how to make this amazing recipe!
- 1 round cutter, 10cm in diameter (the standard size is 10cm, but you can make it a bit smaller or larger, it’s up to you).
- 50g of a delicious filling (I strongly recommend the nostalgia brigadeiro filling). Nostalgia Brigadeiro Filling Recipe
- 100g of chantilly to cover.
- Acetate strip, 5cm in height.
- 20ml of sugar syrup
- Piping bag
- Spatula
- Food coloring of your choice
Preparation Method:
- Start by cutting the cake with the cutter and then cut it in half to fill it.
- If you want to make your life easier, place the bottom half of the cake inside the ring, moisten the cake with half of the syrup, and right there, using the piping bag, pipe the chantilly on the sides.
- Then, fill it with the filling of your choice and place the other half of the cake on top, moistening it with the remaining sugar syrup.
After that, hold the cake in the middle with your fingers and lift the ring.
Hold on to your emotions, because I know, it’s already beautiful, but we’re not done yet.
- Next, cut the acetate strip and wrap it around the cake, securing it with a sticker, tape, or even a satin ribbon. It will look like this!
Covering the Cake
You know that acetate strip that’s above the cake? Now, you’re going to cover the entire top of the cake until it reaches the height of the acetate. After doing that, just smooth it out with a spatula. If you don’t have a spatula, you can use the back of a knife (the non-sharp side) to smooth it out.
Now, you have the base of the Bento Cake!
Now comes the creative part. To write on it, you can use the same colored chantilly with a food coloring of your choice, and then the design, style, and phrase are up to you!
How to write on the Bento Cake?
To write and draw, there’s no shortcut—it takes a lot of practice, and it will get easier over time.
When I started, I used a #0 piping tip, but it kept clogging. I used a piping bag without a tip for a while, but the writing was too thick. That’s when I discovered that those little bags used for truffle cones were perfect. They are flexible and small, offering more stability for writing.
So, I’ll leave some Bento Cakes here to inspire you.
If you want to see more, check out my Instagram, where I have over 2,000 models posted in the highlights. INSTAGRAM
Storage
To store, place it inside a styrofoam box (I use the CH002).
When the customer orders, just write on it and send it. I usually keep 10 units ready because Brazilians love last-minute orders, and this way, I can meet the demand.
This base lasts up to 7 days refrigerated.
Golden Tip
To prevent your cake from smudging during transport or when the customer opens it, place the cake on what would be the lid of the styrofoam box. It’s a bit smaller, so this way, you leave the larger part on top, and when the customer opens it, the box opens outward, not inward.
I hope this helps and that you can use these tips a lot.
With love, Nate.
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