Bakeations: Turning extra hours into something sweet

“Even if you sit for two hours and refine your skills, you can become better at something.”

It was a simple piece of advice given casually across a restaurant table, but for Johanna Barreto, it stayed. At the time, she was young, studying, and figuring things out like most people her age. But that conversation changed the way she looked at time, ambition, and the quiet hours between routine.

Today, Bakeations has grown into a home bakery in Socorro built on fresh desserts, midnight baking sessions, and the belief that you do not need perfect conditions to begin.

“I realised I had so much time and energy,” Johanna says. “Why should I only do one thing? I could work, learn, and build something for myself at the same time.”

Learning through practice

Born in Kuwait, where she spent nearly a decade before moving to Goa, Johanna did not come from a professional baking background. With a gentle push from her mother and aunt to take her passion seriously, she slowly began building confidence in the kitchen. There were no culinary schools, no formal certifications, and no elaborate business plans. Most of what she knows today came from YouTube videos, trial and error, and countless hours spent experimenting in her home kitchen.

“I refined my skills through YouTube and practice,” she says. “I would cook at home, try new dishes, and slowly build confidence.”

What began during the COVID years as a creative outlet slowly transformed into something far more personal. Baking, especially late at night, became her version of therapy.

“I really love baking when everyone’s asleep,” she says. “There’s a peace to it. Some people meditate. For me, baking at midnight feels like that.”

A bakery built on freshness

That sense of care and intention now defines Bakeations, which Johanna runs entirely from her home in Socorro, near the Holy Cross Shrine in Carrem. The business works completely on a pre-order basis, something she feels strongly about.

“I hate the concept of old stock sitting around,” she says candidly. “If I make something, it should go fresh. If anything is left over, I give it away or throw it. I never keep desserts for days.”

The name itself reflects her personality. Bakeations is a blend of “baking” and “creation”, inspired by the plating styles and dessert artistry she admired while watching international cooking shows and MasterChef episodes.

“I didn’t want to limit myself,” she says. “If tomorrow I feel inspired to create a completely different dessert, I want the freedom to do that.”

Experimenting with flavours

That openness to experimentation has become one of her biggest strengths. While she offers a catalogue of desserts and cakes through WhatsApp and Instagram, many of her creations began as ideas she simply believed she could pull off.

“If mentally I feel I can do it, I try,” she says. “Even if I’ve never made it before.”

One such experiment became one of Bakeations’ biggest hits: mango sticky rice. The Thai dessert has quietly built a loyal following among its customers.

“I researched it properly, watched videos, and tried it,” she says. “The first time itself it worked.”

Alongside the mango sticky rice, her chocolate brownies remain among her most loved items. Johanna admits she leans far more towards desserts than elaborate cakes, though she does have favourites she hopes customers eventually warm up to.

“A mango coconut cake and a tender coconut cake are very close to me personally,” she says. “Goa has such beautiful flavours, and I like lighter cakes that people can actually enjoy eating.”

Keeping cakes light and simple

That philosophy extends to her frosting choices, too. Johanna avoids fondant completely, preferring stabilised whipped cream frosting that works better in Goa’s humid weather.

“Fondant looks beautiful, but I don’t like the taste or heaviness,” she says. “I want my cakes to feel light.”

Running Bakeations solo

Despite the growing popularity of her bakery, Johanna still manages nearly every aspect of the business herself. From content creation and customer replies to baking, packaging, and conceptualising, she handles it all alongside her day job.

“I do the thinking, replying, baking, packing… everything,” she says. “My friends or my mom help sometimes, but mostly it’s just me.”

Recently, Bakeations has also expanded into curated dessert tables for celebrations, something Johanna says allows her creativity to stretch beyond individual cakes and brownies.

“People come with themes, colours or flavour ideas and we customise around that,” she says. “That creative process is something I really enjoy.”

Growing through Instagram

Much of Bakeations’ growth happened organically through Instagram, where Johanna’s eye for photography helped showcase her desserts long before aesthetic food content became the norm locally.

“I used to click everything in different ways and make small videos,” she recalls. “At first, it was only friends and relatives ordering. Slowly it grew.”

Even now, there is little pretence in the way she speaks about entrepreneurship. No grand motivational slogans. Just honesty about learning along the way.

Her advice to young people hoping to start something of their own is refreshingly uncomplicated.

Built by simply beginning

“Start,” she says firmly. “You can always get better later.”

In many ways, Bakeations itself is proof of that philosophy. A small home kitchen. A young woman teaching herself through screens and sleepless nights. A business built not from certainty, but from simply beginning.