The Korean minimalist cake trend that has taken over the country has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for bakers affected by the pandemic.
Korean-style cakes with their clean and simple designs are so pretty and instagram worthy, making them social media trends of late.
They have become a lifeline for baker Nuraina Ezzati Abdul Rahman who experienced a dip in sales after the three-month closure of her bakery shop during the MCO.
The high-spirited 23-year-old decided to make a shift to making cakes that feature pastel-colours and bold font styles using a double-layer lettering technique.
“I received overwhelming response from my customers, especially for orders made through Twitter. My sales have tripled, ” she enthused.
Nuraina Ezzati who previously ran her business alone is now able to help others by providing job opportunities to some of her friends who were adversely affected by the pandemic.
“Before the MCO was implemented, I ran my business alone, from the baking process right down to delivering cakes to customers.
“Alhamdulillah, with the social media’s viral power, I’m now able to hire three staff and two delivery riders to help me run the business, ” said Nuraina Ezzati who holds a Diploma in Baking and Pastry from the Kuala Kangsar Vocational College.
Nuraina Ezzati, who started her business in 2018, said the minimalist cake trend has been influenced by Korean television dramas and pop music: she is often asked to write greetings in Hangul (Korean alphabet) on the cake.
“The size of the cake which only about five inches has become quite a challenge for me especially when customers request me to write long words in Korean on it, ” she said.
Nuraina Ezzati used to handle her cake business alone. Thanks to the minimalist cake trend, she can now afford staff.
Butter Digger online cake shop owner Dahlia Fisol, 23, said in order to be different from other bakers, she came up with the idea of placing a ‘love letter’ and multiple types of sprinkles in the middle of her Korean-style cakes.
“Customers can convey a message through the letter and this element of surprise will add more fun to the cake, ” said Dahlia who was inspired to make this style of cakes after visiting South Korea in 2019.
Dahlia said she received her first Korean-style cake order during Valentine’s Day celebration last February but did not expect it to be so well-received adding that she is now able to sell up to 200 cakes a month.
The minimalist cake trend has also been a blessing for Yasmin Zulkefli, 27, when her online cake shop Melurcakes’ Instagram account gained more followers after she introduced her minimalist cakes.
“The most popular (cake) design is the calendar design that is decorated with icing and mostly ordered for birthday celebrations, ” said Yasmin who has 10 years of experience in the pastry field.
Cushycandy cake shop owner Nur Hidayah Kamarudin, 34, is of the view that the cakes have been in trend especially among the younger generation for their simple and clean designs.
“Although it has rustic textures, it still has the artistic touch. We will try to create new designs and decorations every day by making Instagram of cake shops from South Korea and Japan as a reference and source of inspiration, ” she said. – Bernama
