Baking a traditional Sarawak ‘kek lapis’ (layer cake) is always challenging, tedious and time-consuming. Each layer must be evenly baked, and it can take up to eight hours to complete just one cake.
However, Karen Chai is not deterred. She described herself as a perfectionist and loves being creative. It’s okay to go the extra mile in baking the exquisite kek lapis with complex designs, thin layers and kaleidoscopic patterns.
Most of her cakes require detailed plans before being baked and cut into smaller parts which are then reassembled using jam so that when re-cut or re-sliced later, each cake reveals a geometric design as intended.
The 38-year-old Sarawakian, who founded Kitchen Confidante, a home-based baking business in 2016, is well-known for bringing the traditional kek lapis to a higher level of creativity. In this endeavour, she has been collaborating with various companies and international brands as well as some small businesses.
In making her name by successfully producing beautiful desserts and snacks with irresistibly bold flavours, Chai has not rested on her laurels. She continues to find creative inspirations and fresh ideas to create something “more advanced” for her fans and customers.
Chai recently made another breakthrough, that is, creating what she calls ‘Super Mario Bros kek lapis’ using pixel art ideas and a ‘LEGO-inspired’ system.
Pixels are tiny squares of a single colour that, when put creatively together, can make up a larger image on a computer screen. To imitate this, she baked several cakes with different colours; cut them into square blocks and then assembled them to form four characters, namely, Mario, Luigi, Super Mushroom and Fire Flower, which are her much-loved childhood companions.
“I love Super Mario Bros; it was one of my favourite childhood memories. The video game was a smash hit between the 80s and 90s.
“I remember wanting to keep going to my uncle’s house as they had the video game. It was considered a ‘luxury’ back then and my parents couldn’t afford it.
“Although the game has an improved version or graphics, my favourite remains Super Mario Bros 8 bit as it almost looks exactly like the kek lapis I created,” she said.
Sharing her story with New Sarawak Tribune recently, Chai said that one of the most challenging stages in crafting the Super Mario Bros kek lapis is the part where she needs to ensure that the sides of each block must be cut at a 90-degree angle.
After that, she would spend about three hours assembling the multi-coloured blocks into cakes or characters following pre-prepared diagrams.
She produces about 30 six-inch cakes, each weighing around 500 grams. Amazingly, however, they are not for sale at the moment. She gives them away to her fans and customers.
“I don’t sell them as I just want to prove whether my idea of creating kek lapis using pixel art idea and a ‘LEGO-inspired’ system works. I want to see what each end product is like … the colours, images … and I want to see how the market responds.
She explained that only by knowing the whole process, from planning, preparing and baking, and monitoring the market, could she determine the next steps that include the final designs and prices.
She thinks that the Super Mario Bros kek lapis is a success in terms of the outcome and the great customer response which is quite apparent when people just got so excited when they see the creations for the first time. Besides, she believes the cake is the first of its kind, at least in the local market.
“Maybe we will look into launching a new line of products, focusing on kek lapis with pixel art designs. I must admit, though, that they are going to be quite pricey considering the amount of effort, time and quality ingredients needed to create the product,” she explained.
Chai started her business after years of watching and helping her mother make kek lapis at home and training at Le Cordon Bleu. Her mom used to bake kek lapis and cookies during her free time to earn extra income so that Chai and her siblings could attend tuition classes.
“Our education was my mom’s top priority and she did anything to ensure that we received the best education. We did very well in school, and I was a Yayasan Sarawak scholar,” she said.
“I worked as an engineer for a year after graduating from the University of Technology Malaysia (UTM). After that I ventured into a bakery business; from one outlet, then to five within seven years in Kuching.
“But I was not satisfied. Instead of putting creativity into my products or baking, I spent most of the time managing the business. It was not what I wanted. I was exhausted and burned out and eventually decided to sell the business,” she said.
While taking a break in Kuala Lumpur, her friends suggested that she baked kek lapis again and she did, with a focus on artisanal and small-batch patisserie.
Until today, Chai kept her business small to ensure that all products are baked to order and fresh from the oven to customers. Besides, there is no plan to expand the business or go into mass production. All her products are exclusively available on the Kitchen Confidante Facebook page.
“I do not want to compromise the uniqueness and quality of my products (just to get more orders or sales). Every kek lapis and other products contain fine ingredients, and they are always creatively designed and carefully baked.
“It requires a lot of passion and patience. I can’t just hire more bakers or chefs to increase production,” she said.
