A CAKE is a beautiful art piece according to Tan Soo Fen, a self-taught cake designer whose amazing cake designs have fascinated people of all ages. Tan’s cake designs are adorable, creative, and artistic, and she has built a popular online cake business which she aptly named The Comelbakes (@thecomelbakes on Instagram).
The 25-year-old designs a wide range of cakes for various occasions, but her cakes for children are among her most beloved designs.
The cakes, which feature characters from cartoons, fables and fairytales, are simply a dream come true for children.
The handcrafted fondant figurines look so realistic that anyone would feel bad taking a bite.
Tan especially loves to play with pastel colours on single-tier cakes.
Her signature style is to handpaint on the cake using buttercream. She also creates flowers using wafer, and is inspired by everything from fashion trends to building structures.
“I have liked art and handmade creations ever since I was young. Art is full of fun. There is so much freedom in creativity and unbound limitations. I have always wanted to create something special and beautiful. When I design a cake, I will always try my best to make it as beautiful and as special as possible,” she said.
From graphic design to cakes
Once a freelance graphic designer and a freelance art teacher, Tan could not escape being exposed to art and design in both fields.
“I left those fields [to help out] in my parents’ bakery. Besides, both jobs could barely [cover] my daily expenses.
“At the bakery I decided to try to come up with new ideas and concepts to increase its income,” she said.
She had previously helped her parents in their bakery while she was studying advertising and getting her diploma in graphic design at a local college.
“I realised all the old themed cake designs were just too boring. So, I started to learn about the current market trends,” she said.
“I was surprised by the amazing cake designs from foreign countries. I came to the realisation that I could do a very beautiful art piece, and decided to enter cake design classes and online classes,s before venturing into [creating] my own designs.”
One of a kind
“I refuse to imitate or copy another baker’s design, especially when a customer requests me to [copy a design based on a] photo they provide. Instead, I usually sketch a new design as per the customer’s preference.
“Rarely have my cake designs been repetitive. Almost every cake is different and specifically customised, but I maintain my own style,” said Tan.
Tan cited designing a cheongsam-themed cake as one of the more remarkable designs of her career.
“When the customer showed me the reference photo, I was excited to try it out, and yet, I was worried that I may fail to [match] it,” she said.
“My customer gave me an opportunity to design a new pattern according to my own style. In the end, the completed cake surprised my customer, as it exceeded her expectations. The customer even said that the cake was too beautiful to be eaten!”
Tan added: “There are many challenges in terms of designing skills and techniques, including insufficient time. If there are limitations, the end result will be very different from what you actually expected.
“Sometimes, I have to complete a cake within a very hectic time-frame, and each cake needs a lot of effort to complete, from [beginning] sketching to the end product.”
The future
“It has been only two years since I got into this field. I am looking forward to learning more techniques and improving my skills. My biggest vision is to have my cake designs be easily recognised or identified by others, as being my work.”
Speaking about her future plans, Tan said: “I plan to conduct one-on-one workshops and classes to share [my knowledge] with others. This will be my next step!”
