In the wise words of Coco Chanel herself, “Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.” Perhaps this in combination with the global cult status given to the South Korean wave – thanks to catchy K-pop tunes and binge-worthy K-dramas – has led to the creation and massive success of the Korean minimalist cake trend.
Clean yet imperfect, rustic yet refined. Unsurprisingly, this eye-popping, pastel-hued trend has reached our shores and filled up our Instagram feeds with its simplistic beauty. In fact, this craze has been a saving grace for some of the local bakers affected by the pandemic. So, why not take a bite of this beauty and #sapotlokal?
Whether it’s a celebration or a solo ‘treat yo’self’ moment, here are 13 Malaysian bake shops that let you have your Korean minimalist cake and eat it too:
Melur Cakes
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The guaranteed crowd-pleasing favourite widely-known in the local Korean minimalist cake scene is none other than Melur Cakes, founded by pastry expert Yasmin Zulkefli. Located in Dataran Wangsa Melawati, they’ve successfully executed many eye-catching and intricately-detailed cakes, making them the go-to for a taste of this trend. Their calendar design is one of the most popular ones. With an array of heavenly flavours to choose from, pre-order yours a week in advance (closed on Mondays) then proceed to collect it at their store or have it delivered to you via Grab.
Green Aprons
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With dripping heart shapes to watercolour-esque paintings, Green Aprons by Farzanah Razali dares to experiment with delicately simple designs. Based in Seremban, these home-baked beauties come in popular flavours such as rich chocolate and red velvet, and sizes beginning from six inches and up. What’s more, they’ve also stepped outside traditional bounds to offer two-tiered cakes in the same theme – perfect if you’re looking for a larger treat!
Butter Digger
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Butter Digger over at Kota Seriemas Nilai is certainly no stranger to this aesthetically-pleasing phenomenon sweeping the nation. From creating their first Korean-style cake as a Valentine’s Day celebration order last year to pushing out around 200 cakes a month, owner Dahlia Fisol is an expert at delivering these sweet creations.
In order to stand out from the crowd, she adds sprinkles and love letter surprises within her single and double tiers. If you’d like to get in on the fun in smaller bites, go for the semi-circle version of their popular vanilla butter cake that’s topped with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream.
Ophelia Bakes
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Another aesthetic feast for the eyes (and taste buds) is undoubtedly the delightful concoctions made at Ophelia Bakes. Founded by wife-and-husband duo Nabila Asyiqin and Aiman Asyraf, these delectable beauties come in simple-yet-Insta-worthy designs that draw inspiration from calendars, paint smears, paintings, and flowers. Choose between classic flavours like chocolate, butter, Nutella, and coffee with sizes ranging from five to nine inches.
Aside from baking their popular Swedish almond cakes and cupcakes, they’ve recently set their sights on creating vintage Korean cakes too.
Tiny Baker in Pink
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Diving headfirst into the trend with a matching dine-in backdrop to complete the pastel-hued minimalist aesthetic, Tiny Baker in Pink located in Kota Damansara definitely ticks all the boxes. Especially with its added touches of elegant, fairy-like rusticity.
Apart from their old school vintage-designed cakes and other café goodies, they’ve tapped into the Korean minimalist cake market with their own releases. Especially popular are the new chiffon cakes with flavours like earl grey, chocolate Oreo, and matcha strawberry, together with their small bento cakes. Although they’re not accepting dine-in customers until further notice due to COVID-19, they’re still taking orders for for self-collect or delivery.
Street Bake
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With perhaps the most diverse and extravagant flavours, Street Bake in Cyberjaya is your best bet for some delectable luxury cakes. From Lotus Biscoff and black forest to pandan nisang (screwpine and palm sugar) and carrot cake, their six- and eight-inch home-baked Korean minimalist cakes are mouth-watering must-haves. To enjoy some bit-sized decadence, go for their five-inch Bento cakes for RM30 with flavours like Victoria sandwich, chocolate Nutella, and lemon – each one just as delicious as the last.
Tiga Chamcha
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With perfectly-executed and colourful designs to surely put a smile on anyone’s face, the Korean minimalist cakes offered by Shah Alam-based Tiga Chamcha are certainly to die for. Choose between vanilla or chocolate and place your orders at least three to four days in advance before your desired date (except Mondays) to ensure you get to try this tasty treat.
Apart from their typical sizes, feel free to opt for one or more of their four-inch bento cakes. If you’ve got extra room in your tummy for more goodies (because let’s face it, there’s always room for dessert), order their cookies, doughnuts, cheese tarts, and other confections for your feast.
Cake by Su
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While their eye-popping designer cakes are worth checking out too, Cake by Su is an undeniably delightful example of this craze. Their Annyeong Cake features an oil painting scenery series; it’s our personal favourite and is a fine work of edible art fit for any occasion. Meanwhile, the adorable ‘little sisters’ of these artful cakes – the ‘Haseyo Bento Cakes’ – are great for solo binge sessions. Their earl grey flavour with cream cheese filling is a luxurious must-try.
Sugar Amors
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For those of you residing in the northern states of Peninsular Malaysia, fret not, as you can still join in on the fun thanks to the creative hands over at Penang-based Sugar Amors. Founded by Phang Xue Min, this designer cake shop recently began dabbling in Korean minimalist cakes after mastering their intricately-decorated, stunning tiered cakes and other rich goodies like cakesicles and doughnuts. With their chunky white lettering against soothing pastel hues, their cakes are definitely crowd-pleasers. Also, feel free to spring for their four- and six-inch bento cakes that can be accompanied by character designs if so desired.
Cushy Candy
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If you adore flowers as much as we do, you’re bound to get a kick out of the underrated aspect of the trend offered by Cushy Candy founded by Nur Hidayah Kamarudin: simple floral-patterned cakes. Aside from the usual paint smears and calendar designs, we can’t get enough of their lavender and cherry drawn double chocolate Nutella cakes. We can bet you’ll feel the same.
They’ve also released the square-sized bento versions that are priced at just under RM20. They’re equally as pleasing to the eye and tummy, as well as our wallets.
Cake by Reen
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While there’s no harm in giving in to the temptation of picking up some heavenly brownies and pavlovas, there’s nothing quite like surprising your loved ones with the soft hues of Korean minimalist cakes. From pastels to vivid tones, take your pick between their four-inch bento cake or six-inch regular-sized cakes. Note that the calendar design is only available for the latter. Whether you choose to dig into their red velvet or chocolate Nutella flavours, you and your recipients will be utterly delighted.
The Tee Bakers
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What’s better than a perfectly-baked, flavourful butter cake? Answer: one that’s topped with light, mouth-watering buttercream. Surprise your loved ones or treat yo’self to their six-inch cake or rectangular mini packs that are customisable. With their accommodating special messages (including cheeky ones), these homemade goodies will surely bring out some smiles and chuckles long before and long after you dig in.
Bakey Bites
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Looking for an affordable after-meal nibble? Other than sinfully rich chocolate brownies, Kota Damansara-based Bakey Bites churn out mini Korean minimalist cakes that have proven to be rather popular. Ideal for two (or one as a more indulgent treat), these little four-inch cakes only cost RM15, and come in an array of delightful flavours like chocolate Nutella, pandan gula Melaka (screwpine with palm sugar), and red velvet. Available in four different sizes, you can also order a seven-inch cake for larger gatherings.
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