Creating minimalistic cakes but with their own unique twists, home-based business Cakenya uses chantilly cream to create the perfect cake for any occasion.
Cakenya is the brainchild of two twin sisters Nancy Lim and Nadia Abdullah who started the business inspired by a hobby that they grew up with – baking with their mother.
Prior to the business, they tested the waters by baking for their relatives and friends and in turn, received great feedback, further igniting their drive to open orders to the public.
As the days passed by, the sisters received increasing inquiries about their cakes, and that was when they knew that it could become a business. Soon after, they go hand in hand and started their venture in 2019.
“Nadia was a student back then and Nancy was still unemployed since graduating with her diploma so we thought this would be a good way of making some side income,” said the entrepreneurs.
Nancy is a full-time entrepreneur who manages the business whilst Nadia has a day job and does the baking of Cakenya as a side hustle.
Cakenya is all about creating minimalistic but unique cakes that are ideal for any special events such as birthdays, bridal showers, gender reveals, weddings and more.
What sets them apart from other existing cake businesses is that they sell sponge cakes covered with chantilly cream instead of buttercream as they wanted their cakes to be minimal, less sweet, and suitable for all ages.
Apart from the cakes, they also cater to other bakes which include pavlova, tiramisu and cheesecakes.
“We started selling sponge cakes because it’s the easiest from our mother’s baking recipes but nowadays, we learn so much through the internet. So, our baking skill really grows from there and with the help of family support as well,” said the baker.
Some of their fan favourite cakes are the fresh fruit sponge cake, chocolate hazelnut sponge cake, Biscoff sponge cake, red velvet sponge cake, and their pavlovas.
The cakes are priced from $10 depending on cake sizes and design; with more design and a bigger cake, the higher the price.
Cakenya cakes are currently available for purchase via Instagram @cakenya.bn and customers can see through their gallery of photos of their past orders and order the cakes they desire.
When they first started, the 26-year-olds were thinking of fun and memorable names that are easy to pronounce so that it is memorable for customers or intrigued by it, leading them to click on their profile at first glance.
The name came to one of the twin sisters when she imagined people buying the cakes and having conversations about them.
“Nadia imagined people would be asking ‘Where did you buy the cake?’ and the answer would be ‘Dari cakenya!’ and that name stuck with us until this day,” said Nancy.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were some challenges in obtaining the ingredients to make the cakes but that did not hinder the business’ sales as people kept ordering them.
“In fact, people prefer to order from home-based businesses instead of shops and we are lucky that most of the ingredients that we use are available in our local supermarkets. Of course, some of the fruits we use are seasonal, hence, we had to alternate using different fruits,” said Nadia.
For the entrepreneurs, their main difficulty with the business is the location as they are operating from their hometown in Tutong.
However, the sisters observed that most of their customers are from Brunei-Muara and it does not stop them from catering to these customers as they continue to find alternatives to overcome the speedbump.
Furthermore, for its future plans, Cakenya aims to expand its business, explore various flavours and recipes of sponge cakes, giving more choices on the menu for customers to enjoy.
To find out more on the cakes and bakes that Cakenya does, visit their Instagram @cakenya.bn and order one for a special occasion.
This article was first published on 12 February 2022 in our Weekly E-Paper issue 180 | More stories here
THE BRUNEIAN | BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
