THE LADY BEHIND PINK ROSES CAKE

What started out as a past time activity has now turned into a business wonder. Emma, owner of Pink Roses Cake is a local entrepeneur and with almost 7,000 likes on her Facebook page, she is one of the hidden gems of Sabah. Baking all sorts of cakes especially customised wedding cakes, Emma has received orders from both locally as well as internationally. Discover KK recently requested an interview with the famous baker, and despite her hectic schedule, she allowed us into her cosy kitchen and shared some of her stories with us.

Madam Emma at her home.

When and how did you come up with the idea for Pink Roses Cake?
I was a stay-at-home mom before, and I have been baking since 1986. I only started baking commercially in 1994 when I noticed the cake craze happening here in Kota Kinabalu then. Pink Roses Cake only started in 2008 when I noticed that online presence played a huge role in businesses especially something like mine.

Are you originally from Kota Kinabalu?
No. I have been here in Kota Kinabalu half my life. I was born and raised in Keningau, Sabah.

What is it like having a self-operated bakery?
Hard work! You always want to say that family comes first (and it usually does), but when you have a wedding the next day, you’ll be baking and decorating round the clock. But thankfully I run my business from home, so that takes the edge off most times.

Your sense of design and style is amazing. Do you have a background in art or design?
No! But, thank you! (laughs) Well to be frank, my whole family runs through life with art as a basis. My other sisters are also talented art makers, where they do all sorts of creations for all types of purposes. So I guess it runs in the family.

Do you specialise in wedding cakes or other occasion cakes?
Well I started out baking birthday cakes because that was the easiest at that time. In the last 10 years, I’ve been focusing more on wedding cakes. Most customers come up to me and tells me that they don’t fancy the cake designs at hotels and other commercial bakeries because they were too common and too commercial looking. So I try to come up with something different each time.

What is your best-selling cake flavor?
Our best seller is the butter walnut cake and the traditional butter cake. The market in Kota Kinabalu is still quite traditional when it comes to taste but design-wise, they always opt for fancy and luxurious outlook.

What’s your personal favorite?
My personal favorite is the plain butter cake because the richness in its flavor, it’s like eating a real cake.

What kinds of methods do you use when it comes to design?
I specialise in Wilton’s Gum Tex when it comes to figurines and flowers. Sometimes I use Tragacanth Gum for smaller designs due to it’s texture. Of course I still use Royal Icing, Butter Icing, Fresh Cream, Fondant, Chocolate Fudge, Chocolate Ganache and many more.

Hοw long dοеѕ іt take tο mаkе аnd decorate a wedding cake?
Depends on the cake sizes. The smallest butter cake takes at least 80 minutes. A big sized cake may take between 2 to 3 hours.

Whаt раrt οf уουr job dο уου delight іn thе mοѕt?
The decorating process of course because every cake is made different each time based on the customer’s preference. It’s always challenging but it’s a good challenge.

What makes Pink Roses Cake different from other bakeries?
Our flavors. Typically, other bakeries might use less ingredients, but my cake tastes are much more richer due to the amount of ingredients I put on every single cake I bake. Pricing-wise though, Pink Roses Cake is slightly pricier than others because of the ingredients we use. For instance, I commonly use the expensive flour instead of the mid range flour other bakeries use. It does make a difference when you compare my tastes and theirs.

How often do you eat cakes? 
(Laughs) Once in a while.

For more information on Pink Roses Cake, visit Emma’s Facebook page.