We catch up with Sylvia Lee on her new passion – baking and cake sculpting. It tastes as good as it looks!
Have you ever eaten something you wish you could keep forever?
If I eat it, I won’t get to #selfie with it anymore and if I don’t eat it, I will feel bad for my tummy for never having the chance to eat something so adorable.
We interviewed Sylvia Lee, former Class 95FM DJ and the humble creator of all these lovely cakes, who had discovered her love for baking in recent years.
When did you start baking?
I have been baking since 2011, around Christmas. It started because of the huge cupcake craze then! I bought my niece an easy-bake box set including the recipe book and asked if I could borrow it first. I never returned the book!
Oh your poor niece! But I am sure a lot of good came out of her never-returned recipe book!
Indeed! I started baking after work and I would get my colleagues to be the “guinea pigs”. I eventually realized I couldn’t pipe (frosting for cakes) to save my life so I decided to go sugar paste style.
So what was the grand result?
It was my son’s birthday and he likes bowling so I decided to try my hand at a bowling-themed cake. It was very well-received and I started getting enquiries! Because I had taken time off to focus on my child entering primary 1, I had time to bake and hence it started.
What were your most requested designs?
There was a period when it was minion cakes. My requested designs range from Liverpool cakes (even though I’m a Man U fan), Hello Kitty cakes, Captain America cakes, Princess Sophia cupcakes, Iron Man cupcakes to even a 3-tier dinosaur cake.
I like challenging myself so I am always willing to fulfil different requests. It was a process of taking the order and thinking about the ways to sculpt it. It made me incredibly happy. That was when I realized I really enjoyed the craft.
That is very impressive. Was this what prompted your career switch ?
It feels like my DJ days was a past lifetime ago. I know of so many other women who changed careers in their 30s, 40s, 50s. I found my voice in baking. It makes me the happiest.
And we are glad to hear that! If there is one thing you could say about cakes, what would it be?
I feel that a cake is the centerpiece of a celebration.
Thank you Sylvia (sylviadom@gmail.com) for your time!
By Nicole Lee
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