Jelly cakes aren’t made of flour, but they are filled with flowers. The reason behind the name is that these festive gelatin or agar-agar treats are often made in cake or cupcake pans. While their flavor tends to be subtle, there’s nothing plain about how jelly cakes look. Once considered just a retro dessert, Instagram-able jelly cakes are making a comeback for birthday celebrations. This traditional and universal dessert never fades in popularity and only keeps improving in presentation.
So, if one wondered that jelly could be only cherished by children in one form, then they would have a swift shift of perspective upon witnessing the marvelous 3D artisanal jelly cakes offered by Irwan Shah aka Ewan, the founder of “OMJ-Oh My Jellie”. His self-made jelly cakes are beautiful and they look like luxurious and elegant glass paperweights albeit larger – the size of a whole cake! The floral design encased beneath the clear surfaces looks so pretty that one would like to admire the cake longer before cutting it to enjoy a slice. Realizing the appetite for unique cakes and the untapped market in Singapore for such artisanally crafted 3D cakes, Irwan started his venture into making these special confections in 2020. 3D jelly cake making uses a special 100% seaweed powder that gives a texture which is in-between agar agar and konnyaku, making it suitable for piping using syringes and specially crafted needles to create these jelly art. Having successfully transitioned from the corporate world to a home-based business, Irwan exudes commitment, passion and creativity in his work.
The Delightful & Flavourful Journey To 3D Cakes
Sharing insights about his journey, Irwan mentions,” Back in January 2019 when I took a basic 3D jelly art class, I was intrigued by the intricacy of the design and how flowers could float in the middle of a transparent jelly cake. This appealed much to me as it was so unique and rare to find in shops outside. The best thing about making these 3D jelly cakes is the ability to recreate the flora and fauna I have in my imagination and piping it and seeing it come to life, that makes it so fulfilling.
Taking inspiration from nature for the beautiful designs and color palette, Irwan always tries to make all his cakes look realistic and for any festive, he adds colors to meet the theme and mood of the occasion. One of the biggest challenges faced in creating such cakes is with the piping, as once anything goes into the cake, it cannot be altered later on, and over time Irwan learned to adroitly maneuver around the creation.
Talking about the brand name and concept, Irwan shares, “When I wanted to name my business, I took myself back to the first time I saw a 3D jelly cake in December 2018 at a Christmas party when I along with my friends were bedazzled by the look of how the flowers could be floating inside a cake and it was a good 8-10 minutes of commotion and Oh My God expression. So when I wanted to name my company, I thought of changing OMG to OMJ meaning Oh My Jellie. I wanted my clients to have that same delightful feeling when I first witnessed the jelly cake.
Looking Forward To The Big Picture
Making people happy from all walks of life and celebrating small and big occasions defines the brand OMJ. Irwan has conducted a few jelly-making classes and workshops, and in the future looks forward to collaborating with chefs to take up the jelly cakes and happily serve customers in hotels too.
Irwan shares that reinventing the designs, sporadically introducing new items on the menu, and keeping in pace with the trend and demand is what make the business buoyant and sustainable. He consistently tries to keep in tandem with the current social media trends and designs per customers’ preferences. Be it a flower-piped cake, cartoon character birthday cake, or corporate cake he puts his heart and soul into creating an edible surreal experience.
To read more visit – https://www.instagram.com/ohmyjellie_sg?igsh=MW53bzBkdmlyOXVlcg==
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