K Cake crafts delicious cakes with a polished finish. From dainty, flower-draped single-tier cakes to grand, geometric skyscrapers adorned with floating chocolate bubbles – whatever your vision is, K Cake can turn it into delectable reality. 

Ken Tian of K Cake describes his typical day .....

My alarm goes off ...

My alarm buzzes at 6.30am, but I aim to roll out of bed just before 7.00. The mission? Beat the morning traffic and arrive at the shop by 7.30am. There’s a common myth that bakers are early birds, but our expertise lies in crafting those Instagram-worthy celebration cakes. We’ve got a lot of our work prepped ahead of time, which often means we’re staying late instead of embracing the sunrise. My daily trek takes me from Ellerslie to Uptown, but thankfully, the commute is not too gruelling.

My work day begins ...

My work starts by checking for any new online orders that came in overnight. If I have a moment, I also glance at my emails to address any urgent ones. After that, I join the team in preparing today’s pickups.

My current job ...

I handle various tasks, including designing cakes and crafting menus. My primary focus is on cake decorating, but I also take care of website maintenance and social media content.

My typical day ...

My typical day is a balancing act between managing emails, tending to social media and diving into kitchen creativity. You might find me one minute drafting an email, and the next, waist-deep in the meticulous art of cake decoration. Picture me assembling a five-tier wedding cake that defies gravity, while capturing content for Instagram. At the same time in the back of my mind, I'm already sketching the blueprint for another cake.

It’s fueled by the incredible support of my wife and family. It's a beautifully hectic journey that I'm incredibly grateful for.

My big break ...

Over time, our company has grown from a small home-based operation to having a shop, and every project we've worked on has contributed to building our brand's reputation. A couple of standout moments include collaborating with the country’s leading event planner and creating a cake for Google New Zealand, which was a fantastic experience. 

Our social media presence has sky- rocketed in the last three months, going from just under 10k to nearly 50k followers. We achieved this by sharing behind-the-scenes content through Instagram reels. It’s great to have support from a global audience and expand our reach.

I’m proud of ...

I’m incredibly proud of my family, especially my wife, Winnie. She didn’t have any pastry chef skills initially, but since joining me in this venture, she has gained a wide range of skills. Now, she's not only just a pastry chef, but also our cake photographer and consultant. Without her, I couldn't imagine running our business.

My worst work habit is...

Trying to do too much at once and getting overwhelmed. I tend to multitask and let my mind wander to different ideas and tasks while working, but sometimes it leads to mistakes. I’ve learned to slow down and focus on one thing at a time, which has helped improve my work. 

Outside of work ...

I truly value my day off because I'm often swamped with work at the shop. What I love most is cooking for my family and preparing their favourite meals. It’s a special moment when I can pick up fresh ingredients and enjoy a family feast on Sunday. This is something I look forward to every week.

My most memorable moment ...

Over the past few years, we’ve had some unforgettable moments. One of them was when we were still a home-based bakery and were commissioned to make meringue kisses to fill 2500 jars for a gift box company. We worked tirelessly, using four dehydrators to dry them for 14 days straight. We would prepare a fresh batch every morning, dry it for 10 hours, and then repeat the process and even my kids helped with peeling and putting on stickers.

Another memorable experience was when we were asked to create a giant cake for a milestone birthday party. The cake ended up being 1.4m tall and weighed almost 60kg. Typically, we assemble cakes in our shop, but this time we had to split it into two parts and put it together at the venue, which was quite a challenge. 

I chose Uptown because ...

I chose Uptown primarily for its central location. It’s convenient for people from all over Auckland to pick up their cakes and it offers easy access to motorways for us when we deliver.

My plan B ...

I never really considered a plan B in my career path. From a young age, when people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always said I wanted to become a chef. I've not only achieved that dream, but gone further as a pastry chef, specialising in creating cakes for weddings and celebrations. This is truly my dream job.

I fall asleep ...

I often find myself on my phone right before bedtime, which I am aware is a bad habit. It's mainly because of content to edit for social media, which I struggle to find time during the day. Obviously, I get sidetracked by scrolling through reels and TikTok. 

K Cake

8G/38 Khyber Pass

Ph: 09 218 4418

Web: kcake.co.nz

Email: hello@kcake.co.nz

Instagram: @kcakedessert