In February I had to organise a birthday party for my daughter who turned 10. Lots of parents know the headache that comes with thinking of suitable events or venues for this age group. So, I was more than happy when a friend suggested to hold a party together at Bakebe, a baking studio in Publika.
The fun that comes with baking freshly made cupcakes, macaroons, desserts, tarts or fancy cakes with your friends, minus all the hassle of prepping and cleaning up appealed enormously. We got so enthusiastic about the whole idea that we invited 20 kids to the birthday party! Yikes.
How does it work?
On the Bakebe website you can book a space and preselect what you would like to bake. You don’t need to be an experienced baker, as there are different levels to choose from, ranging from beginner (level 1) to advanced (level 5). The pictures and names of the products are enough to make your imagination run wild as well as salivate! From Earl Grey Chiffon sandwiches, Yuzu cakes, to Piñata shaped cakes, crisp nuts, mooncakes, meringue cheesecakes and panna cotta desserts – there is so many beautiful and delicious options to choose from.
The staff at Bakebe prepared all the ingredients and our work station for us. We just put our aprons on, and let the iPad that they provide guide us all the way through the baking process! The iPad tells you in detail how to start, what to mix, when to put your batter in the oven, when it is done, and when to start decorating. Come to think of it, it rather felt like we were assisting the iPad in baking a product!
What did the kids think?
It was quite a daunting task to oversee the 20 kids, each pair baking different levels of cakes, while making sure the toppings of the studio were not completely raided by the end of the birthday! The kids – both boys and girls – had a blast of a time: the pleasure of baking with friends and seeing what they created come beautifully and fresh out of the oven was satisfying. Everything was immediately eaten on the spot – and not a morsel was left!
Although we had reserved the Bakebe studio for our group for that time, we had to pay an additional reservation fee for the front seating room for us to be able to bring in refreshments as well.
Useful info and tips for Bakebe
Prices for baking sessions range from MYR 150 to 250 per product, depending on the difficulty level. With our group of 20, we decided on a team package, consisting of 10 cakes to be made in pairs. For smaller groups there are family or couple packages available. You can also buy a membership package which will allow you to bake a certain number of cakes within a fixed period.
Do make sure you read the terms and conditions properly before committing to anything: for instance, the studio has a few rules on adding extra people (thus adding to the pricing) to make a product, or when it comes to redoing the product or adding additional ingredients to it. Spoilage is not promoted and there may be costs attached to it, while children between 4 and 12 years each need to have a guardian present (an additional MYR 60 per pax).
Looking for more venues for birthday parties? Check out our top picks in our ultimate guide.
