When Shrimps founder Hannah Weiland tied the knot in 2018, her wedding cake was an outlandish four-tiered confection reminiscent of the one from Elvis Presley’s and Priscilla Wagner’s wedding in 1967.
Little did we know how that was a taste of things to come.
Flash forward to 2021 and heavily decorated retro-influenced cakes that seem to leap out of our parents’ wedding albums have taken on a whole new meaning in terms of aesthetic and what they represent today.
Kitschy, gaudy, and ornate, we’re talking layers of buttercream frosting, pastel colours, ribboning motifs, cursive text and details like pearls, glazed cherries or even tiara toppers.
Style-wise, the vintage and lacey decorations of these cakes could very well make them be inside the set of a production set a Sofia Coppola, Wes Anderson, Gucci, Rodarte, Petra Collins, et al set.
For starters, here’s a little history: the popularity of the style can be traced back to the cookbook Lambeth Method of Cake Decoration and Practical Pastries by British pastry chef Joseph Lambeth in 1934.
According to the site Food Timeline, the intricate over-piping technique became in vogue up to the ‘50s, before being overtaken by decorating styles using fondant.
Thanks to the pandemic and the time home bakers have on hand during the circuit breaker and quarantine, cakes ala Lambeth are having a renaissance and reappearing on our feed in the past year.
The movement’s gotten so popular that there are Instagram accounts dedicated solely to this style of vintage cakes. Ones that caught our eye include @cuteasscakes, which features a wide range of vintage cake bakers from the US and UK.
With baking accounts like @mondue and at @juujuucake gaining large followings. Closer to home, Malaysia-based @linlin_cake, whose eye-popping multi-tiered cakes are shot against Victorian-eque backdrop, have become our guilty indulgence.
The cake has also served as the perfect M.O. of activism and social awareness. The irony is not lost as the outspoken crowd uses something as saccharine sweet and domestic as cakes to shout out slogans/causes pertaining to topics like politics and mental health in icing. (Some messages that have been spotted include “KILL NAZIS,” “Never Too Much” – you get the picture.)
“Vintage and retro-styled cakes are having their moment again, and this could largely be fueled by quarantine baking,” observes baker Aida Dolrahim, who runs IG-based Baked (@baked.sg). “I feel these types of frilly buttercream cakes are nostalgic and remind people of birthday cakes from their childhood.”
Baker Cindy Li of Yoyosummer (@yoyosummer_sg) started making vintage cakes during the CB and hasn’t stopped since. “I was inspired by IG posts of vintage cakes from South Korea,” she says. “The vintage cake designs are all colourful and exquisite − looking at them makes me cheerful and my customers feel the same.”
Ahead, we spotlight some bakers who have put their own spin on their Lambeth-esque creations.
The lowdown: A home-based bakery focusing on Korean-inspired designs. It’s run by self-taught baker Katherine Ann Ongkowijoyo, who became inspired by IG vintage cakes she saw overseas and sought to bring them to our shores.
Her vintage designs were released around June of last year, and stand out for their simplicity, elegance and lovely pastel shades.
How to get them: Orders may be placed through an order form on their website. Slots for orders open up on the 20th of every month.
Vintage cakes cost $68 (4-inch), $83 (6-inch) and $105 (8-incH). Additional charges apply for flavours other than chocolate and vanilla.
The lowdown: Experienced baker Cindy Li has been a self-taught baker since 2009, and her style of vintage cakes are undeniably ‘kawaii’ with a nostalgic sense of childlikeness.
All her sponge cakes are made using Italian meringue buttercream, and many include adornments like 3D animal designs, huge strawberries and edible bows and flowers lining the sides.
Li also runs vintage cake decoration workshops on an ad-hoc basis. DM her for more info or to join the waitlist.
How to get them: Email her at halfcz@hotmail.com for orders. Vintage cakes are priced at $45 to $75 (4-inch), $65 to $95 (5-inch), $75 to $105 (6-inch), $85 to $120 (7-inch) and $100 to $130 (8-inch).
The lowdown: This home-based bakery puts on a unique spin on the vintage theme (we’re especially digging the pop-culture references).
With tongue-in-cheek wordings, bold colours and a healthy amount of sprinkles, these are perfect for a hen’s night or birthday bash. Baked is run by Aida Dolrahim, who studied painting with an MA in fine art.
Her cakes are inspired by the aesthetic of American ’60s Pop Art, garish ’70s dinner parties and ’90s films like Clueless.
How to get them: DM them on IG for orders. Prices start at $75 for each made-to-order cake, and vary based on flavours, size and additional customisation requests.
The lowdown: Angstbakes is run by baker EeRu Ng, who’s been concocting sweet treats since her polytechnic days. She officially registered her bakery in June of last year, and has also been influenced by Korean-based IG bakers she follows online.
Her main focus is bento cakes, but her vintage cake designs are equally beautiful, with clever colour combinations and intricate piping details. Flavours include plain or chocolate vanilla, speculoos, hazelnut chocolate and ovamaltine crunch.
How to get them: Order directly from the website, or Whatsapp them for custom orders. Costs vary based on the complexity of the vintage designs and cake sizes (either 5-inch, 6-inch or 8-inch), with prices on their site ranging from $34 all the way to $172.
The lowdown: While Batterwithbutter has a limited selection of vintage designs, they are undeniably gorgeous. And whilst tiara or candle holder toppers can be a little OTT, they go perfectly with the simple shades like white and pink.
Cake flavours include vanilla, chocolate and orange, with fillings such as fresh milk cream, salted caramel, strawberry and cherry. Being a small business, they’re not open to customisations at the moment, but more vintage designs are in the works and cake colours may be changed upon request.
How to get them: DM them on IG for orders at least four days in advance, and do check slot availability on their IG highlights before ordering.
A standard vintage cake in 6 inches costs $75, with tiara or candle holder toppings costing $15 and $12 respectively.
The lowdown: Founded around a year and a half ago, Simplybakez is helmed by Zhi Chiun (or Zee for short). Zee started making vintage cakes around May last year, wanting to do something different from common fondant designs.
The sponge cakes are definitely beautifully shot, and even something as simple as an all-white cake stands out for its meticulous details and intricate form. Mini two-tier designs are available as well if you want something a little more grand for that special occasion.
How to get them: DM them on IG, and check their highlights for when slots open and their availability.
Vintage cakes fall under their 3D design category, and prices start at $60+ (5-inch), $70+ (6-inch), $81+ (7-inch) and $93+ (8-inch). Final prices vary on the complexity of the design.
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Text by: Rebecca Rachel Wong/Female