Make your cake and get help too

HAVE you ever had to Google “what to do with leftover egg yolks”? Or been left with extra sheets of gelatine you have no use for?

The woes of some-time bakers are easily rectified at Home Baking Day, a new concept that lets you indulge in your hobby without worrying about making a mess or whether some of your ingredients have already expired.

Home Baking Day styles itself as a “tablet-guided DIY baking studio”, where all you have to do is turn up at the time of your choice. Pick from a wide selection of recipes – there are doughnuts, tarts, scones, cookies and madeleines – and follow the instructions on a tablet. Prices range from S$50 to S$95.

No ingredients are needed. Everything can be found in the studio, including equipment and decorating supplies. It is like baking at home, but with everything at your fingertips. And more importantly – someone cleans up after you.

Need to separate egg whites from yolks? No problem – there are jugs of both in the fridge. Dry and chilled ingredients are all laid out in rows, and each jar of baking soda or hojicha powder has its own spoon. There are stacks of small bowls for you to use with wild abandon, since you do not have to wash up later.

Imagine the luxury of beating a sponge mixture in one bowl, whipping egg whites in another, and mixing ganache in a third without a second thought. And if you want to ’gram your work, there are phone tripods you can use; and free coffee or tea while your bakes heat up or cool down.

One thing that Home Baking Day does not do is teach you how to bake, unlike other baking studios in Singapore which cater to either newbie bakers or serious pastry buffs looking to raise their skills.

Instead, Home Baking Day simply offers you a fuss-free space to bake. It originated in Taiwan, where it has five studios, and the DIY baking studio concept appeals to locals who do not bake often or do not have a large enough oven at home.

Several of these Taiwanese studios have since expanded to Hong Kong, where apartment-dwellers are similarly space-constrained.

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Singapore bakers may identify, especially those with ovens but not the cupboard space for all the pans, tools and other gadgets that are must-haves for the serious cake maker.

It is not the first time such a concept has been seen in Singapore. In 2018, Taiwanese DIY baking studio brand Funsiamo took a 1,200-square-foot space at the Suntec City shopping centre, but closed about a year later.

Online chatter suggests that men are the ones who miss a DIY option the most – especially those hoping to impress their other halves with a self-made birthday cake.

For now, they can be found at Home Baking Day – along with dating couples, families and those who do not want to find out if an all-yolk omelette is good to eat.

Home Baking Day is located at #04-11/12/13 City Square Mall and open from 10 am to 10 pm. Tel: 6022-1868