Instagram’s own frilly cake queen, Patchanida Chimkire AKA Mali Bakes, has finally opened a bricks-and-mortar shop in Fitzroy. Selling the OTT layer cakes and Asian-inspired treats that made her famous during the 2020 lockdown, Chimkire has taken a pandemic side hustle and turned it into a little ray of sunshine in Melbourne’s north. 

And we mean little. The pint-sized shopfront is essentially just a cake window (the best kind of window) and while the cakes are still visually stunning, they’re a creative step away from the frilly frosting and vintage-inspired cartoon cakes. Instead, Chimkire and her three pastry chefs are focusing on creating explosive flavour combinations focusing on seasonal ingredients, which they’re selling by the slice from Wednesday to Saturday.

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The new creative steps will utilise the skills Chimkire learned as a savoury chef pre-pandemic at Proud Mary so banish any notions of cakes within the box.

The menu will change monthly but to give you an idea of what to expect, the June premier menu features a Thai tea custard tart, a matcha chiffon roll filled with sake-soaked cherries and white chocolate cream, a brioche bun filled with chocolate custard and, don’t worry, a rotating selection of pretty layered cakes.

Full-sized layer cakes are still available to order via the Mali Bakes website here.

Mali Bakes
195 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Mon-Wed 8am-3pm
malibakes.com

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