Text by Dian Pasquinal Kaur
Few can resist a beautifully crafted cake, especially when it’s a masterpiece in its own right. Keem Ooi has turned cake decorating into an art form, captivating the digital world with her intricate creations. With 327,000 followers on Instagram and counting, her edible works of art have become a global sensation.
Keem Ooi’s mother, Tai Cheah Peng, was a piano teacher and calligrapher, inspiring her early love for baking and crafts. In high school, she won a Chinese classical singing competition, later training professionally in Penang and earning a teaching certification from the Royal School of London. She began teaching at 18, but baking was always her passion.
After teaching at night, Keem would bake until the early morning, often waiting for sunrise to capture the perfect photo. “I became obsessed, constantly planning my next bake. I created my IG just to share my photos.” Her breakthrough came in 2019 when her Raya batik cake went viral. “People were shocked to see my work, but that’s how it is with artists. We go unnoticed until something happens. Like Van Gogh, who only became famous after he passed.”
During the pandemic, she gained international recognition with cakes inspired by Tom Nook (Animal Crossing) and Bernie Sanders’ viral meme. “With piano and singing lessons on hold, I had to sell my bakes. I also created video tutorials. After teaching for 33 years, my career took a turn.” In 2020, Keem’s followers skyrocketed before her account was hacked and held for ransom. “I was upset and fought to recover it but ultimately I had to start over.” Ever the optimist, she sees challenges as blessings in disguise.
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Keem initially turned down invitations to hold baking classes but once she did, she realised it was a natural extension of her skills. “Teaching is in me; it’s just a different subject and a bigger audience.” As her classes gained attention online, opportunities poured in from Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand. Her furthest assignment at the time was Portugal, where she covered her own accommodation to keep student fees affordable. “The joy of seeing students happy and appreciative means more than profit.”
During a recent masterclass in India, Keem Ooi was treated like a megastar. Moved by the struggles of elderly workers, she donated all her merchandise sales to them. Her kindness extends to students who can’t afford her classes. “Deep down, I’m still the same person. Helping the less fortunate has always been my goal from the time I started working.”
Pinterest inspires Keem’s creativity, from colour palettes to techniques and recipes. As an artist, she sees cakes as her canvas. “I begin by preparing a sponge cake batter and piping a coloured design onto a template, forming the base of my artwork. A plain sponge layer is then added on top before baking. Once the cake is ready, the design is enhanced with edible gel paint, using paintbrush to add outlines and shading.”
Keem has stepped away from taking orders as her focus in now teaching, in the hopes her students can use the skill to earn or simply find joy in baking. “My artistic background pushes me to create beautiful cakes, but only my family knows the trial and error behind perfecting my signature roll cake.”
This article was first published in The Peak Malaysia’s April 2025 issue.
