Once, years ago, I made a tiramisu using Marie biscuits for my own consumption. Other than that, I satisfied my tiramisu cravings at Pastamania coz it's halal and the texture was to my liking.
When Han was going to celebrate her birthday in September 2013, I was troubled. What gift can I give a special someone who has everything? That's when I decided I'd surprise her with a tiramisu birthday cake. That's the only dessert she'll eat. I began searching for what I needed at the supermarkets. It wasn't easy for one who doesn't bake much to look for mascarpone cheese and savoiardi biscuits.
As I made the cake, I thought about how to make it look special. Thus, I made a stencil for the top of the cake - a simple design, her name and an owl, her favourite animal.
It wasn't as easy as I imagined. I had trouble taking the cake out of the springform tin. The mascarpone filling was too runny, I thought. Oh, and I was worried how the other guests (her family!!) are going to judge the cake! So much stress!!
After that, Han started encouraging me to market my tiramisu. She reckoned it was good enough for others to enjoy. I wasn't sure and was too shy.
Quietly though I wanted to find out if other people liked it. I got some small containers, made a batch and brought them to work. That was the first big step I made.
My first sale was on 30 Oct. The first three batches were for colleagues. We found all that we needed at Benny's shop.
By mid November, friends started ordering. Han and I began seriously educating ourselves about Kosher and Halal products. Our mascarpone cheese at that time does not have the halal label. She contacted distributors and manufacturers in Malaysia and Italy. I found out the difference between vanilla essence and vanilla extract. We realized that we had a huge responsibility in ensuring that we deliver what we promised.
By end of November, we had our first order from one we both don't know. That was a milestone for us. We have reached the public.
I spent countless hours googling and watching YouTube videos on cake decorating. I looked at endless photos of tiramisu on Instagram. We needed to be current yet different. We discussed cups, mugs and containers. We weighed, calculated, weighed again and calculated again. We bought and tasted tiramisu from other shops then weighed and calculated again. We took in account our customers' feedback and adjusted the taste.
We started with a small ($10) and medium ($20) tub.
Now we have a large ($30) tub.
We started with a 10" cake ($60) and now we have a 7" cake ($40) too.
We also have our Cuppas ($27 for 6) which we hope will take off soon.
In Dec, I tried making our first small log cake ($40 for 750g). The design wasn't great at all. I learnt that icing sugar melts in seconds after dusting so I was back googling for an alternative. The large log cake ($60 for 1.5kg) were well received this Christmas season and we are making the log cake available all year around.
To cater to different people's needs and tastes, I have made Milo tiramisu, tiramisu with decaffeinated coffee and even butterscotch limoncello tiramisu. I know the difference between caramel and butterscotch now.
I have other ideas that I'm very excited to try and I hope I have the opportunity to do them in the future.
As 2013 comes to an end, I am very grateful for what I have had the chance to do this year. Alhamdulillah.
Thank you for your encouragement Han. I wouldn't have done this if it hadn't been for your tireless motivation and patience. Thank you too for those long drives around the island for ingredients and deliveries and your patience during the occasional spat over weights and workflow.
Thank you for everyone too for making these past few months amazing just by ordering a tub or two (or eight!!) and a cake or two for yourself and your friends.
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