From Hello Kitty to Rolex watches, custom cakes by Hong Kong baker are so realistic you’ll do a double take

Alison Chan of Dear Harley Bakery is known for creating realistic-looking cakes that resemble everyday objects and people, from Hermès bags to Marvel characters

The self-taught baker is holding her first exhibition at K11 Musea mall, where visitors will be challenged to distinguish her ‘illusion cakes’ from real items

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Alison Chan at Dear Harley Bakery. From Hello Kitty to Rolex watches, her custom cakes are so realistic you’ll do a double take. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 7:15am, 27 Jul 2022Updated: 5:35am, 28 Jul 2022

Baking might be a science, but creating custom cakes is very much an art. In Hong Kong, Alison Chan, owner of Dear Harley Bakery, has become known as the master of illusionary confections.

Her skill for turning sponge cake and fondant into exact replicas of any object or item is now so celebrated, the popular Hong Kong mall K11 Musea is presenting an exhibition of her “illusion cakes” as part of its Art Karnival that starts on July 29. Not bad for a self-taught baker who used to be a news reporter.

“Back in university I started making small desserts at home to give to friends and family. It was nothing complicated, just small cupcakes and macarons. That’s literally how I started,” Chan says. “Then, bit by bit, I opened the shop on Instagram, tried to accumulate more clients and get better.”

For her K11 Musea display, the theme is “after-party”, with the exhibit resembling a long table after a celebration. “We have things there like candles, napkins and other items; 15 of the objects are made of cake,” she says.

A custom cake crafted by Alison Chan. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

“The visitors will have to figure out which are real and which are not. So it’s pretty fun. It takes me about a day to make each cake with the carving, painting and decorating.”