Meet the Chef behind Manila’s Most Exquisite Cakes

If there is one thing Filipinos are known for, it is that they love to celebrate. From weddings and birthdays to graduations and anniversaries, Filipinos love to throw a good party!

And what good is a party without cake?

A simple home-based cake venture turned full-blown bakery business; Honey Glaze Cakes is taking the Philippine food industry by storm one magnificent cake at a time. With a fine selection of cake flavors, intricately crafted custom designs, and a roster of high-profile clients, Pastry Chef Aileen Torres Conde has easily become the go-to cake decorator, her creations have become the centerpiece of some of the country’s most extravagant parties.

The Beat Asia sits down with Chef Aileen as we look back on her humble beginnings; get a glimpse into the fascinating yet sometimes grueling process of her craft; and discover how she managed to turn a simple home venture into a successful bakery business.

A Sweet Passion

Chef Aileen’s love for sweets started at home which was inspired by her grandmother with whom she shared a love for baking. She expressed that she initially wanted to attend a culinary school and pursue a career in baking.

“Back in the 80s, culinary and pastry schools were not as popular as they are today. Now, they’re everywhere!” said Aileen. “My frustration was really to make good cakes and desserts.”

While Chef Aileen took a business management degree at the University of the Philippines, her passion for baking never wavered. A few years after graduating, she finally pursued the course of her dreams at a culinary school in Manila.

“The pastry course took almost two years of schooling. It touches on different subjects. You can choose to subspecialize in cakes, breads, or other desserts. You can be a chocolatier too if you want.”

When asked about her subject specialization, Chef Aileen happily shared, “I was really interested in wedding cakes, so I decided to pursue it.” She also jokingly mentioned that her own wedding cake was just the ‘usual’ cake which probably added to her interest in creating elaborate confections. As the centerpiece of a once-in-a-lifetime event, Chef Aileen was drawn to wedding cakes for their uniqueness, and quotes: “It’s something you don’t do every day.”

Little did she know that making them would soon become her full-time job.

Making of Honey Glaze Cakes

In the late 2000s, Chef Aileen pursued more pastry courses with a focus on wedding cakes. She attended and trained at esteemed culinary institutions abroad such as the Wilton School of Cake Decorating in Chicago and the King Arthur Baking School in Vermont.

When asked about when the idea of starting a cake business began to take root, she answered, “I had no inkling of starting a business. At that time my intention was purely to pursue the craft and maybe apply for work somewhere that caters to my interests.”

The cake gods seem to have other plans, however, and in 2009, Chef Aileen established Honey Glaze Cakes in 2009 as a small home-based cake venture, specializing in customized fondant wedding cakes. During this time, she continued to train and refine her skills.

On Her Craft

Chef Aileen captures the true essence of “practice makes perfect” as she revealed that she continuously trains and attends courses abroad; expressing its importance in her growth as a pastry chef.

“I kept coming back to the US or wherever there's an opportunity to learn new techniques about cakes or sometimes about desserts because there's always something new coming up,” she shared. “It's not just that decorating aspect of it, it's also the different flavors or possible desserts that might complement my cakes.”

Honey Glaze Cakes currently offers five signature flavors namely: The Belgian Chocolate, Carrot Cream Cheese, Dulce de Leche, Rocky Road, and Ube — with chocolate being the most popular flavor of choice by her clients. The Honey Glaze owner also shared that she is drawn to the timeless and classic flavors, making chocolate and carrot cream cheese her personal favorites.

While perfecting her craft and experimenting with new flavors and designs, Chef mentioned the ever-changing trends and preferences of consumers in the Philippines and how this affects the business and her job as a baker.

“Right now, in the Philippines, we’re into fondant cakes. It's not your day-to-day eating cake that you just buy off the shelf. This is customized. You have to preorder,” she explained. “Apart from the design aspect, the cake must also taste good. I want to be able to offer our clients something different and what they’ll think of as worth buying.”

Running a cake business isn’t at all a cakewalk as Chef Aileen told us more about their process; from booking to cake delivery. She also shared how it has changed tremendously since the COVID-19 pandemic hit:

“Before the pandemic, people book their weddings one year ahead, so it’s well-planned. After COVID, people were kind of like ‘Let's get married!’ or ‘Let's have a party!’ three months from now. We’re now experiencing events that are ‘biglaan’ (sudden) and it’s made planning more short-term. I receive bookings as late as one month to two weeks before!”

Location also becomes a challenge for the cake business owner, having admitted that weather conditions in the Philippines limit her use of other cake flavors. She tells us that while she learned new recipes from her training in the US, she was unable to use them here due to the humidity.

“We have to make cakes that can withstand the hot weather. For the flavors with cream, there’s always a chance that the cake is going to melt when we transport them to the venue considering the traffic in Manila,” she stressed. The pastry chef also mentioned that she has made vegan cakes for previous clients but has yet to make it a permanent offering due to limited availability of ingredients in the Philippines.

Creating big cakes for grand events also means it’s labor intensive, and Honey Glaze Cakes is known to set up towering cake designs over seven-feet tall! Our cake expert shares that she manages a team of bakers and decorators daily, each of them belonging to a particular department from baking and decorating to delivering.

She emphasizes the importance of managing her kitchen to maintain consistency with the quality of their cakes, whether it’s the taste or presentation, and making sure they meet — if not exceed — their client’s expectations.

Going Beyond Cakes

Tastes and seasons change, but Chef Aileen manages to remain consistent with her creations, which has enabled her to build an impressive client profile. The bakery owner opened up about how she has a lot of Filipino clients from abroad who come home to celebrate, and that they make up some of her most memorable projects.

“It’s very heartwarming to see these people and to meet them. Coming home and planning a wedding is so exciting for them and you can feel it each time.” She gushed about attending her client’s weddings and how it’s always an emotional experience to be part of them.

Honey Glaze Cakes is truly in the business of crafting cakes and memories having been part of numerous momentous events. Their signature fondant cakes adorned with edible sugar flowers can often be found as the centerpiece of weddings and birthday parties of celebrities and other high-profile personas in the Philippines. This is proof that her cakes are widely in demand and have made a name for itself in the industry.

But what’s next for Honey Glaze Cakes?

“Our expansion is underway at the moment,” revealed Aileen. “Honey Glaze is evolving. Our goal is to bring our products to our customers in a more accessible platform.”

With the success of her business, Chef Aileen plans to diversify with the assistance of her daughter Lyla, the now head of retail operations for the company in charge of expanding their pastry and bread lines.

Lyla Conde had pushed for the brand to adapt a retail model after the hits to their business during the COVID-19 pandemic. After officially joining in 2020, Lyla collaborated with her mom to work on the retail side of the business.

Plans to expand have already been set into motion as Honey Glaze Bakery + Kitchen set up bread counters and cafes in several SM malls across the metro, selling more than just their signature cakes. They have now added bread to the menu and are serving popular baked goods such as the viral cookie croissants.

With Honey Glaze Cakes solidifying their place as the go-to cakes for special occasions, and an expansion on the way, we are sure that Chef Aileen’s delightful creations will continue to dazzle and bring joy, adding even more sweetness to life’s most precious moments.

ICYDD: Their flagship bakery café is making its debut in Makati, where they will not only be serving their signature cakes but also specialty coffee and tasty mains and pastries perfect for your next brunch out! The café is set to open in September on the ground floor of Greenbelt Madison Condominium in Legazpi Village.

To know more about Chef Aileen’s exquisite confections and to book your own celebratory cakes and pastries, visit their website.