Amelia Teh of Amelia’s Homemade Carrot Cake is one successful example of home chefs emerging during the COVID-19 period. Specializing in Hong Kong-style carrot cakes, the mother-of-two used to only prepare her signature carrot cakes once a year during Chinese New Year.
So how did the business take off?
As an avid home cook, Amelia started making them more often this year after many requests from her sons. But she didn’t just feed her family – she would also prepare them for her friends, who always passed glowing remarks, saying they would pay for her carrot cakes.
At that point, Amelia and her husband, Elger Kua, didn't think much of their friends' comments and only seriously considered selling carrot cakes from home when the circuit breaker was announced back in April.
The couple runs a design and printing company together which caters mostly to events. But since events had to be canceled due to the circuit breaker, the couple were forced to cancel all their jobs as well. That’s when they knew that they had to do something to supplement their income during this period, and that's how Amelia's Homemade Carrot Cake started.
While Amelia runs the kitchen, Elger handles the logistics – taking in orders and handling their social media pages.
Being in the kitchen is no easy task, and the preparation alone takes up to five hours! Every carrot cake batter then has to be steamed for at least an hour before they are ready to be sent out.
For all the effort, Amelia charges between $10 to $14 for 700g of their different cakes.
Take a look at their menu:
Classic Carrot Cake ($10)
Pumpkin Carrot Cake ($13)
Pure Pumpkin Cake ($14)
Traditional Yam Cake ($14)
Yam Pumpkin Cake ($14)
Hokkien and Nyonya Dumpling ($5.50 each)
Shredded Scallops ($8 for 50g, $15 for 100g)
Since this is a home-based business, supplies are limited each day. The carrot cake is only made upon order (three days advance notice is advised), and delivered on the day that they are steamed for optimal freshness.
Delivery is free for orders of 5 boxes or more, otherwise a $5 fee applies. Do note that if you're ordering over CNY, a surcharge will also apply due to the increased cost of ingredients.
You can follow them on Facebook and Instagram for more information, and place your orders here over WhatsApp!