Baking cakes and treats for furbabies
Never a dull day in the world of food. Here’s a promising pet chef and the latest hopia innovations for National Hopia Day.
Meet Kayla Mae Cordero, 25, of Flour Cakes and Pastries, entrepreneur, successful baker, cake artist, pet pastry chef and mom to a dozen fur babies.
Cordero hails from a family of cooks and caterers. She first delved into baking upon the prodding of her mother, out of their need for cakes and pastries to add to their spread.
Cordero started baking at age 13, whipping up mostly cupcakes. Much later, she honed her creativity through a six-hour session with her aunt, who specializes in fondant clad cakes. The half-day session was enough for Cordero to produce her own masterpiece for an event, the day after her lesson.
Cordero at the time identified herself as a weekend baker, who baked as needed. Her true break came during the pandemic, after coming across the latest trend, bento cakes.
Born creative, coming up with original designs was second nature to her. She posted her original bento cake ideas online and orders poured in, and thankfully never stopped.
By the end of the pandemic, her business had flourished so much, there was a need for Kayla and her family to move to a bigger house, with a larger kitchen. At this point, she felt that her dreams were slowly coming true. Her desire to be of help to her family and to repay her parents was beginning to unfold.
Specialized
The specialized food and baked goods line for dogs and cats came to mind when her bakeshop’s Birthday Bundle, which consists of cakes, donuts, cakesicles and macarons were being ordered by fur parents for their dogs’ birthday celebrations.
Unfortunately, the ingredients of her creations were unsafe for pet consumption and her products were being used mostly to bring color to the birthday spread, to be enjoyed by humans—and not by the furry celebrant nor their furry friends.
Cordero saw the potential, as the pet birthday cakes and treats that were available all looked the same.
With cake design as her forte, she felt she had an edge. So she decided to be a customized pet cake artist.
To equip herself, she took a pet bakery workshop in Singapore conducted by a pet chef from the Korea Pet Food Research and Education Association.
Cordero said that her passion for baking and her love for her dogs inspired her to develop delicious, healthy, safe, nutritious and beautiful cakes, specifically made for pets.
This newfound passion led to the opening of Furry Flour Pet Bakery (@furryflour on Instagram), the sister bakeshop of Flour Cakes and Pastries. Cordero added that it is also her goal to teach other fur parents how to create healthy snacks and treats for their pets by holding workshops in her Malabon kitchen, with the intent of creating knowledgeable and health-conscious pet owners.
Furry Flour Baker offers an assortment of sweet and savory food packages for your dog’s and cat’s birthday needs. From Pizzas, Spawghetti and Jolly Chicken Meals, to Gimbap, Cupcakes and Cream Puffs—there’s something that will bring delight to your pets and their furry pals.
Kayla shared her recipe:
Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Dog Cookie
- 1 c whole wheat flour
- 1 c rolled oats
- ½ c unsweetened applesauce
- ½ c natural peanut butter (ensure it does not contain xylitol)
- 1 egg
- ¼ c water (add more if needed)
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, combine the whole wheat flour and rolled oats.
In a separate bowl, mix the applesauce, peanut butter, egg and water until well combined.
Combine ingredients until a dough forms. If the dough is too dry, add a little more water, one tablespoon at a time.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about ¼-inch thickness.
Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes.
Put cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown.
Very Filipino
If National Lollipop Day, Bread Day, International Burger Day, Pizza and Pasta Day exist, why not National Hopia Day, said Geric Chua of Eng Bee Tin.
Hopia is very Filipino, said Chua. Nowhere else in Asia is the pastry found and made as it is here, with as many filling options.
The Chua family has been making hopiang monggo at baboy since 1912. It was only in the ’90s when Chua’s father Gerry filled the pastry with ube, that another variant was born.
They have not stopped innovating since. To date, Eng Bee Tin boasts over 20 kinds of hopia.
The Chuas, known innovators and food trend setters, declared every third Sunday of July as National Hopia Day.
Hopia must be celebrated, in Chua’s opinion, as it is truly Chinese Filipino. The term, after all, is only used in the Philippines.In Hokkien, he said ho means “good” and pia means “pastry.” In China, the pastry that’s similar to hopia is filled only with monggo and called dòushā bing.
The recently concluded three-day celebration showcased the many possibilities of the humble pastry.
For the event, Eng Bee Tin formulated special flavors such as Kapeng Barako, Dahon ng Sibuyas, Philippine Mango Cake Hopia, Baguio Strawberry, and the hands down people’s choice, the Hopiang Sisig paired with beer.
The event was a success, indeed! Congratulations, Eng Bee Tin!
