Have Your Cake and Eat it Too

For the average Joe, to dabble in baking may mean grabbing your favorite boxed cake mix, a few eggs and a whisk, blending them together and throwing the concoction into the oven. However, for professionally elite pastry chefs such as Abigail Langlas, baking is an art form, which requires only the best ingredients, the most accurate precision, creativity and, of course, the magic touch.

Langlas owns and operates Cake Works, a full-service bakery she opened nearly seven years ago on South King Street, across from Hawaiian Humane Society. Not one to boast, she looks to the help of her team of designers and bakers, and lets her creations speak for themselves.

Enter a host of specially designed cakes, cookies, pastries, cupcakes and more.

“I didn’t want it to be about me. Everything done here requires a team effort. That’s why I chose the name Cake Works,” says Langlas, who opened the shop in July 2008.

Grasping the skill and artistry Langlas possesses is something that doesn’t happen overnight. In fact, after nearly two decades, she still continues to perfect her craft. Langlas’ passion for baking took her across the globe to Europe, specifically France and England, where she studied at L’ecole de Cuisine Francaise de Sabine de Mirbeck and Westminster College, where she was part of a selective training program for working pastry chefs. Upon her return to the Islands, Langlas worked for many premier establishments before deciding to enter the entrepreneurial realm on her own. According to the pastry chef, Cake Works generates an average of 55 cakes per week — from simple to ornately designed ones — along with other sugary confections, including homemade flavored marshmallows and authentic macarons.

“Lilikoi is the perfect fruit for summer,” says Langlas, “The blend of sweet and tart is one of my favorite flavors.”

This quintessential tropical fruit shines this season in Cake Works’ Lilikoi Cupcake ($1.65 mini, $3 regular), Lilikoi Bar ($2 each) and Lilikoi Blueberry Chiffon Cake ($18.95 for 6- inch, $30 for 8-inch), which features vanilla chiffon with layers of local lilikoi curd and lilikoi mousse, topped with fresh blueberries.

“We bake everything from scratch, including frostings. It’s a priority to use local (ingredients) when possible,” she explains.

Priced at $15 per loaf and $2 per slice, Lilikoi Poppy Bread puts a fun twist on classic poppy-seed bread with the addition of passion fruit.

May 31 is National Macaron Day, and to celebrate, Cake Works plans to offer one free macaron of choice, per purchase, per customer. Langlas recommends snatching up a swoonworthy Lilikoi French Macaron (regularly $2 each).

In addition, Cake Works has made a name for itself in Hawaii’s wedding industry, thanks to its lavishly delicious cakes. Be it a classic one-tier cake or extravagant six-tier, Langlas says it’s all in the details.

“The decorating process alone can take up to 12 hours (for a six-tier cake).”

Looking at how far Cake Works has come from its opening day seven years ago, Langlas credits the popularity of cake shows on television, her dedicated team of employees and most especially, her loyal customers.

“We have a busy wedding season approaching,” she says.

So go ahead, have your cake, and eat it too.

Cake Works

2820 S. King St.
946-4333
Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
Sunday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.