$1,200 for a cake? One grandma says it's worth it

SINGAPORE - Birthdays can be opportunities for a touch of extravagance.

In this case, one woman is ordering a $1,200 cake for her granddaughter's birthday. But housewife Masheela Md Rafi, 47, believes it is worth the money.

She tells The New Paper on Sunday in Malay: "She's my first granddaughter, so I want a grand celebration. This is a present I can give. "I've waited so long for a granddaughter. My eldest daughter was married for four years before she became pregnant."

Her granddaughter will turn one only in May next year, but Madam Masheela has already ordered the cake nine months in advance.

The six-tier cake will have an Alice In Wonderland theme, and is inspired by the cake US celebrity wedding planner David Tutera had made for his daughter earlier this year.

It will feature three books and a tall hat stacked on top of a two-tiered cake base and is decorated with purple, pink and white flowers. The mother of three daughters, who are in their 20s, says she saw Tutera's cake online and thought it suitable. It will be made by SG Birthdaycakes.

Co-founder Madam Marlisawati Abdul Rahman says the cost is high not only because of the basic construction, but there will also be a lot of "intricate modelling and figurines".

As Madam Masheela is not working, she has been saving up for over a year using the monthly household expenses allowance from her husband, who works as a lorry driver.

She says: "He said okay when I checked with him. He doesn't usually interfere in this type of thing. So I call the shots."

COMMENT by Cjai Hung Yin: Looks nice, but I'm not buying it

$400 for a cake? That's just too rich for my taste.

I even felt the pinch when I recently ordered a 2kg $84 Dora The Explorer 2D print cake for my daughter's third birthday.

Sure, it can create a lovely memory. But why spend so much on something that may boost your ego, but is likely be devoured in minutes?

I'd rather use that kind of money on going out for a meal with the family, or something more practical, like a bicycle or a pair of swimming goggles, and still have some left for her education fund.

I have to admit that these 3D cakes look incredibly impressive, but I'll stick to admiring them from afar. It looks beautiful, but it doesn't last.

Also, my kids are too young to appreciate it fully.

But full credit to the bakers, who have the passion to create such beautiful pieces of edible art.

Even if I did buy one, I seriously doubt I'd be able to bring myself to cut it up. How could I destroy it?

I guess there is a sense of satisfaction in being able to execute a novel design from scratch.

When I watch videos of US TV host Cake Boss sculpting his impressive confectionary, it looks so easy and effortless. I really admire his creativity.

It's an unconventional form of expression, one that I'm really starting to appreciate.

But I'm still not going to shell out so much dough for it.

Maybe one day, I'll pick up the sieve, bake a cake and let my daughter decorate it herself - Play-Doh style.

That will hold more meaning. Indeed, it will be priceless.

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