Meet Samantha Liang
Samantha Liang Cake Artistry
Milnerton, Cape Town
South Africa
See more of Samantha's cakes at
"I choose Bakels Pettinice for my cake projects because of its endless versatility. It gives me freedom to experiment with my art with its fantastic flexibility and colour range."
Samantha Liang is a sugar florist and cake artist based in Cape Town, South Africa.
From a very early age she had a passion for pastry and started her sugar craft adventure shortly after graduating as a pastry chef. Her obsession with dainty sugar flowers started after creating her first rose for a school project. Hosting a variety of in-person classes from fondant and ganache basics to intricate wedding cake designs, she also teaches sugar flower making online. When she's not in the classroom, she is honing her skills to create realistic looking sugar flowers that will dazzle and amaze. We had an opportunity to ask Samantha a few questions about her cake journey...
What is the very first cake you remember making?
Oh Golly, That's a tough one... I don't remember the first cake ever but the most memorable attempt was baking a layer of chocolate cake when I was a kid. I was so excited about it I kept opening the oven door to check on it. Needless to say, it collapsed/caved in. I was devastated.
What was the defining moment you realized you would do this as a business? OR, Why/how did you become a cake decorator
I always knew I wanted to be a chef from an early age. I grew up watching my mom make amazing wedding cakes out of chocolate and I wanted to be able to do that too. AS I grew up I discovered there is more out there than just chocolate and I instantly fell in love with sugar paste
What has been the most challenging cake you have made to date?
When I first started out in the industry I would get a lot of requests to do cakes off of a reference picture - "I want a cake exactly like this picture" I don't really like just copying someone else's work, I'd much rather take the concept and rework it into something exclusive to the client, but at the time not many clients were open to that. So I ended up just recreating a cake from a picture just for the sake of business. I have come a long way since then and I have been blessed with clients who trust my creative expression, who allow me to design a concept for them.
What was the last cake that made you cry? (from joy even!)
This one. It's a cake I made for a local cake community demonstration day. I was doing a demo on the sugar flowers and how you don't need expensive tools to start sugar flower making. Since the demo, I have been tagged in posts of people sharing their new skills and it has brought so much joy!
What cake do you wish someone would order?
I am in love with sugar flowers. So I'd like nothing more than to be able to do a huge flower spray on a wedding cake in dramatic monochrome tones
What is your favourite part / step of the cake decorating process?
I enjoy the decorating the most. It's the part of your creation where your audience gets their first impression of you and the perfect opportunity to showcase your art and personality as an artist.
What do you listen to while you are decorating?
I am a bit of a nerd so I like to listen to a podcast about a group of friends playing Pathfinder. It's basically a group of people playing a table top game built on the mechanics of Dungeons and Dragons. It's an awesome stress relief that fills my work space with laughter and keeps the stress levels low.
What is your favourite Pettinice colour?
The RED! Oh my! It has such a rich undertone and it is so vibrant.
Do you make your own birthday cake?
I don't. Unless my husband has planned something, I am busy making someone else's cake. It brings me joy to see how much joy my clients have when they receive my cakes.
What’s your favourite cake delivery story?
I was working on a 4 tier, tall, all white wedding cake. We were well into the Hot Cape Town Summer and as such, I usually insist that wedding cakes be delivered and set up by myself or my assistant. On this particular day my assistant went on the delivery. I had the cake stacked and assembled before it left for the delivery. My assistant sat in the back of the van with the cake and checked in with me every so often. (It was a very bumpy road to the wedding venue in the middle of Stellenbosch wine farms.) Eventually, she stopped checking in and I started to panic. Twenty minutes go by, no word from her. I call. No answer. Terror sets into my heart. Eventually she called me back saying they just pulled over on the side of the road (calming their nerves) because as the driver entered onto the gravel road, he was driving a little faster than he should have and the entire cake box, cake and all came toppling towards her! Luckily, she managed to grab it and hold it down (while yelling at the driver to pull over). Thankfully, no damage to the cake, only a few broken flower petals that she managed to replace at the venue.
What’s something you wish people would know about your business?
I teach everyone! From the very beginner to the more advanced. There is no such thing as too many questions or silly questions. It's all in the name of knowledge!
What’s next in your cake world?
I am currently working on moving my classes online. I have successfully filmed and launched 2 of my classes already and hope to launch the flower range soon! I have been seeing a lot of rice paper cake trends lately so I would love to get stuck in and experiment with that. 
