Local Hero: Baker/Bakery

An Interview with Karina Cake, Owner and Chef

Photos by Stephanie Cameron

Karina Cake, owner of Planty Sweet.

Planty Sweet is Albuquerque’s first 100 percent vegan and gluten-free cakery. They specialize in beautifully crafted cakes, Bundt cakes, and cheesecakes that one would never guess are vegan and gluten free. Planty Sweet’s goal is to create desserts that will not only fix a sweet tooth but be an experience on their own!

Talk about your journey to a plant-based diet.

I turned vegetarian during my first year in college, when I read all about the detrimental effects of factory farming on our environment as well as our health. I was also studying botany and ecology at that time, so it all came together for me. I was fascinated with our bio-
diversity, and wanted to do my part to not destroy it.

Being vegetarian in the mid-2000s was still not a norm—I had to cook some of my own food since the usual broke college student fast-food lunches were no longer an option for me. I naturally found joy reading vegetarian recipe books, and discovering different vegetables and legumes. Strangely, I developed cravings for spicy food after going vegetarian. I generally became so much more fascinated with cooking and food, which then sparked an interest in culinary arts. My closest option for a plant-based culinary institute was strictly raw vegan—something unheard of for me. Especially in Cantonese culture—we love our wok hei and soups—we even stir-fry cucumber and lettuce! I decided to give it a try anyway, and I fell in love with the creativity, the vibrant textures and flavors. The raw part didn’t stick, but the vegan part obviously did!

Your culinary influences are global. Do you have a formative pastry memory? How have you drawn from different dessert traditions to create your own?

I think having grown up in Hong Kong definitely plays a role in my style of desserts. I didn’t grow up baking like many Americans, because most homes in Hong Kong don’t have ovens—there is no space. We did have bakeries that taunted me, on almost every block. My favorites were the fancy pâtisseries, of course, with beautiful displays of delicate entremets. So when I started Planty Sweet, I knew I wanted to make plant-based versions of the beautiful cakes I grew up adoring.

As I grow older, I learn to appreciate my heritage more and more, so I am always incorporating Asian flavors and traditional Chinese ingredients like black sesame and red bean in my desserts.

Planty Sweet’s Bundt cakes (upper left) and beautifully crafted custom cakes.

What role do the seasons and/or local ingredients play in your designs? What is your process for designing custom cakes for weddings and other occasions?

Seasons definitely play a role, and always should! Although I still use berries and some tropical fruits, I try to go heavy on menu items using local fruits when they are in season. I am so grateful that one of the most delicious fruits on earth, peaches, grows abundantly in New Mexico in the summer! I love combining local ingredients like peach and lavender to create a special summer cake.

I try to use locally grown blooms and edible flowers for cake decoration whenever available. Marigolds, globe amaranth, and yarrow from Bluefly Farms are my favorite florals to use during summertime. I love using Siberian elm and Russian olive for greeneries in my cake floral arrangements, instead of eucalyptus. Eucalyptus is very trendy in wedding florals, but it doesn’t make sense to me to use imported greeneries when Siberian elm and Russian olive grow abundantly here.

What is one of your favorite savory things to cook or eat?

Whatever I can with the vegetables I get from my CSA. It seems like radishes and turnips are around all season, and because I am Cantonese and we cook everything, I find myself always making miso soup with turnips. If I have bok choy or napa cabbage on hand, I’ll throw those in. If not, I’ll just add extra of the pantry staple wakame. During fall, I’ll use local kabocha squash or delicata squash—the sweetness really pairs well with miso.

I also love making this Chinese cold cucumber dish with Silver Leaf cukes. It is basically cucumbers marinated with soy sauce or tamari, black vinegar, and chile oil. I often pair this with dan dan noodles, which is absolutely my favorite thing!

2506 Washington NE, Albuquerque, plantysweet.weebly.com