An island that baked up a fan storm
It was never about Internet fame for Dunali Kalpana Ranawana. Her love for baking out-of-the-ordinary cakes came about after moving to the USA and becoming a stay-at-home mum, which led her to start experimenting in the kitchen to fill up her free time. But after her YouTube tutorial for her Island Cake went viral, featured on popular platforms like Buzzfeed Tasty and more, this Sri Lankan home baker gets to share her creativity with millions of fans worldwide.
Qualified as a Chartered Management Accountant with a Masters degree in Finance, Dunali had a promising career ahead of her in Sri Lanka. But circumstances quickly changed as her husband was transferred to the USA in 2015. Due to the demanding nature of his work Dunali decided to take a break to be with her baby girl.
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- First effort: The 3D Rapunzel cake for her daughter’s 4th birthday
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- Dunali’s much-shared Island cake
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- Dunali Ranawana: Close to achieving her dream of opening her own cake boutique
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- Bunny cake
Though she missed the rush of the corporate world, her newfound free time afforded her the opportunity to experiment with food and desserts. Her first go at making a cake was for her daughter’s 4th birthday in 2018 – a 3D Rapunzel cake decorated with fondant that took many stressful days to complete. But the effort was worth it, and Dunali says that when she posted photos of it in a few cake groups, nobody believed that she didn’t have any prior experience.
Dunali initially only baked for her family, but one persistent request sent to her Instagram page changed all that. One mum from a local Facebook group, desperate to find a vegan cake for her son’s birthday, wouldn’t quit asking. “I had never made a vegan cake until then, but I have never said no to a challenge either,” Dunali explains.
The cake was a huge hit, and many guests at the party became her customers. In September 2019, she started her own home-baking business to keep up with the demand. “My very first cake order gave me a lot of confidence to start my baking business. I have never advertised my services, customers always find me through word of mouth,” she says.
Dunali specialises in making eye-catching novelty cakes with fondant details and decorations, and is ever ready to take up a challenge. As a Sri Lankan home baker in the US, she is happy to say that she has received nothing but support and amazing feedback from clients.
Now a mother of two running her own household, there are certainly challenges in balancing it all. “You have to be willing to put in the time and make lots of sacrifices.” she says.
When the COVID-19 lockdown happened, Dunali had to stop taking cake orders. But the silver lining was that she had time to hone her creative skills. This led to the creation of her YouTube channel ‘Kitchen Journal By Kalpana’ where she documents the making of some of her stunning cakes.
Her famed Island Cake was one such video, born out of many experiments with gelatine and chocolate cake. The internet fame whirlwind hit when content researchers from The Manc UK, a Manchester-centric news page on Facebook, saw the video and asked if they could feature it.
Since then, Dunali’s Island Cake has been featured by many platforms like Bored Panda, Daily Mirror UK, Demotivateur Food France, and lately on Buzzfeed Tasty to an audience of 38.6 million on Instagram alone. It was also featured on the official YouTube page on Instagram, with 456,171 views and counting. Popular food YouTubers EmmymadeinJapan and Caro Trippar, amongst others, have tried recreating it as well.
With millions of views, thousands of follows on her business page and inquiries pouring in from all over, Dunali is that much closer to realising her dream of opening up a unique and artistic cake boutique. But having just moved to Canada, her plan right now is to work on her YouTube channel.
Her advice to fellow stay-at-home mums: “You simply have to make your voice heard and build on what you are good at or what you believe in.”
Follow Dunali’s food adventures on Instagram @kitchenjournal_bykalpana and on her Youtube channel ‘Kitchen Journal By Kalpana’