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It began as an English bakery offering novelty cakes now, 17 years down the line, just one piece of cake is just not enough for fans of one of the island's oldest cake shops.
Kim Hirjis, owner of A Piece of Cake, on the Budaiya Highway, has been living on the island for 31 years loves brightening birthdays, weddings and corporate functions with her unique and personal cake designs.
She said: "I love it when children come in and see their birthday cakes and especially the look on their faces when you have actually been able to make the things they wanted.
"Normally when people come to order a cake for a friend or family I ask them what their interests are and one particular person said handbags. I just thought let's try to do a design of a handbag and we did it."
The shop is very flexible with its designs and can custom-make just about anything with recent creations includind dolls, cars, boats, Disney characters, treasure boxes, card hands, wads of money, magazine covers, Star Wars themes, Winnie the Pooh, ice skates and even a pony's head.
And aside from the unique novelty cakes, the A Piece of Cake is also well-known for its carrot cake.
Kim, 51 from Saar, said: "Most of my other recipes have been passed to me by my mum or they are recipes that I have developed myself or those my friends have given to me.
"My best friend Dana, who owns Celebrations the second half of the shop, shared a recipe from an American cookbook.
"She gave it to me when I very first started. We have been friends for about 21 years."
The shop was first established in Riffa before opening the second branch on the Budaiya Highway.
Kim said: "Dana opened her first shop in the Sanad area and she was doing balloon decorating and birthday supplies.
"I used to go in occasionally and just sort of help her unpack things. One of the Shaikhas came in and asked if anyone could make her a birthday cake and Dana turned and said 'oh Kim will have a go for you' and I did it and then it just took off."
Initially, she catered mostly to the royal families but it got to a point where she began making huge cakes on her dining room table and at the same time she had just had her fourth and youngest child.
Kim said: "It just got too much and my husband suggested we open a shop and we started our first one just off the Bukhwara Avenue in Riffa.
"I just thought I would be making one or two cakes over the weekend but it snowballed and I was basically baking morning, noon and night and having to call in favours from friends to help me.
"Eventually I managed to get the staff and then I never looked back really and thankfully it's been a great success.
"I never anticipated the demand, I completely underestimated it."
Between the two shops, there are now nine staff including two full time chefs, one part-time chef and one part-time designer.
Kim said: "Small items like cookies and brownies are done here while the larger orders like the novelty cakes are done at our main kitchen."
The name was suggested by her businessman husband, Khalil Ebrahim Hijris.
She said: "We were going through run of the mill names like Kim's Kitchen and Kim's Cakes. I happened to say something like 'I just want a place where people can come and have a piece of cake and a cup of tea'. This was when we lived in Riffa and there wasn't anywhere that offered something like this. My husband just looked at me and said 'that's it, A Piece of Cake'."
Today that piece of cake has crossed borders and been delivered to various households and corporate offices around the world.
Kim said: "We do send cakes over seas, to the Philippines, the American soldiers in Iraq, we often get customers in Kuwait, Dubai and India. The carrot cake in particular is very well travelled."
Each weekend the shop prepares between 20 and 30 cakes for its sweet toothed fans.
Other than cakes the store offers snacks for coffee mornings including beef sausage rolls and mini quiche, breakfast including scrambled eggs, omelettes, pancakes, muffins and croissants and lunches of salads, jacket potatoes, sandwiches and beef chili and nachos. Homemade dishes such as lasagnas, salads and chilli are also on offer and Kim also caters to corporate clients and for clubs and social events. Here she shares a favourite recipe with GulfWeekly readers.
