Heart-shaped cakes and cute cupcakes headline the menu at Mermaid Beach’s new Yum Bakery
Yum Bakery didn’t start with a shopfront or a business plan. It started during nap times. Owner Heya Yum launched her cake business four years ago while pregnant. She began baking during her baby’s nap times and gradually grew it into a small business as demand increased. Now that her daughter is a little older and Heya has a little more breathing room, Yum Bakery has stepped into its own brick-and-mortar space on the Gold Coast Highway.
Yum Bakery is tiny, warm and unmistakably personal. Heya painted the space herself, sourced the furniture and finishes, and leaned into an antique, cosy aesthetic that feels more like a home kitchen than a commercial fit-out. Even the logo carries a family touch, designed with help from her three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, whose backwards Y remains proudly intact.
The cabinet immediately draws your eye. Delicately layered croissants, brownies and banana bread share space with petite pastries, but the real scene-stealers are the cakes. Yum Bakery’s signature heart-shaped cakes are inspired by Korean baking culture, scaled deliberately smaller than traditional celebration cakes so nothing feels excessive or wasteful. The shapes, colours and finishes are playful without tipping into novelty, designed to feel special but also not reserved exclusively for celebrations.
Many of the treats are available dairy-free, gluten-free or vegan, including the bakery’s cult vanilla ‘Jelly cat cupcake’, complete with soft piping and the cutest hints of nostalgia.
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Heya uses free-range eggs, grass-fed butter and house-made fruit purees wherever possible. With the exception of the pastries, everything else is made in-house, from cookies and banana bread to brownies and small baked treats. Mini teddy madeleines and meringue cookies are finished by hand, leaning into Heya’s love of detail and decoration.
Beans by Paradox Coffee Roasters anchors the offering, alongside slowly expanding house-made drinks. Strawberry lattes are made with fresh puree prepared on site, and matcha drinks are beginning to roll out as the venue finds its rhythm. Custom cakes can still be ordered online, but the ability to walk in and choose a ready-made cake from the cabinet adds a new layer to the experience.
If you’re drawn to thoughtful baking, playful details and desserts made with real care, this one is worth seeking out.
Head to The Directory for opening times.