Jakarta. Jakarta is turning 497 this year, and chefs at éL Hotel Jakarta recently made giant cakes in the shape of ondel-ondel , or Betawi effigies, as a birthday gift.

The fondant-covered cakes -- called Bang éLO and Mpok éLA- -  were 1.3 meters tall. Bang éLO was the ondel-ondel dressed in black, while Mpok éLA wore a pink dress and yellow scarf. The hotel handed over the cakes to North Jakarta mayor Ali Maulana Hakim. 

The hotel’s executive chef Agus Santoso and pastry chef Tinggardi shared how the hotel made these unique-looking cakes. 

Speaking to Beritasatu.com, Agus said that they did some research first before making the cakes. It was then that the chefs decided that fondant would be best for outdoor occasions, especially since it can withstand the heat. However, Agus admitted that making giant cakes for outdoor events -- coupled with the details of an ondel-ondel -- was quite challenging.

“Because we have to re-create the face of an ondel-ondel, and we must make it similar to the original. It took about three days because we have to make sure that they really look similar,” Agus said on the sidelines of the cake handover ceremony on Friday.

Due to its size, the chefs also had to make a frame first so Bang éLo and Mpok éLa would not fall.

The entire process took around two weeks. Tinggardi was responsible for making these cakes with the help of other team members, who were helping with the pastry, engineering, and creative arts. éL Hotel Jakarta’s general manager Lenni Apriyanti also took part in assembling the cakes.

To enliven the celebrations, éL Hotel Jakarta is also hosting the Jakarta Culinary Week event at eL Terrace on June 21-22. The hotel is working alongside local micro, small, and medium enterprises to promote Betawi cuisine.