Business spotlight: Du Plessy Pralin & Otello ‘bird cake’ sensation

Inside a business that’s gone viral: The Du Plessy Pralin & Otello ‘bird cake’ sensation

Nestled in the northern suburbs of Sydney, Du Plessy Pralin and Otlello has been serving up handmade gateaux and chocolates by chocolatier, Paul Adam, for decades. But on Saturday 8th March 2025, Paul’s signature ‘Japonaise’ cake became a social media sensation overnight.

It all began when Chinese social media creator, Max Li, had heard about the bakery while on a train. Having struck up conversation with a fellow passenger who was Du Plessy regular, the pair took a visit to get one of Paul’s cakes and documented it on social media. Within a week, the video amassed 12 million views, and cake-hungry punters have been lining up outside the shop for hours ever since.

The cake that became an internet sensation

“What’s crazy about the whole thing is it’s just a cake!,” Paul said humbly. “But it was only recently that I realised, it’s not just a cake, because there are so many stories that come with the cake.”

The Japonaise cake has attracted dessert-loving customers from across the world. People have travelled from Singapore, Malaysia and China, as well as interstate within Australia.

“6 girls had travelled up from Wollongong for hours to get a cake for one of their 21st,” Paul said. “Then she made a booking to eat her cake on top of the Harbour Bridge!”

“One day when we’d sold out of cakes, a guy had taken 4 buses to get to us,” Paul said. “So we made him a cake,” he continued, revealing that the customer had hoped his girlfriend would marry him when he returned to Melbourne with the famous gateaux.

The Japonaise cake, now commonly referred to as the “bird cake” or the “old baby cake” among Max Li’s fanbase, is made with a decadent chocolate mousse sandwiched between hazelnut and almond meringues. Paul says that despite its recent viral popularity, it’s always been their signature cake.

“The reason I came up with this was because in 1989, doctors started diagnosing coeliacs disease, so I knew I needed to come up with something that was gluten free,” he explained.

Empty fridges and phones off the hook

Paul’s unexpected virality posed a threat to his usual peak period over Easter when Du Plessy regulars were expecting to stock up on Easter eggs. The surge in demand for the Japonaise cake meant he was behind on making stock, and risked disappointing his existing customers at the hands of serving new ones.

Desperate to claw back time, Paul contacted the influencer that propelled him to fame to ask him to put out a message on his social channels. Understanding his plight, Max requested that his followers give Paul time to catch up on his orders ahead of Easter.

“The next day, not one person was outside the shop,” Paul said.

But before long, the cake had reached TikTok and Instagram locally in Australia, and then the frenzy really began. Paul tells of having to take the phone off the hook due to being inundated with calls.

Long hours and a 700% increase in output

In a normal week prior to March, Paul and his team were selling around 120 cakes a week. Now, they’re selling 120-150 per day, which has meant hand making between 6 and 8 times as many batches.

“The hours are ridiculous,” he said. “But until it’s all over, you just keep going.”

Paul had to make a number of adaptations to the business to meet the increased demand, which he did with support from Community Bank Lindfield. “The Bank has been amazing. They even bring my EFTPOS rolls up to me, because they know I can’t get out of the shop,” he joked.

Paul invested in new equipment like fridges, cake rings and baking equipment, put on extra staff for longer hours, and got extra EFTPOS machines to cope with the increased volume of transactions.
“One EFTPOS machine certainly wasn’t going to be enough!” he quipped. The team now takes payments from customers directly from the queue to speed up the in-store process.

After speaking to Tyro, Paul’s new Bendigo Bank powered by Tyro EFTPOS machine was brought to the shop two days later.

Paul’s advice on managing viral demand in business

Paul’s experience certainly opens up an important conversation around virality for small businesses. While a surge in demand is what many businesses dream of, nothing can prepare you for the logistics when it actually happens.

Struggling to meet the needs of your existing customers, adapting to higher volumes and outputs, and troubleshooting issues in real time can really take its toll. But Paul says that there was a lightbulb moment where he realised that he needed to take control.

“You start to work out, you're on a train, and while you can’t get off the train, you’re driving the train. That’s when we started to get a little bit under control.”

Essentially, Paul learned that while you can’t control demand, you can control how you respond. Just like you’d take action during periods of low demand, business owners need to take action during periods of high demand. The team began taking orders ahead of time with a small number available for walk-ups on the day, and putting limits on the number of cakes per person.

“Be in control of your own business,” Paul warns, recommending business owners “put limits on things” to maintain a sense of control through the madness.

A Bank that’s right behind you

Paul’s business banking has been with Bendigo Bank for many years, and he’s in regular contact with his local community branch, Community Bank Lindfield. When your business goes viral, you need a Bank that’s right behind you. “I don’t know what’s next, but I know the Bank will support me whatever the situation be,” Paul concluded.