Oh My Cake / San Diego, California
Photo Credit: Annisa Hale
Oh My Cake’s Beginning
When Daria Nadar left Ukraine to continue her education to obtain her business degree, she did not envision opening a patisserie. Her path to creating Oh My Cake started after craving something sweet. She missed the fresh fruit often found in European and Ukrainian pastries that she couldn’t find in American baked goods. “Here, everywhere you go, it’s all sweet, all buttercream, and no fruit,” Daria laments. So, she started baking for herself and her friends and received positive feedback and encouragement.
During the wake of the pandemic, Daria began perfecting her recipes, using YouTube as her source for self-training. “I was looking for that European look and style. Ukraine is obviously, not part of Europe, but Ukraine is very integrated. Many good pastry chefs from Ukraine are studying abroad and have their own YouTube channels, so I took online classes and taught myself”, says Daria.
In no time, her Instagram following grew, and so did her business. She began selling her creations through pop-up stores. They were a big hit, selling out within an hour or two. Her success has allowed her to open Oh My Cake’s permanent location in San Diego’s Hillcrest neighborhood where locals indulge in European pastries.
Premium European Pastry
Daria’s stunning selection of premium custom cakes for birthdays, weddings, and special occasions feature whipped ganache instead of buttercream for better taste, texture, and quality—importing ingredients from France and Belgium. While she prides herself on making most things from scratch, she was elated when she came across an ad for The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley on a trip to source edible flowers at Specialty Produce.
“They had all the flavors, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, are you serious?’ she remembers. “The Perfect Purée hit all the boxes. I could never do all those flavors on my own. I mean, I could, but it would take me forever.” Green Apple is one of Daria’s favorites, and it’s the starring ingredient of her signature fall double-stuffed macarons for Caramel Apple Pie Macaron. Other flavors she likes are Strawberry for her Strawberry Cream Macarons and Red Raspberry for her Raspberry Pistachio Mousse Cake.
Another popular menu item is the Tropical Paradise Mousse Cake which mixes Coconut and milk chocolate mousse layered with Mango Passion Fruit as an insert. The interplay of fruit flavors in European pastry allows Daria to play with flavors you wouldn’t typically see in an American bakery.
Her most recent creation, double-stuffed macarons with pistachio ganache and yuzu apricot confit, has been a big hit. “I have heard about pistachio apricot, but I thought it needed something, so I added [Yuzu Luxe],” Daria says. “The jam, or confit, is 80% apricot and 20% yuzu, which is a strong flavor. It’s amazing.” Also new to the menu is the double-stuffed macaron, containing matcha cheesecake ganache and cherry jam with Cherry Purée. Lemon Zest is a must-have, too. “It’s really great. You don’t have to grate all those lemons,” Daria says.
Supporting Ukraine’s War Relief
When news of Russia invading Ukraine broke out, Daria immediately took action and began raising money to support the war relief for Ukraine. She received an astonishing amount of support from San Diego locals. Daria donated 25% of the profits to the war relief efforts in addition to helping her family. While her sister and nephew are safe in Spain, her parents, unfortunately, had to return to Kyiv in October when their tourist visas expired. “They want to go home. They have a business to run,” she says. . Daria hopes to see an end to this war soon and plans to continue to support her country until then.