Kia Ora, Salaams,
Hi & Bula!

About Me

Woman wearing a light hijab and pink apron decorates a round vanilla cake with raspberries on a gold board at a white table in a bright setting

Hello! I’m Maryam, but you can call me MK! I’m a Fijian Indian Muslim Kiwi, born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand. I’m a baker, recipe developer, wife to Zakariyya, and mum to our beautiful little girl, Nuha. I love creating recipes that bring people together, and I’m so happy you’re here!

More on Maryam's path to CBMK

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    Growing Up

    Smiling young girl with long dark hair in a red dress, indoors near a white curtain and green wall.

    Growing up, I always loved baking! Coming from a large Fijian Indian family, food was a big part of our lives and bringing people together. My family was also heavily involved in community work, so there were always gathering and events to try new sweet treats! Being Muslim, celebrations like Eid were especially exciting, with everyone getting together and the most delicious desserts being made and shared. We’d also travel back to Fiji every couple of years to visit family, where food was always at the heart of everything!

    I started baking independently when I was around 14, making banana cakes and muffins from the Edmonds Cookbook, a staple in many Kiwi households! Back then, I knew NOTHING about baking science. If a recipe called for softened butter to be creamed, I’d sometimes end up melting it instead 😂. And don’t even get me started on cake decorating! I’d stack uneven cake layers, ice them with a knife, and wonder why my cakes never looked like the professional ones. Turns out, there was a little more to baking than I realised!

    Work, Marriage & Travel

    I always dreamed of becoming a psychologist, so I went on to study psychology and complete my postgraduate studies. I met my husband, Zakariyya, through community work in 2016, and we got married a little while later.

    We’ve always loved travelling, and after getting married, we had the opportunity to visit so many wonderful places together, including Thailand, Palestine, Jordan, Malaysia, Fiji, Australia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, India, Sri Lanka, and Singapore. One of our favourite parts of travelling is trying all the different foods and desserts along the way! I’ve had some incredible food experiences, including the BEST kunafa I’ve ever tried in Palestine and discovering a new love for Hokkaido egg tarts in Malaysia. I’m always on the lookout for something delicious to try!

    A year into our marriage, we decided to spend a year in Malaysia studying Arabic, which we absolutely LOVED. After returning to New Zealand in 2019, we were ready to start our own businesses. Zakariyya started a tutoring business, while I wanted to pursue something creative that combined my love of baking with a little entrepreneurship. And that’s where Cakes by MK comes in!

    CBMK

    Smiling woman in a beige hijab sits next to a tall clear cylindrical display with red roses and a pale cream cake at the base.

    What started as a home-based bespoke cake business eventually grew into a YouTube channel and recipe blog! I initially shared cake decorating tutorials before moving into recipe videos and eventually launching the blog, where I could share all the little details and tips to help you recreate my recipes at home.

    In the early days, our lounge basically became my makeshift filming studio because our kitchen didn’t have nearly enough bench space! We’d set everything up in the lounge, figure things out as we went, and winged quite a lot of it. 😂 It’s been so fun looking back and seeing how much things have evolved since then.

    Zakariyya has also officially joined the Cakes by MK team! Although he’s been helping behind the scenes from the very beginning, he now takes care of much of the backend work, filming prep, and his favourite job of all… the dishes! It’s been so lovely having a project we can work on together and building something as a team.

    These days, Cakes by MK is a little family-run business, and we’re so grateful to everyone who has supported us along the way. Whether you’ve been here since the early YouTube days or have only just discovered the blog, thank you for being part of our journey! ❤️

    Motherhood

    Smiling family selfie on a boat with the ocean behind them and a distant shoreline.

    One of the most special chapters of our lives has been welcoming our beautiful little girl, Nuha! ❤️ Becoming a mum has honestly been the BEST thing ever. It’s given me a whole new perspective on life, and I find myself appreciating the little things so much more. Watching her grow, discover the world, and reach new milestones is something I never get tired of.

    Motherhood has brought so much love, joy, and a whole new kind of adventure into our lives. She’s completely changed us for the better, and I genuinely can’t imagine life without her. I also can’t wait for all the years of baking cakes and special little treats for her! She recently celebrated her first birthday, and of course, I had to make her a little smash cake! 🥹

    She’s the light of our lives and, without a doubt, the BEST addition to the Cakes by MK team. She’s already brought so much extra love and happiness to our little family business, and we’re so excited for all the memories still to come! ❤️

    And that’s a little bit about me! ☺️ Thank you for stopping by and getting to know me a little better. I’m so grateful to have you here and to be able to share my love of baking with you. I hope you find something here that inspires you to get into the kitchen and bake something delicious. Happy baking! ❤️