Jeremy Allan has spent years turning tiny, intricate desserts into edible works of art and picking up some serious recognition from the Australian pastry industry.
Now, following another moment of national recognition, it’s becoming increasingly clear that he deserves to be on every dessert lover’s radar.
Recently Jeremy was named a finalist in the 2026 Pastry Chef of the Year at the ACADA Australasian Cake Oscar Awards, and although he didn’t take the cake, the national milestone is certainly worth the recognition.
Before opening his own dessert cafe in Adelaide, Jeremy spent years working as a welder and machinist. But when he began making birthday cakes for his daughter in 2008, he discovered a creative outlet that would eventually become a career.
“Unfortunately, cake making didn’t really take off because it was fairly expensive and not a lot of people wanted to spend the money on a decorated cake,” Jeremy said.
“So I decided to invest in courses interstate with a pastry school.”
Armed with new skills and an existing creative eye, Jeremy began taking the idea more seriously.
“Learning what I did from those courses, and having that creative flair within me already, I decided to hit the ground running back in 2018.”
Many Adelaide dessert lovers now know him from his quirky Morphett Vale shop, Urban Desserts, while others may recognise him from his appearance on The Great Australian Bake Off in 2016.
By 2018, Jeremy was selling his creations at the McLaren Vale Night Markets, where they regularly sold out.
That demand became the foundation for Urban Desserts, which grew into a permanent kitchen and retail space in Morphett Vale in 2020, followed by a Glenelg store in 2021.
“I’ve just been creating ever since,” Jeremy said.
Jeremy is quick to point out that Urban Desserts is less about traditional baking and more about French-inspired patisserie, with mousse, creams and delicate cake elements forming the basis of many of his creations.
One of the signatures is the Rocher, Jeremy’s larger-than-life take on a Ferrero Rocher-style truffle.
The individual dessert features a crisp chocolate shell designed to crack open, revealing a softer centre inside. It has become such a favourite that Jeremy says he struggles to make them quickly enough.
Customers, he says, have even told him he has “improved the truffle”.
In 2024, Jeremy was crowned Pastry Chef of the Year at the ACADA Australasian Cake Oscar Awards, a title he admitted at the time came as a surprise.
Since then, he has continued experimenting with larger and more technically challenging desserts.
“I’ve really been delving into our larger desserts and what they can look like,” Jeremy said.
“I’ve been pushing a few boundaries since 2024 and understanding my limitations.”
Because many of his creations are mousse-based, Jeremy says they behave differently to traditional cakes, pushing him to experiment with new techniques, shapes and flavour combinations.
His inspiration often comes from leading French patisserie chefs, alongside viral dessert trends such as pistachio flavours and chocolate-shell desserts designed to crack open.
That constant experimentation has helped Urban Desserts develop what Jeremy describes as its own recognisable identity.
“Usually when people get an Urban Dessert, they’ll know it’s an Urban Dessert by the way it looks, the way it tastes and the sort of elements that we use.”
His latest Australasian Cake Oscar finalist placing has added another national accolade to the growing list.
“I got into the finals, which was four people,” Jeremy said.
“It was good to be acknowledged in that arena.”
But Urban Desserts is becoming about more than what’s in the display cabinet.
The business also runs community-focused initiatives, including a men’s mental health group centred around coffee and conversation, with plans for a similar space for women.
“We do a lot of community-based programs,” Jeremy said.
“We run a men’s group for men’s mental health, and we’re also going to be doing a ladies’ mental health space.”
For Jeremy, it’s another extension of the creativity that first drew him into desserts all those years ago, and another reason Urban Desserts continues to grow beyond a traditional dessert shop.
For information on the ACADA Australasian Cake Oscar Awards, click here.
Urban Desserts
Where: 5/42 Acre Ave, Morphett Vale
For more, click here.
