Everyone Wants to be a MasterChef!

Yes - you heard me correctly! With all the foodies out there wanting to try their hand at cake decorating and some of my clients requesting to be taught, I too have now fallen into the trap of teaching.

Why? I hear you ask. Well, it's simple - the cake decorating industry has always been governed by little old ladies working from home with lots of time on their hands. I realise this sounds like a generalisation and you can probably pick one or two family members who are not old and who would love to show off their cake talents. However, it's only recently that the younger generation are wanting to put in the hard yards.
  Everyone thinks they can just pick up a recipe, bake off a cake and voila! instant success. It does come easy to some but others have to work hard at it. And anyone who has tried to make a cake will know that the time and expertise required is a lot more than your average baker.
  Don't get me wrong - I love the fact that they have tried...sometimes it's the act of attempting something that makes you realise why there are people who do this for a living. Everyday becomes an instruction into a new way of creating.
  So here comes 'the cake girl'- into the fray I go! I will only be teaching at the most 2 students at a time. This will make it personal and I can devote my attention to the person more so than a class of 5 or more.
  Classes will involve students in beginners' tutorials through to making your own wedding cake for advanced pupils. Party cake decorating also available.
  Anyone who is interested need just go to my website and I can email them a copy of my PDF pamphlet with more details or see Cake Decorating Classes Pamphlet -
  Alternatively, if there is another aspect of cake decorating you would like to learn eg. biscuit decorating, gingerbread houses then just let me know! We can discuss what you already know how to do so we can add to your extensive foray into the art of baking and decorating!

  

Back to School

Yes, yes, I know most of you out there are thinking...what? It's Christmas holiday time not January - back to school. Sorry to confuse but I actually meant that some of us cake decorators got together during last weekend in Toowoomba to hold a workshop class.
  Mary Reid of "Merivale Cakes & Crafts"  (http://www.merivalecakesandcrafts.com.au/) organised for us to come out to Toowoomba for a visit and we were graced by the presence of John Quai Hoi - "My Cake Delights" (http://mycakedelights.com.au) , Melbourne. It was an honour to have Mr. Quai Hoi show us how to create extra large flowers on wedding cakes for which he is known, world-wide.Preston
  It wasn't all business of course and we had an absolute ball, socialising, hanging out and talking shop.

  Within the group there were over 12 ladies within the industry both from Brisbane and Toowoomba businesses'.

  I think the class was fun and considering how much of what I have created over the years has been sel-taught through trial and error, it was great to see new methods and see the creationary process through a new perspective.

 To make it in time many of us were running around trying to make sure cake orders were finished and delivered on time.

 Clean, simple cake designs with large embellishment - flowers, diamates or ribbon are really coming into their own at the moment.  Some of the cakes even have absolutely no other colour on them except for a single flower to enliven the room.  Interesting to see after making so many with all sorts of piping and appliqued work.

The cake to the left was a strange but beautiful design picked out by a young bride from a wedding cake magazine. It was definitely different. Covered in beatiful lace and gathered around each tier with a diamante strand, ribbon and buckle. I felt like a dressmaker putting it together!

 The end result was definitely worth the time as once I place it onto the table at the venue - it looked fantastic! The mirrored table added to the effect making the cake seem extremely tall. It's good to see a venue that thinks about where the cake is going!

Between these and the novelty cake work which is always so diverse, the job is keeping me busy. I have clients who ring up asking for cakes or cake ideas they have seen on Foxtel television shows such as "Ace of Cakes" or "The Cake Boss". This following cake spurred on the idea of having a cake when you find out a family member is going to have a new baby.

  You've got to love television and technology for moments like these.

  "MasterChef" brought on a whole new load of 'requests'. Suddenly everyone wanted croquembouche (chantilly filled profiteroles coated in toffee). The trouble with that is, I live in Brisbane...not necessarily the most humid free environment around. It's supposed to be like the tropics here! And let me tell you, toffee does not react well with humidity!

  So here's my version of the same cake - coated in chocolate this time so the client can either store it in a coolroom or an air-conditioned room until time for their event! Chocolate dipped strawberries and chocolate filigree on top are always winners'.