Cake Masters Magazine - November 2013 by Cake Masters

ISSUE 14 NOVEMBER 2013 £3.00

MAGAZINE

Business Profiles Top tips for taking the

plunge and setting up in business!

Salon du Chocolat Fashion Show

FREE PREVIEW VERSION

comes to London

Buy the full 84 page magazine at www.cakemasters.co.uk

Exclusive Interviews with

The

Paul A. Young & The Chocolate Genius

CHOCOLATE EDITION

Afternoon Tea, Sharp Edge Cake Tutorial, Interview with Carina’s Cupcakes, Nominate Cake Masters Awards 2013, Chocolate Recipes, Interview with Wicked Goodies, Ganache, Tempering Technique, Baking Wish List, Interview with Chokolate, Pricing for Profit, Food Safety + more!

ISSUE 14 NOVEMBER 2013

Sharp Edge Ganache tutorial

Pricing for PROFIT

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS

5 & 34

Chocolate Fashion Show 2

ISSUE 14 NOVEMBER 2013 FEATURE

Contents 14 17 32 40 43 58

Afternoon Tea -‐ One Aldwych, London Cake Masters Awards 2013 -‐ Nominations open! Chocolate Essentials from Windsor Cake Craft Baking Wish List Sharp Edge Cake Tutorial by Way Beyond Cakes by Mayen Cake Spotlight -‐ Masked Ball Cake -‐ Tracey’s Cakes

We are ecstatic to have interviews with two awesome chocolate revolutionaries. First we have a pioneer of taste sensations from the UK, Paul A. Young, who chats to us about his exciting projects and his fascination with Jlavour. Then international chef and Food Network Challenge winner Paul Joachim, aka The Chocolate Genius, showcases amazing chocolate ganache sculptures, which are usually created LIVE in front of audiences.

Features 5 27 30 56 68 74 76 78 80

Salon du Chocolat -‐ Fashion Show Chocolate Tempering Technique Ganache Technique Pricing for ProJit Interview with the Food Safety Team Business ProJile: Lady B’s Cupcakery Business ProJile: Way Beyond Cakes by Mayan Business ProJile: Marzipan Moon and Sugar Dust Stars Business ProJile: Kake and Cupkakery

Cake Masters Magazine was also lucky enough to attend Salon Du Chocolat’s Jirst mouth-‐watering chocolate fashion show here in London! We have a selection of the sensational couture dresses from the show for you to be mesmerised by. To top it off, we have lots of chocolate inspired recipes and handy techniques for you to try.

Interviews 5 22 34 61 61 70

Welcome to the November issue of Cake Masters Magazine which is literally choc full of ideas! This month it’s all about tantalising chocolate creations and valuable insights on running a cake business.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Paul Joachim The Chocolate Genius Wicked Goodies EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Paul A. Young Chokolate Carina’s Cupcakes Grace Couture Cakes

Our second theme is all about the cake business; we have included stories about how people started out, some useful advice and a handful of inspirational business proJiles for you to absorb if you are having thoughts about setting up shop or taking caking to that next daunting step.

Recipes 20 Coconut & Chocolate Layer Cake -‐ Clandestine Cake Club and The Groovy Food Company 36 Muscovado Chocolate Cakes with Cocoa Nibs and Mayan Spiced Syrup -‐ Paul A. Young 38 Chocolate and Beer Cake -‐ Will Torrent

Interview with Carina From Carina’s Cupcakes on CI success, business and internet trolls

We have a very special interview with Carina from Carina’s Cupcakes. We talk to her about the success of her business and the highs and lows of that journey, including the horrendous episode of trolling that shook the Facebook cake community. November is a busy month for cakers, with the hotly anticipated Cake International at the Birmingham NEC from 8th-‐10th November. We will be there helping to judge the PME Live Competitions and I hope to see you there too! Enjoy this issue!

Rosie x Editor editor@cakemasters.co.uk

Front cover cake: Wicked Goodies Review Ceri Roberts www.creativetext.co.uk Content editor@cakemasters.co.uk Advertisements magazine@cakemasters.co.uk

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Salon du Chocolat’s world famous fashion show came to London for the 6irst time this year, featuring models walking the catwalk wearing couture out6its made entirely out of chocolate, created by local and international designers and chocolatiers.

Photography Paul Winch-Furness

Lindt EXCELLENCE has joined forces with chocolate artist Paul Wayne Gregory to create a chocolate dress entitled “Eternal Diamond” with Graduate Fashion Week 2013 winner Lauren Smith.

Photography Paul Winch-Furness

“When designing our dress Hannah and I wanted to create a piece which would represent the colours and textures associated with chocolate. Taking symbols of Steampunk we have created a 6lowing skirt and corset which represents the femininity and passion associated with chocolates, adding delicate chocolate cameo’s, keys and cogs.” ~ Julia Wenlock, Toot Sweets Chocolates

Photography Jen’s Just Desserts

“I wanted to celebrate Salon du Chocolat coming to the UK for the 6irst time, so I gave the dress the theme of “The English Rose” and decorated the dress with handmade chocolate roses -‐ the English national 6lower” ~ Mark Tilling of Squires Kitchen 8

Photography Paul Winch-Furness

Artisan du Chocolat has created the “Maya” dress, a cowl neck dress embellished with sugar diamonds and chocolate pearls, sprayed with the 6inest chocolate and a chocolate bouquet. The dress is inspired by Art Deco splendour and has been transformed into the ultimate chocolate wedding dress. “

Afternoon Tea at

One Aldwych

Charlie & The Chocolate Factory Covent Garden ~ London

ISSUE 14 NOVEMBER 2013 AFTERNOON TEA

Travel ~ Taste ~ Try Are you looking for a 'scrumdiddlyumptious' afternoon tea? Well, this one's a really fun-‐ themed one, courtesy of One Aldwych Hotel in Covent Garden. They've partnered with the West End's "Charlie & The Chocolate Factory" musical to create a magical tea experience, from decadent golden eggs to blueberry brioche and playful Jlavoured candy Jloss, every item reJlects the wit and wonder of Roald Dahl's classic tale. The sweet, savoury and sandwich items are made by a team of expert chefs who use nothing but the Jinest, freshest ingredients. The teatime treats are presented with a selection of leaf teas and infusions from Covent Garden's Tea Palace, each of which has been chosen to complement the Jlavours from the kitchen. Firstly, the hotel might look fancy, but the atmosphere inside One Aldwych is very chilled. The AT is served in the bar/lobby area of the hotel. As it's near the touristy Covent Garden area, many patrons arrived quite casually dressed and the open-‐style seating really made people-‐watching very easy. This relaxed and chilled ambiance really made the experience more relaxing. The staff were very

helpful and friendly as well, and they totally did NOT rush us. The AT on offer is moderately priced, at around £30 per person, but of course I had to opt for the extra "Cocktail Charlie": Dalmore whisky mixed with Grand Marnier Cherry, chocolate bitters, grapefruit juice and cherry syrup, topped with Champagne. I am a sucker for dry ice effects and this one was spectacular to look at AND drink! The savoury sandwiches, tarts and quiches presented were delicious and plentiful. When we Jinished this Jirst course, we were offered 'reJills' which was much appreciated, because the quiches really were quite yummy. Then the teas arrived, along with the "magical afternoon tea" service. It was magical, in as much as there were so many elements (chocolate and non-‐chocolate) to look at, touch, taste, explore... The scones and jams were yummy, and we had fun guessing the Jlavours of the cotton candies. The chocolate elements were decadently chocolaty and plentiful. I mean, I left with a full and happy belly!!

By Jennifer DeGuzman-‐Rolfe Jen’s Just Desserts

ISSUE 14 NOVEMBER 2013 AFTERNOON TEA

MASTER of Chocolate Sculptures

Paul Joachim 13

EXCLUSIVE

CAKE MASTERS INTERVIEW

The

Chocolate GENIUS

Paul Joachim, International celebrity chef and Food Network Challenge winner was the perfect star to interview in our chocolate themed issue of Cake Masters Magazine. Editor Rosie had the honour of interviewing Paul and dipped into the chocolately world of The Chocolate Genius. Describe yourself in 3 words I have two words… Artist and Chocoholic. I love chocolate, and I love sculpting in chocolate so…Passionate Chocolate Artist. You were trained classically as a Tine artist, can you tell us how that actually evolved into food and then chocolate? I received a BFA in Studio Art, and graduated from college. I was living a good life, but I kind of lost my way in terms of being an artist.

didn’t want to be a Chef. But once again the light-‐bulb went off and I realised I could do both art and food together. I found my passion and it was sculpting in cake and chocolate. So why didn’t you just stop with just normal fondant covered cakes? Well that’s what I did for years and I always found using fondant a struggle. It wasn’t something that just came naturally to me as I found it difJicult to work with. As I continued to develop my cakes, I discovered ganache. When making ganache I realised that, if I thicken it up a little, I could potentially sculpt with it. It was 3 years ago when I made my Jirst life-‐sized cake mostly using ganache.

I felt there was a big hole, and I was searching for where my passion was. Then it turned out that it was my Mom’s 60th birthday cruise ship themed party as she was going on a big cruise where I decided that I was going to go all out and make a 3D cruise ship cake. It was my Jirst fondant cake I ever made which included a sugar sea, the balconies, a pool and lots of other details. It really came out amazing, and that is when the light-‐bulb went off, and I said “Wow! Maybe someday I could take this and turn them into actual sculptures.” That’s how this all started.

Have you had any speciTic training working with chocolate or cake decorating? No, it’s all self-‐taught. Once I realised this was what I wanted to do, I stayed up from 10pm to 2.00am when my family were sleeping on a regular basis, practising and practising, and teaching myself the basic skills. It was extremely stressful at times but satisfying at the same time. When you started working with chocolate for the Tirst time, how was it? In the beginning, I was having a really hard time with the cocoa butter separating from the rest of it and making it into an oily mess, and not knowing what to do. After talking to several friends in the industry that are experts in modelling chocolate, I realised that I just needed to be patient. I had the ability to be incredibly patient with it, and to learn the intricacies of how it behaves under certain circumstances. How hot or cold it is, how long has it been out -‐ all of this matters, and now I am really in tune with that and that has really helped me succeed. How did you come up with your name ‘The Chocolate Genius’? I have a publicist I work with and I have to give her credit. She came up with the name and then I started bouncing it off people; everybody loved it. Tell us about one of your best cakes I would say, the Yoga cake. I have been doing yoga for 11-‐12 years now and it is something I love to do. One of the yoga studios asked me to do a life sized yoga cake for their holiday party. I was super excited about that opportunity and I worked with one of the instructors.

I have always loved food, so over the years, people asked me why I wasn’t a cook? It was always just a really strong hobby of mine, but I

Continued 14

ISSUE 14 NOVEMBER 2013 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

This girl was just absolutely an amazing and incredible athlete. I went down to their studio to meet with her and decide what posture I was going to do, we eventually chose the dancers pose. I never thought that somebody could hold it long enough for me to be able to sit there and to sculpt it live, but she really did.

Is that your best creation to date for you? I have had a couple, each one has its own merits and challenges.

The other challenging part of the entire piece was the engineering behind it. It was the most difJicult thing that I had done up to that point, making it so the piece could be impressively standing on one leg.

For example the LeBron James cake that I did was 9.5ft tall and it was over 200lbs of chocolate. There are multiple things that went wrong, but I stayed completely calm, never freaked out and in the end it was a really good experience.

I sculpted it live in 6-‐7 hours at the party, and then at the end, we cut the cake up and served it. It was very satisfying and was a lot of fun. I look back at the pictures now and I still say, “Wow, did I really do that?”

When I do these live events things can go wrong, not all the time, but there are things going on in the background that people don’t know which are really difJicult to manage!

When you are doing something that size, you really want help, but my assistant had a family emergency and she wasn’t able to come down with me to Miami, so I ended up having no assistant. It was hard, but I plugged through. Then on the last day of the event, which was in a huge tent outside, I walked in and noticed that everything was wet. I hurried over to my 9.5ft tall sculpture, when the groundskeeper came in. “Oh my God, Oh my God! The sprinklers went off!” I looked down and I saw my platform; it was completely saturated with water. I mopped it up and I noticed that the sculpture was leaning. I realised that the wood was so wet from the sprinklers, that it had ruined it, and the screws that were holding down the piece were no longer attached. I called over someone to help me and we put in some new screws, and we thought that would Jix it, but when I pushed the sculpture (and remember it’s already at 200lbs plus, 9.5ft tall) and the whole thing just shook back and forth. I really didn’t know what I was going to do, because the new screws we put in weren’t holding in the wet, ruined wood.

We ended up putting a cinder-‐box and sandbags on the base and covered it with fabric, and that’s how I ended up working the entire day. But the end result was really worth it, and the process makes it a signiJicant cake for me. The other piece that I would say that I really love is the Harp cake. I did that for a sculpture museum, the Albin Polasek Sculpture Gardens and Museum here in Winter Park. It was for a new wing that they were opening at the museum and they requested me to create a replica of their Emily Fountain, which is on the grounds of the museum. The piece was so beautiful. When I look back on it now, I really cherish how it came out; even the strings in the harp where all chocolate with no supports. So how did you get it to stay like that? How did you do the strings? It was just modelling chocolate, so the delivery was a little bit hairy. I had plenty of extra modelling chocolate just in case they came off, so I could repair it when I got there. I even had to go over a mile of construction works, which was completely unexpected and nerve-‐ racking. It was really bumpy, but on this occasion I did not have anything to repair; it was just perfect.

FREE PREVIEW VERSION

What’s been your biggest compliment? It’s hard to pinpoint one thing. Last night I sculpted at the Museum of Art, live. They don’t realise its chocolate, and they walk up and they smell it and say, “That’s chocolate?” I love it how amazed people are and also when people say it’s unique and that they have never seen anything like it. When I made the Harp, at the event some people walked in and didn’t know it was a cake.

Buy the full 84 page magazine at www.cakemasters.co.uk Continued

“Illusion Cake” Wicked Goodies

Cake Stand - Shannon Callahan of Grand Stands by Batter up Cakes

INTERVIEW

FREE PREVIEW VERSION

Buy the full 84 page magazine at www.cakemasters.co.uk

Meet Kristen Coniaris

Author of the blog, Wicked Goodies and the book, Cake Decorating with Modeling Chocolate Tell us a bit about yourself I am Kristen Coniaris and I hold a Professional Chef’s Degree from the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts and have 17 years of work experience in the food industry, specialising in bakery management, product development, and cake artistry.

developer. I worked inside of some giant baking factories with conveyor belts and hallways full of ovens. Then in 2010, I broke my back in a cycling accident. While recovering, I turned to blogging, and that’s how my food writing and cookbook publishing career got started.

As of 2013, I have made over 1,000 wedding cakes, three award-‐winning gingerbread houses, and one giant rooster cake for an episode of TLC’s Fabulous Cakes. I currently live in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Tell us about your business Wicked Goodies is an information resource for professional and amateur bakers. The website is loaded with tips and techniques that I learned while working in bakeries. My aim is to make commercial knowledge more open-‐ source, for those who want it. Recently, I expanded into Jilm, so I’m incorporating all kinds of videos into upcoming ebooks. With the blog, I also aim to entertain readers, since baking can be stressful; so that’s why I sometimes blow up a cake or drop one off the roof.

Have you always baked and decorated professionally? My mother started teaching me baking skills early, so by age 12, I was already building elaborate gingerbread houses as a hobby. For the Jirst half of my career, I worked in restaurants and catering. For the second half, I was a pastry chef and bakery product

Why chocolate? I’m not crazy about the starchy Jlavour and gummy mouth feel of fondant. I think modelling chocolate not only tastes better, but is a more versatile and sophisticated cake decorating medium. How did you get into working with modelling chocolate? In 2008, I learned how to work with modelling chocolate while freelancing as a 3D cake sculptor/decorator at a boutique bakery named “Cake”, where rolled modelling chocolate is used to form exquisite bows, ribbons, roses, and wraps for upscale wedding and specialty cakes. I was instantly hooked. How easy did you Tind it initially? I found it to be tricky at Jirst, but I was lucky to have been trained by some pros, which helped. At that point in time, there was hardly any literature on the topic, so I had to solve Continued

ISSUE 14 NOVEMBER 2013 TECHNIQUES

Massive thanks to Cooking with Chocolate: Essential Recipes and Techniques (Book & DVD) By Frédéric Bau for sharing a preview of his book and fantastic chocolate techniques! Photography by Clay McLachlan 19

ISSUE 14 NOVEMBER 2013 TECHNIQUES

Cooking with Chocolate: Essential Recipes and Techniques (Book & DVD) By Frédéric Bau Photography by Clay McLachlan 20

ISSUE 14 NOVEMBER 2013 TECHNIQUES

Cooking with Chocolate: Essential Recipes and Techniques (Book & DVD) By Frédéric Bau Photography by Clay McLachlan 21

ISSUE 14 NOVEMBER 2013

Cocoform for Modelling Available in Dark, Milk and White 150g £5.55 1kg £24.75

Squires Chocolate Fondant Mix 250g £3.99

Edible Genuine Silver Leaf Transfer £7.14 (25 Sheets)

50mm Squires Chocolate Roses From £37.60 per box of 20

Cocol Metallic Gold Chocolate Colouring £4.75

Chocolate Cigarellos Available in White, Milk, Dark and Duo 500g £12.95

Holly Chocolate Transfer Sheet £2.99 22

Silicone Chocolate Melting Jug £2.85

Chocolate Cigarellos Available in White, Milk, Dark and Duo 500g £12.95

Chocolate ESSENTIALS

All you need to work with chocolate!

Callebaut Callets -‐ Ideal for melting! 2.5kg £22.19 SDI Hearts & Treats Chocolate Mould £3.72

1kg Chocolate Satin Ice £6.95

www.windsorcakecraft.co.uk 23

ISSUE 14 NOVEMBER 2013

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

FREE PREVIEW VERSION

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

PAUL A.YOUNG A revolutionary and captivating chocolatier at the forefront of the British chocolate scene...

Star of Salon Du Chocolat London 2013, Paul has a reputation for being an incredible Tlavour alchemist, developing exceptional Tlavour combinations with perfect balance. Cake Masters Magazine

Buy the full 84 page magazine at www.cakemasters.co.uk

interviewed Paul to Tind out more about the groundbreaking chocolatier.

quickly. I love working with it, eating it and being able to create some of the world's best chocolates using stunning, fresh, seasonal and British ingredients.

Describe a typical day in the life of Paul I never have a typical day…cliché I know, but I don’t. Each day brings new challenges. I work at my PC from home early in the morning before walking my dog Billi around the quiet Covent Garden streets, then head to one of my shops to catch up with the teams. I can then be developing products for upcoming seasons or private clients. Lunchtime, I'm back home to feed Billi, then back to another shop or meetings with clients. Evenings I can work very late, as I'm still a chef at heart and can't go to sleep early. Saying that, I can be in and out of TV Jilming, photo shoots, product shoots, events and managing my growing team; so each day is very different.

When did you really start experimenting with Tlavours? From the day I started training to be a chef. It's always been a passion of mine to use interesting Jlavours and to be creative. It's sometimes a challenge to achieve exactly the right balance so that the chocolate tastes incredible, but that's what makes it exciting.

After working your way through top restaurant kitchens, where did your fascination for chocolate come from? I have no idea at all, it took over me organically and got into my blood stream

What is your most popular chocolate? My sea salted caramel is the biggest seller, but new interesting chocolates always sell very well, especially if they are innovative like my California prune and porter trufJle or Pizza Pilgrim Margherita trufJle. What Tlavour combinations have not worked? Thankfully I've not had anything that hasn’t worked eventually. Continued

Chocolate and Beer Cake Taken from Patisserie at Home by Will Torrent

Ingredients 125 g salted butter 125 ml lager such as Stella Artois 125 g self-‐raising Jlour 40 g cocoa powder 1⁄2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 125 g caster sugar 75 ml milk 1 egg, beaten 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 50 g dark chocolate, broken into pieces 1-‐kg loaf pan, lined with greaseproof paper Serves 6-‐8 Method Preheat the oven to 180˚C (350˚F) Gas 4. Put the butter and beer in a saucepan over low heat and heat until the butter has melted. Sift together the Jlour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda in a mixing bowl and add the sugar, milk, egg, vanilla, chocolate pieces and melted butter mixture. Mix to combine. Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes. A skewer inserted in the middle of the cake should come out clean and the top of the cake should bounce back slightly when prodded. Allow to cool slightly in the pan, then tip out and serve warm as a dessert with a chocolate sauce, or eat cold when it becomes moist and irresistible.

Recipe taken from Patisserie at Home by Will Torrent Publishers: Ryland Peters & Small, £19.99 Photography: Jonathan Gregson

ISSUE 14 NOVEMBER 2013 BAKING WISH LIST

Baking Wish List

Silicone chocolate mould Lakeland £5.39

40 tulip milk chocolate cups chocolatetradingcompany.co.uk £39.95

Chocolate melEng pot Lakeland £3.49

Dark Chocolate Sugarﬂair gel cake-‐stuﬀ.com £1.70

5 rolls of vintage ribbon QVC £9.11

Exclusive Bain Marie Lakeland £15.99

Green chocolate curls chocolatetradingcompany.co.uk £4.95

Black candy melts HobbycraH £3.00

Spray gun planetbake.co.uk £2.80

Mason cash mixing bowl 21cm Argos £14.99

Feathers silicone mould Lakeland £7.99

Silicone preparaEon mat John Lewis £20

ISSUE 13 OCTOBER 2013 BAKING WISH LIST

Baking Wish List

Wilton Light Cocoa Candy Dips HobbycraH £3.49

Philips HR2020/50 Blender Sainsburys £26.24

The Chocolate Maker’s Funnel Lakeland £11.99

Adventures with Chocolate by Paul A. Young Waterstones £11.99

Lollipop making kit The Works £3.99

Glass juicer & jug Garden Trading £15

The Chocolate Baking Kit greenandblacksdirect.com £19

LSA serve stand and dome occa-‐home.co.uk £36

Willie’s cacao Selfridges £7

Silicone chocolate spoon mould Lakeland £3.49

BuVerﬂies, ladybirds and bees PatchworkcuRers.co.uk £5.50

Mini giX boxes set Bake & Make £5.75

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ISSUE 14 NOVEMBER 2013 TECHNIQUES

INTERVIEW WITH

Carina Carina’s Cupcakes 37

ISSUE 14 NOVEMBER 2013 INTERVIEW

Carina from Carina’s cupcakes is recognised for her vintage, highly decorated cupcakes. Over a short period of time she has built her business into a strong brand opening doors to some amazing opportunities, but it hasn’t been easy. Carina tells us her business story and shares the elating highs and the desperately rock bottom lows, covering how she started in business, to winning at Cake International and how she coped with internet trolls. Tell us about your earliest baking memory? My Nan taught me all about baking from about the age of 3. As soon as I could reach the mixing bowl, every Friday we would make Scones or Victoria Sponges, or some other sort of traditional English bake that would involve us getting very messy. I really only got back into baking with my own daughter when she was about 10, and caught the bug for it again. How did Carina’s Cupcakes start? I have a medical background and was a nurse in the cosmetic surgery industry for about 6 years. Baking started to become my passion and I remember making cup-‐cakes for my Sister’s birthday in June 2010. Cupcakes were all the rage in the UK, within about 3 weeks I had lots of people asking me to make cupcakes for them so by the end of that month, I decided that I was going to set up a business and do it. I slipped a disc in my back and had to have 16 weeks off work. I spent a lot of time laying down Jlat, reading tutorials, watching ‘YouTube’ videos, reading magazines and sort of swatting up on different aspects of cake decorating. At the time they were all generic, piped swirl cupcakes, so I spent a long time trying to pipe, and I just couldn’t do it. I still cannot use a piping bag to this day. If somebody asked me to pipe a buttercream rose I would crumble in the corner and cry.

and detailed they were. I have always had a bit of an obsession with miniatures. I love dolls houses and all the little furniture that goes inside. When did you ofTicially start the business? I ofJicially set the business up on 22nd June 2010 Did you ever think that your business would grow to what it is now? Absolutely not, not in a million years. I was quite adamant that I didn’t want to create a big business, what I wanted to do was bake and create, I never wanted to have the headache of tax, employees and managing a big business that comes with scaling up. I was really adamant about that, but over time it developed with such speed and force, I kind of fell into it. How did you expand? It really expanded was when I realised that I could actually post cupcakes. I realised quite quickly that my local area didn’t have the money or the market for a highly decorated cupcakes, they were only interested in buttercream cupcakes. I knew that if I was going to realise my dream of having something decorative, ornate and beautiful, I had to expand my market and my customer database. The only way I could do that was by posting cupcakes out. I searched literally everywhere trying to Jind information on posting cupcakes and there was nothing at all. I decided to investigate myself and, after lots of posting and many squashed, crushed cupcakes at the other end, I found a way. The Jirst time I posted a buttercream cupcake successfully (before the pods were out there) I actually used a cake pop stick in the centre of the cupcake, so it stopped them from tipping upside

I had this vision that I wanted to create these beautiful, highly decorated, boutique cupcakes, but I didn’t have any of the skills required to create them. I started to play around with tools and sort of came up with my own ideas, and my own style that looked quite different to what was out there already. A lot of it was trial and error to be honest, a lot of mistakes and accidents. These accidents fortunately turned into something that people really liked. You said that your vision was to have a very decorated cupcake. What inspired you to have that style and design? I was inspired by the beautiful wedding cakes that were out there and seeing how intricate

down. You would have a small hole in the middle, but I would send a pack of Jlowers so they could stick a Jlower over the top of the hole. That’s how unsophisticated it was. Ultimately, it worked very well and the fondant cupcakes posted perfectly. I Jigured out that they really did stay absolutely perfect and it was minimum fuss. When people realised I could do it, I was Jlooded with emails and contacts asking me how to do it. I initially thought “No, I am going to keep all of this business for myself, and I am going to service the whole of the UK with my cupcakes, it’s going to be great and I’m going to be rich!” But you quickly realise that actually you can’t possibly service the whole of the UK with your cupcakes -‐ it’s not a realistic expectation and that’s when I wrote my Jirst PDF tutorial for posting. It was just huge. That was the very start of it and that’s what really propelled it into being widely known, particularly on the Facebook circuit. So that was really what started it off for you, your Tirst PDF tutorial? Absolutely, yes. How do you feel about people copying your style? Now? I Jind it fantastic; it’s the nature of my business. At Jirst, before I did couture cake tutorials, when people used to copy my cakes that weren’t made into a tutorial, I used to get really upset about copying. It used to really stress me out, and it used to really annoy me. I had many run-‐ins with people that I felt aggrieved by. What I have quickly learned, and the reason that I started to do couture cake tutorials, is that people were going to copy me whether I cried, screamed, shouted or not. I had no choice, so that’s why I started to develop collections purely for tutorial purposes, because I knew that people wanted to copy what I was doing. Continued

ISSUE 14 NOVEMBER 2013 INTERVIEW

When you look at it in a different way, and you create cakes that are there to be copied, it becomes a different avenue for your business. I don’t post the private wedding cakes that we do now, unless I’ve got the Bride’s outright written consent. We don’t share any of them on our page, we always advise our brides that if they go out on the page, they will be copied. I still regularly get people messaging me to say “so and so has copied your work”, and I have had conversations with people and they will say, “I have never even seen your work”. They have seen it through somebody else that has used my tutorials and it’s 3rd, 4th, 5thhand inspiration. It is a really great feeling to know that you can inspire people all across the world. I don’t get that upset about it anymore. People copying designs is always going to be a touchy subject and there are always going to be people who feel very strongly about it, or feel resentful towards it; but as I say, the only way that I could deal with it in the end was to ensure the cakes I didn’t want copied aren’t put into the public domain. It’s the only way to Jix it. Is it hard to stick to your vision and not just do the thing that makes the most money? The money has been great and the business growth has been fantastic, but for me the bottom line doesn’t come down to how much money I make from it. I could probably go back into cosmetic surgery nursing and earn more money than I earn now. It’s not about the money; it’s about the passion of creating something. How did you market your business? The only marketing that I have ever really done is through Facebook. I have never done wedding fairs, expensive events, exhibitions or anything like that. Obviously, I have done Cake International in terms of competition cakes, but the entirety of my marketing has gone through Facebook.

of it down to a sort of Jluke and some of my best creations have come out of trial and error. I think that’s what made me stand out from other people; I did things my own way. I think the marketing side of it came down to constantly trying to inspire people, putting stuff out there and allowing people to see it and spread the word about it. So you went from making cupcakes, to posting cupcakes and then to having tutorials. What was next? Next for me was the website. The website came along because I had been selling cakes, the posting tutorial and a small line of posting equipment through my Vista Print website. As I wrote more tutorials, I realised that people also wanted to buy the tools and equipment that I had used and I saw a gap in the market. So I added various products through my little website, but I started to think about developing the business to hold more stock and sell useful items on a larger scale. I had paid £1,000 for my Jirst bulk order, which was a terrifying experience! I had never spent £1,000 on anything, ever. At the time I was considering going live with my new site and newly acquired stock just before Christmas, when I was pregnant with baby number 5, Elvis. I had decided after my daughter was born, that I deJinitely wasn’t going to have any more babies. Finding that out I was pregnant just as I was about to launch into pushing my business hard, was really quite frightening. It completely plunged me into despair; I just didn’t know what to do with myself. It was a real up and down time for me.

Yes, absolutely. I think it’s something that people know me for and it’s something that people are quite familiar with. One of the things I was criticised quite heavily for was being so personal on my page and letting my followers know that I was pregnant. I see hundreds of other Facebook pages announcing when they are pregnant, it’s a really common thing. Unfortunately, after a lot of complications, I lost my son. People knew that I was pregnant, they saw that I was in hospital for 9 weeks on complete bed rest. In hindsight now, Facebook and the contact that I made with people during that time was probably a mistake; maybe I let people in too much. It was a really difJicult and shocking time. Can you tell us what happened? It was 5th January and I was almost 16 weeks pregnant I woke up in the middle of the night and I was haemorrhaging badly and went straight to the hospital where they said that they thought I was going to lose Elvis. They kept me in for 2 days and when the bleeding stopped and they sent me home. Two days later they rushed me back into hospital where they kept me in then on bed rest. They still felt there was a chance of losing him as I had Placenta Previa and a blood clot same size of the baby. They kept me in for almost 9 weeks altogether. I had 4 blood transfusions and they kept telling me that I shouldn’t still be pregnant, but I was getting through with the support of my family and people on Facebook. Everybody kept telling me “stay positive… stay strong… it’s going to be Jine… you have come so far”.

One of the things I was criticised quite heavily for was being so personal on my page and letting my followers know that I was pregnant. I see hundreds of other Facebook pages announcing when they are pregnant, it’s a really common thing.

I think I owe a large proportion of my success to luck; that’s honestly and genuinely how I feel. I have a lucky gift in terms of creating my cakes and I do see it genuinely as a gift, because up until the age of 30 I had never even decorated a cake; so there is no other way that I can see it. I have fears sometimes that I will wake up and my creative luck will have run out and I won’t be able to make cakes any more. I do have nightmares about it quite regularly! I put a lot

I successfully got through that December, and then in January I started to have major problems with my baby and I ended up in hospital for a long time. That must have been a hard time for you. Do you want to talk about Elvis as part of this interview?

When I had the 21 week scan, and they said he was absolutely perfect, but the huge clot was a constant threat the whole time I was in hospital. They decided they would deliver him on March 8th, but on February 17th I woke up at 4 am and I knew that I was in labour.

He was delivered at about 11.45pm that afternoon, but he wasn’t breathing. It was awful, because he was a perfect little baby, he was just a tiny baby, and you just go through many emotions. I had so much guilt and felt so much pressure; I just didn’t know what I was supposed to do and how I was supposed to deal with it. At the time both myself and my partner were self-‐employed, and he had been off for 9 weeks caring for the kids, so we were struggling to make ends meet. I remember Continued

ISSUE 13 OCTOBER 2013 SPOTLIGHT

“Nat%re of Love” ~ Sugar Pot, Aust6alia

ISSUE 14 NOVEMBER 2013 INTERVIEW

Susan, one of my best friends at the time, had taken over the running of my Facebook page for me to help me keep the business going. During that time, one lovely lady from Canada put a post on saying that she felt that if people just donated £1 it would make a massive difference to me and my family, and that was how all the donations started. It was amazing. It was the togetherness that really helped my days pass; knowing that people cared and that they were thinking of me, it really helped.

Elvis’ auction, which continued to fund for a little while, but then a huge amount of negativity came our way and people were saying that we were keeping this money and that it was being used to further my business. I decided not to do it at all from then on,

all together. The Jirst cakes that I put on the framed boards, I just put one on each side, and I was just amazed at the effect that it had. Even when I had imagined it in my head, and even when sketched it out, I couldn’t imagine that it would have that kind of effect. I took them into Cake International not ever for one minute thinking that I would get Gold for them, I just wanted to enter.

“I tried to defend myself online, but the more I tried to argue with them, the worse it got. It just seemed to snowball. I went through and I blocked them, when I saw one particular post which said, “I am looking forward to seeing you at Cake International tomorrow, our paths will cross, and you will see me.”

The donations initially went to the cost of my baby’s funeral. As much as the state provides funerals for babies, the cofJins that they provide are for children and are quite big, so when you put a tiny baby in they get lost in there. I wanted to have, a special crib for him and fortunately because of the donations that people had made, I was able to do that.

We got to a point where we realised that actually people were donating more money than we could have possibly have needed. Although the money was being donated to my family, I felt we could do more with it to help other people; so with all the extra money that we had left over we set up ‘Dreams of Elvis’. ‘Dreams of Elvis’, which was a closed group on Facebook, allowed lots of women and men to come forward who had experienced something similar and had lost babies. This group formed a network of support, not just for me, but for lots of other families out there as well. With the funds we provided memory boxes and caskets for parents who had lost their children. For those parents who had lost their children in the past, we funded memory bracelets. Somebody had sent me a silver locket which I wear all the time. It’s got little footprints and it’s got his name engraved on the back of it. It is something that brings me great comfort and I knew that having something like that, a piece of jewellery that you wear all the time, goes a long way to remembering your baby without it being open and obvious to people. So the memory bracelets we sent people would have little trinkets that they would have remembered their babies by; maybe a name bead, a coloured bead or just something personal that would remind them of their baby. We continued to do that for a long time and only stopped when the money ran out. We did one last fund raising push, the ‘Dreams of

because it was opening up a can of worms. So when did the negativity start, and where did it come from? There was a little bit of initial negativity when we lost him. There were a few instances on a few pages where they were saying that they felt it was distasteful that I was being public about it, they didn’t like the way that I was dealing with it. It wasn’t anything that bad and it wasn’t like the attacks were towards me, about money or anything else, it was just purely just people showing their distaste and everyone is entitled to their opinion. When it really got nasty was after Cake International. What happened at Cake International? I had never entered a competition and I really wanted to have a go. Obviously, I was always going to do the cupcakes class. I had just done the Giltee Candee collection, which was actually the Jirst collection I did after losing Elvis; it was like my coming back collection. I had done a tutorial for it and I had this idea that I wanted to do Giltee Candee for my entry. When I told my mum what I wanted to do, she had her doubts and said, “Well you have done a tutorial for it, what if other people make them and submit them as well? It would be like looking in a mirror.” Obviously I knew that people wouldn’t be able to, as the rules state quite clearly that they have to be your own designs and your own work. She had stirred something in my mind by saying that it would be like a mirror, that’s where the initial idea came from and I put it

So, how did it feel when you realised you had actually won the Gold? It was amazing, it was the best feeling! I was completely elated to see the Gold Award card on it. I was just absolutely thrilled, even more so when I later found out that I had also got ‘Best in Class’!

Sadly though, after posting on my page that I had won gold at Cake International and how excited I was, there were suddenly lots of horrible, nasty comments and lots of nasty images being plastered all over the place online. This was the start of the same group of women who went on and on to torment me for a very long time. They had a problem with m and said my cupcakes were “samey and unoriginal”. I can’t even begin to tell you the evil and wild stuff that they said, but one example was that I had only won because I had been giving sexual favours to the Judges and I didn’t deserve to win anything. It was jealousy, I know it was, but they really ruined my win for me, and it really took the shine off of me getting my Gold award. I tried to defend myself online, but the more I tried to argue with them, the worse it got. It just seemed to snowball. I went through and I blocked them, when I saw one particular post which said, “I am looking forward to seeing you at Cake International tomorrow, our paths will cross, and you will see me.” Being quite the naturally defensive person that I am, my initial reaction was not good. All my friends told me to rise above it, ignore, block, delete. They were right and at this point I just wanted to go home.

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During the journey home it had kicked off again on my page, a different set of women this time -‐ it was just absolute craziness. They were just being horrible and vile. It started off by them saying that I was ripping people off with the products I was selling, that I had imported them from China for pennies and I was just trying to extract money from people like I had after the death of my son.

Buy the full 84 page magazine at www.cakemasters.co.uk Continued

ISSUE 14 NOVEMBER 2013 BUSINESS FEATURE

Interview with The Food Safety Team The Forest of Dean District Council Gloucestershire By Sarah Jones from The Chocolate Strawberry None of my family had been allowed a cooked meal for the last three days. The dishwasher Tilter had been cleaned with a toothbrush. I couldn’t sleep properly, because I once heard that food safety ofTicers had inspected a Take-‐Away in Nottingham and found a bucket of ‘unidentiTiable meat products’ at the back of the kitchen. What if my children had hidden a similar bucket somewhere in the house? I wouldn’t put it past them. Yes, it was time for my Jirst Food Safety Inspection and suddenly I could see nothing in my kitchen except dirt and faults. It was clear they would shut me down that afternoon. When Dennis and Beth from The Forest of Dean ofJice arrived they tried to lull me into a false sense of security by smiling. They drank from one of my mugs without looking at it for an extended period of time. They didn’t even enquire where I had purchased my tea or how old the milk was. It soon became clear that actually their role was to support local businesses and advise them, rather than close them down. We went through everything from how to Jill in my diary properly, to food storage and the packaging of products ready for sale. By the time they left, I felt that I had a place to go if I ever needed advice and could safely ring them without fear of having the contents of my fridge seized immediately. So, when Cake Masters Magazine wanted to run a piece on food safety I knew just the people to turn to. The same questions are always being asked on cake making forums and hear-‐say all too easily becomes fact.

Here are the answers to your most popular questions from The Forest of Dean District Council in Gloucestershire. They even sent us a photo. You see, they’re not scary at all. Tell us a little about your team The Forest of Dean D.C Food and Safety Team consists of 5 OfJicers and one part time admin support, who deliver a broad range of services, including Food Safety, Private Water Supply monitoring, Infection Control and Health and Safety at Work. We deal with all types of food businesses, from small home caterers to large multi-‐national companies. Between us we have a wealth of experience in food safety enforcement, and the ofJicers can give advice and guidance on many specialist subjects.

I remember you said that you preferred to see that someone had done a practical Level 2 Award in Food Safety, rather than the on-‐line version. On-‐line can be cheaper, so what is the beneTit of a practical course? The law requires people running food businesses to be suitably supervised, instructed and/or trained. Environmental Health teams will want to ensure that staff have enough training in food safety which is relevant to their role. One of the beneJits of taught courses is that you get to meet other like-‐minded people on the course.

Continued

When someone wants to start a cake making business from home, where is the Tirst place that they should look for details on set-‐up and safety requirements? Contact their local authority food safety team for free advice and a food business registration form. Most authorities can also provide a list of food hygiene trainers in their area. Some authorities offer advice visits or business start-‐up packs, so call your local authority to start the process. For advice on starting your food business and help Jinding your local authority go to: http:// www.food.gov.uk/business-‐industry/ caterers/startingup/ Can you open a business without having been rated? You should register your food business at least 28 days before opening. This allows the local authority the time to enter your business details into their system and integrate your business into the inspection programme. The business will be risk rated at the Jirst food inspection and it’s this rating that generates the National Food Hygiene Rating.

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ISSUE 14 NOVEMBER 2013 INTERVIEW

FREE PREVIEW VERSION Buy the full 84 page magazine at www.cakemasters.co.uk

Meet Alina From Grace Couture Cakes Cake Masters has been intrigued to Tind out more about Grace Couture Cakes ever since seeing news about Alina baking for HRH Prince Paul and Princess Lia of Romania. We spoke to Alina to Tind out more about her cakes, her business and of course baking for Royalty! Tell us a bit about you I am an economist with a Masters Degree in Marketing. Prior to opening Grace Couture Cakes, I worked in real estate. What is your earliest baking memory? I remember my mother baking traditional Romanian cakes for every birthday or holiday. I remember that magical smell of cocoa and cinnamon. Looking back now, I think I probably loved the smell more than the cake itself. It still brings back great memories. What do you like to bake the most? To be honest, I am terrible at baking cakes, but

I love baking macarons. Making the perfect macaron was our biggest challenge; so in the process I have learned to love making them, just as much as I loved the result. Describe your cake style Our style is classy, simple and romantic. What made you decide to set up your own business? After our daughter, Ana Grace, was born last year, I knew that I also need a new start in my career. The idea came before that, while planning our wedding, and noticing that it was a challenge to Jind the perfect cake caterer, one that would be able to transform my wish into reality. How did you go about establishing it? It is a family business and I had the support of my Continued 44

ISSUE 14 NOVEMBER 2013 BUSINESS PROFILE

Business Profile Lady B’s Cupcakery ~ Mablethorpe UK By June Brett, Owner of Lady B’s Cupcakery ~Mablethorpe UK

through the roof, that I actually realised there was a massive market for what I did.

“I am 47, married to Andy for 9 years and have 4 amazing children: Craig 23, Jake 20, Tom 13 and Daisy who is 9.

Andy, my husband, had seen our shop become vacant just before Christmas and on Boxing day we rang the number in the window. A few days later were holding the keys, it literally was as quick as that.

We moved to Mablethorpe 6 years ago, and it was Daisy's 7th Birthday 2 years ago that inspired me to renew my love for baking. We were holding a Hawaiian themed party for her and I wanted something different for her cake so made a pair of Jlip Jlops, it turned out ok and had amazing feedback. That was it, I was hooked. I soon discovered that Facebook held the key to my obsession with everything cake. Every night after work I would come home and, when the kids were settled in bed, I would search the pages and throw myself into learning. As a child I loved baking with my Nan, I often said to her my dream would be to own a Teashop… little did I know. I started to buy basic equipment, colours, cutters and experiment in the evenings, taking cakey treats to my colleagues as gifts, as I just loved creating. Soon word got out that I made cakes and slowly orders started to roll in, slowly at Jirst and then then they increased to the point that it was almost a full time job. My job was a seasonal one and, in the winter of 2011, I had such a busy Christmas that I decided to take the plunge and not return to my full time job. Lady B's became my full time job in January 2012. Lots of hard work, networking and Facebook advertising soon saw my orders come Jlooding in and Lady B's Jlat out with orders. It wasn't until Dec 2012, when I decided to make chocolate houses and orders went

We decided to go for it and my childhood dream was in touching distance. With the help of my amazing family we worked solid for weeks, researching, sourcing products, furniture and decorating the very tired shop we had made a 6 year commitment to, and transformed her into the beautiful, elegant shop she is today. To say it has been hard work is an absolute understatement, we knew it would be hard but no one can prepare you for just how much. It truly is 24/7. Juggling life between work and home is the hardest thing ever. It’s so demanding and there are days I struggle. I Jind it hard to say no, although I have lately, as the hours had spiralled out of control and were affecting my health. We have just survived our Jirst summer and it has been insane. We have opened 6 days a week and baked 1000s upon 1000s of cupcakes and orders for my amazing customers, who have allowed my dream to become a reality. The hardest part for me is the balance between work and family. Some days I feel so, so guilty for working so hard and hope that the kids don’t just remember Mum was always making cakes ... I am working to build a future for them and hope that I make them proud. Anyone that is considering opening a shop 1) Work from home Jirst and build a good client base. 2) Research your area and know your products will sell. 3) Choose the shop location carefully, make sure there is footfall , bus routes and a market for your product.

4) Don't overspend, set a budget and stick to it, with lots of research and careful buying you can create amazing things on a very small budget. We had a budget of £5k, we did go over slightly and have since re invested, but we have done so when we have had the money, buying more equipment and widening our product range. 5) Full Jlexibility, never say never. I was adamant that I would only sell cake when we opened. After the honeymoon period and the novelty wears off, you have to be prepared to accept that you may need to diversify. We now do sandwiches, high teas and children’s parties too. I have no regrets. I admit to having lots of lows, but also some incredible highs too. Think the low point has to be the sacriJices I have made spending time with my family. I had major guilt over summer as we worked 6 days a week and had very little precious time with the children... BUT we snatched some amazing days to do some fab things together, sometimes it’s really about quality time. We have grown as a family and all pull our weight. The kids are involved and Thomas, our son, worked through summer and has become a demon charmer. The old ladies love him, I feel so very proud of him. Andy is my ROCK, without him I really couldn't do all I do. He is the glue that holds us together. He runs the shop; I Jloat between the shop and home, where I still do all the baking, as the shop has limited space for baking. I constantly worry about money, even though we are always so busy and we are making a fab living. I worry that it won't last, orders will dry up, and the dream will end. Nothing is easy I guess and my motto has become NO pain, NO gain. We will soon be almost a year old and I am already looking forward to new adventures in the shop. Next year will be different. I have learnt that BALANCE is the key to success and value your worth.”

“ I have learnt that BALANCE is the key to success” 45

ISSUE 14 NOVEMBER 2013 BUSINESS PROFILE

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ISSUE 14 NOVEMBER 2013 BUSINESS PROFILE

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