
I would like to present "The Elegant Erin of Mrs. E Cakery" and her tasty treats.
Candie and Michelle: I've always loved pictures of Australia. What's it like living there?
Erin: Australia is a great place to live in, it’s so multicultural I can try different types of food! Weather is also pretty good, although we always joke here how Melbourne can have four seasons in a day (from hot sunny day suddenly turned into cold and rainy in the afternoon).
Candie and Michelle: We can relate. Sounds like Georgia. Lol. Where did you get your skill for baking and creating such beautiful and delicious cakes and pastries?
Erin: The talent runs in the family from my grandpa from mum’s side. Watching tutorials on youtube and other bakers’ blogs also helps develop my baking skills. These days you can literally search anything on google!
Candie and Michelle: YouTube is definitely a helpful source of information. We've learned a few things on there too. Have you always liked baking?
Erin: Yes and no. I loved watching mum baking cakes when I was little. I helped her stir the batter and couldn’t wait to lick the leftovers haha. That’s how it all started. Then in high school, I made some chocolate brownies they were a hit. It was selling so well to a point where I was so tired of baking I didn’t want to see brownies for a while! That’s why I try to make variations and keep it interesting, not stuck in any particular cake style.
Candie and Michelle: That's understandable. Besides baking beautiful cakes and pastries do you have any other talents?
Erin: Art and music. I love sketching with pencils, painting, and photography. I also play piano and guitar.
Candie and Michelle: Wow, you are really talented! We wouldn't mind seeing some of your other work. :) What inspires you to create certain cakes or pastries?
Erin: If it is not a special request, I got inspiration from anywhere: nature, beautiful prints, interior and fashion magazines, designers, and especially other bakers.
Candie and Michelle: What was your favorite cake to make?
Erin: The first cake I ever made, which is a giggle and hoot (Australian TV character) cake for my daughter’s first birthday. I had never done cake decorating before so it was really a great experience. I was very happy with the result considering it was the first time I made figurines from gum paste, and I can never forget her happy look to see her favorite TV character.
Candie and Michelle: I bet her face was precious. :) What was your favorite confectionery/dessert to make?
Erin: The Japanese wagashi. It is a traditional Japanese confectionery that is usually made of sticky rice and beans. I tried them the first time when traveling to Japan in 2012, it was so different than Western pastries/confectioneries, lighter, so delicate yet so beautiful. I could not find them in Australia so I tried making them myself.
Candie and Michelle: That sounds delicious. I would love to try one. What was the hardest cake to make?
Erin: A cake with buttercream flower arrangements on top. It does require lots of practice and high-technical skills to create the flowers, find the color composition, and arrange them on the cake. I have yet mastered these skills, but have made it my learning goal this year.
Candie and Michelle: I'm sure with a little more practice you will get it. :) What was the hardest confectionery/dessert to make?
Erin: It would be the same as my favorite one, the Japanese wagashi. I had to make the ingredients from scratch because I can’t find them anywhere in Australia! I had to cook the white beans, process them several times until it became white paste, then mix them with special other ingredients so it can be shaped.
Candie and Michelle: That must have been really rewarding. What was the strangest request for a cake you have ever made?
Erin: None yet, but I would love to receive one actually!!
Candie and Michelle: Whenever you do I hope you share the picture. LoL. Do you have any advice for any aspiring bakers?
Erin: Keep practicing and always open your mind for inspirations.
Candie and Michelle: Excellent advice. If anybody would be interested in having cakes for an event they are having what would be the best way to get in touch with you?
Erin: At this stage, they can email me at mrs.e.cakery@gmail.com
Thank you so much Erin for taking the time to sit down with us. We look forward to having you back again. :)
-Candie & Michelle