Cake! magazine by Australian Cake Decorating Network August 2014 | Page 114

You recently launched an eBook full
of your delicious cupcake recipes, the
Australian Cake Decorating Network
have made a few! Can you tell us a
little bit about why you decided to
create this book?
The thing with a YouTube video is that
it’s popular for a short time, then it
falls under a stack of other videos (I
have over 300 just of my own!) and
they become harder to find. I wanted
a place for my favourite recipes to
be stored where they can actually be
found and accessed at all times, and
I also filmed individual cooking videos
to match each recipe – you read it,
then you can watch the video and see
exactly how to make the cupcakes and
how they should turn out – Interactive
baking at its finest.
Also, because I was a cupcake
business for so long, my recipes are
my own and had been my “trade
secrets” for years and years – I didn’t
want a competitor opening up next
door and using all my hard earned,
refined recipes that had taken me
years to perfect. After some disastrous
results trying recipes that I’d googled,
I discovered how hard it is to find the
perfect cupcake recipe and decided
it was time I shared. I also invest a
ton of time and my own money into
making the Youtube videos, and the
book (at $4.99) is a way I can recoup
some of those expenses and continue
providing the free tutorials.

them. Most of the time with no ill
effects but the fridge will suck the life
out of them and they will be dry cake
with hard as a rock icing.
Cake pops can be a little tricky to
master, what are your top five tips to
make awesome cake pops?
1/ Consistency: no matter what the
recipe says, you need to make sure
your pops are not too dry and crumbly
or they will never stay on the stick.
You need like a pliable cookie dough
type of consistency – if in doubt, add
more frosting. I’ve never had problems
adding to much frosting, only adding
too little. Also, ganache is better than
frosting as you get a sturdier pop mix.
2/ Chilling time: If your pops are too
firm or too hard, they will crack when
you apply the chocolate – too soft and
they’ll fall off the stick. I recommend
10-20 minutes in the fridge (not
freezer) is about right. More than an
hour and you need to let them sit at
room temp for a wile so the centre can
defrost a little

3/ Chocolate consistency: Not all
chocolate is the same! Especially not
candy melts which can be the thickest
most awful consistency to work with. I
always have some Copha (vegetable
shortening) on hand to thin out my
chocolate or candy melts to make it
runnier and better for dipping. There’s
no exact measurement as each batch
and brand varies. I actually made a
3 part video series on this as its one
What are three tips