Hello everyone and I hope you have all had a great week.
Last Saturday I joined a group of lovely judges and spent the entire day at the Ekka judging the cake categories.The stewards provided beautiful morning tea, lunch and constant coffee throughout the day.What a wonderful service they provide and the extent of their hardwork I hope is recognized, thank you.
What a wonderful array of designs, colours and shapes, amazing sugar flowers used to decorate the cakes and the smell of the fruit cake as it was been cut just deliscious!
The childrens cake category was just wonderful and the standards that were achieved makes me reiteratee the potential of getting our children involved in this amazing craft.I find, when I teach childrens classes, which I run several times a year from my home based cake studio as well as my yearly sessions at Christmas at my local library, the children have no inhibitions, no doubts, they just create! We all need to encourage them and nuture them in all that they do.
Now for those that know me baking is my love and passion that began when I was a child and those gorgeous guys from Southern Cross baking group are doing what they do best, sharing their amazing skills, passion and deliscious recipes again .
Southern Cross Baking group are hosting An Introduction to Baking with Preferments visit their website to book your spot.http://www.southerncrossbakinggroup.com.au/news/bookings-open-for-first-event-of-master-class-series/
(Louis Lesaffre Cup Master Class Series)
Brett Noy will demonstrate 3 breads of the Australian Baking Team made with preferments:
•Traditional Baguette
•Decorative Baguette
•Old Style Sandwich Bread
Brett was the captain for the Australian team that competed in the Louis Lesaffre Cup, China 2011. He has real world experience on how these unique breads can fit into a production schedule.
Will McPhail will discuss technical components:
•Using bakers % in formula construction
•Introduction to the biology of sourdough
•Important aspects in controlling a leaven
Will was the coach for the Australian team competing in the Louis Lesaffre Cup, China 2011. He spends much of his time developing practical applications from technical knowledge for use in small bakeries.
At the end of this class you will have had a chance to taste a range of different breads. You will have a better understanding of this production style, recipes and technical information to better assess the benefits of baking with preferments and their role in your production.
Date: Tuesday 20th Septempber
Location: Bakels Test Bakery
Address: 100 Compton Rd
Underwood, Brisbane
Time: 9:00am - 2:00pm
This is a great session and I highly recommend it, as I attended their last bread day.
I will not be attending as I have a designer handbag class that I am teaching and I am being a handbag diva for the day!
Have a great week, Jackie.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Ekka week
It is that time of the year for the Brisbane Ekka and I am very honoured this year in being asked to judge the Ekkas cake competition.I am really looking forward to a sneak preview of Queensland Cake talent this Saturday prior to the shows opening.I have also sponsored a cake category and wish everyone that enters the very best .
This week has been busy with cakes and classes and emails for cake classes and bridal cake bookings.
Please remember that my classes are only small and so do fill quickly and for cake bookings I need at least 2 weeks notice for party cakes and with wedding cakes a couple of months notice.
I received the latest Modern wedding cakes from the publisher in the week, prior to it be circulated at the newsagents and was very pleased with the cakes they choose that I had submitted.
Most bridal magazines will not travel up to Queensland for photo shoots and so I have to email my photos to them. For those that know me photography is not my forte! Anyway as you know that familiar saying practise makes perfect, well then I must have been practising with the camera as the pictures look beautiful!
The magazine has a mixed array of the latest trends in designs and again a lot of colour and ruffles are at the for front in designs at the moment. Tall elegant cakes and the simple classics are also featured.
A couple of weeks ago I created a 7 tier wedding cake (actually 9 tiers as 2 tiers were double stacked!) and delivered and set this up at Versaces.
The assembly of the cakes took 2 and a half hours with every sugar flower placed in a micro flower pick.The results was a very tall beautiful cake sugar roses and sugar phaelenopsis in a beautiful venue for a beautiful couple.
One last thing .....I meet a lot of medical staff through my classes and I would really like to get their message across to all that read this blog Have you ever donated blood ? or perhaps you can consider donating?
My husband and I would regularly donated blood in the UK but due to Mad cows disease risk (and yes I know what your thinking!!!) we cannot donate here in Oz and blood supplies are an all time low.
The blood banks simply need more.Can you help change that?
Have a good week, Jackie.
This week has been busy with cakes and classes and emails for cake classes and bridal cake bookings.
Please remember that my classes are only small and so do fill quickly and for cake bookings I need at least 2 weeks notice for party cakes and with wedding cakes a couple of months notice.
I received the latest Modern wedding cakes from the publisher in the week, prior to it be circulated at the newsagents and was very pleased with the cakes they choose that I had submitted.
Most bridal magazines will not travel up to Queensland for photo shoots and so I have to email my photos to them. For those that know me photography is not my forte! Anyway as you know that familiar saying practise makes perfect, well then I must have been practising with the camera as the pictures look beautiful!
The magazine has a mixed array of the latest trends in designs and again a lot of colour and ruffles are at the for front in designs at the moment. Tall elegant cakes and the simple classics are also featured.
A couple of weeks ago I created a 7 tier wedding cake (actually 9 tiers as 2 tiers were double stacked!) and delivered and set this up at Versaces.
The assembly of the cakes took 2 and a half hours with every sugar flower placed in a micro flower pick.The results was a very tall beautiful cake sugar roses and sugar phaelenopsis in a beautiful venue for a beautiful couple.
One last thing .....I meet a lot of medical staff through my classes and I would really like to get their message across to all that read this blog Have you ever donated blood ? or perhaps you can consider donating?
My husband and I would regularly donated blood in the UK but due to Mad cows disease risk (and yes I know what your thinking!!!) we cannot donate here in Oz and blood supplies are an all time low.
The blood banks simply need more.Can you help change that?
Have a good week, Jackie.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Chocoholics day, I want to go but I have a beautiful 2 day stencilling cake class to teach!
Chocolate Appreciation Demonstration with Drew Maddison hosted by Southern Cross Baking group.
26 Jul 2011 - 9:00am-2:00pm
Town: Brisbane
Location: Bakels Test Bakery
Address: 100 Compton rd, Underwood.
Notes: Drew developed his passion for chocolate whilst working at the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne. In 2008 he filled the role of Technical Sales at F.Mayer Imports in the Chocolate Division. He is responsible for the Callebaut and Cacao Barry brands for Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania.
The last 4 years has seen Drew complete intensive chocolate and pastry training in Belgium, France, Denmark, and Singapore. This has allowed him to further expand his position to a more technical role which involves recipe and product development, training, and judging roles.
Drew will demonstrate the following
•Chocolate Decorations
•Dipped Pralines
•Chocolate appreciation tasting of Single Origins
Cost :
$35 Members
$50 Members
Book now! http://www.southerncrossbakinggroup.com.au/events/?event_id=26
26 Jul 2011 - 9:00am-2:00pm
Town: Brisbane
Location: Bakels Test Bakery
Address: 100 Compton rd, Underwood.
Notes: Drew developed his passion for chocolate whilst working at the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne. In 2008 he filled the role of Technical Sales at F.Mayer Imports in the Chocolate Division. He is responsible for the Callebaut and Cacao Barry brands for Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania.
The last 4 years has seen Drew complete intensive chocolate and pastry training in Belgium, France, Denmark, and Singapore. This has allowed him to further expand his position to a more technical role which involves recipe and product development, training, and judging roles.
Drew will demonstrate the following
•Chocolate Decorations
•Dipped Pralines
•Chocolate appreciation tasting of Single Origins
Cost :
$35 Members
$50 Members
Book now! http://www.southerncrossbakinggroup.com.au/events/?event_id=26
Cake registration of home based businesses, do you want to get your business licensed?
This weekend 2 sessions in one day.
Sunday 10th of July 2011 10 am - 1pm Cost of workshop $325 inc of gst
Setting up your home based cake business. Are you a cake hobbyist at the moment and wanting to know how to become a licensed cake operation?
Registration and licensing requirements, the varying council requirements and Enviromental health and food licensing.Regardless if you are in Logan, Brisbane or in Perth the food licensing laws are all national, the various councils have different requirements.Public liability what do you really need?What are the costs involved , food safety supervisors certificate and organising meetings with council planning and the EHO.All of this is covered in this 3 hour workshop.
If you attend both workshops a light lunch will be provided.
Sunday 10th of July 2011 2 pm -5pm Running your own cake business. Cost of workshop $325 inc of gst
In this workshop we will discuss many topics including, cake pricing, quotes, consultations, advertising, marketing .What extras can give your business the edge from all of the others.
We will discuss delivery and transporting cakes, public liability, quotes deposits and balances.You will be given a folder containing valuable information to help run your cake business.
Let me share with you my six years of Australian life and starting a new business in a new country.
Contemporary cakes Jackie Thompson 33882453
jackie@contemporarycakes.com.au
Sunday 10th of July 2011 10 am - 1pm Cost of workshop $325 inc of gst
Setting up your home based cake business. Are you a cake hobbyist at the moment and wanting to know how to become a licensed cake operation?
Registration and licensing requirements, the varying council requirements and Enviromental health and food licensing.Regardless if you are in Logan, Brisbane or in Perth the food licensing laws are all national, the various councils have different requirements.Public liability what do you really need?What are the costs involved , food safety supervisors certificate and organising meetings with council planning and the EHO.All of this is covered in this 3 hour workshop.
If you attend both workshops a light lunch will be provided.
Sunday 10th of July 2011 2 pm -5pm Running your own cake business. Cost of workshop $325 inc of gst
In this workshop we will discuss many topics including, cake pricing, quotes, consultations, advertising, marketing .What extras can give your business the edge from all of the others.
We will discuss delivery and transporting cakes, public liability, quotes deposits and balances.You will be given a folder containing valuable information to help run your cake business.
Let me share with you my six years of Australian life and starting a new business in a new country.
Contemporary cakes Jackie Thompson 33882453
jackie@contemporarycakes.com.au
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Cake baking tips.
I received the following email and wanted to share this with you all.
Hi Jackie,
I am having many problems cooking a cake that I have done many times before. I am at the point of tearing my hair out and would appreciate any help you could give. It is a Womens Weekly cake that I have cooked about 6 times in the old oven and twice successfully in the new oven. It is the one I sent you a photo of with the "J" on the front.
I am having many problems - from being overcooked on the outside to being not cooked in the centre or completely hollow. I believe these issues to be temperature related and I have varied the temp, the length of cooking time, the size of the eggs, added more flour. I don't know what else to do.
If a recipe states that it is for a 20cm round tin - is it ok to use a 20cm square tin? I can't locate my round tin in the renovations we are doing from the floods but am tempted to go buy another one just to trial it.
I hope this email finds you and your family well.
Thank you for your time, Ann.
Hi Ann,
I am sorry to hear that some cakes are not consistant.The first thing is to check the oven temperature and so you will need to buy an oven thermometer to check this.
If the cakes are overcooking on the outside and raw in the centre the oven is simply too hot.
Some ovens cook too quickly and so when the cake has formed a crust you can cover this with a piece of baking paper and a wooden spoon and this will slow the overbaking.
A "6"square tin has more volume than a 6"round tin, fill a 6"round tin with water to the level you would fill it with cake mixture and then pour it into the square you will then see you would need more mix to fill it, they are not the same quantity.
Are you pre warming your oven?
Are you measuring your eggs? or does the recipe say 3 eggs? If so they should be 50 g eggs not super dooper X large eggs.
Are the eggs fresh within use by date? the yolks should be nice and pert and the whites jelly like and not watery.
Are all the ingredients at room temperature before starting ?
Are you correctly weighing all the ingredients?Always sift the flour to add airation as flour is sometimes over a year old.
If the oven is over browning the cakes a small oven proof dish, ramekin, can be placed on a shelf with some water in it and this will create a moist vapour and slow down overcolouring of the cake.
Is the cake in the centre shelf of the oven? do not overcrowd the oven.
I hope this helps and I may have to put this on my cake blog as this is a common problem that cake makers have but if we create with the above guidelines we should be achieving beautifully baked cakes, fingers crossed!
Let me know of your outcome.
Have a good week, Jackie.
If you have any questions about baking just send me an email and I will reply on my blog to share with everyone too.
jackie@contemporarycakes.com.au
Hi Jackie,
I am having many problems cooking a cake that I have done many times before. I am at the point of tearing my hair out and would appreciate any help you could give. It is a Womens Weekly cake that I have cooked about 6 times in the old oven and twice successfully in the new oven. It is the one I sent you a photo of with the "J" on the front.
I am having many problems - from being overcooked on the outside to being not cooked in the centre or completely hollow. I believe these issues to be temperature related and I have varied the temp, the length of cooking time, the size of the eggs, added more flour. I don't know what else to do.
If a recipe states that it is for a 20cm round tin - is it ok to use a 20cm square tin? I can't locate my round tin in the renovations we are doing from the floods but am tempted to go buy another one just to trial it.
I hope this email finds you and your family well.
Thank you for your time, Ann.
Hi Ann,
I am sorry to hear that some cakes are not consistant.The first thing is to check the oven temperature and so you will need to buy an oven thermometer to check this.
If the cakes are overcooking on the outside and raw in the centre the oven is simply too hot.
Some ovens cook too quickly and so when the cake has formed a crust you can cover this with a piece of baking paper and a wooden spoon and this will slow the overbaking.
A "6"square tin has more volume than a 6"round tin, fill a 6"round tin with water to the level you would fill it with cake mixture and then pour it into the square you will then see you would need more mix to fill it, they are not the same quantity.
Are you pre warming your oven?
Are you measuring your eggs? or does the recipe say 3 eggs? If so they should be 50 g eggs not super dooper X large eggs.
Are the eggs fresh within use by date? the yolks should be nice and pert and the whites jelly like and not watery.
Are all the ingredients at room temperature before starting ?
Are you correctly weighing all the ingredients?Always sift the flour to add airation as flour is sometimes over a year old.
If the oven is over browning the cakes a small oven proof dish, ramekin, can be placed on a shelf with some water in it and this will create a moist vapour and slow down overcolouring of the cake.
Is the cake in the centre shelf of the oven? do not overcrowd the oven.
I hope this helps and I may have to put this on my cake blog as this is a common problem that cake makers have but if we create with the above guidelines we should be achieving beautifully baked cakes, fingers crossed!
Let me know of your outcome.
Have a good week, Jackie.
If you have any questions about baking just send me an email and I will reply on my blog to share with everyone too.
jackie@contemporarycakes.com.au
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Brisbane Ekka Show.
I am very pleased to anounce I have been asked to judge the Contemporary Cake category at the Brisbane Ekka Show.
For those wanting to know how to enter their baked goodies or created decorated cakes click onto the below link., childrens categories also available too.
This is the link for the Brisbane Ekka show.
http://www.rna.org.au/royal-qld-show.aspx
I look forward to seeing all those beautiful entries.
Have a great week, Jackie.
For those wanting to know how to enter their baked goodies or created decorated cakes click onto the below link., childrens categories also available too.
This is the link for the Brisbane Ekka show.
http://www.rna.org.au/royal-qld-show.aspx
I look forward to seeing all those beautiful entries.
Have a great week, Jackie.
Queensland Cake Decorators Ässociation Show.
Friday 24th June 2011 11.30am- 4pm, Saturday 25th June 9 am -4pm and Sunday 26th of June 2011 9am -3pm at the Auditorium Mt Coot-tha Gardens, Brisbane.
Adults $3, Pensioners and students $1 and ankle biters free!
Cake decorating techniques and demonstrations will be featured throughout each day.
Come and view Queenslands talent and a chance to grab a cuppa and a slice of cake and purchase some cake decorating goodies.
Come and have a look at all your local talented cake decorators creations.
This years group displays are Australian Native Flowers in sugar.
Adults $3, Pensioners and students $1 and ankle biters free!
Cake decorating techniques and demonstrations will be featured throughout each day.
Come and view Queenslands talent and a chance to grab a cuppa and a slice of cake and purchase some cake decorating goodies.
Come and have a look at all your local talented cake decorators creations.
This years group displays are Australian Native Flowers in sugar.
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