Little Pudding Bake Chat

31/01/2024

Family is at the heart of things at Cake Decorating Central and this chat with co-founder, Kylie Richards, is a special one to kick off our second season of Little Pudding Bake Chat.
Kylie has seen a lot of changes in the cake industry over two decades at the helm of CDC, but while trends and gadgets come and go, she says the customers (many who’ve become friends) are why she loves her work, even the ones who bring in cakes requiring emergency surgery!
Kylie talks with love about her late mother-in-law, Shirley Richards, a wedding cake maker of 40 years and legend of the cake industry who used to make all of her decorations by hand. She also tells me about steering the business through the challenging Covid years, why she’s passionate about championing Aussie baking talent and the surprising (to me anyway!) best-selling, game-changing product that sells out every Friday in her stores. Can you guess what it is?

Click here to listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/little-pudding-bake-chat/id1675170399?i=1000643556597

Photos:
1. Kylie with her husband, Jason, and daughter, Abbey
2. Kylie’s mother-in-law, Shirley Richards with decorating supplies
3. An early cake memory, the Bunny Rabbit Cake from the iconic Children’s Birthday Cake Book, made for Kylie by her neighbour

14/12/2023

A little Christmas jingle from Mrs (Meno)Claus!
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This is "12 Days of Menopause Christmas" by Besins Briefing Series on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

08/12/2023

You may know food writer and cookbook author, Sophie Hansen Local is Lovely, from her wonderful cookbooks like A Basket By the Door and Around the Kitchen Table, or her newsletter, 5 Things to be Cheerful About, or the fabulous podcast, Something to Eat and Something to Read, which she co-hosts with . I have followed Sophie’s adventures from way back when she launched her blog, Local is Lovely, so it was great to chat with her about her road to writing cookbooks and her varied and interesting career in food. Sophie also talks about her next cookbook, What Can I Bring? and all the things she loves to cook and bake during Advent and Christmas, her favourite time of the year.

Click here to listen: https://open.spotify.com/episode/17oJFPnZLgscBp58Z4WQjj?si=DI5TR3x_Rty0LIUZ_9WXtw

Pic of Sophie by Pip Farquharson

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This Christmassy episode is brought to you by The Healthy Baker range of flours and protein mixes. Follow The Healthy Baker for gorgeous festive recipe ideas and look for the handy, clear containers in your supermarket baking aisle.

01/12/2023

Anneka Manning of Bake Club is our real-life, delightful answer to the fictional Elizabeth Zott from Lessons in Chemistry. At BakeClub, Anneka teaches the “why” behind the processes of baking as well as the “how” and she’s full of brilliant tips and advice.
In Ep 17 of Little Pudding Bake Chat, she chats about her career in food, from her start in magazines and publishing, to establishing BakeClub and growing a supportive community of keen bakers.
She also talks about life on the NSW South Coast, who she most loves to bake for and what she’s planning for Christmas.

To listen, click the link here🎧

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3BwGHzn5lixjsDCTGAQbh6?si=1cwURwdyQ5uzuMa-AV2GHQ

Pics supplied by Anneka of her scones with their secret ingredient and a beautiful birthday cake she made for her niece.

16/11/2023

Thao from Don't Tell Charles is a bit of a unicorn. She is both highly creative and extremely organised. Her sharp-edges and clean designs are famous in the cake world but it is the systems she teaches in her cake school that underpin her success and that of her students.
In Episode 16 of Little Pudding Bake Chat, Thao talks about her approach to business, where she finds inspiration for her designs, how she can help cakepreneurs change how they feel about pricing their work, and the challenges motherhood can throw at a busy career.
Whether you’re a cake business owner, a hobby baker or working it out as you go, this is a chat you’ll get a lot out of.

Click here to listen 🎧
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7k9JeuiDDQPFi4poDdjor7?si=mvCqBoQzQ1ifANTIeWWc2A

01/11/2023

Let’s chat all things cake and kicking goals in business with Alice from Miss Trixie Drinks Tea and Alisha from Sweetbakesau
In Ep 15 of Little Pudding Bake Chat Alice and Alisha talk about how they came to open their beautiful events space Co.Bake Space, what they love about working together, how they each bring different skills to the table, and how they stay ahead of the game in a competitive, ever-changing industry…And also why it’s a good idea to put your cakes and your fondant out of reach of puppies!

To listen, click here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0DxzfklAGElG7QeLtlIAb4?si=04vD5ML7RzGE90T6jf3WFg

21/10/2023

“There’s no such thing as failure or mistakes. It’s about opportunities to learn.”

- Das from Das Makes Cakes speaking about the upside of work days that challenge us.

Pictured: The gorgeous castle cake she talks us through - one of her favourites to leave her kitchen this year.

You can listen to Das on Ep 14 of Little Pudding Bake Chat at the link in bio ❤️

18/10/2023

If Girls Just Wanna Have Fun was put into cake form, Das from Das Makes Cakes in Sydney is the lady to make it. Her cakes are as creative and fun as she is, and her love of fashion, pink and all things 80’s shines through in her work.
In Episode 14 of Little Pudding Bake Chat, Das talks me through her beginnings in baking, from being secretly competitive in her office bakes to going all-out on her kids’ birthday cakes, which led to her first orders. Those orders have now grown into a thriving cake business in the city’s east and Das is even holding her own workshops. She is generous with her tips and advice for aspiring cake makers and her stories are equally helpful and hilarious. Enjoy!

Listen to the episode here: https://spotify.link/1RFGqoVD0Db 💖

04/10/2023

Let's Price Up Shall We?
So excited to chat to Emma from Emma Jane Cake Design who gives it to us straight about pricing in her Let's Price Up series. But first she makes a cocktail 😂
Emma is an industry trailblazer, inspiring the flower shaped cake trend with her range of acrylic discs which have sold all over the world and she balances her business with a big, busy family. She is funny, frank, and at times a little salty, and cake makers are going to love this one!

Listen to Emma on Little Pudding Bake Chat here: https://spotify.link/4oThR6pgDDb ❤️

30/09/2023

Who would like a second helping of cake and chat?

Sign up to the Little Pudding Bake Chat newsletter for extra pod news, recipes, tips and other bits & bobs I think you’ll like!

Yes please!

Click here:

Little Pudding Email Forms

23/09/2023

Met the fabulous Monica from Moreish Cakes at Cake Bake & Sweets Show and she let me give a shout out to Little Pudding Bake Chat during her cake demo! Also pictured - what Manu Fiedel did to her cake!!

Hear Monica in Ep 10 of the pod here:
https://spotify.link/yy4L48B5kDb

❤️❤️❤️

20/09/2023

Today, I’m chatting to sweet success story and darling of the cake world, Cassie from Cas' Cakery.

I’m excited to have Cas on Little Pudding Bake Chat because she’s not only a leader in her field, she's an inspiration to all women in business.

In Ep 12, she talks about the beginnings of her cake business with simple mud cake hacks while a mum to four kids under six in a remote mining town, the incident that made her commit fully to the business (instead of pursuing a career in fitness) and how her life has changed over the past five years because of that decision. Cas also shares some behind-the-scenes fun of big cake shows, she tells me why she's excited to be bringing her daughters with her to the Cake, Bake & Sweets Show in Sydney and why she's made it her mission to support and empower women in the industry.

To listen, click here: https://spotify.link/bzdDeWiHeDb

This podcast was made in partnership with the Westgold Cake, Bake & Sweets Show, at Sydney Showground from September 22-24.

For tickets and info, go to Cake Bake & Sweets Show, proudly sponsored by Westgold

18/09/2023

It’s Cake, Bake & Sweets Show week in Sydney! This is go-time for all the bakers presenting from Fri-Sun this weekend. They’ll be baking and packing products, finessing their stands and exhibits, and probs trying to fit a nail or brow appointment in somewhere too!
Here to talk us through her show demos, how she got started in baking and how she developed her very handy product, Cover Up, we’re kicking off the week with Lena from Savvy Cakes Sydney on Ep 11 of Little Pudding Bake Chat

Click here to listen: https://spotify.link/Cv9RFv1fbDb

Put some cake in your ears!

This podcast was made in partnership with the Westgold Cake, Bake & Sweets Show, at the Sydney Showground from September 22-24.

Go to Cake Bake & Sweets Show for tickets and info and to follow all the fun.

13/09/2023

Did you know there’s an Aussie podcast for bakers? It’s called Little Pudding Bake Chat and it’s just that – chats with all your favourite bakers about cake and life and all the rest on this lovely, crazy, sweet ride!

Episode 10 is with the hugely talented and hilarious Monica from Moreish Cakes.

You might remember Monica as the cake queen from The Great Australian Bake Off, where she was a finalist in 2016. Since then, she has built a successful range of decorating essentials for bakers, her beautiful cakes have featured on two seasons of Married At First Sight, and she in hot demand at cake shows around the world.

Monica's next event is the Westgold Cake, Bake & Sweets Show in Sydney, where she'll be presenting on the Super Stage, building a cake with her audience over three days. She talks me through what's happening at the show, how she developed her product range, her favourite cakes, and how even the wedding cakes in MAFS come with a side of drama.

Listen here ❤️: https://spotify.link/vSEMYbl22Cb

This episode of Little Pudding Bake Chat is made with the support of the Westgold Cake, Bake & Sweets Show, from September 22-24 at Sydney Showground.

Go to Cake Bake & Sweets Show for tickets!

Follow along at Little Pudding Bake Chat for more Bake Chat!

30/08/2023

Little sloth 🦥 Excellent choice for a teen 😂

Listen to Ep 9 here: https://spotify.link/vYDfFI99GCb

30/08/2023

This episode is for the chocolate lovers! Jen Lo, the delightful chocolatier behind Meltdown Artisan, talks in Ep 9 of Little Pudding Bake Chat about her business journey from baker and cake designer to chocolate maker. Jen reckons there's quite a few parallels between the two, and she likens coming up with her signature bon bon flavours to "taking a cake and condensing it down into a tiny, bite sized piece."
We cover some of the challenges she has faced as a solo business owner and also the fun bits, like developing her own range of ethically sourced chocolate bars, , and helping to raise awareness of sustainability issues in the industry.
Pics feature Jen’s Tim Tam cake, her Not a Single Origin suburb box and that Zelda cake 😱

Click here to listen: https://spotify.link/0i8UBocLFCb ❤️

15/08/2023

Thanks Essentially Sweet and Taste That by Tania 💗💗💗

10/08/2023

"For the first time in my life, I decided to be actively selfish and that was a really big thing for me. I'm a huge people pleaser, so to do that felt so naughty but so exciting. You know, to actually go for the first time: What do you want? And that was a revelation.”

- on realising towards the end of lockdown number two that she was worthy of her own effort and self love.

The Lemon Dream cake is her proudest bake and one of the nine (yes, nine) wedding cakes she ordered from Sydney bakery for her wedding.

Listen to Ep 8 with Charlotte here: https://spotify.link/XT81irx48Bb

To win a copy of Charlotte’s memoir, Heartbake, see directions in previous post 💛

08/08/2023

Rarely do I struggle with where to place my cookbooks in my bookshelf. They go with the other cookbooks, of course. But Charlotte Ree's egg yolk-yellow memoir, Heartbake, could just as well be placed among the novels. The writing is lovely, there are twists and turns, a sprinkling of sexy times, a relatable amount of 20-something emotional turmoil, and a satisfying chaser of self-discovery.

Link to listen: https://spotify.link/9qJ0ziwu5Bb

Charlotte is my guest in Ep 8 and she has generously given me a copy of Heartbake to give away!

Make sure you like this post
Follow and on Instagram
Tag a friend who loves baking
Tell me in the comments what you bake or cook that makes you happy!

Good luck!

Conditions: Giveaway open to Australia only. This giveaway is not affiliated with Instagram or the publisher. Giveaway ends August 31, 2023 at 12am AEST and the winner will be randomly selected on September 1, 2023 and contacted by Instagram DM. Must be 18 years of age to enter and willing to provide your postal address, which I will not share with any other party.

07/08/2023

Thank you My Cosy Kitchen!

31/07/2023

A lovely surprise shout out today for Little Pudding Bake Chat from Local is Lovely in her newsletter, 5 Things To Be Cheerful About on a Monday.
It’s full of good suggestions for recipes, TV, interiors and of course podcasts!

17/07/2023

Regional baker, Erin Davis, is putting the town of Marburg on the map through cake.
She is the Creative Director of The Great Marburg Bake Off, a country show cake competition in, you guessed it, Marburg, and she is a hoot. In Ep 7, we chat about pernickety cake show judges, the Australian Women's Weekly Birthday Cake Cookbook and associated nostalgia, and why you should never put your head too close to your beaters, especially if your hair is long 😳 Also, I may yet nick her idea for a podcast name and change this one to Show Us Your Tins.

Listen here: https://spotify.link/6y28M2OnvBb

21/06/2023

Did you know that the number 42, much like cake, is the answer to everything?
Rachel Spangaro of Forty-Two Cakes knows this and it is the clever literary key to her business name.
Rachel is famous for her wedding cakes and her signature lamington cakes - clean in design and precision-perfect but also lush and beautiful. She built her brand in Canberra but she has since moved to Perth and she tells me in Episode 6 of Little Pudding Bake Chat about how it's all going, why she loves making big wedding cakes and how she stayed up late every night the week before her wedding to make her own cake.

Listen to Ep 6 here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6TZ06BepB4uAgLQqtUTnSG?si=J37cayCnRyuzrd2AbuH_jQ

31/05/2023

Anyone who says they collect spatulas with a straight face is my kind of person. I may never forgive her for likening the texture of carrot cake to squishy moths, but it was brilliant to talk cake and life with Kate Pritchett (clang!).
I loved hearing about where she draws inspiration for her flavours and designs, how pre-dawn baking helps to calm her mind, about the cherished memories and friendships she has made through her cakes - and how there might just be a little bit of Momo in every one of them.

Listen to Ep 5 with Kate here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7D9kqCZeV7Wxmosd1lm0Ws?si=hk-kuLIRTJCH6RSNgU7Ucg

21/05/2023

Chuffed to have Little Pudding Bake Chat recommended by Skye Manson in her lovely newsletter, Company on Sunday.
Thank you Skye!

Here’s the link if you’re up for some great reading and listening reccos:

https://open.substack.com/pub/companyonsundays/p/such-a-pretty-pattern-how-could-it?r=38cp2&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post

12/05/2023

So thrilled to have Amy Minichiello as my guest on Ep 4 of Little Pudding Bake Chat.
Amy’s first cookbook, Recipes in the Mail, is a gorgeous collection of hand-written heirloom recipes and accompanying stories gathered from her online community and her own family. Here, Amy chats to me about the evolution of her book and her baking work, who her “kitchen whisperers” are and how she uses the “in-between” moments to get life done.
I hope you love this chat as much as I did.

Link to listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7qSodhnrYL9GPbCtD6d294?si=G0suZu6vRFWoboixYpzCLg

23/04/2023

One of Em's Cakery’s most popular cakes is her adorable take on a highland cow. She says she wouldn’t normally describe herself as creative, but baking brings it out and she can zone out and experiment and play.

“I don’t know what it is with cake but I’ve just got the patience to sit there for hours and if it’s not working, I’ll find a different way to do it and I won’t stop until it’s perfect.”

He’s pretty perfect Em 😍

Listen to Ep 3 with Em here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5UvmntSVdxpjEGuJ1irnxe?si=3b03T7mZTve7Ip2BkWpUgg

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21/04/2023

So happy to have Emily Gray of Em's Cakery on Ep 3 of Little Pudding Bake Chat. Em started her business when she was just 16 and she now bakes for the busy Hunter Valley wedding and celebrations market in between her day job in events. She talks about starting her business by testing recipes on family and school friends, outgrowing her home kitchen (even with an extension just for her cakes) and battling imposter syndrome when you’re self-taught – something a lot of us struggle with.

Listen to the episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5UvmntSVdxpjEGuJ1irnxe?si=nRJ6MFTYSSqANKPwN7JqAw

31/03/2023

Childhood by food memories are some of the most evocative and emotional we have, and perfecting her late Nanna’s rainbow cake - chocolate, pink and plain sponge layered with whipped cream - was a labour of love for .

“Every birthday as a kid when we were with her, that’s what she would make. My nanna’s not alive anymore and she didn’t leave a recipe, and so trying to replicate that was one of the hardest things to do because what I remembered and what I was baking, it took a long time for them to match up, but I’ve finally cracked it, and that recipe will be in the book.”

Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2o0EPhAcBYIoqhjYassJjg?si=_5BBdlmUTCSMhAGUQSNakw