PUBLISHER : Cake ! Magazine is published by the Australian Cake Decorating Network Pty Ltd . ACN : 91 164 927 584 . © All content copyright 2022 Australian Cake Decorating Network Pty Ltd . All rights reserved . Reproduction any part of the magazine without written permission is prohibited . All prices included in Cake ! Magazine are approximate and are in AUD unless otherwise stated . Prices quoted are correct at the time of publishing and may vary or be subject to change . The Australian Cake Decorating Network Pty Ltd accepts no responsibility for damage or loss as a result of material submitted for , published in or as a result of this publication . The Australian Cake Decorating Network does not have an affiliation with any other magazine . The views and opinions expressed within this publication are not necessarily the views of the publisher or it ' s affiliates . While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained within Cake ! Magazine the publisher and Cake ! Magazine hold no responsibility for any errors , omissions , or consequences subsequent or otherwise , including loss or damage arising from reliance on information in this publication . Content is supplied for publication in Cake ! Magazine by parties external to the Australian Cake Decorating Network and it is the external party ' s responsibility to ensure content and credits are accurate . Cake ! Magazine contains advertising through individual arrangements , which may include paid affiliate arrangements . Cake ! Magazine may also contain affiliate links . The agreements are held between the advertiser or affiliate and the Australian Cake Decorating Network Ptd Ltd . To advertise in Cake ! magazine , contact : liz @ acdn . me

letter from the editor Welcome to our first Cake ! Magazine issue for 2022 ! 2022 is going to be a big year here at ACDN and we are kicking off with the launch of our new online course , Sart Your Own Baking Business ! We also hope 2022 will see the return of our in-person events for our members and followers , we miss you ! This issue of Cake ! Magazine is Mother ' s Day themed featuring tutorials for cookies , cakes and cupcakes perfect for Mother ' s Day , along with many inspirational images in our Member Gallery . In this issue , we interview Kylie , the Co-founder of Cake Decorating Central and are also joined by ACDN Award winners Maria Racovalis of Bouquet Cakes and Tash of Cookies by Tash for a business feature ! Amber Comadira-Smith is back with her regular column for Cake ! Magazine talking about perfectionism in cake decorating We hope you enjoy this issue of Cake ! Magazine ! Enjoy ! Liz COVER IMAGE : Priscilla Brincat Priscilla ' s Cakes

Contents 9 15 35 20 40 30

March 2022 30 35 40 9 15 20 46 49 Features Interview with Kylie Richards of Cake Decorating Central Interview with Maria Racovalis , 2021 Cupcake Artist of the Year Award winner Interview with Tash Ristevski , 2021 Rising Talent Award winner Tutorials Piped Buttercream Cupcakes Mother ' s Day Floral Cookies Ruffle Heart Toppers Regulars Cake Chat with Amber Comadira-Smith ACDN Member Gallery

T U T O R I A L S T O M A K E T H I S Mother ' s Day

Piped Buttercream Cupcakes By Maria Racovalis of Bouquet Cakes Photos by : Paula Andrews Photography paulaandrewsphotography . com

Step 1 Fit your piping bag with your favourite petal tip . Step 2 Fill the bag with buttercream . I like to use American Buttercream for flower piping . Try not to overload your piping bag . Your finger should almost touch the edge of the piping tip , that ’ s how much buttercream you should be holding in your hand for better control . Step 3 Cover your cupcake with a thin layer of buttercream . This acts almost like a crumb coat and if you make a mistake , you can just shake off all the buttercream and start again and you won ’ t get any crumbs . Step 4 Step 5 Step 7 Start by making a small mound in the centre of your cupcake . Make 3 tight overlapping arches around that small mound you just made , this is the centre of your rose . From there go around the centre you just made making overlapping rainbow arches . Start from the centre of the last stroke . You can make the arches as high or low as you like . As you get to the edge , tip the cupcake away from you slightly and make the arches a little longer . You will notice the petals will fan out a little . Stop when you cant see the cupcake case , like I do , or to your liking .

My tip tips : I like to ensure my piping bag is tight at all times , I find it much harder to control the way the buttercream comes out . Soon as you can feel the bag getting loose , tighten it . You may need to stop a few times and clean your piping tip multiple times , sometimes buttercream can build up . I like to use a wetwipe . I prefer to pipe on a frozen cupcake , this helps set the buttercream quickly . And is a game changer in the summertime ! facebook . com / bouquetcakesmariaracovalis bouquetcakes . com . au See our Business Feature with Maria on page 35 Photos by : Paula Andrews Photography paulaandrewsphotography . com

Before we begin , you ’ ll need to gather your tools and choice of décor , plus apply your fondant to your cookie . Once you ’ re prepped , it ’ s time to get your creative juices flowing ! Follow these 4 simple steps to achieve this unique cookie style … Mother ’ s Day Floral Cookies by Tash Ristevski of Cookies by Tash YOU WILL NEED : Before we begin , you ’ ll need to gather your tools and choice of décor , plus apply your fondant to your cookie . Once you ’ re prepped , it ’ s time to get your creative juices flowing ! Follow these 4 simple steps to achieve this unique cookie style …

Step 1 Using a wrist flicking motion , apply your chocolate drip to each 4 corners of your cookie . Let the chocolate set before moving on to step 2 . Step 2 Using palette knives , smear royal icing in any direction and in any areas you wish , to create some nice chunky texture around the cookie . I used a combination of white , pink and yellow for this particular design . CREDITS : Baker – Cookies by Tash Debosser & cutter – Boss Embossers Sprinkles – Picnart Sugar Edibleart Paint – Sweet Sticks Royal Icing – Celebakes via Miss Biscuit Chocolate drip – Chocolate Drip via Miss Biscuit Dried florals – Inspired by Zara + Rhapsody Design Co Dried cornflower – Petite Ingredient Gold leaf – Cake Craft Australia via Bake Boss Fondant – Queen Food colouring – Colour Mill

Step 4 Step 3 Over the areas in which you applied the royal icing , use sprinkles and dried edible florals to create even more texture . Be sure to work quickly before the royal icing sets . Apply tiny smears of royal icing in some of the blank areas on the cookie and use a sponge or a food safe paintbrush to dab the royal icing to create a sponging effect . If you wish , you can also use edible paint to hand-paint areas of your raised text . And Voila ! That ’ s how to achieve our signature Abstract Cookie design , in 4 simple steps . Happy Baking ! facebook . com / CookiesByTash-101251351864805 / cookiesbytash . com . au See our Business Feature with Tash on page 40

These hearts make beautiful standing topper if attached to a pop stick or a great flat decoration for cupcakes and cookies ! Ruffle Heart Topper By Lena McKechnie of Savvy Cakes Sydney These hearts make beautiful standing topper if attached to a pop stick or a great flat decoration for cupcakes and cookies !

100g fondant Heart cutter ( 2.5inch pictured ) Tylose Powder Ruler or 1cm strip cutter Paring knife Medium balling tool Dresden tool Petal pad Water in cup Small paint brush YOU WILL NEED : 100g fondant Heart cutter ( 2.5inch pictured ) Tylose Powder Ruler or 1cm strip cutter Paring knife Medium balling tool Dresden tool Petal pad Water in cup Small paint brush Step 1 Add up to 1 / 4tsp of Tylose powder to your fondant and knead through . Roll out your fondant to approximately 2mm thickness , cut heart shapes and set aside . Step 2 Using rolled out fondant and ensuring it ' s not to thick , cut 1cm strips , approx 20cm in length . Step 3 Be sure to cover up the fondant you are not using to prevent in drying out . Place strips on petal pad and use a balling tool to gently ruffle to edge of the fondant . I use a diagonal looping action on the very edge of the strip . It can take some practice to get the pressure of your motion right . Step 4 When you have frilled one side of the strip , turn it around and frill the opposite side and then gently fold the strip in half , lengthways .

Step 5 Paint your heart with water as required , starting from the centre and place the folded strip on to the hear in the middle . Wind it around in a circle , ensuring it is attached to the heart . Use a dresden tool to gently poke the centre of the strip so it bonds to the heart . Step 6 Continue to frill your strips of fondant and attach in a spiral fashion . when you have filled the heart , cut smaller pieces of your folded ruffle to fill in the cheeks of the heart Step 8 If you have some flat or squished ruffles , use the dresden tool to gently lift and add more movement . Set aside to dry overnight for optimal results www . facebook . com / SavvyCakesSydney www . savvycakes . com . au

What is automatically covered ? Typical Cake Industry Association Policy Home based cake & cookie baking & decorating activities ( including macarons & brownies ) Making handmade chocolates , desserts and confectionery Teaching cake baking / decorating for up to 12 adults ( 18 years & over ) Cooking Classes involving use of ovens , gas burners or the like Up to 12 adults Up to 5 adults Hiring of hall or commercial premises to teach classes Selling at local markets , fetes , fundraisers Automatic $ 20million cover Turnover of up to $ 100,000 ( Income before deducting expenses ) Certificate of currency in the individual sole trader name Use of fresh , artificial & preserved flowers for decorative purposes Up to 12 adults Unlimited Limited number / year Limited / tiered turnover levels Hiring of a commercial kitchen Selling to shops , cafes & restaurants Attending Wedding Expo ' s & Bridal Fairs Setting up at a wedding or event venue Making & selling sprinkle mixes and dry cake mixes Manufacturing cookie cutters Making and selling craft items at markets ( excludes baby items ) Preserves / jams & honey Limited Decorating classes uploaded to YouTube * Food Certificate required www . acdn . me / insurance

An interview with Kylie Richards co-founder of cakedecoratingcentral . com . au Cake Decorating Central

CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF , THE STORY BEHIND HOW CAKE DECORATING CENTRAL STARTED AND HOW IT HAS GOTTEN TO WHERE IT IS TODAY ? Like any cake related business , Cake Decorating Central was born out of a love of cake by two business partners - Kylie Richards and Louise Davey . Each of them brings a wealth of experience to the business , Louise is a 2nd generation cake decorator and Kylie has a management background as well as the love of a good challenge . Similar to a good cake recipe , these two skill sets have helped the business to grow and rise to be well known in the Australian Retail Industry . For a number of years , they dabbled in humble surroundings in a home based environment , supplying made to order cakes , hiring out cake tins , and teaching classes both at home and in a local hall before the realisation that this could " really be a goer " prompted them to seek more permanent premises . Now stores are proudly placed in both Castle Hill on Hoyle Avenue , and in Woodbine near Campbelltown on Harbord Road . The last few years have been busy with expansion into the coordination of the decorating classes for the Cake Bake and Sweet Show in Sydney and Melbourne . This has fostered new working relationships with some of the most fabulous cake artists from both within Australia and from overseas as well . Many a laugh has been had late night while prepping for classes , and we have made not only new friends , but renewed old friendships too . The Original Kit of the Month program has gone from strength to strength over 12 years worth of fun projects for subscribers . We love working with Liz and the team at Australian Cake Decorating Network and we regularly sponsor their events including Cake Camp & Cake Crawl . In 2018 our business grew to include an interstate store in the beautiful Melbourne suburb of Nunawading . Another fabulous team has been formed and we love seeing our customer base grow !

HOW HAVE YOU NAVIGATED RUNNING YOUR BUSINESS THROUGH COVID INCLUDING ADAPTING TO CHANGES AND SUPPORTING YOUR STAFF ? The emergence of COVID came at a very interesting time for Cake Decorating Central . Similar to many retail businesses ; from mid 2019 to early 2020 business in our retail stores was tough . Then along came COVID and let ’ s not lie ; in the early days we were wondering if we would survive . After the initial shock and with the government programs to help we regrouped and really had to look at where we needed to improve our business . We had been investigating changes to our website and while we didn ’ t have customers in store it was a prime time to blow up our old website and start again . Best decision EVER ! Our website produced close to 10,000 orders in our first 12 months ! We also knew that our cake decorating kits were always a popular choice and with our customers locked down we concentrated on regularly creating new kits . With our first lockdown in Sydney we only had our full time staff , Kylie and Louise available to work . Thankfully as soon as we could we had our staff back on deck and our primary concern was making sure they were comfortable being back in an environment with face to face contact with customers . Our second and longer lockdown in Sydney saw many of our staff unavailable again and we needed to change our teams as our online orders exploded ! As the transport industry buckled under the pressure of the online explosion we recruited available family and friends to do local deliveries to our customers . This was both an extremely rewarding but busy time with Kylie and Louise working long hours . Our poor girls in our Nunawading store have shown the highest amount of perseverance in our whole business . Excruciatingly long lockdowns throughout the past two years brought a very different set of challenges . But each and every one of our team has stepped up at different times to keep our business operating . Kylie ’ s first trip back to Nunawading after the last lockdown was a day of pure joy ! The retail COVID government measures surrounding QR codes , masks and vaccination passports has been an extremely testing time for all our staff . Our staff have exceeded our expectations of their abilities to cope . WHAT ARE 3 POSITIVES TO COME OUT OF THE PAST 3 YEARS FOR YOU PERSONALLY OR YOUR BUSINESS ? I would say that the past two years have been the most positive for me personally and in business . 1 . Physical and mental health became my number one priority and the positives have been numerous ; especially general mood and ability to handle stressful situations . 2 . Letting go ; don ’ t stress on the things I can ’ t change . 3 . I found my crew – family and friends who are there through anything , no judgment just support and love .

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO OTHER BUSINESS OWNERS WHO MAY FIND THEMSELVES IN A HARD SPOT ? Boy we have been here a few times over the 17 years we have been in business , and we will be there many times to come . Always go back to basics ; where did you start , where are you now and where are you going ? Don ’ t be afraid of what has happened or to ask for feedback and help from other people . There is always a lesson to be learned or an improvement to be made . Although you might be overwhelmed don ’ t be afraid of change – even if you have to abandon everything you thought was the right path . OUTSIDE OF RUNNING YOUR BUSINESS , WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES ? I actually cannot believe that I am saying this but walking , exercise and meditation for enjoyment and mental health . I also love sewing and spending time with family and friends . WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE FOR CAKE DECORATING CENTRAL IN 2022 ? We are so excited about 2022 ! Mostly we are dreaming of how wonderful it will be to have our classes restarting . We finally have Javier from Luma ’ s Cake visiting us in late August and September and we also have plans for Marta Torres for some unbelievable cookie workshops . Our store in Castle Hill had big changes when we relocated in January 2022 and we will be doing major renovations in our Campbelltown store in the first quarter . Nunawading also has expanded ( again ) and we have a new bigger classroom in works that we hope to finish in February . Continuing on from our successes in 2021 we will be expanding our catalogue with new and exciting products in our catalogue . We also cannot wait for face to face catchups with our ACDN and Cake Industry friends . MORE INFORMATION cakedecoratingcentral . com . au

An interview with Maria Racovalis founder of An interview with Maria Racovalis founder of Bouquet Cakes

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR BUSINESS ? I ’ m Maria , Fine Art Cake Maker , specialising in buttercream flower bouquets . I ’ m a mama of two beautiful boys , Ashley and Alexander and have a wonderful partner Evan . I live in Melbourne , Australia . My buttercream flower journey began nearly two years ago when I stumbled across this art , on Instagram actually . My first flower I ever piped was the rose . I was absolutely terrible at first , gave up for a bit then had another go , persevered and practiced then tried another flower on YouTube . And the rest is history as they say . I practiced and practiced and initially made the bouquets for friends and family . Then once I got good enough to expand and when the word got out about these beautiful bouquets , I had to make the decision to do it properly as a business or not . Caking has definitely filled a void . I get to be creative , get to bake and most of all , the best part - I look forward to seeing the reaction on my customers faces when they collect their order - absolutely priceless . I ' m so chuffed that this Fine Art either inspires you to perhaps learn this skill one day , want to buy my product to give to your loved ones or just to admire .

WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION FOR YOUR DESIGNS ? Google is my best friend . I find inspiration by researching fresh flower bouquets and base the design around that . ANY ADVICE FOR ANYONE THINKING OF STARTING A BAKING BUSINESS ? Practice your piping and getting those flavours and textures right on friends and family at first , they will be your greatest critics . Master one thing then go onto the next , don ’ t take on too much at first like I did . Ensure your business is registered and have the right insurances . Join baking or business networks , such as ACDN , the knowledge and help you will get within these groups is very helpful .

MORE INFORMATION bouquetcakes . com . au maria @ bouquetcakes . com . au Photos by : Paula Andrews Photography paulaandrewsphotography . com

An interview with Tash Ristevski founder of Cookies by Tash

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR BUSINESS ? My name is Tash and I ’ m a mum to 3 beautiful little boys . My business was born back in December 2020 , when my eldest son Lucas asked to make some Christmas cookies together . I ’ d never made cookies before , however , I ’ ve always loved being in the kitchen and getting creative . I ordered a few cookie cutters and some fondant online and when they arrived , we made some Christmas themed cookies together which I then decided to post to my personal Instagram account . Overnight , I had numerous friends and family asking me where I had “ purchased the cookies from ” and others asking in shock “ OMG did you make these ?!” my best friend and an old boss of mine even commented “ you need to sell these ”. It was kind of like a light switch moment and I thought to myself , geez , I could possibly make some extra cash from this … and so Cookies By Tash was born ! Safe to say , I haven ’ t looked back since . WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION FOR YOUR DESIGNS ? I don ’ t really have 1 main source of inspiration . I ’ m constantly being inspired by all different types of things like beautiful floral arrangements , colour palettes , party set-ups , balloon garlands … so many different areas . Sometimes I just envision a design or theme in my mind and then design as I go at the work bench . I find those are the sets that I usually fall in love with the most .

ANY ADVICE FOR ANYONE THINKING OF STARTING A BAKING BUSINESS ? Do it ! Working for yourself and getting to do something so fun and creative each and every day is like nothing you ’ ll ever experience doing anything else . Yes , it ’ s hard work , and yes , some days might feel like they are never ending , but at the end of the day , when you see your creations come to life and you receive the kindest words of gratitude from your customers , it ’ s so worth it . The best part about owning your own business is that the sky is your limit .

MORE INFORMATION www . facebook . com / CookiesByTash-101251351864805 cookiesbytash . com . au

Cake Chat Cake Chat with Amber Comadira-Smith from Cake with Amber Amber shares her cake expertise so you can sweeten-up your cake skills and create amazing cakes with confidence ! PERFECTIONISM IS A ‘ KILLER ’ IN CAKE DECORATING As a cake decorating teacher , nothing beats the incredible feeling of watching my students sweeten their skills and gain confidence with a new decorating technique ! At the end of class , everyone is always on a high and ( rightly ) proud of their accomplishments . But every so often I will have at least one student who will lament and say “ I ’ m happy , but it ’ s not perfect …” It just hurts my heart to see that my students have so much skill , but they don ’ t see it . I not only hear comments like this from my students , but fellow cake decorators in business as well . “ I ’ m nowhere near being perfect , I ’ m just learning .”...“ Urgh , I hate looking at it , I made a mistake – the flowers aren ’ t straight and …”...“ I think I did ok … not the best cake I ’ ve ever done though …” Do any of those sentences sound familiar to you ? So many of us let ‘ perfectionism ’ run the show in our head ( it tends to be best friends with the ‘ comparison game ’). Growing up , I was a self-proclaimed perfectionist . I was always self-critiquing ( reality : selfhating ) and it carried over into my adult years . It ’ s taken me a long time to ‘ let go ’ of perfectionism in my daily life and my cake decorating work . But here ’ s the most important thing I ’ ve learnt during my time : perfectionism is a trap . It ’ s just like a hamster wheel … you keep going and going - and going ! - but we never seem to reach it ( perfection ) or ever feel accomplished , because we ’ re constantly criticising our cake skills and thinking of what we could be doing better . I realised I needed to overcome my perfectionist mindset when I was considering quitting my business . My family and friends helped me to see that I really was talented and profitable , but it was my perfectionism that was actually killing my joy for cake decorating . When I started my journey to overcome that unhealthy mindset , I started to become happier and more fulfilled in my cake business ; I could appreciate my amazing cake successes , I treasured my skills and I could easily accept compliments without having that underlying criticism in my head .

Do you suffer from that same perfectionist head-space ? Here ’ s what ultimately helped me on my journey ( which I hope in turn can help you ): Cake Chat Practicing self-appreciation As a cake decorator , we are always learning Cake new Chat skills with and Amber growing Comadira-Smith with every cake that we create . Every time you decorate a cake , realise from Cake that you with are Amber always on a journey of growth and appreciate your knowledge and skill set in that moment . Amber shares her cake expertise so you Realistic thinking can sweeten-up your cake skills and create Interrupt your self-critical thought pattern with more realistic and helpful statements . amazing cakes with confidence ! “ I ’ m really good at what I do , that ’ s why people request my cakes .” “ Nobody is perfect and it would be boring if everyone was .” “ Just because I make a mistake , doesn ’ t mean I ’ m stupid or a failure . I ’ m human and everyone makes mistakes .” It sounds silly to say these statements to yourself , but it actually works ! Look at the big picture Don ’ t get bogged down in the tiny cake details . Step away and look at the bigger picture . Ask yourself : will it affect the overall outcome of my cake or how my customers see the cake ? Will it still matter tomorrow or next week ? Realising that perfectionism = boring I ’ ve come to realise that perfection in cake decorating is actually kind of boring . I love those little “ imperfections ” in a cake , because it builds interest , emotion and character . People can connect with imperfections and that ’ s EXACTLY what we want . Cake decorating is more than just about making a cake look pretty , it ’ s about connecting with others and telling a story . It ’ s time to kick perfectionism to the curb . Let ’ s all promise to be kinder to ourselves and spend our mental energy on enjoying our love for this incredible craft ! MORE INFORMATION facebook . com / cakewithamber instagram . com / cakewithamber cakewithamber . com . au