Cakeoftheweek's interview

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Interview by Laurence

We interviewed cakeoftheweek!

"I think it's important to remember why you started your blog or baking in general. If it's not fun or enjoyable, it's not worth doing, and the rest will come eventually."

Hello cakeoftheweek, so tell us...

When did you begin your blog and what inspired you to start it?

I started the blog back in 2011, when I was planning a rainbow cake for my housemate's birthday. I stumbled across Whisk Kid, a cake blog run by the very talented Kaitlin, and thought to myself, 'I could do this!'

Two hours later, I'd started on my way to making Cake Of The Week what it is today. The Rainbow Cake is one of my very first posts. I love how I am able to share my life and baking with people worldwide; it's not just my housemates or family who get to see it any more, and I've got an easy avenue for sharing the recipes.

What is your favorite dish of all time?

My favourite dish of all time is Tiramisu. I seriously can't avoid it. If it's on a restaurant menu, I must have it.

My favourite dish on the blog is the Eight Layer Kahlua Cake I made for my sister's 18th birthday. It had rainbow frosting layers on the inside, which was a total surprise when she cut into it. I think up until then she was a bit confused about why I was so eager for her to try some!

You studied chemistry, have you managed to use your knowledge to do any tricks in the kitchen?

I've found it to be useful when I'm trying to work out why something has gone wrong. The first time I tried to make Swiss meringue buttercream, the vanilla essence was totally repelled by it and all I was left with was a (slightly weeping) butter-flavoured icing. I worked out that because the structure of the buttercream is based on the insane amounts of fat involved (500g butter per batch), the water in the vanilla essence was being repelled from the icing. Water and fat don't mix well.

To combat this, I tried adding the vanilla essence at the meringue stage, where the egg whites are whisked with sugar prior to adding the butter. This worked much better and I achieved a satisfyingly vanilla buttercream.

Do you have a secret weapon in the kitchen?

Not really - I think as long as you remember the basic ratios for a cake (1:1 for fat, flour, sugar and eggs) you can do whatever you want. The limits are endless!

Are there any chefs that you admire in particular?

I love Nigel Slater's 'throw everything together and see what happens' attitude, as it resembles my own way of cooking. I'm also a big fan of Nigella Lawson's cook books, as they contain my favourite recipes for Millionaire Slices and Chocolate Brownies.

Any last words or message for our readers?

I think it's important to remember why you started your blog or baking in general. It can feel like if you don't have thousands of readers or hundreds of PR reps vying for your attention then you're nothing, but stick to your guns and try to just enjoy what you do. If it's not fun or enjoyable, it's not worth doing, and the rest will come eventually.

Thank you cakeoftheweek for answering our questions and see you soon!
Published by Laurence - 16/08/2013

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