Hello Sydney!
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us!Thank you! I’m often asked where the name Bella’s Cakes came from. Or if I am called Bella!
Bella was my grandmother Frances’ middle name. She was beautiful, kind, a bit demanding and a fantastic baker. She made delicious cheesecake, rugelah strudel and kugel (noodle pudding). She adored her family and took great pleasure in feeding them well.
Although I didn’t get to know her well, as she passed away when I was quite young, I grew up eating food from her recipes and hearing stories about her. When it came to naming my business I couldn’t think of a better person to name it for. I did however, know my grandfather well.
He was a significant influence for me, as he was a very good businessman and worked for himself his whole life; finally retiring at 81!
The very first cake I ever made that I remember making are brownies with my mom when I was really little.
What was the last cake/tart/treat you baked?
It would have to be the last cakes and traybakes I baked. I finished up an order of protein flapjacks, cashew cream bars, gojo berry bars, protein brownies, chocolate chip bites, super seed bites, and pumpkin spice bites. All those are a bit different then my normal celebration and wedding cakes. I am a big fan of training and about a year or so ago started making healthy snacks for myself and for customers. I love making them all as it’s a bit different then the day to day and also it is probably for the best that I have some days that I stay away from the buttercream as it I love it more then cake.
When baking, what song makes you dance around the kitchen?
This is a hard question as I tend to just put Spotify on!
You are a home based bakery I believe, can you describe your usual day?
I am home based. My day usually starts pretty early. Coffee, emails, gym.
I think its really important to get out of the house at least once during my day so heading to the gym in the morning before baking helps me do this. Then if there aren’t more earns run then its home to bake and usually more emails/calls.
I am a terrible baker, I just cannot master the art! Do you know any very (I must stress the very) simple recipes I could try to make?
Sure! I recently made Anzac cookies for wedding favors for a lovely couple who both live in Australia but were getting married in Scotland. These cookies are amazing and super tasty. They can also be made gluten and dairy free. They have become my go to biscuit!
"An ANZAC describes an Australian and New Zealand soldier in World War 1. The term is particularly associated with the landing at Gallipoli on the 25th of April, 1915. During World War 1 and World War 2, the wives, mothers and girlfriends of soldiers were concerned for the nutritional value of the food being supplied to their men. Here was the problem. Any food they sent to the fighting men had to be carried in the ships of the Merchant Navy. Most had no refrigerated facilities, so any food sent had to be able to remain edible after periods exceeding two months. A body of women came up with the answer - a biscuit with all the nutritional values possible. The basis was a Scottish recipe using rolled oats which were used extensively in Scotland, especially for a heavy porridge that helped counteract the extremely cold climate.
The ingredients they used were rolled oats, sugar, plain flour, coconut, butter, golden syrup or treacle, bi-carbonate of soda and boiling water. All these items did not readily spoil. At first the biscuits were called Soldiers' Biscuits, but after the landing on Gallipoli, they were renamed ANZAC Biscuits."
{read the full 'Anzac Biscuits' recipe here}
Over the last few years we attended quite a few of the same wedding fairs and we are both members of wonderful The Wedding Collective.
When you attend fairs, you always have such a fabulous selection of cakes with you and a feast of little tasty bites to sample! At your last few fairs, what cake style and flavors have been most popular? Are you seeing a particular trend going into 2016?
At the last few fairs I have attended I have talked to many couples who are looking for wedding cakes that aren’t the traditional style wedding cake or cakes. Many couples have expressed that they want either a naked cake or buttercream cakes rather then fondant iced cake or cakes.
I love this though as I am a big fan of naked cakes and buttercream. For cakes for 2016 I am still seeing naked cake as a big trend and also more couples asking for smaller cutting cakes and then a mix of desserts to accompany the cutting cake.
A really fun wedding I am catering for next year they ask for a small cutting cake and donuts! I can’t wait to bake their wedding cakes!
Are you working on any new flavours for next season?
I have some ideas in mind, all to be reviled in the New Year!
I notice on your Instagram feed you have an offer on just now, can you tell more?
Recently I started offering personalized cake toppers for cakes. Be it for a birthday, wedding, or anniversary. I thought that a good way to also spread the word was to offer one of Bella’s personalized name cake toppers with all 3 tier naked cakes till the end of the year. They come in acrylic and wood. The wooden ones are lovely and add to the rustic look of the naked cake.
I am a big fan of the current trend for Cake and Dessert tables, I think they go down an absolute storm and guests thoroughly enjoy them! If you could create the ultimate ‘yummy’ dessert table, what would be your selection?
This is a hard question! There are so many desserts to choice. To pick a few desserts… strawberry poppy seed naked cake, courgette and lime cake, red velvet cake, flours chocolate brownies, strawberry pisatachio tartlets, rose truffles, and sea salted caramel truffles.
A month or so ago, we worked together on a styled shoot with the lovely Ginger and Lime Events and the super talented Julia Graham Photography. Your gorgeous bakes are such a visual treat as well as really tasty!
Where do you find your creative inspiration?
I find a lot of my inspiration from, the people I work with to create cakes, traveling, cook books, reading.
I have a flavour thesaurus that is always helpful when I am stuck. And I have a great fresh fruit and vegetable shop where I live. I am always in there looking for new ingredients.
What’s next for you and Bella’s Cakes? Do you have any exciting events in your diary? Any wedding fairs coming up?
No wedding fairs at the moment. I will be at the Urban Market at Drygate in December with items from my Christmas menu though. Really looking forward to this as holiday markets can be really fun and Drygate is such a great venue. I am also working on wedding cakes up to December as well. I have also started doing mail orders of bars and cookies so those have been taking up some time and it looking likely that they will be picking up towards the holidays!
To order cakes and any of the delicious treat mentioned above, please contact
Sydney directly or visit {Bella's Cakes Website}
BELLA'S CAKES {on social media}
Sydney directly or visit {Bella's Cakes Website}
BELLA'S CAKES {on social media}
Your can follow Bella's Cakes on
Facebook {bellasbakery}
Instagram {bellascakes84}
Twitter {bellas_cakes}
