Raewyn Read is emerging as one of Australia’s
popular caking personalities.
She’s been invited to participate in
an assortment of international collaborations including The Tim Burton Cakenweeie
Project.
This year Raewyn is taking her
career to another level focusing on her business Cakes by Raewyn and producing
jaw dropping cakes such as this “Escher” inspired cake.
This year Raewyn will be packing her
bags and heading overseas to spread her caking techniques to the rest of the
world.
Marianna’s Caking Me Crazy caught up with Raewyn, here’s what she had to
say.
How did you
first become introduced to the art of cake decorating?
I wanted a cake
for my youngest daughters first birthday but money was really tight so I
decided to try it myself. I watched YouTube videos and Googled like a mad
woman! Two weeks later I made my very first cake…a two tier buttercream iced
vanilla cake with pink fondant daisies. My friends and family were very kind
about it and actually started putting in requests! J
When did you
start your business and how many years have you been in the Cake Industry?
I don’t know
when I really ‘started’ as such….I truly kind of fell into it all. I suppose
the first really business minded move I made was releasing my first tutorial
for purchase…it was SO nerve wracking but very exciting! I just celebrated my 3rd
year of cake decorating when Jasmine turned 4!
What do you
enjoy most about running a cake business?
I LOVE the part
I’m doing now, traveling and getting to meet lots of wonderful people! I really
enjoy the creative process of making cakes but it can get a little lonely…I
worked mostly at night when the kids were in bed so that’s VERY different to
teaching. My family laughs at me because I’m becoming a bit of a social
butterfly haha!
Is there one
cake that you get asked to create a lot?
Ah yes….shoes
of course and I have done my Wonder Woman design a few times, and my Tinkerbell,
but I do try to keep creating new designs so people don’t get bored with what I
do J
What’s the most
favourite cake you have made?
My most
favourite cake would have been Catwoman…even though she’s not actually cake!
The whole Tim Burton Collaboration was amazing to be involved in and being able
to be completely self-indulgent and make her just the way I wanted was SO much
fun!! I want to do that whole thing again! J
Where does your
inspiration come from?
I find
inspiration everywhere! When I first started, I just used to look at other
cakes for inspiration but I’m finding that as I go on, I see cakes in
everything around me…a pattern on a family members top…a reflection on a
wall….I have some seriously strange photos on my camera of things that have
caught my eye!
Do you have a
particular creative process when you are designing your cakes?
It depends on
the project. If it’s for a client…they pretty much give me the brief and I
stick to that…but if it’s a collaboration or a magazine…well…my imagination
goes wild. Usually something comes to me pretty quickly and I usually don’t
deviate too far from my original idea. I usually do a rough sketch, then a
better one in colour, then I ‘dummy’ it up from styro or even cake tins to get
a sense of proportion.
Sometimes I get
stuck and head over to my trusty old friend Google….I don’t look at cakes
though. I search real images for inspiration…make a sketch THEN I Google cakes
in that theme to make sure it hasn’t been done before!
A lot of your
fans have been wondering what your chosen medium is for creating figures and
what drying time you allow?
Ahh! I LOVE
Modelling Chocolate…it is brilliant for giving incredibly realistic muscle tone
and facial features but it HATES our humid climate here in Australia. I use it
in a 50/50 mix with Gumpaste AND Tylose/CMC then try to leave it to dry for a
few days. I need someone to manufacture a humidity proof Modelling
Chocolate….anyone out there?? ;)
How do you
remain competitive and try to stand out from other decorators in such an evolving
industry?
Great question!
If I work it out, I’ll let you know haha! I just try to be myself…I LOVE what I
do and my greatest joy is getting to share my passion with like-minded folks…I
think people can see that and that makes them feel comfortable with me.
I try to always
be brave and am never scared to try anything…at least once J
What hot caking
trend are you in love with at the moment?
I know I’m
LOVING the Wafer Paper trend! So much fun! I’m hoping we will see a trend
towards brighter colours soon…I struggle with wishy washy haha!
If you had to
give one piece of advice to a fellow cake decorator what would it be?
Don’t sell
yourself cheap! For your sake and your peers! None of us will be able to be
paid what our time and talent is worth when there are people out there willing
to give their cakes away. They won’t last because they will get burnt out or go
broke, but the damage they do to the industry is massive. No one wants to work
for hours on end for a couple of dollars an hour. It’s hard work and time away
from your family so it has to be worthwhile.
You have
released your first tutorial, that’s very exciting, can you tell us a little
bit about that?
I made a cake for a lovely client
and as I was designing it, I thought that it might appeal to quite a few people
as a tutorial. I had wanted to do one for so long…so I took photos every step
along the way. It probably would have just sat there for a few years but then I
got an email from my cousin inviting me to my beautiful Aunty and Uncle’s 50th
Wedding Anniversary in New Zealand. It was right before Christmas so a trip
wasn’t really in my budget…so I thought; why not put that tutorial together and
see if anyone buys it? It was SO nerve wracking but very exciting. I put it
online and went to bed…I couldn’t bear the thought of sitting there watching
one or worse NONE sell, so I chickened out and off I went. When I looked the
next morning, I had sold 51 overnight!! Relief!! In the end, I sold enough to
get me to New Zealand to be with them and I took a cake haha!
What Cake
Decorating classes are you currently running?
I’m so excited
about my upcoming classes! I am going to be doing some classes at some
independent venues in Australia that I’m really looking forward to and I’m also
going to be travelling to the UK to teach at Cake Camp and Richard’s Cakes! SO
exciting!! AND I will be travelling around Australia and New Zealand doing
classes as part of the Bake Boss team!! Hopefully we will have lots of dates to
announce very soon…I can’t wait! J
What's one
technique that you wish you saw more of in cake decorating?
Hand painting!
I ADORE it and so many people, including myself, are scared of painting on
cakes…but I think we should all do it more! THAT’s true edible art right? J
Do you have a
most memorable cake decorating disaster?
My most
memorable is actually not my biggest disaster because I salvaged it haha! I
took almost 2 weeks to make roses for a magazine submission…I made close to 100…put the whole thing together, rang the photographer
to tell him it was ready, then promptly dropped it….now down to 72 roses!! I
had to walk away for 5 minutes…I thought I would have a breakdown but I just
walked off, calmed down and went back to survey the damage. I quick juggle
round of some roses and repair of some petals and voila….I still haven’t
replaced those broken roses ;)
Thank you Raewyn
for sharing a little about your caking journey with Marianna’s Caking Me Crazy!
We wish you well for the rest of the year, and look forward to seeing you in
some of those marvellous classes!
All
images are courtesy of Cakes By Raewyn- all pictures are subject to copyright.
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Christmas
is around the corner (ok maybe a couple of corners but it sure is close!) and I
want to know who is ready to get their cookie on? Nothing says Christmas more
than the aroma of freshly baked gingerbread wafting through your house. 
Tessa has
dedicated a whole chapter in her recently released book to “Festive Fun”. From
edible cross-stitched Christmas trees to adorable Christmas puddings, these
gorgeous biscuits are the perfect way to adorn Christmas dessert buffets. 
