By CASEY NEILL
A SELF-TAUGHT Springvale South cake decorator has starred in a bake-off for a good cause.
Kerry Tang, 21, saw last year’s Australia’s Sweetest Morning Tea (ASMT) magazine and “applied for fun” this year.
“I didn’t think I’d be involved,” she said.
“Some of my cake idols and biggest inspirations are involved in this.
“Cake classes were never fit for my budget, so I learnt the basics online from online tutorials and started from there.
“So it is a big thing for me to be involved in something like this.”
Cake decorators came up with not-for-profit ASMT to raise awareness and funds for cancer research, and held an e-vent on 22 May, showcasing sweet creations on a blog and Facebook.
A magazine is available online and in hard copy, and $5 from each sale goes to the Cancer Council Australia.
Participants received a brief including a colour palette, quotes and pictures of buildings and clothing.
Ms Tang’s creations are “Mother Nature meets modern style and fashion”.
Leonardo da Vinci quote “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” inspired her to turn to nature.
“I knew there was nothing simpler than nature itself,” she said.
She used a wreath in one cake in tribute to ASMT’s purpose.
“The wreath emphasises a circle of hope, that during dark days flowers will always bloom,” she said.
“The top tier and bottom tier are both dark and come together to the middle tier being the lightest. I wanted it to come together to represent light.”
Dark pleats and lines with a splash of gold sequins and bows create a bold but simple statement in Ms Tang’s modern fashion-inspired sweet treats.
City of Greater Dandenong’s new Lonsdale Street headquarters featured in Ms Tang’s photo shoot for her square cakes inspired by modern buildings.
“I encountered it because it is right across the cake supply store that I got to in Dandenong,” she said.
“When I walked past it I saw the building on the side, I thought ‘I need to take my pictures for the cakes in front of this’.
Wanting to create a special 18th birthday gift for her boyfriend sparked Ms Tang’s passion for baking in 2009.
“From then, I got really addicted to baking,” she said.
“Every time there was a special event I used it as an excuse to bake.”
The catch? She didn’t have an oven.
“I went over to my boyfriend’s house with flour and sugar and came home with cakes,” she said.
Her dream for an oven came true last year, and she started business Cuppy and Cake.
Baking and decorating cakes will remain hobbies while Ms Tang studies, but she hopes to pursue a career in the art.
“I hope it will be some time in the future, right now I just have to keep working hard,” she said.
“I also hope to make tutorials later on to inspire others into my passion of cake decorating.”
