Cake Club Bakers Dozen... an interview with a royal!

This month we launched our new feature... The Bakers Dozen in which we will be showcasing 13 special bakers. The first spot is dedicated to the wonderful Lesley from The Royal Bakery and we were delighted that Lesley agreed to answer some questions for us to find out a bit more about her and her amazing cakes!

What made you decide to enter the world of cake making?
I really have no idea! I think I must have a creative little finger as I always seemed to be in the middle of making something. I used to sew soft toys and dressing up costumes of video game characters for my son, and I loved organising elaborate themed parties for him. But when we emigrated to California from the UK, I found myself at home all day with lots of time on my hands! My creative little finger began to itch and it just coincided with me volunteering to organise a party at my son’s school. I made Paris-themed cake and things took off from there!

What did you do before royal bakery?
I was marketing manager at a girl’s boarding school in England. It was a wonderful role with a very varied job description, but I especially love the graphic design element. I’ve been working in marketing and PR for 25 years, and I feel that has helped me run my business and Facebook page more successfully.

Who and what inspires you?
I’m actually not very imaginative and I’m afraid things do have to be staring me in the face for me to be inspired to turn them into cake. I get a lot of inspiration from fabric, greetings cards, gift bags and wrapping paper but, really, the design has already been done. I’m not the sort of person who can look at a pile of ironing and be inspired by the colours and shapes! I wish I was. I’d love to be that clever.

I’m inspired by a number of other decorators but again, I’m afraid that translates into me copying their style. I don’t feel like I’ve developed my own style yet and that’s something that bothers me. Tracey Rothwell from Little Cherry Cake Company and Andrea Sullivan from Andrea’s Sweetcakes inspire me to try and develop my own style because they both have such a unique look that is all their own. But I am definitely also guilty of copying these wonderful ladies’ work. But probably my greatest inspiration is Patricia Hardjopranoto from Yummy Cupcakes and Cakes. I’ve never attempted to emulate Patricia’s style - I know I couldn’t - but she’s inspires me to learn and improve and aim for perfection.

How do you respond to negativity on your page?
Badly, I’m afraid. That’s the Libran in me. I feel I have to respond to everything to restore the balance and that usually ends up with a slanging match. I’m very thin-skinned and I don’t handle negativity very well at all. However, it’s amazing how cathartic a ‘delete and ban’ philosophy can be! Out of sight really can mean out mind and if I can’t see that nasty post any more, I don’t worry about it!

I’m also a member of a couple of lovely Facebook groups where we support each other through any tough days. I can vent my spleen there if I need to and keep the negativity off my Page.

It’s slightly tricky as sometimes I invite controversy. The Monday Moan is by far my most popular post of the week, but I try to be careful not to direct Moans at any particular group of people.

What was the hardest part about setting up your own business?
I am very lucky that my husband supports me financially, so if my cake business doesn’t make my money it’s not the end of the world. Because of that it was not hard at all to get set up. I didn’t have any tough decisions to make like many people do who have to decide whether the time is right to quit their jobs and take the plunge. Waiting for the state of California to pass a bill allowing us to run a food-based business from home was quite hard, but once that was passed, it was plain sailing! I was apparently the first Cottage Food business to be approved in my county!

Are there any parts of cake making that you wish you didn't have to do?
Oh gosh, yes. I wish I didn’t have to bake. It doesn’t come naturally to me and I don’t enjoy it. I’ve finally got to the point where I have a set of recipes I am confident about, but I’d much rather not have to do it!

If you could make only one of your cakes again which one would it be?
What a great question! I think it would probably be my Icing Smiles cake with the bucket of popcorn and cupcake on top. The brief was very broad and I was pretty much able to do whatever I chose! There are a couple of things I’d do differently so I’d like to make it totally perfect next time. It was also very rewarding to make a cake for such a great cause and to meet little Gabby and her family who were all so brave.

If you could make a cake for anyone who would it be?
Hmmmm. That’s a toughie. I think probably my mum because she’s my biggest fan and deserves lots of lovely treats. Or maybe Zac Efron. Because I’d have to deliver it to him personally, right? Don’t have a clever answer for this one, sorry!

If you could only follow one FB cakey page which one would you choose?
That’s an impossible question. There are Pages I follow because they are funny and clever and insightful and some because I can’t stop looking at the beautiful cakes. What I need is for Peggy Does Cake to share every single one of Yummy Cupcakes and Cakes’ new photos and I’d never have to look elsewhere.

What it the one decorating tool you can’t manage without?
Is it boring to say my Kitchen Aid mixer? I guess it is, and it’s not really a tool... I guess it’s probably Wilton fondant. It gets a bad rap because it doesn’t have a great taste, but it is so great for modeling figures, making bows, cutting stripes and circles, letters - you name it. The only thing I don’t use it for is covering cakes. If I HAVE to choose an actual tool, then I would choose my bench scraper. I ganache all my cakes and would have a hard time without that and my little offset spatula.



How do you manage stress and deadlines?
Because I don’t manage stress and deadline very well, I always plan ahead. I draft most of my original designs in Photoshop so I can see exactly what the finished cake will look like and I know what needs to be done. I make a lot of the decor in advance and either dry or freeze it until I need it. I make a list of everything I still have to do and go over the next day’s tasks in my head as I fall asleep.  I try not to deviate from the design that I’ve decided on as last minute impromptu changes often take time I don’t have and rarely work out anyway!



How were you approached for the 50 ‘Bright Bakers’ project and how do you think it will influence future collaboration in the baking world?
One person had an idea and told a friend and that friend roped in another and before we knew it, we had our 50. The project chose us! It was all really simple; we just wanted to have some fun.

And finally, what would be your biggest tip to help any bakers out there still learning?
I would suggest planning ahead. Do as much as you can in advance so you’re not up all night. Make a free cake for your colleagues/husband’s colleagues/children’s school/church etc, and hope that this brings you new orders. Word of mouth is the best advertising you can get. Don’t worry about how many Likers your Facebook Page has; having 20 local Likes is infinitely better than 1000 global ones. If you’re in London, someone in Sydney is not going to buy from you. Set a pricing structure and stick to it. Friends who get free cakes from you will will always expect free cakes. Even if you set a mates’ rates pricing structure, it’s better than dishing out free stuff to your friends. Suddenly, everybody is a friend, or knows someone who is.

From all of us at Cake Club we send a HUGE thank you to Lesley for allowing us to get a little bit more of an insight into life as The Royal Baker and welcome to The Bakers Dozen!


(I am now off to learn how to use photoshop in the naive hope that will make my cakes even half as amazing as Lesley's!)