This Mom’s Day, we’re bundling our 6-month reward subscription with the gorgeous Baker’s E-book that celebrates a few of Australia’s most passionate bakers.
Amongst them is Alice Bennett — Baker, decorator and throughout cake goddess has given us some perception about rising up in a foodie family, and the way that is formed her baking.
The Interview
So the place did your love of baking come from?
The love of baking got here from my mum.
I grew up in a very food-focused household — meals was actually on the centre of each celebration.
My mum labored in hospitality — she had her personal deli when she was my age, then later labored at William Angliss and did numerous educating round meals security, meals dealing with, all that sort of stuff. So yeah, my love for meals undoubtedly got here from her.
Was your mum an enormous baker?
Nicely, she wasn’t a baker per se.
She simply moved into the world of meals — she did not formally prepare as a chef however educated sufficient, if that is sensible. She was largely self-taught, however very expert.
Later, she labored in hospo coaching after which meals security training.
She simply beloved meals, and he or she was very, superb at cooking.
And I do know if you have been youthful you favored to bake truffles and present them off to your loved ones?
Yeah, yeah — oh my God, she beloved meals. She was tremendous encouraging — nothing was ever off-limits. She was at all times comfortable for us to be within the kitchen making a multitude; she by no means discouraged it. We would be beneath her toes whereas she was making lasagna, bolognese, all these staples. Despite the fact that she had a candy tooth, I had it much more — tenfold so she let me do all of the candy baking again within the day as a result of that was simply my vibe.
Actually, I used to make my very own fake TV reveals about baking.
And was she somebody you turned to for making an attempt your recipes?
100%. Even now, I get her to check and trial recipes. Actually yesterday, I referred to as her like, “How do I poach an apple? What spices do I add?”
She’s very intuitive with meals. She makes these wonderful coronation hen sandwiches.
Actually, we predict she lies concerning the recipe as a result of she simply tweaks issues instinctively.
Associates have requested for her sandwich recipe, however once they make it themselves, it is simply not the identical. And it’s the identical factor with my favorite dish of all time which is my mum’s lasagna — it’s not simply the meals. It is nostalgia. The sensation and the love that’s put into it.
That’s what makes it particular.
So if she wasn’t a lot of a baker, she in all probability didn’t cross down any baking recipes?
Not too many, no. She used to joke that she was the worst candy cook dinner, however it was solely as a result of she felt could not embellish truffles correctly, however she was very rustic — simply throw all of it collectively sort of vibe. Yeah, she had a very rustic type, she wasn’t into perfect-looking truffles, however all the things she made tasted wonderful.
I’ve reminiscences of my first birthday cake — effectively, I feel I keep in mind it, no less than by way of all the images. She made the sheep cake from the Girls’s Weekly ebook. And the pool cake — that was my favorite. I beloved it since you bought two desserts in a single: cake and pool!
Getting again to the ebook, What made you select these recipes?
So, you’ve got bought the chocolate cake, buttercream. Nicely, it proved itself on the weekend on the sale — folks simply love a great chocolate cake.
Personally, I do not love a mud cake, and I’m not into chocolate butter truffles both — I do not assume they style wealthy sufficient. Someplace properly within the center is the place a great chocolate cake ought to sit. That is why I needed a recipe the place folks would go, “That is the chocolate cake I’ll flip again to.” We love making salted vanilla buttercream too — we make it on a regular basis at dwelling.
Including salt simply brings out the flavours — it is a pure flavour enhancer.
After which the Honey Pleasure Slice… It took place as a result of, rising up in Australia, you at all times had chocolate crackles or honey joys at events. As a child, I used to be a chocolate crackle lady. However as I bought older, my palate modified, and I used to be like, “Honey joys truly style higher!” So I believed, “F*ck it, it’ll be enjoyable to make one thing extra amplified.” And that’s what we did, we turned the honey pleasure right into a slice — and actually, it’s wonderful.
