• Julie, as a trained artist with a Diploma of Art & Design – when did you decide to use your artistic talent to create beautiful designer cakes? At a very early age. I always made cakes for family and friends; with lots of colourful decoration. I guess my true passion became reality after Art school. Art school extended my creative side with design & I majored in painting which I loved, however I really enjoyed Sculpture & Photography. I guess that is why my work is so visual & 3 dimensional.

• When did you make your first cake? I was 5years old when I made my first cake. I remember trying to stir the flour into the mix & I flicked a bit out of the bowl & on to the bench. That was my mum’s chocolate cake mix that I still bake for my two boys today. Its yum!!

•  How would you describe your style? I describe what I do as” free form chocolate work” As an Artist I experiment & create using my imagination without any technical restraints.

  Cake with dark chocolate with bright flowers around it
photo: anne louise buck photography

• I loved your website:  it's bright, fresh and very stylish – and the cake creations! Where do you find your inspiration? It’s difficult to say- I have always liked being different & have always been able to create unusual, exotic things. I loved colour &  movement in my younger years & found it quite easy when it came to design. I guess I have always had a creative flair. When I meet with the bride & groom; it’s just a matter of channelling my creativity to inspire them & their dreams for a cake.

• What medium do you like to work with? Chocolate, Chocolate, & more Chocolate. I can’t really remember When I stopped painting in oils & started painting in chocolate. The only difference is if I don’t like what I create in chocolate—I can eat it!!

julie piping the design

julie's finished product

• What flavours of cakes do you offer and what is your most popular? I ran a wholesale business in Melbourne, so I have done many different flavours of cakes however I find that my citrus is popular,& white chocolate truffle,. The most popular by far is my chocolate almond truffle cake made with Lindt chocolate & almond meal. I can also use hazelnut meal & Valhrona chocolate,  however the almond is a stand out favourite.

• What is your no.1 tip for brides and grooms? The no. 1 tip for brides & grooms is make sure you taste the cake you are ordering.

• How far in advance (of their wedding) do you like prospective brides to contact you? I always say asap. The reason being I work for myself & am a one man/woman show. I bake, decorate, & deliver everything myself. That way girls are assured of getting my creative work. I only have so much work I can do in a weekend, so some girls even pay me a deposit to hold their place and we work out the design closer to the date.

• What is the trend for wedding cakes right now? There is a real preference for detail. I’m using a lot of edible pearls in my designs. Girls are really wanting something classic & elegant, something that makes a statement that has wow factor. Black & white or ivory cakes are still in vogue, it’s that Audrey Hepburn 50’s couture look, always very chic.

3 tiered white chocolate box with diamonte buckles
photo: porfyri photography

• In a creative industry such as yours,  what do you think makes you stand out from the crowd? My cakes are very distinctive & unique in design, colour & size. That is where the art & design background gives me an advantage. The fact that I do a lot of chocolate work & the designs are created individually for my clients makes them stand out. They are all edible art works that surprise not only the bride & groom but also the guests. They are a talking point, quite the centre piece.

• What do you like about designing cakes for weddings? I love weddings, it’s  always a happy joyous time & one of the most important days of the bride & grooms life. It’s a very personal experience to share & it is my task to design something that symbolizes an aspect of their love that they will share with all their guests.

• Are there any weddings which stand out in your mind for a particular reason. I would have to say Michelle & Jarons cake. The 10 tier individual chocolate boxes. It is to date the largest cake I have done & the most time consuming with 600 chocolate shards to hand cut to make each box separately. Then there was the design on the boxes & making the stand for it. I have to say, although it was one of the most challenging jobs I have done ,it was also one of the most rewarding & exciting jobs I have done.

10 tier white chocolate box
photo: studio impressions

• Do you have a favourite cake creation? That is a difficult question. I love the white chocolate hearts design, with all the  hearts intermeshed around the chocolate collar, also, I love the colourful vibrant ones. I guess I am always coming up with new designs & styles so really I have a lot of favourites.

 5 tier white chocolate heart design
photo: chris hall

•  Where and what do you see yourself doing in the future? I will probably resume my chocolate classes. Teaching the art of chocolate design. I have a book concept I will work on.

• Do you have any words of wisdom to offer our wedding guide brides? I think there is a lot of information out there for brides these days. So either do your research or go with a referral from a trusted source.