As an architecture/interior design graduate, Vickie has an eye for great design which transcends into her fun, colour-pop creations that her Vickiee_yo Instagram account is loved for. She blends colour, creativity, stunning simplicity and a great sense of humour into her cookies, cupcakes and sweet treats.
When she’s not baking and decorating to the delight of thousands, Vickie is guest blogging, food styling and developing recipes for small businesses and brands. If you’re lucky enough to live in Melbourne, you can also buy her wonderful treats, just contact her through her instagram account for more info. Join us to discover more about this seriously inspiring lady below:
Q: Vickie, what would you say is your first baking memory? This can be either baking or eating someone’s baking!
V: My mum used to bake a lot when I was a kid, and many of those memories have kind of merged together. However, one memory that has stuck with me, was watching my auntie teach my mum how to create a web pattern on a delectable honey cake. I don’t recall them allowing me to help with baking, but I definitely made up for it by eating!
Q: Has baking always been a big part of your life, or did you recently discover it?
V: I’ve always loved eating baked goods, and as I mentioned, my mum would bake quite frequently when I was young; though I personally did not become interested in baking until high school. However, throughout school and university, with the addition of work and other commitments, I rarely had the time or motivation to bake. After graduating university from courses I did not enjoy, baking became an outlet for me; and I have been addicted since!
Q: Describe your ultimate birthday cake!
V: Oh this is a tough question! I think I would have to go with alternating layers of red velvet cake and cheesecake (two of my favourite cakes), covered in cream cheese frosting. The base would be made from macadamia and shortbread crumbs, and it would be topped with candied macadamias, shortbread, and cake crumbs. Not too fancy, but these flavours always make my taste buds happy!
Q: Have you had a memorable baking disaster, if so do share and make us all feel a little bit better about ours 🙂
V: Haha I’ve had many baking disasters, from cakes not rising, to cookies over spreading. Most recently, I’ve been experimenting with macarons quite a bit, and had many failures in that department. One batch looked like they were rising perfectly in the oven, with substantial feet too! But when I took them out, they pretty much cracked/collapsed, haha. That’s the most recent baking disaster I’ve encountered.
Q: Who or where do you look to for recipe and decorating inspiration?
V: I get inspiration from anywhere and everywhere! I do read food blogs quite often though, and am extremely addicted to Instagram.
Some of my current favourite bloggers/Instagrammers are:
– Linda Lomelino (@linda_lomelino)
– Molly Yeh (@mollyyeh)
– Nikki Lee (@unbirthdaybakery)
– Katherine Sabbath (@katherine_sabbath)
– Rose Alyea (@sweetapolita)
This list could seriously go on forever, but I’ll just keep it short and sweet!
Q: Can you see any trends in baking at the moment, what do you think will be big for 2015-2016?
V: Hybrids of baked goods! Not long after the cronut was created by Dominique Ansel, it became ubiquitous in bakeries all over the world. Now the cruffin has been introduced and is becoming quite popular too (here in Melbourne). I’m excited to see what bakers will come up with next!
I think there will also be plenty more healthy dessert options, catering for people who are vegan, gluten free, lactose intolerant etc. Healthy eating and fitness has become even more of a trend in the last couple of years, and raw dessert bakeries and blogs are becoming more prominent!
Q: What Queen products are in your pantry right now? Do you have a favourite Queen product?
V: Natural vanilla extract, vanilla bean pods, vanilla bean paste, almond extract, rum extract, coconut extract, glucose syrup, food dye. The natural vanilla extract is an item I always have in my pantry as I use it so frequently, so that will probably have to be my favourite!
Q: And lastly, what is next on your ‘must bake’ list? Do you have something new or challenging in the works? Do share your secrets!
V: In all honesty, I really just want to master the macaron! I would also love to bake and experiment with more cakes. Career related, I am aiming to start a blog, and am just seeing where that takes me. I’m hoping to work with more brands and businesses this year, and a trip to Europe is also on the cards!
To see more of Vickie’s amazing creations, please give her a follow on Instagram!
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