Growing up, a cake from the Australian Women’s Weekly Birthday Cake Cookbook was something of a tradition in our family. There was a real sense of anticipation in the weeks (perhaps months) leading up to each birthday, as my sister and I would pore through its pages and present our desired cake for that year to our mum – it was something really special.

So, when I became a mum, I made a deal with myself that I would do the same – each year, I would make my girls a birthday cake of their choice from scratch. And it’s become something that I enjoy just as much as my daughters. We’ve had ladybirds, Barbie princesses, number cakes, whatever was the ‘flavour of the month’, so to speak. But this year, well, it was all about the spots.

Stuffing around on Facebook one day (as you do) I saw this amazing Spotty Dotty cake…it looked pretty enough from the outside, but cut it open and the plain cake was filled with colourful dots (cake pops of various bright shades.) One look and I was hooked.

In previous years, I’ve trekked all over town for cake supplies – from Gold Creek to Queanbeyan – but this year, I was headed for Latorta – the mecca for passionate Canberra cake decorators. This was the excuse I had been looking for, to wander the aisles, filling my basket with things I absolutely ‘needed’ to have.

And so, armed with my Spotty Dotty tutorial, I headed to Majura Park and entered cake decorator heaven. A bit about Latorta: its products can be broken down into three categories – the basics (cake boards, fondant, icing colours); kids birthday (novelty cake pans, branded cake toppers); and specialty items for semi-professional decorators. As an amateur enthusiast, it had more supplies than I’ve ever even thought of…

My haul included: a silicone cake pop mould; seven coloured food gels; a round cake tin (smaller and deeper than the others in my baking cupboard and with an AWESOME push out design…seriously, I am in love with this thing – just push up the silicon-sealed base and your cake pops out!), a cake board, a white chocolate mud cake mix, and spotty birthday candles. I’m going back for a cake carrier…as soon as I figure out where I’m going to keep it at home. Storage issues.

Being the curious type, I was keen to find out the story behind Latorta…so I tracked down owner, Michael Fraser, to ask him some questions. Michael isn’t someone you’d typically think of being behind a cake decorating supply store – he’s young and he’s male, for starters. But he’s a smart entrepreneur – his family has been involved in kitchenware retail for years and he noticed the popularity of cake decorating was building in the region.

“People were hungry for specialised products but had to travel around town and pick up little bits and pieces from different stores. I felt that a one stop shop, linked by a community of decorators, would genuinely help people while inspiring them to give cake decorating a try,” he said.

“In my research, I found people were genuinely confused and frustrated by the fact that they had an idea for a cake but were unsure where to start. I also noticed that semi-professional decorators or hobbyists often had to travel far and wide to get their supplies. It was time for Canberra to finally get its own cake decorating store!”

I asked Michael about his typical customer base. There are people like me, who are keen to make a celebration cake; and then there are those who have a real talent for cake decorating, and regularly turn out amazing works of edible art. Michael calls these people ‘serial cakers’ – people for whom cake decorating has become a passion.

“As word spreads about their hidden talent, more and more friends, family and work colleagues are asking them to make them a cake for an event- which often means they are making multiple cakes a week! They might even transition into starting their own businesses selling their cakes,” says Michael.

“Like any great hobby, it gives people something to work on, strive for and perfect. Becoming great at something like cake decorating provides a sense of achievement and identity.”

Having followed Latorta’s Facebook page since the store opened, I’ve seen some amazing photos of customers’ creations and their instore demonstrations and courses. Demonstrations are held every Thursday and Saturday in their in-store kitchen, and they show people how to do things that they may find difficult, or provide inspiration.

Coming up in August, you can learn how to make a lolly cake; create ‘people moulds’ and gumpaste animal figurines, or focus on gluten free baking.

If you’re keen to take your interest further, you can enrol in one of Latorta’s full day courses – because you walk away with a cake you have decorated on the day, it’s a great idea to time your course to coincide with an event or birthday. Over the next couple of months, you can decorate a round cake with bow (using ganache and fondant), or learn how to airbrush!

But back to me. My Spotty Dotty Cake didn’t require fondant or ganache or airbrushing, but it did have cake pops inside the mixture, making the construction a wee bit more technical than my usual projects. I’m pleased to say that it worked an absolute treat (although next time I’ll do it in two layers – I’ve never been very good at reading recipes) and the crowd of five and seven year-olds were very, very impressed. I’ve never really been a fan of cake mixes, but I spotted Latorta’s White Chocolate Mud Cake mix (1kg!) and it was amaaaaazing. Moist and moreish and just yum.

The cake pop moulds delivered; the gel colours were amazingly bright; I’ve already raved about my new cake tin, and the ‘Birthday’ candles were the perfect spotty topping. The only downside? It’s 12 months until my next birthday cake adventure…but I’m sure I can find another excuse to visit Latorta before then. After all, who doesn’t love cake?

the essentials

What: Latorta
Where: 17 / 18 Spitfire Avenue, Majura Park Shopping Centre
When: Mon – Thu: 9:00 am – 5:30 pm | Fri: 9:00 am – 8:00 pm | Sat: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm | Sun: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Phone: 02 6257 1248
Email: contact@latorta.com.au
Web: http://www.latorta.com.au

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