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Cake Crumbs with Gabby from Lets Have CupCakes

Each month we feature one of our talented customers and share with you their story and tasty tips. We had the pleasure of meeting in person at the Brisbane ACADA Cake Show, this months featured creator Gabby Elliott - and what a treat it was, Gabby is just the warmest, loveliest lady you could meet! Read on.....

1. How did your baking journey begin?

I have always enjoyed baking and when my youngest son was in preschool I made cupcakes for a neighbour’s daughter for her birthday.

One of the mums there loved them and mentioned that a kid friendly cafe down the road had ‘horrible’ cupcakes and I should approach them about supplying cupcakes.

I did, they loved them too, and it all started through word of mouth from that littlecafe (which is now long gone!)

2. What has starting your own business meant for you?

It has been an absolute gift - I am an ‘at home mum’ so most of the time I have been able to work it around the demands of family life and only take on the work that I want to.

Bakers hours - while often exhausting - do tend to lend themselves to having most the work done by the time the kids and husband get out of bed.

Best of all, it is a huge creative outlet for me and gives me a great sense of satisfaction.

3. As a cake decorator, what do you feel are the benefits of using edible images?

The amazing thing about edible images is that you are truly limited only by your imagination.

Most people are gobsmacked when they realise you can print out an embarrassing but totally edible photo of a loved one - and put it on a cake or cupcakes or cookies.

But there are so many other uses - I have done flags, photos, logos, book covers and whole cake wraps which can create a totally different look and open up endless possibilities. 

4. What’s your favourite type of design to create?

Ooh thats hard to choose! Everyone loves the photo cupcakes but I still think there is a bit of magic in creating an ‘edible photo album’ on delicious gingerbread cookies!

5. What is the current trend you’re seeing in edible images?

I’m seeing a lot of cake wraps around at the moment and I think they’re fabulous!

6. What is the funniest/most unusual image you’ve been asked to create?

The ‘throwback’ photos are always hilarious - babies with their faces hilariously screwed up who have grown into the most gorgeous young adults, and on one memorable occasion, a friend who got me to reproduce an old and blurry photo of her (very conservative) husband from his short lived career as a scantily clad waiter.

I’m sure he was horrified when the cupcakes came out.

7. Do you have any tips you can share when either printing or applying edible images?

Always allow yourself plenty of time to organise the image and print it out. Doing it in a rush will guarantee that something goes wrong. (Always feed the end of the paper with the clear plastic margin in first - I’m not sure why that makes a difference but it does)

Without question, learn how to troubleshoot - I have become an expert at cleaning the printer head - something I never thought I’d hear myself say!!

8. What is your career highlight to date?

Definitely the cupcakes I made at the time of the Meghan and Harry wedding (no, seriously!) that you had displayed on your stand at the cake show in Brisbane.

There was such lovely feedback on those and it was such a joyous time generally!

Somehow the BBC (English news) found my photo and asked for permission to use it in a story.

I thought I was about to get my 15 minutes of fame….but of course, they never used it.

Never mind - I still feel happy when I look back at those cakes.