Cakes by Hoogy
Bake-down Breakdown

I started baking for money in 2019. I was trying to bake one thing a week from a French cake book someone gave me for xmas. It was so hard, but amidst the chaos of the baking ‘zone’ I found a sweet spot in which to channel my obsessions. Cakes By Hoogy was/is my NEIS program-supported micro biz…that I honestly gave up on. Meeting the NEIS projected profit margin in a sharehouse, with a puppy, no car and no baking know-how felt gratuitous for a hobby that no one asked for. 6 months into my baking quest and I remembered that monetising the things you love is a terrible idea. Now I have a desk job, bake 2-3 cakes a month, and have been working on the slowest book of recipes ever, to be published by flower books in 2022 onwards…

Below is a glossary of cake hacks in the format of a cookbook index. They are some tips and tricks from my cookbook scribbles to motivate and encourage fellow cake enthusiasts, and demystify the world of baking.

Cakes by Hoogy is custom baking on Gadigal and Dharug Land, that spawned some NEIS payments, some mess, cakes and cookies, a bake sale and forthcoming cookbook.