Join us as we go beyond the label with food brands that we love at Martie. Today we catch up with Jordan Rondel, founder and Creative Director of The Caker. Jordan has developed a global cult following for her recipe books, baking kits, and made-to-order cakes and now you can find The Caker baking kits for a limited time only at Martie.com.
But first, how did Martie and The Caker partner up?
Because of you, our Smartie Community! Jordan posted on IG about some of her cakes getting close to their best-by date, and asked her followers for help. One of our fans tagged Martie, and the rest is herstory. You can save big money on Jordan's baking kits (valued at $25), and we all can save these AMAZING cakes from going to waste! Ok, back to the interview :) Oh, but scoop up the cake kit here.
What is your motivation behind The Caker?
My French grandparents instilled in me a love for cooking and a respect for using real ingredients from an early age, so in 2010, when I was 21, I started a cakery called The Caker in Auckland, New Zealand. All of my cakes are based on the ethos that taste is always the most important part of food - what’s the point of having something look beautiful if it is going to taste terrible? Being a self-taught baker, I think I developed a style of cake that really celebrates the beauty and deliciousness of home-style baking and now I create cake kits which people bake at home - full circle!
How do you make a cake from The Caker?
Making a Caker cake kit is super simple, and usually only requires you to add 2-3 ingredients. In this case, you just need milk, oil (or butter), 2 pears (yum) and an 8" cake pan.
This is how you make the Spicer Pear cake kit. Buy it on Martie, here.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F fan bake and press the non-stick liner into an 8"/20cm circle cake pan (the liner is intentionally oversized so you will end up with The Caker’s signature ripples in the sides of the cake).
- In a bowl, combine the Cake Mix and 3 teaspoons of the Spice Blend (reserving the remainder for the icing). Now add 1 cup of milk and cup of oil or melted butter and combine. Don’t overmix!
- Pour some of the batter into the prepared cake pan and spread it out to the sides. Now evenly place in the pear cubes before covering the fruit with the rest of the batter and spreading it out to the sides again.
- Bake the cake for around 40-50 minutes. Every oven is different, so keep an eye on the cake as it bakes, it will be ready when it is springy to the touch and a knife comes out clean.
- Once baked, allow the cake to sit for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn it out onto a cooling rack and leave to cool in the fridge.
-
TO MAKE A GLAZE In a small bowl combine the Icing Mix and the remainder of the Spice Blend with 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp of milk and mix until smooth.
TO MAKE A BUTTERCREAM Using an electric mixer, beat the Icing Mix and the remainder of the Spice Blend with 150g = 1 " sticks of room temp butter on high speed until smooth and fluffy. - Once the cake is completely cool, spread the icing onto it and place the Decorations however you like. Top with fresh edible flowers if desired. (Note the Flower and Spice Decorations are not intended to be eaten).
- Serve at room temperature. To store, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
In the end, it will look like THIS 👇!
What is your favorite type of cake to make?
My favorite cake to make is my Flourless Dark Chocolate cake because there is something so glorious about melting the chocolate and butter together and even after having made it so often over the past decade, the scent never gets old. It’s like heaven.
Tell us about what it’s like when Chrissy Teigen posts about you?
The day Chrissy first posted about The Caker, I think I almost fell off my chair while screaming. She is not only an icon but she is genuinely into food, which makes her love of my cakes infinitely more special. I messaged her asking if she wants to work together and, unfortunately I can’t give too much away, but I can tell you that she said yes and something is in the works. She is amazing.
How does sustainability fit into your business model?
I have always run a made-to-order bakery and never had a cabinet because I cannot stand the idea of wasting food. Producing a shelf product, cake kits, is a different game to a bakery and while you always hope to sell through everything you produce, sometimes (especially in a new market) you don’t manage to and that’s why places like Martie are so important. Martie means our cake kits will actually be eaten by cake lovers and not go to landfill just because of something like a best before date.
Thanks Jordan!
<3 Martie
Shop cakes from The Caker, and more, by visiting the Bakeshop.
Back to the Blog.