Beyond the Label with Jordan Rondel, founder of The Caker

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 for a limited time only at Martie.com.

AND, join us for a LIVE baking show on Tuesday, July 9 at 12pm PDT, where Jordan will bake one of her favorite recipes from the book, Pear Honey & Tahini Cupcakes (pg 36 of the book). Get notified HERE!

But first, how did Martie and The Caker partner up?

The story starts with YOU! Back in March 2022, 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. We saved over 1,000 delicious Cake Kits from The Caker, and YOU saved big on Jordan's cake kits. Ok, back to the interview :)

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!

We are so excited to carry your recipe book, Sunday Baking No. 3 Cookbook!

Jordan: I'm excited for you to carry it! I love my recipe books so much, because it really allows for bakers to be creative! Plus, the book has vegan & gluten-free recipes, so everyone can indulge! Get the book here!

What's one of your favorite recipes from the cookbook?

It's the Pear Honey & Tahini Cupcakes for sure! These little cakes are not too sweet – and I’ll happily eat them for breakfast.

MAKES 12 CUPCAKES

• 80g /⅓ cup hulled tahini
• 100g butter
• 100g light muscovado, coconut or soft brown sugar
• ½ cup liquid honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 free-range eggs
• 100g ground almonds
• 100g spelt or plain all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• Generous pinch of sea salt
• ½ cup unsweetened full-fat Greek yoghurt
• 2 ripe pears, peeled, cored and cut into 2cm cubes

FOR THE TAHINI GLAZE

• 3 tbsp hulled tahini
• 1 tbsp liquid honey
• Pinch sea salt
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 3-4 tbsp boiling water

1. Preheat the oven to 170C fan bake. Place liners in, or thoroughly grease 12 holes of a cupcake tray.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the tahini, butter, sugar and honey until pale, light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time.
3. In 2 parts, mix in the ground almonds, flour, baking powder and salt. Finally, fold in the yoghurt. Stop your electric mixer once all of the ingredients are combined. Be careful not to over-mix.
4. Evenly divide the batter between the 12 cupcake holes and dot some pear pieces into each, pressing them down lightly.
5. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden in colour, springy to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes, before turning out onto a cooling rack.
6. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, make the glaze. Mix together all of the ingredients and enough boiling water to get the glaze to a drizzling consistency.
7. Once the cupcakes are completely cool, drizzle over the tahini glaze and decorate with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
8. Serve at room temperature.
9. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

TO DECORATE

• 2 tbsp Sesame seeds, lightly toasted

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.

1. 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).
2. 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!
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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).
8. 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.

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 & books 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 The Caker, and more, by visiting the Bakeshop.