With a double degree in Economics and Commerce, and working in the financial services industry, many believed that Kellie Foster of Brisbane was living her dream career.

Yet, before work in the early hours of the morning, Kellie was pursuing her real passion: baking. Kellie was fast gaining a reputation as the go-to gourmet baker in Brisbane for cupcakes.

“Using the family H310B Miele Oven, and my grandmother’s recipe, I started making special occasion cupcakes for colleagues, friends and family,” said Kellie.

“This small gesture quickly gained momentum and before I knew it I was being paid for something that started out as being a fun thing for family.”

Kellie grew up around a family of talented bakers, with her grandmother and mother teaching her many of the skills and recipes that she was using. After saving enough to secure a commercial space in centrally located West Chermside, and fitting it out, Cupcakes by K opened on the 18 April 2009.

“Shortly after opening Mum and I discovered that the store’s water pressure was less than desirable and it was something that we couldn’t test before signing.”

This didn’t deter Kellie, who simply made the choice to make the store a retail only space and move the commercial cooking back to where it all began – the family kitchen.

“When I told mum that I was moving back she was more than happy to accommodate. She is always there to help me,” she said.

“Mum’s kitchen was already commercially registered so it was a pretty simple decision.”

“All I wanted was consistency and I knew that mum’s Miele could produce 35 perfect cupcakes at a time and around 1000 cupcakes a day.”

And it did. Kellie has now left the professional services industry to pursue cupcakes full-time; and with mum Gail always by her side Cupcakes by K is producing delightful cupcakes all still baked in the family’s now 17-year-old Miele Oven.

Thrilled how things turned out, Kellie puts her cupcakes success down to the homemade taste and feel that her Miele Oven produces.

“The business is now at the point where we could go into a larger space. Yet I love the flavour that my oven produces – it’s something that you just don’t get from a commercial oven. I would however consider getting another domestic Miele Oven to help keep up with the demand,” she said.

Kellie says that she plans to expand Cupcakes by K in the future. “No matter how big we get, I love working with my mum and our amazing Miele Oven.”

 

Kellie’s Top Cupcake Baking Tips :

Always take the time to read the entire recipe before beginning.

This will help you to understand what you will need to do and when. It will also save you from making mistakes that will waste your ingredients or cause your cupcakes to fail.

Make sure your ingredients are at room temperature.

This will make sure your mixture is consistent and give your cupcakes a light and fluffy texture when baked.

Don’t over mix the batter.

This will create hollow tunnels inside your cupcakes and crack the surface like a volcano.  It will also cause the cupcakes to be dense instead of being light and fluffy.

Keep the oven door closed!

Don’t be tempted to open the oven whilst your cupcakes are cooking or it will affect the temperature and result in your cupcakes not rising perfectly.

Don’t leave the cupcakes in their tin when cooling.

The heat from the tin will cause the cupcakes to overcook so remove them 2-3 minutes after taking them out of the oven.

Ice the whole cupcake.

Make sure you ice the cupcake to the edges. This will keep your cupcakes moist and stop them from drying out.

Store the cupcakes at room temperature if using buttercream icing.

Do not put your cupcakes in the fridge, it will cause the icing to go hard. Store in an air tight container for up to 3 days.