Baked by Brooke

Brooke came into my life through Cupcake Retreat last year, and she is exactly the kind of person you remember. Fun, energetic, generous and completely herself. An absolute ray of sunshine.

Brooke learned to bake in her mum’s kitchen in primary school, and grew up with home-baked afternoon teas waiting for her and her siblings after school. In 2012 Brooke started Baked by Brooke in Laidley, in the Lockyer Valley. Every grazing box, cake and cupcake is made from scratch, buttercream included, with eggs from free-range farms nearby. Brooke’s motto is “A party without cake is just a meeting!” and I can’t argue with that.

Brooke’s recipe in gathered

These Raspberry Blondies feel a little like Brooke to me. They’re bright, joyful and impossible to ignore. Rich, sweet, tart from the raspberries and, quite frankly, dangerous. Brooke’s original recipe makes a bigger batch, so in the book we’ve made them in a 20 x 20 cm tin. I feel very lucky Brooke let me gather them, and there’s another Brooke recipe coming in the next edition.

pipe buttercream with Brooke at cake alley

Every Baked by Brooke cake and buttercream is made from scratch, so you’re in good hands. Brooke is teaching two classes at the meloo stand, at 3.15pm each day: