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Q&A with baking star Nick Makrides

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Cy ClaytonThe West Australian
Nick Makrides
Camera IconNick Makrides Credit: Supplied

Pastry chef. YouTube star. LGBTQI+ role model.

Melbourne-based Nick Makrides is a man of many talents and the 32-year-old brings a dash of everything to his first cookbook, Sugar Rebels.

With more than 475,000 followers on Instagram and almost half a million YouTube subscribers, Makrides is out to inspire the home bakers of Australia to think big when it comes to baking.

“Sugar Rebels is a rebellion against what everyone else is doing with desserts,” he writes.

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“It’s about using the things that inspire you to come up with original ideas for any dessert — in my case, cakes, cupcakes and macarons.”

As such, don’t expect to find a recipe for the ubiquitous gold unicorn cake. Instead, Makrides — the founder of food blog The Scran Line — shares 60 recipes for epic, aspirational and sometimes outrageous sweet treats, divided into sections such as Freak Show, Pride and Kweens.

“This book isn’t your run-of-the-mill recipe book,” he writes. “You can’t pick a recipe to make in 40 minutes on a weekday. These are recipes you take time to make over the weekend with friends and family.”

As well as learning new techniques, he also hopes readers will discover the joys of rolling up their sleeves and getting creative.

“I want you guys to experience the same things I experienced in my mum and grandma’s kitchens: spending time with family and friends baking something delicious while you laugh, make mistakes, argue and then finish it all off by eating something amazing.”

Each of the recipes is adapted from a classic base recipe (such as vanilla cupcakes, chocolate sauce and cream cheese frosting), which Makrides includes at the start of the book. He also shares some of his extensive baking know-how, from his kitchen tool kit and favourite frosting styles to the correct way to cut a cake and to how to pipe like a professional.

Here, Makrides shares the answers to some of his most frequently asked baking questions.

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Can I replace the sugar in your frosting recipe with flour? I don’t like things that are too sweet.

I’ve legit been asked this question more than once. Here’s my answer: You could ... though if you add eggs, you’re halfway to making a cake.

How do you get your cake frosting so smooth? Do you freeze the cakes first, or is there another tactic to get a smooth frosting layer without the cake crumbling into it?

So, first of all, make sure you crumb-coat your cakes.

I also use Swiss meringue buttercream frosting for my cakes because it goes on a lot smoother and shinier than American buttercream.

To get them super smooth, I then use a cake scraper.

What’s the difference between a macaron and a macaroon?

A macaroon is a coconut cookie, and a macaron is the French cookie made of almond flour and egg whites.

How can I replace the eggs in your cake recipes?

You can’t. I think it’s better to find a recipe that has been designed not to have eggs in it. Once you start taking out or replacing ingredients in a cake recipe, you risk getting different results.

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How do you keep two, or three (or more) layered, iced cakes moist and fresh in the fridge? Mine become so hard!

OK, so kudos to you for having enough space in your fridge for a three-tiered cake. When you make cakes, you should crumb-coat them.

It helps trap the crumbs in the first layer of frosting, but it also helps to seal the cake and protects it from drying out.

So, if you crumb-coat your cakes, they shouldn’t dry out.

I love macarons, but they’re always so sweet. Do you have any recipes for macarons, or even just fillings, that aren’t as sweet and overpowering?

Sugar plays several roles in a dessert. Yes, it makes a dessert sweet, but sugar also helps a cake rise.

Try making a cake without sugar and see what happens. I’ve done it. Apart from not being sweet at all, the cake is dense and gross.

You can’t mess around with the ingredients in a cake or a macaron unfortunately, but you can help cut the sweetness with a tart berry or fruit filling.

Have you ever thought about making macarons using the French method?

I have made macarons using the French method. Back when I was learning to make macarons, I tried both the Italian-meringue method and the French method and I found the Italian-meringue method resulted in much more consistently good macarons.

What can I do with leftover frosting or sauce?

Chocolate and caramel sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for months.

Frosting can be stored in an airtight container for up to one week. The problem with frosting is that it’s porous, so it can take on fridge smells very easily. Soften your frosting in the microwave for 10 seconds at a time before whipping again to reuse.

What is a good alternative if you don’t have a silicone baking mat/sheet for macarons?

Baking paper! Don’t confuse that with greaseproof paper.

Do you think the weather (for example, humidity) can affect how your macarons turn out?

Yes! It definitely can. Specifically, when it comes to how long your macarons need to dry.

Have you ever tried making vegan macarons?

About five times, but not successfully — yet.

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Salted caramel cupcakes

Makes 10 cupcakes

I was never a fan of caramel anything before I tried my first salted caramel cupcake, because the difference with these and anything else caramel is the salt. It really intensifies the caramel flavour and makes these cupcakes less sweet and just pure indulgent.

Cupcakes

10 white cupcake cases

175g plain flour

225g caster sugar

50g unsweetened (Dutch) cocoa powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp fine salt

175g unsalted butter, softened

2 large eggs, at room temperature

175ml full-cream milk

Frosting

1 batch American buttercream frosting

Salted caramel

(you’ll need two batches for this recipe)

330g granulated sugar

2 tbsp glucose syrup (or corn syrup)

250ml thick (double/heavy) cream, warmed

50g unsalted butter

1 tsp sea salt flakes

Cupcakes

Preheat a fan-forced oven to 140C (275F) or a conventional oven to 160C (320°F). Line a cupcake tin with the cupcake cases.

Add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt to a large mixing bowl. Mix on low speed with a hand mixer until combined.

Next, add the softened butter and continue mixing on low speed until the mixture reaches a crumbly, sand-like texture.

Add the eggs and milk and mix again on low speed until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Scrape down the side of the bowl and mix for a final 20 seconds.

Fill each case three-quarters of the way. Using an ice-cream scoop to transfer the batter to the cupcake cases makes this a quick and easy process and ensures each case contains exactly the same amount of batter so that the cupcakes bake evenly.

Bake for 40–50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a cupcake comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Frosting

Prepare the frosting, then fit the end of a piping bag with a Wilton 1M tip and fill with the frosting.

Salted caramel

To make the caramel, place the sugar, glucose syrup and 125 ml (4 fl oz/ó cup) water in a large saucepan set over a medium–low heat. Bring to the boil and cook for 10–12 minutes until it becomes a deep gold colour, but not dark brown. DO NOT STIR at any point, otherwise you risk crystallising your syrup.

When the caramel begins to colour, it will darken quickly so keep a close eye on it. Also keep in mind that it will continue cooking once it’s on. the heat, so work quickly.

Remove the syrup from the heat once it reaches the correct colour. Slowly add the warmed cream. Use a wooden spoon to slowly mix the cream into the hot syrup. It will bubble and splatter. Be very careful. Next, add the butter and salt and whisk to combine. Allow to cool completely before using.

This sauce can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

Assembly

Core the centre of each cupcake with an apple corer (stop about 1.cm (½ in) from the bottom) and fill with the salted caramel sauce. Pipe a swirl of frosting on top of the cupcakes. Drizzle with the salted caramel sauce.

This is an edited extract from Sugar Rebels by Nick Makrides, $32.99, published by Hardie Grant Books.

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