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Life Is What You Bake It!
129 Plays2 years ago
You can have your cake and eat it too! Join us on the Kick Your Boots Up Podcast for a sweet chat with Elizabeth Rowe, the London Baker who captured hearts and taste buds on Season 2 of Netflix's Is It Cake? Elizabeth spills the cake journey from kitchen dreams to winning the ultimate baking showdown, sharing the moments that left her gobsmacked. With infectious enthusiasm, she dishes out the sweet details of her wild ride on the show, revealing the highs and lows of her baking adventures. Don't miss this intimate conversation with the baker extraordinaire who proved that with determination and creativity, dreams really do come true in the world of cake. She's a dreamer, storyteller, and artist. For a full episode transcript, visit our website HERE.
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Transcript
Introduction & Guest Appearance
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey everybody, and thanks for joining us for another episode of Kick Your Boots Up. I'm your host, Taylor McAdams. This week's episode is epic. I would say it's as big as London, and you'll learn so why later. Thanks for listening, but before you do, feel free to like, subscribe, share, tell your friends about this. You're not gonna wanna miss out. This is gonna be a pretty sweet episode, so stay tuned for everything. All things cake, all things sweetness. And I'm just gonna go ahead and read a little bit about you because I feel like I'm gonna butcher your introduction.
00:00:28
Speaker
You're such a legend in my eyes because from Lewisville, Texas, which is very fairly close to Dallas Fort Worth where we are. The London Baker is her Baker shop name. Elizabeth Rowe came all the way from Lewisville to here. She's the season two winner of Netflix's Is It Cake?
00:00:50
Speaker
And for those of you that aren't familiar with the show, there were 10 bakers that set out to win $75,000. And so we'll get to hear a little bit about the show and a little bit about what she
Elizabeth's Baking Journey
00:01:00
Speaker
did there. But I think it's worth noting, too, that you've appeared on Cake Wars, which is my personal favorite show, one of my favorite baking food show, as well as Dallas Cake, which I had never heard of until I was looking into you. So yeah, it was something that happened earlier in about like the early 2018, I believe.
00:01:19
Speaker
Wow. Okay, so there's so much to unpack there. But before we do, I want to start to get to know about you a little bit more. So with that, how did you start baking and like, did you just wake up one day and think, I'm going to be a baker with, were you a little girl? Were you 20? Tell us about it.
00:01:34
Speaker
Yeah so basically I was looking for something to do in between picking what I wanted to do with my life and so I decided you know what my favorite recipe and my favorite thing to eat is actually brownies. I know I love ooey gooey brownies.
00:01:51
Speaker
and so I actually had this recipe that I had adapted and people loved them so much they were like you know what I want to buy these off of you and they're like you could sell these and I was like you know what I think you're right and so I was looking for other things I could sell and at the time I was actually in England and I was looking to bring American pies to the British people, English people
00:02:15
Speaker
they would love it.
Baking Secrets and TV Show Stories
00:02:16
Speaker
I know right but instead I ended up coming to America and bringing a little taste of England with me but that's actually how I got into baking was through this awesome brownie recipe. Well I love that and I'm not sure if you can share this or not but what's your secret to the best ooey-est, gooey-est brownies? Do you just wait until they're not quite done to take them out of the oven? No.
00:02:35
Speaker
Obviously I can't give you all the secrets, but I can tell you that it does have to do with the amount of real chocolate you put in there and the number of eggs and butter.
00:02:46
Speaker
Oh my goodness, so now you guys at home get to have a guessing game. Is it 12 eggs? Is it two eggs? We don't know, you'll have to try. You could have like a chocolate egg, something for breakfast, that probably wouldn't be a disaster. And speaking of disasters, I mean, what is, tell us about a time when something's gone wrong terribly. Like, I see some of the shows where, you know, you're crunched for time, you have a lot on hand, and everything is just kind of caving in, and then the cake starts to cave in. So is there a time, maybe not on TV, that, but like some of them in your career, that something went terribly wrong?
00:03:15
Speaker
I would say so far touch wood. I'm pretty fortunate on at least having 19 years of experience so by now you know you kind of know what the limitations are with food. Now I will tell you about one thing that did happen on a TV show that I was on and I was working as a team and we had done these two stained glass sugar windows and one of them smashed.
00:03:38
Speaker
they literally was putting it in and they didn't put enough yeah they didn't put enough adhesive in there and just after about 10 minutes we just heard smash and obviously everyone panicked there was nothing we could really do because there's no time to make another one i think we ended up throwing some fondant over it and making it look like a curtain and just like yeah the curtains are closed that's all
00:04:03
Speaker
You got super creative and artsy with it. You recovered so well. I commend you for that. Thank you. Yeah. Honestly, what makes a good cake decorator is someone that can MacGyver their way out of something. So you have to multitask and be a good problem solver. You are very good at that, especially the cake specifically that we've had you make. The first cake we had was a boot. We wanted to make it match.
00:04:26
Speaker
Obviously, in a pair of boots, there's two feet, and we wanted you to make one of the feet and us to have the boot. And I have to tell you, I don't know that anyone's told you, but someone actually that night, and you were here, so you might have seen it, came up and touched the cake. Did you see that? I did. What a tragic moment. And we found at TikTok later, that poor girl did a video to explain what had happened. She was trying to make some content, and she completely just, she was like, is it full of sandbags? She thought the cake was full of sandbags. No, my goodness.
00:04:53
Speaker
But anyways, Butterheart, that's so cool. And along those same lines, we had you make a boot, so obviously we told you what to make. But there's a lot of different times that you get creative freedom, so what do you pull your inspiration from?
Inspiration and Creative Challenges
00:05:05
Speaker
Um, it depends on what the client wants. So for example, like Justin's has so many awesome pieces because, you know, yes, you're known for the amazing boots and everything that, but they do here, but you know, you've got the denim, the denim aspect. I have an awesome, uh, jean jacket that has the stitch, which embroidered on it that I got from here. Yeah.
00:05:25
Speaker
because of the show my nickname was the Stitch Witch because I'm known for the detailed stitching and making things look realistic when it comes to clothing and apparel and things like that. But then obviously you know the hats and the denim and you know the belts and the wallets there were so many cool things that we just wanted to bring all of those aspects into the cake because you just couldn't choose one. And I have to say the pair of boots that you had me make this time we used inspiration
00:05:53
Speaker
my favorite. I absolutely love them. I can't get enough of them. I was like, I love looking at this picture again and again. Look at all the detail. Well, actually, you're no stranger to that type of roper style with lacing because you did it on the show. Yes, I have. I've done it many a time, including for another British TV show where they actually had me fly back to England and I had to make another boot with laces and find detail and things like that. Oh yeah, in fact, they're picking up a boot.
00:06:22
Speaker
Right now, right next to the cake. Does that make you stress a little bit? A little bit. I was like, is that the cake? I was like, is she touching the cake? You know, we have a sign that says, do not touch the cake. And how much do you want to bet that somebody actually is going to touch the cake tonight? Oh, absolutely. Yeah. We're going to find some fingerprints, I bet.
00:06:34
Speaker
Probably, but it's okay. As long as we get some great pitches now, that's the main thing. People can enjoy themselves later on. And maybe if you don't stay, if you leave and you don't see them do it, maybe they'll make you feel better mentally. Like, you know what? The cake was beautiful when you left. Exactly. I got to see it the way it was intended. As long as everyone gets to appreciate it now, then eventually it has to get cut and it has to get messed up. It does. You're right. And there's so many mess ups that can happen. How do you...
00:07:01
Speaker
like mentally overcome because we talked about physically you get to be creative and but mentally how do you i mean i mean true to be honest it doesn't matter if you're on a show or not you have a wedding deadline something happens you have you know the fondant doesn't stick right or i don't know i'm trying to use these terms from all the baking shows i've watched um you get it right you said fondant fondant yes remember that one show that used to say fondant i know that's the thing people like me but it's fondant and i'm like why are you french
00:07:25
Speaker
You know, if you want some chocolate, do you say chocolat? Chocolat? You're like, no, you don't. You don't say fondant. You're not French. So yeah, just fondant. But anyways, yeah, so mentally, that's a big mental game. It is. People think, you know, when you're a cake decorator, they're like, oh, your job is so lovely and just no stress. It must be so nice. I'm like, are you kidding me?
00:07:48
Speaker
It's extremely stressful because I have to work with food. Food doesn't abide by science sometimes. You know, I have to make things that are not just run-of-the-mill round cakes, like gravity defying,
Fondant Misconceptions and Unique Requests
00:08:00
Speaker
and I have a deadline and my deadline can't be moved. You know, it's for an occasion or it's for a wedding. You can't say to someone, oh, I'm sorry, you know, I just didn't really feel like decorating, you know. It didn't work out. Yeah, so, you know, I'm just gonna do it tomorrow instead. Like, no, that doesn't happen.
00:08:16
Speaker
So, you know, a lot of it is experience. Like I said, with 19 years, I've got 19 years experience and all of that has been with fondant. I've started with fondant when I first started decorating. So, you know, knowing your materials, what they're capable of and especially knowing your drive is a key because some of the roads in Dallas are terrible.
00:08:38
Speaker
Like, absolutely awful. And a driver's. Oh, yeah, that too. Yeah. You know, when you have someone that cuts you up on the way here, you're like, you know, you have no idea I have a cake in the back. You know, it just drives you insane. It freaks you out, especially if they pull in front of you and they slam on their brakes. I know. You're like, I've got fragile cargo back here.
00:08:59
Speaker
Yeah, for real. And speaking of the fondant, does the fondant actually taste good? I don't know that I've ever tried it, Elizabeth. I'm kind of afraid of it. It's one of those things that I pickle off or pick around on the cake. Yeah, I mean, a long time ago, fondant had a very bad reputation. Now, the process and what goes into making it, it just tastes like a sweet vanilla.
00:09:18
Speaker
Or if you get the chocolate fondant, then it just tastes like a Tootsie Roll. Ooh, even better. Yeah. Okay. So it's not that bad. People just have a misconception because they like to put their finger into squishy frosting and, you know, lick it off and things like that. And fondant is firm. It's more like a dough or a clay.
00:09:34
Speaker
Like, yeah, exactly, like a Play-Doh, as I would say. Exactly. Exactly. It's like a vanilla Play-Doh. Just expect that and, you know, you'll be fine. So, obviously, I have so many questions about the show, but before I ask you that, I've got to ask, what was the weirdest cake that you've ever made? Was it inappropriate? Was it proportioned weird? Was it a castle? I don't know. Was it life-size? That's a good point. There has been some unusual ones.
00:09:56
Speaker
I think the one that still stands out, it wasn't necessarily what it was that was unusual. It was the request and who it was for. But I actually had for a little girl's birthday, you know, the mum was like, you know, I'm looking for a cake for my daughter, you know, design a cake. And we were like, okay, no problem. What is she into? And you're thinking, oh, you know, maybe she's into, you know, dolls or it could be dinosaurs or whatever. And they were like, well, she likes meat.
00:10:27
Speaker
and moustaches. And we were
Baking Show Experiences and Aspirations
00:10:30
Speaker
like, wait, did you say meat and moustaches? She was like, yeah. For a little girl. For a little girl. So we decided not to go with the meat and we thought we'd go with the moustache. Now that we know a little bit more about you, I've got to ask a little bit about the behind the scenes of the show because being season two, it was a really fresh season. Everyone kind of got their feet wet and they got to learn more and look forward to the anticipation. So what was like the number one thing that you learned from the show?
00:10:50
Speaker
Thanks for watching.
00:10:56
Speaker
Oh, um, just, I would say, I mean, I never knew I could do some of the cakes I could do in that short amount of time. Yeah. That you, you just have to work as quick as you can. You know, those clocks are real. People don't realize that, but they think that, you know, the top.
00:11:13
Speaker
sorry the clock stops it does not okay if you need to go to the bathroom you run the clock hold it or yeah you know that's actually a myth that was just busted because i fully believed that it was a production for tv where it's like oh there's 30 seconds when really it's like you had three hours no no you you run
00:11:34
Speaker
That had to have been hard. It was extremely hard because you're literally doing things you wouldn't normally do. Like you wouldn't bake a cake and then right away try to decorate it. No, you have to let it cool. It's an overnight process probably. It's like a... You don't have that choice. Wow. Things fall apart, things melt. When they announced your winner, because you obviously had to win rounds to get to the final overall winning. When they announced that you were the winner, did you really believe it?
00:12:00
Speaker
No, I really didn't. I really, really thought that it wasn't going to be me. I was like, you know, I feel like I gave it a really good shot. You know, I feel like I got to show people what I was capable of. I was like, I don't think I'm that lucky. I don't think I'm going to win. Wow. And so when they said, you know, my name, I was just I was gobsmacked. I don't know. I was like, I don't feel it's a phrase you have here. But yeah, it literally means, you know, like when you slap your mouth, you're like, oh, gobsmacked.
00:12:29
Speaker
We just learned a new one, thank you for that. And yeah, it was such a surreal experience because at some point, I think I, I don't know if I fell down or if I just sat down because my legs were weak. And I was like, I can't believe this is happening. And everyone ran over and I dived on me. And it was just, it was so, so lovely just to get to meet, you know, that many cool talented people as well. And to feel support, it was awesome.
00:12:58
Speaker
And to feel the energy in the room and be there, I couldn't agree more. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall just while you experienced all that, because $75,000, that's a lot too. So you had a lot of stakes. You spent a lot of money to get there. You know, all the things. And then along those same lines too, like the, you had to do several, like I said, you had to do several different cakes leading up to it. And so you learned that like, okay, yeah, you don't have time for coal, like you mentioned, all that stuff. But what do you think you would do differently next time?
00:13:25
Speaker
Nothing. Absolutely nothing except for I sucked at guessing Keiko Cash, which is after, you know, the judges pick who they think should win. Of course. The winner gets to go ahead and play Keiko Cash where you get the chance to win extra money. And everyone who watched the show knows that I'm terrible at Keiko Cash. And so every single time I lost.
00:13:50
Speaker
I didn't get it even statistically. I should have gotten it out of just pure chance. Yeah, of course. 50-50 you had it, yeah. Nope, I failed every single time. But it's okay because you came out on top. Oh yeah, for sure. I wouldn't change anything because, you know, I won.
00:14:09
Speaker
Oh, yeah. And I wouldn't want that to change. No, no, no, no, not at all. And I read somewhere that you would love to be a judge one day for that show or for something else. So what would you look for if you were going to be a judge? Like, are you wanting someone different to taste good and look good or just look good? I mean, if I can make cakes that taste good and look good, then I think other people should be doing that too. 100%. Why would you aim for one or the other? But yeah, I can't. I'm trying to think if I would be like a Gordon Ramsay kind of British judge or if I would be
00:14:38
Speaker
you know really really nice. Would you be like Paula Abdul? Like your outfit is great, you look beautiful but your cake sucks. I think it'd be a little bit in between it would be. It'd be like oh you know like you tried really really hard and you know this bit was lovely but you know bless you. Maybe next time just stick to doing this instead.
00:14:57
Speaker
Well, I love that then. Hopefully someone out there that gets to sit in front of you when you're the judge one day, because I'm going to speak it, will actually have some sense of calmness because of that advice. And we're actually out of time for today, but I do have a question that I ask on every podcast. And the question is, what piece of advice would you give to someone in your field? So for instance, for you, someone who wants to take their baking career to the next level or even get started, what advice would you give them?
Advice for Aspiring Bakers & Conclusion
00:15:20
Speaker
Ooh, I know it sounds a little bit silly, but honestly, try everything. Even if it's not something that it says in the books to do, the best techniques and things you come up with are things when you've got no boundaries taught to you by rules and limitations. Like, I'm completely self-taught. Just have a go. Try to figure out the best way to do something without reading how someone else did it, because you might find a better way than they did.
00:15:47
Speaker
Well, I love that advice because I can transfer to life too. I'm going to take that advice in terms of like just living in the moment and appreciating everything and trying everything and failure is not an option because it's okay to fail. You're fine. It is okay to fail. That's what life is about. It's about how you pick yourself up afterwards. You can't win everything.
00:16:03
Speaker
No, I couldn't agree more. Well, Elizabeth, you have been delightful. Thank you so much for taking your time out of here. Thank you for pouring your heart into both the cakes that you've made now for Justin and our parties here that we have. And we wish you the best of luck in the future. And one day I hope to see you as a cake judge.
00:16:18
Speaker
I really hope so too. Thank you so much for having me. You guys can find Elizabeth on social media at the London Baker. I really encourage you to check out some of her cakes. They're awesome. And she gives you like an inside look on what her perspective is and the process that she does. So check her out. Cheer her on. Feel free to comment. Tell us what you liked. If you have any questions for Elizabeth, ask them there as well. Like, subscribe, share with your friends. Thank you for listening to the Kick Your Boots Up podcast.
00:16:41
Speaker
Thanks for joining us on Kick Your Boots Up. I'm your host, Taylor McAdams, and we can't wait to share the next story of the West. Until then, feel free to like, subscribe, and leave us a review. Follow us on social media at Justin Boots to keep up with our next episode, and we'll see you the next time you kick your boots up.