In the Kitchen with Catherine
Step into the delightful world of Catherine Kwan, the baking extraordinaire who turned her passion for cakes and macarons into a colorful journey of homemade creations. Get ready to be whisked away as she shares her favorite bakes, time-saving hacks, and the endless wells of inspiration that fuel her delicious creations.
Tell us about yourself and your baking journey...
"Hello! My name is Catherine Kwan. I am a self-taught and hobby baker. I am a wife and mom of two girls. I made my first cake in October 2019 for our 10th wedding anniversary. It was a half naked chocolate cake and was decorated with fresh roses and macarons. It was also my very first experience of eating macarons back then, where I got them from a local French restaurant. When our second daughter was born in 2019, I watched caking videos on Instagram and YouTube, and read blog posts during my maternity leave. When the pandemic hit, I officially started baking in the summer of 2020 and learned to make macarons in early 2021, while having the privilege of working from home three times a week."
What do you like about Judee's ingredients?
"I have been using Judee's dried egg whites and caster sugar in my baking journey for over two years now. The products are high quality, and they are great for baking macarons, sponge cakes, and chiffon cakes. I have a higher success rate of making macarons when I use the caster sugar than granulated sugar because caster sugar is very fine and easily dissolves in the egg whites. Adding the dried egg whites helps to stabilize the structure of the meringue. I am happy to know that Judee’s commits to their highest quality and their products are processed in gluten and nut-free facilities."
What's your favorite holiday or event to bake for?
"I love baking for my daughters’ birthdays. They give me the theme of the cakes that they would want for their birthdays and then I just make it happen! This year my 10-year-old asked for a “bumblebee cat” birthday cake. I did not have any idea when she was talking about it until she googled an image for me. I ended up making the bumblebee cat macarons and a funfetti cake for her. She loved it so much. It was so much fun!"
What's a time-saving baking hack that you wish everyone knew?
"Planning ahead is the key. If I plan to bake during the weekend, I prepare the ingredients the night before so everything is ready to go on the next day. Don’t forget to take out the butter and eggs ahead of time so they will be at room temperature and ready to use when you are ready to bake! You can also put your eggs into warm water for 5-10 minutes to warm them up if you forget to take them out ahead of time."
Where do you pull inspiration from for your baking?
"I enjoy watching reels on IG and YouTube after work. I love to use natural ingredients and try different flavor combos and new techniques, which is the fun part of baking."