By Tania Phillips
From trucks to ninjas, Pakenham’s Jayne Gibbs has created a lot of things out of cake over the years, including a successful business – Funky Cakes.
Of course, like everyone during this Covid-19 crisis and subsequent lockdowns Jayne has had to change what she has been doing and with less big gatherings happening, she has been making more cupcakes and cake toppers (which she sends anywhere around the country).
But despite all the challenges, the home-based cake decorator is still loving what she does – a job she’s been moving towards all her life.
“I’ve been playing with cakes most of my life – licking the beaters when I was a kid and my mum was baking,” she laughed.
“I worked in the bakery at Woolworths for 15 years and I studied sculpture at uni for a while.
“After I had kids, I didn’t really want to go back to working in the supermarket – I was like, ‘what can I do that uses my art skills that might make a bit of money as well’? So it sort of all came together and I started doing a few cakes for the kinder mums and stuff. I finally registered a business seven years ago and I’ve built up so that I do cakes quite regularly and often I get quite busy.”
She specializes in 3D sculpted cakes and her work can be seen gracing local weddings, birthday parties and other important events while she is also making cupcakes and cookies as well.
She is a whiz with fondant – creating custom-made cake-toppers for all occasions.
“Unfortunately because no one has had visitors a lot of parties have been cancelled which has been a bit rough but I am finding that a lot of people are still wanting to have something small at home with their family,” Jayne explained.
“I am still getting quite a few orders but they are smaller than normal. As a result of that I have been doing a lot more cupcakes and things like that, that are small orders. And I am now offering free delivering locally and I can do contactless delivery which I have found is quite successful.
“What I do is a specialized thing and not everybody has the skills to make what I make. People are still happy to make their own cakes and I’m all for that but sometimes people still want something a bit more special especially for 21sts and occasions like that.”
To find out more about what Jayne does and to order cupcakes, cookies, cakes and caketoppers for that special occasion, head to her Funky Cakes Facebook or to wwwFunkycakes.com.au
