Take his longan and blueberry cake, which comprises a pillow-soft blueberry marshmallow, chewy coconut dacquoise and fluffy sponge layer topped with longan and blueberry.
It is not surprising that he sheepishly admits that he spends “far too much time” on Instagram. He says with a chuckle: “I spend a lot of time on Instagram. My partner will hit me everytime I am on the phone as I am taking screenshots of food creations for inspiration.”
N2 Brunch Club is the cafe offshoot of Australia’s N2 Extreme Gelato, which will be appearing at The Great Food Festival in Resorts World Sentosa from 27 to 30 September.
No stranger to turning out Instagram-worthy desserts, Stewart left Black Star Pastry in Sydney after five years. The bakery-cafe was propelled to international fame after its strawberry watermelon cake became an Instagram sensation two years ago.
The cake comprises two layers of almond dacquoise, rose-scented cream, watermelon, strawberries and garnished with pistachios and dried rose petals. Before working at Black Star Pastry, Stewart had worked in hotel restaurants. After getting “burnt out”, he turned his attention to pastry in Cafe Sopra and Galileo Restaurant, both in Sydney.
Although Instagram plays an integral role in fuelling his dessert inspiration, he says that his collection of 1,000 recipe books that date back to the 1980s is vital in getting his classic baking techniques down pat. He says: “I start with old-school, classic pastry techniques, such as making dacquoise, sponge or sable crust, and finish the dessert off with modern touches such as freeze-dried powder.”
I always have. It started with watching my grandmother bake sponge cakes from a young age after school. She used to win awards for her Victoria sponge cakes, but she wouldn’t let me know her recipes — except for her Christmas fruit pudding. Her secret was adding suet, a rendered fat that gives the pudding body. From as young as I could remember, I would head straight for the dessert menu whenever I visited a restaurant. At 15, I got my first kitchen job and my fascination with food and pastry grew.
How do you come up with desserts?
I build a dessert from a favourite or in-season ingredient. I start by sticking bits of the elements that I would like in the dessert on a spoon and eating them at one go to see if the flavour combination works. I also create dishes based on my travels and memories, so I record a list of food that I’ve tried on my phone.
It started out as a bespoke wedding cake that the founder of Black Star Pastry, Christopher Thé, created. He wanted a perfect red line around the cake and the best way was to put a slice of watermelon in the centre of the cake. That also added texture to the cake — the crunchiness of the watermelon against the softness of the sponge. Everything, from the unique watermelon, pistachio to rosewater, went together very well. It was the perfect little cake.
How does Instagram play a part in your dessert-creation process?
It plays such a big part. I am always saving screenshots of savouries and sweets that I see on Instagram. Appearance matters, but I build the foundations such as the flavours and textures of the dessert before working on its appearance. I like adding colours to confections with edible flowers, coloured sugars and jellies. I also go for irregularly-shaped items such as flowers and biscuit crumbs.
The Karl Cake by pastry chef Andy Bowdy of Saga Patisserie, who has a cult following in Sydney (he helmed a 10m-long dessert table at this year’s Formula One Singapore Grand Prix). The chocolate and caramel cake is an over-the-top towering showpiece with meringue spewing out at the sides. The cake may be showy but every component is well thought-out.
