In Peques and Más we bring an interview to Jesus of Cupakemaniatic. Jesus confesses that his passion is pastry and comes to Peques y Más to tell us your experience, your plans, your references and your delicious creations. Jesus was born in Madrid and is studying Bachelor of Arts which says that it benefits him and gives him inspiration to make his creations. His greatest wish, he tells us is engage in cupcakes, cakes, decorated cookies, etc. And he aspires to more, his great desire would be to mount a bakery in which cooking workshops would be held and also sell to customers. And although I don't think he is too far from his dream he is aware that he has a lot to learn. In the interview he tells us that He has always liked the world of cooking since childhood and especially pastry. His mother is who has helped him discover this wonderful world and he wants to stay working for many more years.
How do you get the passion for baking
My passion for pastry comes when I was little, like at 11 or 12 years old. I always helped my mother do some things in the kitchen and she taught me or encouraged me to make some custard. From there he began to teach me more things related to pastries, a yogurt cake, custards, sweets typical of his people. Well, when I was growing up, I started to research books and the Internet. The truth that my family's support with this issue has always been constant, has helped me in everything.
What do they tell you at home now that you get results
The answers are always very varied, although they are always good. The toughest in the opinions is my father, especially when I am covering the cakes and he says to me "Here it is not good, this is crooked, it is uneven, etc". Although I do not like that kind of comments, they are good, because they help me improve, although sometimes they repay me a little (laughs). Then there are also friends, who put each face! They hallucinate with things, with some more than with others, although they are always positive comments. The negatives will arrive at some point.
What do you want to achieve with the Cupcakemaniatic blog
Mainly to publicize what I do and how I do it, and encourage people to do these things, which although they seem difficult, are not so. You just have to be patient, and a lot, because sometimes things go wrong. As I always say, "to the one who cooks and kneads, everything happens to him". Always in each blog post I try to write some story or anecdote that has happened to me to make everything a little more enjoyable and thus entertain a little people who read me.
What can we find in Cupcakemaniatic
The blog is divided between posts or posts, which is where I put the recipes and the occasional story; Then there is another tab where I introduce myself, how I got here, etc; the recipe book, where you can find all the recipes available on the blog; In the videos tab there is a direct link to my YouTube channel, where you can see a recipe or tutorial step by step, and finally, the order tab, where you can find the email address in case you want to order a cake, or some cupcakes. For now it's the only thing I do, although I hope to do more things. With the blog I just pretend to show people what I do. Whether they make orders or not is something else haha I just want to make myself known a little.
Who are your readers on the blog?
Well, Internet readers looking for pastry recipes. The first followers were members of my family, and then, as I was publishing, more people were following me. I think the boom of the followers came with some oreo cupcakes that I made there for my early blogosferiles. There are people from all over the world, mainly from Spain and Latin America.
How do you get inspired to create such an elaborate confectionery
It depends on the moment you find me. If we are at Christmas, then typical Christmas decorations. If it is Easter, now that it is approaching, then in elements proper to Easter. And if they are special things or that inspiration comes to me, I watch content and recipes online, and now also, on Pinterest. For example, for a Pocoyo cake, I had to look at several chapters of the series, look for the details of each character if they are specific cakes. If they are already cakes or cupcakes or cookies that I want to put on the blog, I let my imagination run. Everything takes time, some more than others, although in the end everything comes out.
How do you work the process from the initial idea to the final photograph
As a first step, and depending on the time in which I am or simply if I want to do something that I like, I'm looking for ideas on the Internet, images on Google, in other blogs, etc. I am looking for the recipe that I like the most and the one that convinces me the most, because there are some, especially the American ones, that have difficult ingredients to find here, in addition to being expensive. Then I prepare all the ingredients, the molds, everything, everything, everything, without missing anything, and I follow the recipe to the letter. As you skip a step, however small, the texture of the dough changes completely and does not work out the same. If you have children or children at home, ask them to help you, they are sure to have a blast.
I bake as it puts in the recipe, it is almost always between 160-190ºC, depending on whether it is a cake or a cupcake. Finally, I prepare the filling, frosting, buttercream or whatever is appropriate and I already decorate. This is also very fun to do with children, let their imagination fly. The results are spectacular as well as funny. You try and you will see how a smile from ear to ear is stamped on their faces. And the hard part: the photo. I always break my head deciding how to put things, what objects to put, the angle of the photo, etc. It is complicated, but then they go out (in the interview you can see some of Jesus' creations). I have never tried to take pictures with young children, although I am sure that with camera in hand and a child in front of a cake about to eat it, some stunning photos will come out.
What references do you have in the kitchen and especially in baking
Phew! I have many, especially blogs that I follow. I especially have four bloggers that are my favorites: Sandeea, from The Happiness Recipe; Bea, from El Rincón de Bea; Soul, Objective: Perfect cupcake, to which I owe the cupcakes, which I discovered was in his blog; and finally Magdalena, from La Dulce Magdalena. I have many more, and each one is wonderful, although fundamentally the recipes of the blog I take them out of there. In reference books I have Marcela Capó, Lily Vanilli, Eva Arguiñano, and many more books.
What training do you have and what do you want to do in the future?
Training what is said training, just what I find on the Internet. I have learned everything. I will have taken the odd course about something that resisted me, for example, to cover a cake with fondant, although mainly everything is from the internet and books. As for the offers of the business world, some time I have collaborated with bakeries, making some cake and others, although little. In addition, as I am studying, I only have the afternoons to make the orders that are requested and on the weekends, in addition to the recipes for the blog. Pastry has a future, although it is quite hard. And of course, who likes it a lot, a lot, don't hesitate twice. It is something sacrificed although it is very worthwhile.
What have you seen to the cupcakes that have named the blog
Well mainly because they are a novelty. They are like cakes, and instead of being large, they are tiny, in capsules and with the filling on top as a decoration. The first time I saw them was like "My Mother, what does that look like?" I was amazed at what I saw. I made the first cupcakes for my 17th birthday and thus vary a lemon mousse cake that years ago. The reception of these cupcakes by my family was impressive. Everyone loved it! Especially my cousin, who was amazed, and she was the one who suggested that I put these things in a blog. And I didn't think twice. So as I discovered cupcakes, and I'm a little fond of sweets, Cupcakemaniatic was born.
How is the market of cooking and baking blogs in Spain, and in the world
It is a bit of everything. People open a blog to show others what they do. People begin to follow them and make themselves known more and more. Everyone has their own style of doing things, and you can find super creative and varied things. For tastes, the colors. Right now in Spain this has been like a boom that has arrived to stay. There are specialized people and amateur people, and those amateur people have been specializing more and more, so much that they have proposed to do business with this. It's what I hope to do in the not too distant future (laughs).
What do your readers and your customers tell you and how do you learn with them?
Followers always send me very good reviews. So far I have not received any bad. The exact same thing happens with customers: they always tell me that everything was delicious. Occasionally some bloggers give prizes to the blog, which makes me very excited. I learn a lot from them, even if it doesn't seem like it: they give me advice, they recommend me things, even recipes to make, and always, they are always there supporting me in everything I do. They are great.
And here the interview with Jesus of Cupcakemaniatic. We thank you for having participated so generously with Peques and More. In addition the images you have sent us, and those that can be seen in your blog, show us that Jesus has a very good hand with pastry so we wish him many successes and I am convinced that a store can be small for the desire, ability and talent that applies to their creations.
