Cool and Cool

From cupcakes to your own bakery

Denise Blom (33) is the face behind Kek en Keek Bakingstudio, located in the picturesque De Weere in Noord-Holland. Her baking adventure began at the age of 18, during an internship at a graphic design company. "A colleague came with homemade cupcakes, and I was immediately sold! We took a workshop together and from that moment on, baking was my passion. During my graphic design education, I even used baking as a subject for various projects, such as an app for recipes and chocolate ligatures."

The construction of Kek and Keek

In 2017, the name Kek en Keek was officially registered, although in the early years Denise only occasionally accepted orders from family and friends. It was only after the corona period that she decided to seriously build up her bakery, while still working part-time at her father's company. "He gave me the space to further develop Kek en Keek. Now I combine both activities, but I will soon move to a new location so that I can better separate work and private life."

With the arrival of her son Frenkie in April 2023, combining work and family is becoming increasingly challenging, but Denise is looking forward to the next step: a separate workspace where she can further develop her creations.

Greatest achievements and collaborations

One of Denise's biggest milestones was the collaboration with Kaaptaart Supplies. "They asked me to promote their webshop as a Cakefluencer with a discount code. And when Cupcakedozen.nl asked me to write this blog, I was really flabbergasted! It is an honor to be able to share my story."

A typical day in the bakery

A workday at Kek en Keek is never the same. "I divide my time between regular workdays with my father and baking, often in the evenings. Once I have my new workspace, I can organize my work even better."

Denise likes to work with a podcast in the background. "My favorite is Moordcast by Dionne and Henrik Slagter. There is no better combination of baking and true crime!"

Love for floral cakes

Denise has a penchant for floral cakes, using the palette knife technique. "It gives such a beautiful effect, and I want to improve my technique even more. I even bought a course from LILA Cake Shop, but I still have to find the time to follow it."

What she doesn't like making as much? Tall wedding cakes. "The stress just isn't worth it, haha! Small cakes and cupcakes are more my thing."

Mistakes and lessons

Like every baker, Denise has had her challenges. "My biggest mistake early on was using cream cheese frosting on a heavy wedding cake in the summer. The cake collapsed in the heat, and that really taught me the importance of cooling in between."

Using too much food coloring for deep colored cakes was also a learning point. "There are techniques to get the brightest colors with less food coloring, and I try to use that as much as possible now."

Another mistake? "I was charging way too low prices in the beginning. That's something a lot of beginning bakers struggle with. Customers don't always realize that fresh ingredients, hours of work and love go into every bake."

The taste must be perfect

For Denise, taste is at least as important as presentation. "A cake can look beautiful, but does it taste good? I can't bring myself to do it if a cake is dry. Customers need to understand that quality costs time and money."

Trends and inspiration

Denise follows the latest baking trends closely. The vintage cake is one of her favorites. "I've only made one, unfortunately, but I hope to use this style more often." As for the Wavy Piping trend, she is not entirely convinced yet: "Maybe I should try it out first!"

She gets her inspiration from other bakers and nature. Instagram is an important source, with LILA Cake Shop and Bakes By Her being her favorites.

Tips for Beginner Bakers

Denise's most important advice? Just start! "You learn by failing, but it always works out. Develop your own style and dare to turn down orders that don't suit you. It has to remain fun for yourself."

And a few practical tips:

• Add a little bit of purple food coloring to buttercream to make it whiter.
• Bake at lower temperatures (140 degrees) to prevent drying out.
• Do not set your refrigerator too cold to avoid condensation and cracks during transport.

Social media and dreams for the future

Social media plays a crucial role in the growth of Kek en Keek. "I get a lot of orders via Instagram and I like to show what I can do. When I look at my feed, I am quite proud!"

In the future, Denise dreams of offering online courses. "A Baking 101 course is planned, as well as 1-on-1 lessons. I also want to further develop my palette knife and floral cupcake techniques."

The importance of packaging

The packaging of her cakes is just as important to Denise as the taste. "A beautiful cake deserves beautiful packaging. I use high cake boxes with a window , so that customers can admire the cake right away."

The most unique request

Finally, Denise shares the craziest request she's ever received: "The classic penis cake for a bachelorette party. Always good for a laugh!"

With a bakery full of creativity, passion and humor, Denise Blom is an inspiration to other bakers and entrepreneurs. You can admire her work on Instagram and Facebook , or take a look at her website www.kekenkeek.nl .