The friendly and supportive r/Baking subreddit is home to some of the finest bakers in the world, veteran and amateur alike. We’ve collected some of their most beautiful and delicious-looking projects to show you the limits of what’s possible, dear Pandas. Scroll down to feast your eyes! But don’t blame us if you feel inspired to bake something immediately afterward! Bored Panda got in touch with world-famous pie artist and published author Jessica Leigh Clark-Bojin, @thepieous. She was kind enough to shed some light on where professional bakers can look for inspiration for new designs and recipes and how standing out online might—paradoxically—not always lead to success in business. You’ll find our full interview with the artist below. Don’t miss it! “Look to inspiring visual elements that have nothing to do with baking and to flavors outside the traditional realm of baked goods, and think about ways that you might be able to incorporate those disconnected elements into your work,” she told Bored Panda via email. Jessica suggested that these bakers observe various trends in the worlds of fashion, music, nature, travel, patterns, colors, and elsewhere. Bakers should not feel like they can only take inspiration from others in their field. Meanwhile, Bored Panda was interested in Jessica’s take on what bakers can do to stand out with photos of their projects in a sea of talented bakers around the world. In the pie artist’s opinion, the question isn’t as straightforward as it might seem. According to Jessica, standing out or going viral online “does not always equate to success in your business as a baker.” This holds particularly true if your clientele is entirely local. There might be a disconnect between your online fame and how your business grows in the physical world. Instead, she suggested first looking at what your goals are for your business and then developing your online strategy based on them. Doing research on the market and your target audience is vital for any business—baking included! “First, figure out where your specific customer base actually hangs out online and what kind of content they enjoy consuming. Then, look at your competitors in the space who are really succeeding at reaching this market, and start a doc jotting down all the things you notice them doing with their social presence.” Jessica shared some of the important questions business owners ought to ask themselves when evaluating their competitors’ work and online presence: “Are they posting cake images with a different solid color background and a little share-worthy text overlay? Are they posting video clips with the baker giving fun tips each day? Are they writing little stories to go along with each post? Are they posting at certain times of the day? On certain platforms only? Do they run giveaways or collabs with local businesses? Do they spend a lot of time engaging with every commenter?” “At the end of the day—beyond the basics of just using natural light, a tripod for your iPhone, and a clean backdrop for your photos—reaching your audience online is not so much about finding the viral gimmick that will make your pictures stand out from the pack as it is about consistent, authentic community engagement!” Feel free to check out Jessica’s online baking courses at ‘PieSavvy,’ as well as her book ‘Pies Are Awesome.’ In the meantime, don’t miss out on her latest pie art posts on Instagram! Back in 2021, the first time Bored Panda covered this fab community, it had 642k members. Now, at the time of writing, the community boasts a jaw-dropping 2.3 million members. It goes to show how a supportive space and gorgeous photos can create a thriving niche on the internet. The subreddit presents itself as a place “for all your baking needs.” From recipes and ideas to questions and anything and everything related to baking. “Cakes, cookies, pies, tarts, muffins, scones, breads, rolls, biscuits, cheesecakes, snack bars, etc. are all welcome!” the moderators share. They also invite anyone who wants to help them manage the community to reach out to them via Reddit. The rules are very clear, and they help keep the subreddit healthy and focused on the topic we’re all there for—baking! A while back, Bored Panda spoke to talented Canadian cake designer Darci, the founder of ‘Kake by Darci.’ During an earlier interview, she explained to us that it is important to understand the established rules of baking first and only then start breaking them. In short, if you’re serious about the craft, it really helps if you first learn how every ingredient you add affects the baking process. Cake designer Darci also pointed out to Bored Panda some of the main mistakes that she believes beginner bakers often make. According to her, one of these errors is adding the ingredients in the wrong order. “All of these small factors can make or break the cake!” she said that it’s essential to be patient and precise. “I feel like you can have a beautiful cake and go overboard with too much—flowers, candy, colors, textures. It can be a fine line between too much and not enough,” she said. If you’re ever feeling overwhelmed or overstressed, a good dollop of humor always helps. There’s nothing like laughter to pick you up after your latest baking disaster leaves your ceiling covered in dough. Then, there’s always a friendly online community or two you can turn to vent or ask for advice! We’re always happy to hear from you! So, if you have a moment to spare, why not scroll down to the comment section and share a few thoughts with everyone? Follow Bored Panda on Google News! Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda! Please use high-res photos without watermarks Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
