BAKERELLA IN TORONTO FOR NEW BOOK "CAKE POPS"

Bakerella & Mr. Will-W.

I love this Woman!  Bakerella (née Angie Dudley) is at the forefront of this generation of Web Celebrities, who have found notoriety simply through their publishing their passions in Blog form.  Her eponymous Baking/Cake Decorating Website is becoming a hit among Celebrities, Homemakers, Foodies, Novice Bakers and Decorators alike.  

It all began with a Cake Decorating Course which Bakerella took in her native Atlanta, Georgia.  Her Hobby soon led to her posting Photos of her creations anonymously on Picture Sharing Website Flickr, and then subsequently, creating her own Blog.  Before she knew it, Martha Stewart, CTV's Canada AM and NBC's TODAY were calling her to book appearances.  Just this past week, Gossip Girl's Blake Lively met-up with Bakerella for a bit of a Bake-off and the pictures were posted online, which is how I discovered her work.  

Scrolling through the Blog, I found myself mesmerized by her Craft. Her original Cake Pops - Popsicles made of Cake and decorated/modeled into adorable Novelties - are the new rage, quickly demoting Cupcakes to the passé.  Who would've known the possibilities?

Bakerella is in Toronto promoting her new book Cake Pops by Bakerella.  The Hard Cover Book explains visually how you too can create these Confectionary delights, with a focus more on the decorating aspect of it.  Sheep, Snowmen, Bonbons, Chicks, Christmas Trees.  Everything.

Being one of the few males at the Meet & Greet, a fair number of female Fans showed up to Williams & Sonoma on Bloor St. today, her second event in the City as she held a Signing at Yorkville's Teatro Verde yesterday.  Fielding questions from those in attendance, Bakerella gave Tips on what was required for the optimum Cake Pop, including eating them on the third day and also decorating them on an angle.  We also got a bit of background of Bakerella's continuing rise to success and apparently she still holds a Full-time Job, where many of her Co-workers are aware of her new-found success.  She is however, quick to deflect  attention, carefully downplaying her accomplishments such as her upcoming appearance on TODAY.  She admits to not having done much Baking of late while busy with her Book Tour, but she vows to get back to it when things wind down.  

And why the name Bakerella, you ask?  Dudley is a huge fan of Jane Fonda and although she toyed with the pseudonym of Jane Fondant, she wanted someone more all-encompassing.  Inspired by Fonda's turn as Barberella, she merged that character's name with what she loves to do most.  Hence, Bakerella.

Upon meeting her, I confessed that I had only learned recently about her Blog but nonetheless she happy to have a new Follower and even happier that I was only the second male Fan to show up.  I vowed to let her (and you too Mavenati!) know how my first batch of Cake Pops turn out.... perhaps over the Holidays as I have a few days of spare time coming up.  Incredibly sweet.  In all senses of the word.

Check out some Photos I got of Bakerella below:

Here's a bit of Video too for those of you who couldn't be there:

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will-W.)