Baking it better

Cancer survivor and northside buttercream queen Kristy Wales celebrates life with every cake she creates…

Kristy Wales with one of her joyful cakes

From her sunny kitchen in North Sydney, self-taught baker Kristy Wales has found a delicious way to turn life’s lemons into exquisite lemon sponges, tarts, curds and so much more.

“Spreading joy through buttercream is still a reasonably new thing for me,” Kristy tells northsider. “However I’ve never felt more fulfilled. I just love the way peoples’ faces light up when they see one of my cakes for the first time and they experience the joy that comes from combining a bit of sugar, a few eggs and some butter.”

Kristy discovered her show-stopping cake skills during 2021’s Covid lockdown after receiving a shock diagnosis.

“I was in the shower and felt a lump in my right breast and I thought, that’s not normal,” Kristy, 29, recalls. Just one week later, she was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. “There I was, 26 years old, with no family history, freshly diagnosed with breast cancer. Words can’t describe how that felt,” Kristy continues.

After a round of IVF to freeze her eggs, Kristy embarked on 12 weeks of chemotherapy.

“My mum came with me to the first session, but then we went into the second lockdown, so I was on my own from there,” she says. “The medical teams and the nurses were amazing and made sure I didn’t feel alone.”

A lumpectomy and radiotherapy followed, with Kristy supported by partner, Ollie, and remotely by family, friends and McGrath Foundation Nurse, Elaine. Four months on from her diagnosis, she received the news that she was cancer-free.

“I was very young to be diagnosed and I feel immensely lucky that my treatment was so effective,” Kristy says. “I did also say to a few people that maybe lockdown was the best time for me to be going through all that. I had zero FOMO because nothing was going on and everyone was at home, not just me!”

Kristy during chemo; Kristy with partner, Ollie.

Kristy started to experiment in the kitchen while she was going through treatment.

“I started baking to keep myself entertained,” she says. “My mum was always making cupcakes, muffins and cakes when I was growing up. They were beautiful and made with love and I have lots of fond memories in the kitchen. It all evolved from there.”

So when a friend asked for a post-lockdown birthday cake, Kristy leapt at the challenge.

“I’d seen a shag cake, which has a vibrant, textured design, online and wanted to give it a try,” she says. “I spent five hours the night before the party working out how to do it, scraping the icing off and starting again quite a few times before I got it right!”

Her persistance paid off and guests were amazed when they saw the colourful creation.

“People kept asking my friend where she had bought it from,” Kristy laughs.

Encouraged, she started sharing pictures of her cakes on social media.

“My friends forced me to make my @kristycanbake Instagram account,” Kristy says. “I’m so glad that they did because I’m not sure I would have done it on my own.”

A Christmas cake creation; a birthday bake; buttercream dreams on a shag cake.

It proved to be a recipe for success when a month later, she received a message from a follower ordering a cake for a special occasion. It was the first of many, and in the past year alone, Kristy has baked over 200 cakes, often juggling three or four orders a week with her full-time job in digital marketing.

“Baking is my creative outlet,” she says. “It’s so nice to come home after working with data all day and spend six hours in the kitchen creating something beautiful.”

As well as developing her love of baking, Kristy is passionate about using her recent experiences to help others.

“It’s important to me to give back in some way,” she says. “I went through something awful, but I came out the other side, and I want to do something positive with that.”

“Celebrating every moment is something that’s so close to my heart”

With over 20,000 Australians diagnosed with breast cancer every year, Kristy encourages everyone to become body aware.

“Early detection can make such a difference,” she says. “Check your breasts, become familiar with them, and if you find a change, don’t be scared to have it checked. Knowing your body can save your life.”

An active member of Cancer Chicks, a Chatswood based national charity and support group for young women impacted by cancer, Kristy is also an ambassador for The McGrath Foundation.

Kristy with a bake for a Cancer Chicks event

In January this year, she attended the Pink Test fundraiser where she was a spokesperson for the Foundation alongside her McGrath nurse, Elaine, and the organisation’s founder, Glenn McGrath. After a day of interviews, the group joined the Prime Minister and both cricket teams for a reception at Kirribilli House.

Now, in an unimaginable turn, Kristy’s experience and support is also needed closer to home, with partner Ollie receiving his own cancer diagnosis at the end of last year.

“Ollie was with me throughout my entire cancer journey and then he was diagnosed with cancer himself,” Kristy says. “It’s really, really unlucky. But we’re also really, really lucky to have each other.”

The pair both signed up to take part in The Cancer Council’s Stars of the North dancing fundraiser, held at Norths Cammeray in June.

“I’m definitely not a dancer but how often do you get an opportunity like this to learn something new and raise money for an amazing cause?” Kristy says.

A torn ligament saw Ollie unable to take to the stage - although he’s vowed to return to the dancefloor in 2025 – but Kristy stepped out for a jazz number as part of the show that raised over $200,000 for the charity.

Since hanging up her dancing shoes, Kristy is back in the kitchen, tackling wedding cakes, corporate orders, fundraising bake sales and more. “I still don’t quite understand how I ended up here!” she laughs. “I’m so grateful I have such a beautiful, positive thing in my life after such a rough time. Celebrating every moment is something that’s so close to my heart. It’s a privilege to share that with other people.”

With the McGrath Foundation’s Glenn McGrath, nurse Elaine, and CEO Holly Masters at the Pink Test in January and, below, celebrating her Stars of the North dancing success with partner Ollie.

For more information about the charities mentioned in this story, head to cancerchicks.org.au, mcgrathfoundation.com.au and cancer.org.au

Words: Anna Gordon