“Hi, my name is Catherine Zhang!”
I’m a 21 year old Australian born Chinese running towards a future filled with desserts and pastry. I hope this space can provide you with the recipes, tips and ideas to bring you the happiness desserts bring me!
In 2019, myself, as well as 9 other dessert makers entered Zumbo’s dessert factory to battle it out for the “Zumbo’s Just Desserts” champion title. I was challenged and my skills were tested amongst peers of equal and greater talent. However, it was in this environment I grew and found greater certainty of my future in the area of pastry.
After emerging successful I’m heading straight in that direction, follow me in the next big stage of my life!
Watch me on NETFLIX (not available in all countries): click here!
After finishing a Bachelor of Science majoring in Food and Nutrition Science at the University of Sydney I am free to explore my future, and all I want to do is make desserts!
I am now running this blog, YouTube channel, small online shop and now my first ever e-book!
If you would like to get into contact please click here .
Instagram is my main platform where I interact with you guys. Whether that be weekly questions and answers, life updates or polls.
If you want the latest updates on my life and recipes dont forget to follow me @catherine.desserts
YouTube channel Catty Cakes was launched in 2020. My aim was to provide a visual aid to my recipes through another platform.
This year I hope to share more recipes, as well as a little more of me!
Subscribe to my channel here!
Looking for new recipe inspiration. Want to see what other recipes Ive been interested in? Pinterest is the place to be!
Follow me on Pinterest here!
Hi, Im Catherine!
My name is Catherine, a food blogger and dessert lover. If I look familiar you may have seen me on NETFLIXs Zumbo’s Just Desserts S2!
As an Australian-Chinese pastry chef and recipe developer I share recipes and tips on desserts inspired by amazing flavours, fresh produce and of course my Asian background.
This was not Zumbo’s first foray into reality TV
Adriano Zumbo started his TV career when he appeared on “MasterChef Australia” as a guest judge from 2010 to 2018, and won over audiences when he whipped up a hovering tower of macarons, now dubbed the Zumbaron (via IMDb). People Pill notes that he calls himself silly nicknames like the “Sweet Assassin,” “Pâtissier of Pain,” “He Who Must Not Be Baked,” and more. Zumbos most notable dish, a featured challenge on “MasterChef,” is his signature raspberry-beetroot and black olive macaron “tower of terror,” which contains a hearty mix of vanilla glaze, water gel, crème Chantilly, macarons, brûlée, chiffon, ganache, almond crunch, and almond dacquoise.
In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Zumbo credits his “MasterChef” experience with establishing him as an internationally know chef. He now visits other countries and people easily recognize him on the street, making for what the star describes are a slightly bizarre experience.
Desserts that push the limits of home cooks
According to Media Week, the skill it takes to pull off the desserts on the program often transcend what a home baker can do, causing “Zumbos Just Desserts” to come across as an aspirational baking show. It provides a challenge to home cooks who want to one day compete on the show, and serves as compelling viewing for those content to sit back and watch. The outlet notes that the show emphasizes some seriously strange challenges many bakers would never experience. Viewers witness contestants whip up desserts cooked with fire, so-called franken-desserts which combine two different treats into the one, and some delicacies that even go against gravity.
In a YouTube Q+A, Catherine Zhang describes a dessert she made while participating as a contestant on the show which looked like a barbeque with fake chicken, tomato, corn, potatoes, and more. The elaborate display even included a 1-inch thick recipe book and involved elements of smoke. Brogen Idstein appeared on a similar YouTube Q+A where she discussed a difficult dessert she made featuring a gravity defying cake that broke several times.
FAQ
How does Zumbo’s Just Desserts work?
How much money do you win on Zumbo’s just desserts?
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