Typical girl-next-door Daniella Koch is bringing a breath of pretty pastel colour and
yummy delights to Hazyview with her gorgeous baked goodies.
A farm lass at heart and coming from a close family, Daniella, or Noo as she is fondly known, was born and bred in the Lowveld town. She married her brother’s best friend last year, laughing that he’s been a part of the family for years – she just made it official. “We also have five cats and two dogs, all fostered. To be honest, if my husband would allow it we’d probably have more,” she chuckles.
Passionate about all things delicious, Daniella has been baking cakes for as long as she can remember. Her confectionaries, which she calls Bakes by Noo, started as a creativity outlet. “Embellishing and decorating a cake was all about learning new techniques at first, but soon grew into a wonderful therapy and love for me. I learnt my love and patience of baking from my mum,” she smiles, “she is the queen of baking so actually I owe it all to her.”
Daniella explains that one of the reasons she loves baking so much is its uniqueness. You only need a few basic ingredients, such as flour, sugar and eggs, and you can create thousands of different types of divine treats. “It also gives me the freedom to express myself, and the reward you get out after all the hard work you put in gives immense satisfaction and pride,” she smiles.
Daniella, a self-confessed chocolate girl, has been baking her signature chocolate cake since she was in prep school, and selling it to willing friends and family. “It’s delicious,” she smiles, “all dark chocolate ganache icing and rich, heavenly flavour!” Her idea of a show-stopper cake is somewhat different these days. “At the moment I am obsessed with the Lambeth cakes, Victorian-era vintage style,” she explains. “The extreme intricacy of the piping techniques that goes into each layer is quite incredible. If I had to make something for a special occasion, I’d love to create a three-tier Lambeth-style cake.”
As much as she loves baking, Noo also has a great love of the fashion industry, which she used to work in. “It’s a big passion of mine and I’d still love to be involved in it in some way. Might still give it a go, it’s definitely something to consider for the future,” she muses. “I’m inspired by getting the opportunity to create beautiful things,” she adds. “An example of this would be seeing the joy my food brings to customers when they share in that with me. After all, once you realise you don’t need a special occasion to buy a cake, the second part of your life begins.”
Unable to pinpoint any single thing that makes her happy, Noo laughs as she explains that animals and all-things-delicious are high on the list, along with being around family and
loved ones. “There’s nothing better than being at home with my husband, cats and dogs, it’s what makes me tick, and how I relax and unwind,” she adds.
Noo’s view for the future is seeing plenty of her cakes and bakes at a cafe somewhere in the Lowveld. Until then, she follows her dad’s excellent advice, which she adds is the most important thing she’s learnt in life: Don’t take anything too seriously. Life is short, make it a grand adventure!
Details: Follow @bakes_by_noo on Instagram
