Skye Beacall says baking changed her life, now she wants to make it her life's work

As she powers through recovery from a serious shoulder injury, Skye has started dreaming up her next chapter, following a lifelong dream of taking her cake decorating business fulltime.

Skye's food dreams took off after she had her children, and she found herself falling into baking by necessity at first.

"I studied commercial cookery and was planning on being a chef - but I realised the hours a chef worked wasn't right for me as a new mother. I thought I would get into bakery items and cakes."

Skye got a job at a small bakery in Busselton, where she fell in love with the craft and discovered she was "quite good" at intricately decorating.

Her goal, though, was to make cakes that weren't just beautifully decorated but were the "perfect bite" underneath.

"Years ago you would get a nicely decorated cake and you'd eat it but the taste was not pleasant. Most of the times after a party the cake is left, people will take a few bites but the rest is sitting there.

"I wanted to strive for something that tastes as good as it looks. I put time and energy into making something where if you had a bite you'd think 'that's really nice, moist and fluffy'."

Skye later moved into the aged care sector, a line of work she was also extremely passionate about - but she continued baking as her hobby, dreaming up and concocting clever cakes for friends and family.

It wasn't until her shoulder injury that Skye started imagining returning to her baking bliss fulltime.

"My specialists have said it's not a good idea to go back into aged care - at least not the physical side of it. I absolutely loved the job. But that left me thinking of my future and what it's going to be - I think it's going to be sweet."

Skye has taken on cake projects like large Krakens, Kombi vans, gaming dice and cartoon characters - painting and sculpting each piece with love in preparation for her business launch.

"This has been my hobby - I have been making cakes for my kids, friends and family just practicing and trying new things.

"I wake up in the middle of the night thinking of designs - when I'm going for a walk in the morning I think 'wow, I could do this'.

"I don't think of much else when I'm daydreaming - it's always about which cake I can design next."

With her right shoulder completely out-of-action, Skye has had to train her left hand for baking, and she said her husband and daughter have been there to help when it was hard.

"I'm getting really good at left handed stuff," she laughed.

"If I've got something that's a bit tricky or need both hands my daughter has been wonderful and pops up and spends the day with me - my husband is always carrying things and loading them up for me. They've been a huge support."

Skye said being able to take her baking fulltime would allow for her to grow and develop even further as a baker.

"Baking is my safe place. It's where I go when I need to relax and get away from things.

"Once I'm all better I'll be able to take this hobby and turn it into a proper business."

For now, Skye is resting up and baking cakes for loved ones and friends in her local community.

"My grandkids are always asking 'nanny - what do we have today?'

"And living down here in Dwellingup has been amazing. The first year I was here someone nominated me in the Alcoa awards. Even the Shire of Murray have used some of my cakes."

To keep an eye out for Skye's new venture, follow her on social media: