Interview with Katarina Cermelj
Photography courtesy of The Loopy Whisk

From her days in the chemistry lab at Oxford to gaining international popularity for her innovative recipes, Katarina Cermelj has always been passionate about baking. Here she discusses her focus on allergy-friendly foods, reveals how she started her blog The Loopy Whisk, and shares a creation from her latest cookbook.

How did you discover your knack for baking?
I don’t have any formal cooking or baking education, but I’ve always loved the latter. My mum is the most amazing cook and baker, so homemade bread and desserts were a constant part of my childhood. And I loved helping out—that initially meant stealing bits of cookie dough and licking the bowl clean, but I was still part of the process. So my passion for baking was always there. Once I started incorporating my science background and chemistry knowledge into recipe development, everything just clicked.

What got you interested in creating allergy-friendly recipes?
During my undergraduate studies at Oxford, I was battling quite a few health issues. In the process of trying to figure out what was wrong, I decided to avoid gluten and dairy. However, I simply wasn’t satisfied with the gluten- and dairy-free recipes I found. That’s when I started to experiment and create my own. Eventually, I managed to develop ones that were just as good as the regular bakes I remembered. Since then, I’ve expanded my scope, crafting recipes suitable for all sorts of dietary requirements.

What led you to found The Loopy Whisk?
I’d been playing around with the idea of starting a food blog for years, but it never felt like the right time. Then I had a stretch of a couple of months with no school or work between finishing my undergraduate studies and beginning my PhD in inorganic chemistry at Oxford. So I thought to myself, If I don’t create a blog now, I never will.

I initially struggled to find time for recipe development, taking photos, and writing the blog posts. I would be in the lab on weekdays and working on the blog during evenings and weekends. But even though it was tons of effort and my sleep schedule suffered, it’s been 1,000 percent worth it.

How have you merged chemistry with your baking skills?
I’d say that my chemistry background has helped in two ways. First, it’s given me more insight into ingredient properties, how they interact with each other, and the role they play in bakes. That’s especially important for allergy-friendly recipes, where you need to understand how gluten, eggs, and dairy affect a bake before you can successfully replace them.

Second, I’d grown used to setting up experiments in the lab and looking at variables and trends and so on, which translated into a very analytical, systematic approach to recipe development. That’s been essential to everything from measuring the height of cake sponges to looking at how ingredient ratios affect things like the diameter of cookies. Basically, I’m still setting up experiments and spreadsheets and looking at variables, but the outcome is (usually) far more delicious.

Would you explain the importance of crafting recipes for people with food sensitivities or allergies?
Food is such a central part of our lives. If you can eat anything you want, you might take that for granted—people who don’t have issues with gluten, eggs, or dairy don’t have to think twice about buttering their bread, eating a slice of cake, or ordering something at a restaurant. But as soon as you’re allergic or sensitive to one or more of those ingredients, that all changes. I’ve received messages from people who can no longer enjoy family-favorite recipes, and that really shouldn’t be the case. Everyone ought to be able to eat delicious food, even if they have to avoid certain ingredients.

That’s why creating allergy-friendly recipes is so essential, and it’s the main reason I decided to write my second cookbook, The Elements of Baking—I wanted to give people all the tools and knowledge necessary to adapt treasured recipes to their diets and lifestyles. If I can help somebody recreate a cookie or cake that their grandma used to make so they’re able to savor it again, that means I’ve succeeded.

For more info, visit TheLoopyWhisk.com