Fig & Salt
Flavour seems to ooze out of Fig & Salt's drool-worthy images across her Instagram; texture dripping from layers of icing, meringue, or caramel glaze.
Words: Emma-Kate Wilson
Fig & Salt’s Monte Carlo Cookie Sandwich. Photo - Cassandra Morris.
Chocolate Cookie Sandwiches with Thyme Ice-cream and Blistered Grapes. Photo - Lauren Bamford and styling - Stephanie Stamatis.
Cassandra Morris is the creative genius behind these disturbingly delicious-looking cakes. And, it’s hard to believe that she wasn’t born baking. Instead, Fig & Salt first came together as a side project, only taking orders on the weekend. What's even harder to believe is that the first official cake order, for a close friend, was a disaster! “I learnt many things that afternoon,” Cass shares. “Her cake was a culmination of many errors, but it was edible, and she loved it! That’s all that matters, right?”
Even though Fig & Salt is all about those sweet treats, at heart, she confesses, Cass is a savoury girl. “I love to cook my Granma's Brodo, which is such a comfort soup for me,” she spills. Her Italian Granma is where the talented baker learnt her love of savoury cooking. They'd spend the day together preparing sardines and fresh tomatoes on toast for breakfast, a hearty bowl of Brodo for lunch, and finishing off the day with Peperonata (sweet bell peppers) for dinner.
“Don't get me wrong, I love the city and eating out at my favourite restaurants, but I truly am most at home dreaming, creating, experimenting and cooking for family and friends in my place out in the Yarra,” shares Cassandra Morris. Pictured - Hazelnut Layer Cake with Red Wine Poached Pears. Photo - Bobby Clark.
The sweet side came from watching her Australian Nan and Mum in the kitchen, preparing jelly lamingtons and yo-yo's. “I have the fondest memories growing up and staying with my Nan at her farm, as soon as I stepped foot in her house I would be hit with the sweetest smelling aroma of her baking,” Cass affectionately remembers. One of her own favourites treats to make (and her brother's) include the Monte Carlo cookie sandwich, taking an oat biscuit sandwiched between layers of raspberry jam and fluffy buttercream icing.
“I’ve always been of the mindset ‘what if the impossible became possible, what would I do?!’ So, I made the choice to leave my job and its financial security, and throw all my energy into making my dream a reality.”
Food is such a personal thing for so many people, and the personal touch rings throughout Cass’ cooking. She is creating memories, just as much as food. One her favourite parts of the job is the collaborations; including her dream projects of working with Stephanie Stamatis and Lauren Bamford from Kinfolk. “It was one of my first big events/shoots, and I still love looking back at the photos from this day,” Cass gleefully adds. “We have gone on to do many more collaborations — I still pinch myself when I am asked to work with them.”
Just as Cass grew up watching her Nan bake on the farm, today the baker lives in the picturesque Yarra Valley, Victoria. “Give me lush landscapes and alpacas any day; ok, and maybe some fancy boots too!” She laughs. It’s here Cass spends her days experimenting and cooking up feasts for her friends and family. A true country girl at heart, it's her “dream to own a little country shack on some land, vegetable patch, fruit trees and a rocking chair on the deck.” A perfect setting for Fig & Salt magic.
“There’s nothing like real food to bring people together,” says Cassandra Morris. Photo - Alexandra Strong.
“I like to think of Fig & Salt like that: a bit of this and a bit of that - combining the yin and yang of food. There’s nothing like food to bring people together.”
Fig & Salt’s Dark Chocolate Cookies with Olive Oil. Photo - Cassandra Morris.
Hazelnut and Chocolate Meringue Cake with Lemon Curd. Photo - Lauren Bamford, styling - Stephanie Stamatis.
“Some of the biggest highlights have been collaborating with people and businesses I’ve long admired. I highly believe in the power of collaboration and sharing life’s adventures.”