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The Dessert Nerd, Bendigo (2026)

08/06/2026

I wasn’t quite sure how to write this post, but I’ll do my best.

Yesterday, we lost an incredible human, Professor Richard Scolyer, to brain cancer.

For those who may not know who he was, Professor Scolyer was one of the world’s leading melanoma researchers and played a huge role in advancing immunotherapy treatment.

For those newer to my page, my husband Marc (Mr OMG BBQ) has battled melanoma for many years. Every couple of years, it seemed to come back. Just over three years ago, he found a lump in his neck which turned out to be his first internal melanoma. A reminder that melanoma isn’t just skin cancer.

Marc was fortunate enough to be part of a worldwide immunotherapy trial. Before surgery, he received treatment designed to teach his immune system to recognise and fight the cancer cells.

This week, Marc heads off for his three-monthly PET scan. It also marks three years since that surgery. Three years of scans, appointments, waiting rooms, and hoping for good news.

And for the first time in more than ten years, he reached the two-year mark without melanoma returning.

We never met Professor Scolyer, but his work became part of our story.

There are no words to explain how grateful I am for the researchers, doctors, nurses, scientists and trial participants who make advances like this possible.

But today, my thoughts are especially with Professor Scolyer and his family.

Because of his work, families like ours were given hope when we needed it most, and we could be looking at a very different story if it wasn’t for people like him.

For that, I will be forever grateful.

Rest in peace, Professor Scolyer.

Thinking of his family, friends, colleagues and all those whose lives he touched at this incredibly difficult time. ❤️

XO

05/06/2026

Just some of the sweet treats that have headed out the door this week. 💜

Pistachio Loaded Cookies, Lemon Meringue Loaded Cookies, Red Ripperz Grape Blondies (which honestly taste like Hubba Bubba 😂) and Golden Gaytime Blondies all packed up and delivered, ready for the long weekend.

While lots of people are enjoying a few days off, my deliveries next week will be spread across Monday and Tuesday depending on which cafes are open, so there won’t be much of a long weekend happening here.

That said, I’m actually looking forward to a slightly slower pace.

I’ll be spending the weekend cooking, recipe testing, writing, and working on some of the many ideas constantly floating around in my head. If you’ve been around here for a while, you’ll know that’s one of my favourite places to be.

There are always recipes to tweak, flavours to test, and random ideas to turn into desserts. Some work brilliantly, some don’t, but that’s all part of the fun.

Thank you to everyone who supports my little business, whether that’s buying a treat, grabbing a coffee from one of the cafes I supply, commenting on a post, or simply following along with the organised chaos. ❤️

Whatever you’re up to this long weekend, I hope it’s filled with good food, good people, and a chance to slow down for a little while.
Stay safe, stay warm, and enjoy the extra day.

Renee 💜

03/06/2026

The internet seems to have discovered dot cakes and they’re suddenly everywhere. 😂

Meanwhile I’m over here going...

“Ummm... that’s just fairy bread?”

I’ve been making fairy bread-inspired treats for years. Loaded cookies, Fairy Bread Hedgehog, Fairy Bread Yo-Yos and probably a few other sprinkle-covered creations I’ve forgotten about.

The funniest part is that when you explain fairy bread to people from overseas, they look at you like you’ve completely lost the plot.

“So it’s white bread, butter and 100s & 1000s?”

Yes.

“That’s it?”

Also yes. 😂

The thing I love most is how something so simple can bring back so many memories.

Birthday parties.
School celebrations.
Sticky fingers.
The excitement of seeing a plate of fairy bread appear.

Maybe that’s why I’ve always loved turning nostalgic treats into desserts.

Also, I literally had fairy bread as my birthday cake last year, so I think fairy bread might actually be a personality trait now. 😂💜

But it’s got me thinking...

What else could I turn into fairy bread? 🤔🌈

Because I think The Dessert Nerd may have found another rabbit hole. 🤣💜

💜

03/06/2026

Dessert jaffles were officially on the menu tonight! 💜

And yes, I know it’s late.

But between work, kids, deliveries and my second job as a taxi driver for teenagers, dinner sometimes happens whenever we can all stop moving for five minutes. 🤣

Tonight’s taste-testing lineup was:

🍫 S’mores Jaffle — Nutella and marshmallows

🍌 Banoffee Jaffle — caramel, banana and chocolate

🍎 Apple Pie Jaffle — tinned apple pie filling with a sprinkle of cinnamon added by me, tucked inside fruit toast (or raisin bread, depending on what you call it 😂)

Now for the important part...

The surprise winner was the Banoffee Jaffle! 🏆

Even the child who normally refuses to eat banana went back for more, which I was definitely not expecting. 🤯😂

The best thing about jaffles is they don’t need to be fancy. Sometimes the simplest things end up being the most fun.

Now I need to know...

What dessert would you turn into a jaffle? 🤔

Because I think The Dessert Nerd has just gone down a rabbit hole. 🤣💜

P.S. I bought the jaffle maker for baked beans and cheese. Somehow we’ve ended up making dessert jaffles instead. That feels very on-brand for me. 🤣💜

02/06/2026

Some days are for reliving childhood memories... and maybe introducing the kids to them too. 😂💜

I’ve been craving good old-fashioned jaffles for weeks, but I didn’t have a jaffle maker. Then today I spotted one and thought, why not?

Last week I was talking to a friend about jaffles and she said, “Do you remember the blue tins?” Umm... yes! 😂
So naturally I had to track some down.

Now, I’ll be honest, the kids won’t touch baked beans and canned spaghetti is a hard no in this house. To me it’s just soggy bread in tomato sauce. Sorry, not sorry. 🤣

And before anyone asks, yes, I absolutely remember Agro. The kids, however, have no idea who he is, which makes me feel approximately 147 years old. 😳😂

So now I need your help...
What’s your favourite jaffle filling?
Are you Team Baked Beans?
Team Spaghetti?
Cheese and ham?
Leftover roast dinner?

Or should I go full Dessert Nerd and start experimenting with dessert jaffles? 🤔
Because honestly, a warm apple pie jaffle or a peanut butter and chocolate one sounds pretty amazing right now. 🙃

Tell me your favourite in the comments. I feel like there are some forgotten gems out there waiting to make a comeback. 💜

01/06/2026

Today was a full day! 💜

After a morning of deliveries, I headed out to Empire South for another cooking class.

This time we made a classic Jelly Slice — one of those old-school favourites that never seems to go out of style. There was plenty of stirring, mixing and a few sticky fingers along the way, but that’s all part of the fun. 😊

Of course, I couldn’t help myself and added a pinch of salt and a little vanilla to the filling because that’s just what I do. 😂

What I love about recipes like this is that they’re simple enough to recreate at home. Once you’ve got the basic method, you can easily change things up by using different biscuits for the base or experimenting with different jelly flavours.

It’s also a great recipe for the café because it keeps well in the refrigerated display and is always a crowd favourite.

One of the best parts of these classes is seeing them realise that baking doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes all it takes is a simple recipe, a bit of confidence and a willingness to give it a go.

A big thank you to everyone who joined in today. You all did an amazing job! 💜

24/05/2026

This photo was supposed to go up on Friday 💜

A GF Vegan Brownie headed out to Pogo Espresso and honestly… she is rich, fudgy, gooey and definitely giving “death by chocolate” vibes 🤤

But instead of posting this Friday morning, I woke up with a migraine.

At first I thought I was okay to do school drop off and deliveries, but halfway through I realised I really wasn’t well and honestly shouldn’t have been driving after I had to pull over.

Today is the first day I’ve been able to get out of bed and actually keep some food down, which unfortunately means deliveries won’t be happening tomorrow because I just don’t have the energy to cook yet.

One thing I’ve learnt running a business is that sometimes you have to listen to your body, even when your brain is yelling at you to “just push through.”

So if you’re dairy free, gluten free, vegan or any combo of the above… hopefully Pogo Espresso still has some left for you 💜

21/05/2026

Omg 😭💜

I had a message from someone today saying “thank you for keeping your posts real.”
That’s the third message like that I’ve had this week.

Here’s the thing… depending on who you talk to, they’ll all have different opinions about how I run my socials because yes, The Dessert Nerd is a business… but she is also an extension of me.

And I would be lying to you all if I pretended life was all rainbows and sprinkles, because honestly? Life is far from it sometimes… and business is exactly the same.

I keep things real because I never want people to feel alone in whatever they’re going through. We all have some sort of s #!t happening in the background. Yes, even me. Usually while also having something beautiful happening at the same time.

I’m not perfect. I make mistakes in both life and business.
My kids are good kids, but no, they are not perfect little angels 😂
No drinking, no drugs… but they can absolutely still be little a-holes sometimes lol.

And my husband? He is amazing and puts up with my antics… but he can also drive me up the wall 🤣

I swear too much sometimes, I’m messy, emotional, forgetful and according to society’s ridiculous standards probably “too fat” too 🤷‍♀️😂

But I’m done pretending real women have to look, act or live perfectly all the time.

I’m not here to be some sort of influencer pretending life is perfect or telling you to buy something so you can magically feel happier, prettier or more successful.

I’m just a woman, mum and small business owner trying to build something meaningful while living a very real life behind the scenes.

So if my posts ever make you feel a little less alone in this crazy world… then honestly, that means more to me than perfectly curated socials ever could 💜

Anyway… back to your regularly scheduled programming 😂
The next post will probably be desserts and cafe restocks for the weekend because apparently the organised chaos never stops around here 🤣💜

21/05/2026

Look what I found at the supermarket 😂

Now before anyone asks… no this is not becoming a slice. This one was actually purchased for me 🤣

If you know me well, you know I’m not actually a massive chocolate eater. I usually only want a couple of bites of dessert before I’m done. (Chips and dip though? Different story entirely 😂)

But when I saw peanut butter and jelly in chocolate form I was immediately like… yep, absolutely need to try this. Because I am definitely the type of person who eats peanut butter straight from the jar with a spoon 🫣

The funny thing about working with desserts all day is people assume you must constantly eat sweets, but honestly most days I either forget to eat thanks to ADHD or I’m around food so much that I’m not even hungry anymore.

I will admit though… when life gets stressful and things feel a bit heavy, this mumma bear definitely leans towards comfort foods.

Sometimes it’s not even about being hungry, it’s about finding small moments of comfort where you can 💜

Now tell me… what’s your comfort food? 👀

The Dessert Nerd

08/06/2026

05/06/2026

03/06/2026

03/06/2026

02/06/2026

01/06/2026

24/05/2026

21/05/2026

21/05/2026

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