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Internet idea takes the cake

Less than three years ago, Ann Reardon was typing out recipes with one hand as she fed her baby son in the middle of the night.

Keeping a blog was the dietician and avid baker's method for staying awake and it has since blossomed into a successful business which has millions of fans all over the world.

After starting the blog, Mrs Reardon was inspired to create a YouTube channel, detailing how to make her elaborate and decadent desserts.

Her "How to Cook That" page averages 3.7 million views a month and is Australia's most popular - and the world's third most popular - baking channel.

The former Perth woman, who moved to Sydney with her husband and three children five years ago, has signed with a network which sells advertisements on her YouTube page. She said her quirky offerings, which range from a now famous "Instagram cake" to a giant Snickers cake, were what set her apart from the hundreds of other bakers trying to make a living from YouTube.

"You have to do something unique, that hasn't been done. People ask what book I get my ideas from, but I just make them up," she said.

Mrs Reardon has started taking requests from fans and her most recent creation was a Vincent van Gogh-inspired Starry, Starry Night cake featuring chocolate paint.

She films from home, initially using her iPhone, but upgraded her camera equipment after signing a deal with an American network that sells advertising on her channel.

Mrs Reardon, who has also created an app, said she hoped to hit half a million subscribers in the next couple of weeks.

"It has become way bigger than we thought it would," she said. "It's been an amazing journey."