Spectacular cakes

We set some of the county’s most talented confectioners the challenge to design cakes based on this spring and summer’s hot trends: mint green, birds, vintage, lace and hand painted.

Here are the stunning results...

Amelie’s Kitchen

Helen embraced the challenge and has created a simply stunning mint green cake decorated elaborately with handmade flowers, white and gold lace work and a pair of lovely birds on top.

Helen started baking and decorating cakes and other treats in 2011, naming the business after her daughter. She uses fresh, free-range eggs, Madagascan vanilla extract, dark Belgian chocolate and even apples from her own tree to cook up a storm.

Cake options include lemon sponge with lemon buttercream and homemade lemon curd, orange sponge with orange buttercream and marmalade, coffee sponge with coffee buttercream and Marsala syrup and rich chocolate mud cake with Belgian chocolate ganache.

www.amelies-kitchen.co.uk

Cakewizz

Janine has made two fabulous cakes. One fits the vintage and lace briefs, beings layered over with delicate lace detailing and adorned with pearls and subtle pink petals, while the other is a girly, feminine take on the green trend, making use of ruffles – all topped off with a vintage-style bow.

Janine has a flair for stroking, modern cakes infused with colour but is also able to achieve that softer, elegant look making her a very versatile baker.

Flavours include vanilla, chocolate, chocolate brownie, carrot, zingy lemon and rich fruit cake.

www.cakewizz.co.uk

Cakeflair

Sally has designed three very different cakes. One is a clean and simple lace cake adorned with blush sugarpaste English roses, the second takes on the vintage look with more lace, detailed butterflies and cream roses and the third is a gorgeous hand-painted cake strewn with multicoloured butterflies and handmade gerberas.

Sally has been making wedding and celebration cakes for years and is a trusted and respected wedding supplier in the local industry. From her Capel St Mary studio she makes her cakes using the finest ingredients for the best flavour – farm fresh eggs, butter, Belgian chocolate and Napolean brandy, which is used to enhance the fruit cakes which are matured for six to eight weeks.

www.cakeflair.co.uk

The Decorated Cake Co

Liz decided to show-off her painting skills with two very different designs. One is a duck egg blue creation swirled with colour and finished with cute little birds – great fun.

The other is a decidedly different spring-themed monochrome geometric cake.

Liz makes divine bespoke cakes and enjoys using hand painting to adorn and decorate simple designs. As well as tiered cakes she makes on-trend individual cakes and canapé sized cakes such as tiny pieces of chocolate cake topped with chocolate fudge and marzipan roses or tiny black forest gateaux.

And she makes favours too, from stacks of gingerbread to iced biscuits.

www.thedecoratedcakeco.com