Cake News, TV and Events (6 Viewers)

As the summer break has finally come to an end, we have now resumed our BSG meetings. During this month's meeting, we had the privilege of enjoying a delightful fairy model presentation by the exceptionally talented Lisa Courtney-Rigby. Lisa has a diverse range of skills and talents, including contributions to Saracino, her creations for Cake International and her numerous magazine features, which all keep her in high demand. We were lucky enough to see her in action, thanks to Nicola and Judith, and in all fairness, she was amazing! Not only did she walk us through the fairy model step by step; but she also shared hints and tips throughout the process. I found that learning from Lisa has inspired me and given me the tools and...

There was a slight change of plans again for this month's meeting. Rather than the Froggy Teapot presentation originally planned, we were treated to Sandra showcasing her wedding-themed modelling skills but with a bit of a twist. So, instead of demonstrating conventional bride and groom toppers, Sandra opted for a fun and unique idea to top a wedding cake using mouse figurines instead. Sandra's approach to modelling really resonates with me, as it's all about converting shapes into physical attributes. As she progressed with the modelling, she suggested that the figurines could be customised/personalised to resemble people or adapted with our own creative flair. My idea for the bridal design is you could position the arms under...

This month's meeting was initially a demonstration of Royal Icing with Judy Banks; however, unfortunately, the snowy weather prevented that. So instead of no meeting, Judith kindly stepped in and provided a fascinating demo on Jelly painting. Now you may be wondering what exactly jelly painting is. Well, contrary to what the name suggests, it's not the art of dipping your paintbrush in a bowl of jelly and painting with it. No, it is, in fact, a cake-decorating technique where you paint fondant and then give it an added sheen to elevate the design. Now there are a couple of ways to make the 'jelly' or 'paint'. 1. You can either paint the fondant background in an edible coloured paint mixture and then add the sheen over the top. 2...

This month we're back at the BSG meeting, and Feb's is one of my favourites as it's Mini Dems week. This time the lovely Lesley, Marion and Pam offered their teaching skills showing us how to make multiple things with modelling paste, sugarpaste and royal icing. To start us off, Lesley gave us a fabulous demonstration on how to make these dogs, just in time for Valentine's Day. After much discussion between her, Lucy and myself, we decided that the head part could also be used as a seal, a dinosaur but last but not least, the dog! We then moved over to Marion, who then showed us how to make Spirelli Art using Royal Icing and a Sugarpaste Disc cut with a pastry cutter. They were beautiful patterns, and Lucy came up with the great...

Thanks to Nicola and Judith, we're back on with the meetings again this year, and luckily they asked Neil McGrath to start us off with an array of chocolatey treats. This chocolate tulip mousse dessert was just one of the products that Neil showed us how to re-create, and we also got to taste test a few items too. The tulip was made from white and dark chocolate, mousse, a dusting of cocoa powder and a white chocolate transfer disc. Neil demonstrated how to make white chocolate hearts with transfer sheets. This was the finished article and in keeping with a Valentine's day treat. He then made some Florentine chocolate bark with nuts and dried fruits. These were then cut into discs which can be used as gifts, a decorative...

So this was our final meeting of the year, and it didn't disappoint as Judith had our creative juices flowing by teaching us how to do some Iris Folding. Now, if like me, you've never heard of it, let alone done any, it's generally used for cards and crafts. However, for this meeting, we were taught how to re-create the design using modelling paste instead. Judith explained that the reason we used modelling paste was that in order to recreate the technique, the paste needed to be nearly as thin as actual paper. So after a bit of a slow start and working on what colour formation we were working to we finally got cracking. I sat with Nicola, Marion and Frances. We had such fun trying to remember which colour to use and how we were...

Look at this beautiful Geode Cake made by the lovely Saheda Lally. We were lucky enough to meet her at this month's BSG meeting, where she gave us a step-by-step demonstration showing us how to make our own. Saheda ran through a range of techniques advising us how to colour the crystals and then gave us some hints on tips on how to embellish our designs. She also cautioned us on the colour of geodes and advised that pinks and reds may give the wrong impression when placed on a cake. So it's much better to opt for colours such as purple, green or perhaps blue. Needless to say, the effect is beautiful and adds a stunning finish to any cake. As well as making the Geode cake, Saheda also brought a range of other cake decorations she...

I'm pleased to announce that the lovelies from the BSG North are hosting quite a few events over the next year, so I thought I would give you a sneak peek of what's coming up and where the events will be held. If you've ever attended any of the meetings, you'll know that the ladies who run them have a wealth of experience, have a passion for imparting their knowledge and can give you many hints and tips along the way. So if this sounds interesting to you, then be sure to check out the upcoming events. March 2023 Date: Friday 17 March - Sunday 19 March 2023 Event: Northern Skills School Venue: The Crooklands Hotel in Milnthorpe. Description: Ann Parker will be showing/making one of her stunning floral displays and Debbie Cox will...

Step right up, all you cake-and-bake lovers, because yes, you've guessed it, the leading Cake Baking and Decorating show is back. Not only that but this year, they have a brand new Bake International section to go along with it! Whoop, whoop! So if you fancy getting your cake on, then make sure you head to the NEC in Birmingham between 4 - 6 November. To give you a little insight into the event, Cake artists such as Emma Jayne, Karen Portaleo, Javier Azocar and Molly Coppini will be running some of the workshops across the weekend and Bake stars such as Chigs and Freya from GBBO, Jane Dunn from Jane's Patisserie, and Yolanda Gampp from How to Cake will be there too. As you can imagine, the event will be jam-packed with...

We were back at our BSG meeting over the weekend, and this time we made the Dinosaur that Julie Rogerson had taught us how to make at our previous meeting. I had the pleasure of sitting with Frances, Marion and Evelyn, who have a wealth of knowledge between them, and we chatted about things they had created over the past 40/50+ years. Nicola ran the meeting and was great fun showing us step-by-step how to recreate the dinosaur. Luckily I'd already made one for my daughter's birthday cake, so it was a pleasant surprise to discover that this time, we got to make it in green, yellow and purple instead of orange. We had lots of fun creating the dinosaur, and each and every one of them has its own personality. This is the one I made...

So we're now back after the summer break, and what a wonderful way to return to the BSG meetings than with a demo from Julie Rogerson! Julie has been making models for over ten years and has numerous accreditations under her belt. As well as being a fabulous tutor, she has also written her own book too. I was lucky enough to meet her at our last BSG meeting, where she came to give us a demo. These are just a few of the models that she makes, and she has a website online where you can go and learn from her. https://julierogerson.com/ She is a lovely lady who has patience and understanding and is happy to answer any questions you may have. We had so much fun watching her make this cute baby dinosaur and hope she returns again...

Yeah! I'm pleased to announce that GBBO will be back on our screens this evening at 8 pm sharp on Channel 4! (Albeit a few weeks later than usual, but who cares!) Paul, Prue, Matt and Noel are also back by popular demand, along with a host of new contestants. This year we have a bilingual student, a nuclear scientist, a supermarket cashier, a music teacher and an architectural assistant, to name but a few. So grab your brew put your feet up, and let the baking commence! On your marks, get set, bake! 👩‍🍳 Cake News, TV and Events