Hello,

First of all, thank you very much for your interest in my blog. I hope you enjoy it, and please don't hesitate to contact me should you have any query concerning my cakes...

Something about me...

I never thought I would become a cake baker and decorator although I have a passion for design and cooking. My first university degree was in law, but before long I completed a second degree in fashion design, where I could create and work with colours, hand crafts and lots of pretty things!!

After meeting and becoming friends with a special person and a wonderful cake designer from Brazil, Beth Gomes, I became inspired. Beth encouraged me and gave me first tips on how to work with sugar paste.

I completed further cake design courses in Brazil and in the UK with Debbie Brown. I continued practising sugar craft, attended conferences and studied the work of various professionals from Europe and America.

Today, I hope you enjoy the cakes I create as much as I enjoy making them!


Samples (click for more)

Portions Guide

Numbers of portions should be used as a guide only, as what some consider a good-sized portion of cake others consider either too large or too small.

Round Cakes:

Size / Portions
8"(20cm) 18-23
9"(23cm) 25-30
10"(25cm) 35-40
12"(30cm) 45-55

Square Cakes:

Size / Portions
8"(20cm) 25-30
9"(23cm) 32-38
10"(25cm) 40-45
12"(30cm) 50-60

Member of the British Sugarcraft Guild

Member of the British Sugarcraft Guild

Food Hygiene and Safety Certificate (no:12055)

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Clients space

I decided to publish some feedback that my sweet clients sent to me...thank so much for those kind and special words!!
Hi Layla, I really wanted to write, though, to say how absolutely thrilled I was by your cake. It's a real work of art, and the way you managed to get such an amazing likeness of our boat was just incredible.
It really did feel like a crime slicing into such a pretty thing. If I had had my way I would have sprayed it with varnish and preserved it for all eternity!
With many thanks once again ,
JB.
Hi Layla,
We had a lovely party, Hannah was thrilled with the cake.
All the guests thought the cake was delicious. Roger and I without doubt thought it was the best we had ever tasted.
Thank you for creating such a special cake.
Kind Regards
J T


Hello Layla,

We are safely back in Seattle now and had a perfect wedding. THe cake was perfect also, just what we wanted and delicious. It is amazing to me how we managed to communicate across the miles of ocean. You are a star, thank you so very very much. I hope to meet you, maybe next time we are home. Auntie Jen says you live just around the corner.

Thank you again.

Sarah & Dan

Dear Layla
I still can't get over my cake. Thank you a million times over. I am completely overwhelmed by the cake, your talent and the enormous effort you made. The whole world should know about your cakes and I am going to start telling them !

N
xxx
Hi Layla, I have attached a picture of us cutting the wedding cake. It looked absolutely beautiful and everyone commented on it. Thank you so much for all your hard work and effort. It tasted lovely too.
J&L


_

Hi Layla
Hope you are ok?
Here is my feedback...it was lovely, really nice ...
Steve son was so happy, he did like the idea of the candles, that did not melt in the cake.. so much that he ate some of it!
Steve also like it! He told me that the icing was perfect and the flavour of the cake also was so good.
He brought some of the cake after the party, unlucky me was not half!
Really nice, you are so good!
Will be in touch with you!
Believe me......
U.

Delicious recipe from Lenotre School

Meringues "Chocolat et Noisettes"

Ingredients:
-100g of white egg
-100g granulated sugar
-100g icing sugar
-50g chopped toasted hazelnuts
-20g cocoa

How to prepare:
Beat the white eggs with the granulated sugar (add one spoon at a time) until stiff peaks
Mix the icing sugar with the cocoa, add to the white egg mixture and the hazelnuts.
Using a tablespoon, spoon meringue onto 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 100 C for 1h-1h15 minutes or until meringues are firm.


21 March 2012

Royal Wedding Fruit Cake Recipe (Fiona Cairns)

Ingredients for the Fruit Cake:
1 1/2 cups candied cherries
2 cups golden raisins
2 cups dark raisins, preferably Thompson
1 1/4 cups mixed candied citrus peel
2/3 cup chopped crystallized ginger
1/2 cup dried currants
3 tablespoons molasses
3 tablespoons bitter orange marmalade
1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
finely grated zest of 1 organic orange
finely grated zest of 1 organic lemon
1 heaped tablespoon apple pie spice
6 tablespoons brandy, plus 3 tablespoons to feed the cake
1 cup walnuts
1/3 cup blanched almonds
1 1/4 cups self-rising flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups almond flour
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
Preparing the Fruit Cake Batter:
The day before, rinse the cherries, then dry them well with paper towels and cut each in half. Place the golden and dark raisins, mixed peel, ginger, currants, cherries, molasses, marmalade, tamarind paste, zests and spice into a large bowl. Pour in 6 tablespoons of brandy, stir well, cover with plastic wrap and let stand overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. Wrap the outside of the pan with brown paper and tie with string, to protect the cake from scorching in the oven.

Spread the nuts on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes in the oven, shaking once. Cool slightly, chop coarsely and set aside.

Combining the Fruit Cake Ingredients:
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. In an electric mixer on high speed, beat the butter and sugar for at least 5 minutes until it turns pale and fluffy. Add the ground almonds, then very gradually the eggs, mixing well between each addition. Fold in the flour with a large metal spoon and then the soaked fruits (and any liquid) and nuts.

Spread the batter into the pan. Bake on an oven rack in the lower third of the oven for about 2 1/2-3 hours. If a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, it is ready. If it browns too much before it is fully cooked, make a circle of foil a bit larger than the cake, pierce a hole in the center and open it up, then place it over the pan.

Let cool in the pan. Pierce all over with a wooden toothpick and evenly sprinkle over the remaining 3 tablespoons brandy. Remove from the pan and discard the paper. Wrap in fresh parchment paper, then aluminum foil, and let stand for a week or up to three months. Unwrap and sprinkle with with 1 tablespoon more brandy every other week, if you like, for extra succulence and booziness!

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