Celebrating my 51st birthday this year, with a cake that supports the message of Constitutional changes to recognise the first Australians…
This design choice gave me the opportunity to experiment with a gravity defying structure and improve on facial modelling skills. The topper is made of edible gumpaste, over a threaded rod and wire structure. The wispy trail to the right also used wafer paper and gumpaste laminated layers, to provide stability given the extremely high level of humidity at the time of creation.

The bottom tier made use of traditional “dot painting” method with the navy dots surrounding the river.
The painted surfaces combine airbrush, handpainting and piped dots as well.
The cake is alternate layers of red and yellow velvet cake. Each layer separated by hazelnut meringue, dark chocolate ganache and vanilla bean buttercream.
Top tier, red velvet cake with layers of vanilla bean buttercream.

Artistic representation…
Top tier represents the exposed rocky outcrops of the Nandewar Ranges. Use of dramatic colour and black lines influenced by Australian artist Ainslie Roberts.
Bottom tier represents the area I was born and raised. A forked river with the mountain range to the east and the plains to the west where kangaroo and emu thrive.
The black swan is native species to Australia representing the first Australians.
The white swan is an introduced species representing the new settlers.
Wattle is one of my favourite Aussie blooms.
Topper… inspired by the book “Blood on the Wattle” by Bruce Elder. Particularly the chapter dedicated to the Mayall Creek massacre, which included torture on men, women and infants.
Backdrop… the moon used to provide contrast with the dark tones of the aboriginal spirit. Loosely inspired by convict artist Joseph Lysett, whose night time artworks depicting aboriginal life at the time of settlement, feature the bright light of the moon.

SPECIAL THANK YOU to the aboriginal people that I had the honour to work with during my place of employment last year. They shall remain nameless for reasons of confidentiality. I shall treasure forever, the shared yarns, those that shared their artwork with me….the traditional cultural pieces and how they were made. Most of all I value the greater sense of pride you have given me, in my heritage… and the “feeling of belonging”.

Colours used are Progel: cream, yellow, caramel, terracotta, chestnut, claret, burgundy, red, brown, black navy and green.