This cake is the reason I started cake decorating.

My best friend knew I enjoyed baking cakes, and asked me to make a cake for her beautiful boy’s Christening.

My mum had done several hobby cake decorating courses about 15 years ago, and had taught me bits and bobs then, but I felt a refresher was needed, so I enrolled on a free 4 week introduction to decorating course at my local college. The course covered basic royal icing, embossing, and covering a cake with fondant.

I had to decorate a cake in the final week, and took it into work the next day rather than my hubby and I piling on the pounds!

I got 3 orders that day from colleagues, all for single tier birthday cakes. This allowed me to practise a bit more before attempting the Christening Cake.

12 months on, and several cakes later, I am now contemplating moving from ‘hobby baker’ status, making cakes for family and friends and not making any money, to actually starting a small business.

I still have a long way to go, and a lot to learn and improve on, but am enjoying every cake as it comes.