My neighbour had arranged a summer party in his garden at the weekend, so I made him a batch of vanilla and salted caramel cupcakes to add to the refreshment table. The vanilla cupcakes were filled with raspberry conserve, topped with vanilla buttercream and a sugarpaste topper. The salted caramel cupcakes were filled with salted caramel sauce, topped with salted caramel buttercream and decorated with honeycome nibs, fudge chunks, chocolate curls, chocolate vermicelli and b

During record temperatures I was back baking in the kitchen to fulfil an order from one of my regular customers for some birthday cupcakes for his daughter. I made a selection of vanilla and salted caramel cupcakes and decorated them with sugarpaste toppers and sprinkles. Really pleased with the finished result and so was he.

It wouldn't be my birthday without a decorated cupcake or a cake, so I used a few plain cupcakes that I had frozen earlier as the base for a small batch of pretty little cakes to celebrate my birthday. In particular I used a new mould that I bought recently with a sequin finish - just add some glitter dust to the mould before adding the sugarpaste and when it is turned out you have a lovely sequin effect. Perfect. I can see this will be a popular addition to my collection

Another Flower Show and I decided to enter a mix of items. I entered 2 baking classes - 3 decorated cupcakes and 3 French Madeleines and on the horticultural side - a potted orchid, a potted flowering plant and a flowering shrub. I had a good result with my baking being awarded a 1st and a blue ribbon for the cupcakes, a 1st and a certificate of merit for the madeleines a 2nd for my orchid and 2 x 3rd for the other items.

I made a colourful selection of Father's Day cupcakes to deliver to The Coffee House. I made a batch of vanilla cupcakes and a batch of chocolate cupcakes which were decorated with sugarpaste toppers, sprinkles and a few chocolates as well. The cupcakes looked good enough to eat! Let's hope that they sell well for my customer.

With the first England game of the World Cup scheduled for 17th June, we decided to have some themed World cup cupcakes to sell at The Coffee House. I made vanilla cupcakes, filled with raspberry jam and topped with vanilla buttercream and a selection of sugar paste toppers to celebrate England with a red and white theme. I also made the golden boot, a gold trophy, a football and I bought some wafer paper toppers printed with colourful World cup themed images. I added a sp

We held our Annual fundraiser coffee morning on 11th June for the Alzheimer's Society. We had given the Hall at St Peter's church it's blue hue ready for the event and despite a very wet morning we welcomed lots of people to join us. It was a very successful morning and we have so far raised £680 for the charity. I had the usual cake stall and made a selection of cakes - Coffee cake decorated for The Alzheimer's Society, a Courgette cake, a GF Polenta and Almond lemon drizz

I hadn't baked for Surrey Police for a while so I made them an orange sponge which I topped with some lemon buttercream, I portioned the cake into 16 squares and topped each square with a sugar paste sunflower, rose or bee and then added some lemon sugar sprinkles. The cake disappeared in double quick time when it reached the office.

I entered a mixed exhibit under the title 'Chelsea Flower Show' at the Show on Saturday. I made a knitted bear dressed as a Chelsea Pensioner for my craft item, I made a selection of decorated vanilla cupcakes for the baking element (I included sugar paste gnomes as Chelsea allowed them to return to the Show in 2026) and finally I included a mug of roses for the flower category. I was really pleased to receive a 1st place and a blue ribbon for an Exceptional Exhibit. I spe

The Annual campaign by Innocent Smoothies, in partnership with Age to Concern, to knit woolly hats to sell on their Smoothy bottles is due to be launched on 22nd May, my Knit and Natter group had our own launch party on 19th May in Banstead Library where we meet on a Tuesday afternoon. I made a vanilla traybake cake decorated with fondant icing wooly hats and sprinkles to share with my fellow knitters. I have made a few hats using a Zandra Rhodes designed double knitting woo

I had an order for another 60th birthday traybake cake. I made my go to Mary Berry vanilla traybake cake which I glazed with raspberry jam, topped with a sheet of fondant icing and then decorated with sugarpaste Mickey and Minnie mouse cut outs along with blue stars and a Happy Birthday message. I also added sugarpaste white gloves and Minnie's red spotty bow to give the cake a little more interest and colour. The cake was edged with vanilla buttercream rosettes topped wit

I was asked to make a number of items to add to the 60th birthday celebrations of my customer. The cake - decorations to include local lavender fields, sunflowers, Carshalton ponds and a frog. Colour pallet lavender and green. Flavours vanilla and chocolate. So with all the above in mind I used embossers, cutters and moulds from my LissieLou and Katysue stash to make the decorations for the cake, toppers for the cupcakes and the sugar cookies. The sugar cookies were in

I was asked to make a small box of St George's day themed cupcakes to be used as a prize for my local Archery Group. I baked the basic vanilla cupcake, added raspberry jam to the centre, piped a swirl of vanilla buttercream on the top and then finished the cupcakes with sugar paste toppers - flags, red roses and some rice wafer printed toppers as well. I displayed the cupcakes in red and white paper tulip cases - they looked super.

We had a catch-up with some friends over Easter so I made a lemon sponge for tea. I made 3 lemon Victoria sponge cakes (Delia Smith recipe), I layered the cakes with lemon curd and then topped them with lemon buttercream, a sugar paste Happy Easter plaque made using a LissieLou embosser, sugar paste bunnies, Dr Oetker Easter sprinkles and some mini chocolate eggs finished the decoration. I displayed the cake on a plate along with chocolate rabbits and lambs. The cake was e

So I decided to make another Simnel Loaf cake today for Easter tea. I used the Woman's Weekly recipe as I was really pleased with the result when I used it before. Once baked and cooled and after covering the top with a layer marzipan I decorated the loaf with some mini Easter sugar paste decorations and painted Happy Easter onto the Loaf using a LissieLou stamp. I also used a FMM grass embosser which I painted with a metallic green edible ink pen to give some definition.

It wouldn't be Easter without a simple cornflake nest, chick and some sugar eggs and here's another little treat that I saw demonstrated online - a chocolate teacake rabbit. Luckily I had the Karen Davies knitted fabric mould in my stash of cake decorating tools. So a tunnocks tea cake is covered with some chocolate buttercream, then you use sugar paste and roll onto the mould to make an oblong piece of icing 'fabric', drape over the teacake and mould to the teacake and cut

I had some cupcakes left over from my bake for The Coffee House so we have dropped them into a lovely team of people at the The Open Door Cafe, Banstead - I hope that they enjoy them and have a Happy Easter.

We have delivered Easter cupcakes to The Coffee House this morning, one batch of lemon cupcakes (lemon sponge with lemon curd centre, lemon buttercream top and various Easter themed sugar paste plaques. I made the decorations using a set of Easter embossers from ComboCutters) and one batch of chocolate (chocolate sponge filled with chocolate spread, chocolate buttercream top which I decorated with cornflake nests mini eggs and chicks plus a couple of Happy Easter plaques).

I used Mary Berry's double lemon traybake cake recipe to make a cake for Ray to take into Surrey Police where he volunteers. I topped the cake with a lemon buttercream and decorated the cake with a sugarpaste flower jug and daffodils which I had painted with coloured dust and rejuvenator spirit I also added a 'Happy Easter' message, blue sparkly sugar and mini blue eggs. The cake looked beautiful and I understand that it disappeared in double-quick time.

I entered a couple of items at the Spring Flower show on Saturday, a seasonal picture (photograph), a homemade Easter card and a Chocolate sponge cake along with my knitted blanket. I was lucky to get a 1st for the blanket, 2nd for the photograph and 2 x 3rd for my Easter card and sponge. I'll have to enter again next year to see if I can get a better result with the sponge. But overall a good result for the first show of the year.