BE INSPIRED

Crafting with Sugar

Belle gets the inside scoop from Katrina at Katrina's Bespoke Cakes on why couples are opting for her mouth-watering designs.
REAL WEDDINGS

BE INSPIRED

Crafting with Sugar

Belle gets the inside scoop from Katrina at Katrina's Bespoke Cakes on why couples are opting for her mouth-watering designs.
DATE 17 October 2024
  |  
AUTHOR Karen Bell

Artistic designs and flavour development are at the heart of this Yorkshire bakers designs. Belle gets the inside scoop on why couples are opting for her mouth-watering designs with Katrina from Katrina's Bespoke Cakes.

 

 SUGAR CRAFT OR BUTTERCREAM ARTISTRY?

Sugar craft artistry all the way! I love the versatility that fondant iced cakes allow and the design aspects that can be added. My design aesthetic is a tall, clean and, sharp-edged finished cake adorned with an abundance of sugar flowers. All of which lends better to sugar craft over buttercream.

Charlotte Elizabeth Photography

CHOCOLATE OR LEMON?

Definitely chocolate. During flavour development for my menu, I think I spent the longest perfecting my chocolate cake. I wanted a cake that was moist, rich, but not too rich, sweet, but not too sweet, and had all the chocolatey goodness you want in chocolate cake without being too sickly. It’s a hard balance to achieve but I got there.

SUMMER OR AUTUMN THEMED CAKES?

Although I love autumn and its beautiful colours, I would have to go with summer-themed cakes. The summer colour palette and its gorgeous flowers are the most inspiring for me.

TELL US HOW YOU EVOLVED INTO WEDDING CAKE BAKING?


After a few years of creating occasion and celebration cakes, a friend asked me to make her wedding cake. I was hooked! I knew that I wanted to make wedding cakes all the time, and no other cake would give me the same enjoyment and inspiration. Over the next couple of years, I decided to transition into wedding cakes. Perfecting my skills in creating tiered cakes and sugar flower work, a part I loved but didn’t get to create for celebration cakes. Now, I can’t imagine making anything else. I adore my job and hope that’s reflected in the work and experience I create for my couples.

A BIG TREND FILTERING THROUGH YOUR BOOKINGS THIS YEAR?


Bows and appliqués are huge right now. I think wedding dresses are providing a massive amount of inspiration to all aspects of a wedding this year. There are lots of large bows and also, lots of stencilling and appliqués wafer paper. Another trend, which I love, is the flower meadow. This is a beautiful way of making a statement centrepiece of your cake. Often the cake table is neglected so this trend is amazing!

Fat Cats Photography

WHAT IS YOUR ‘BUCKET LIST’ BAKE?


If you had asked me a few years ago, the cakes I get to design and create now would have been the bucket list bakes. If I were to dream, it would be a five-tier white cake covered in sugar flowers from top to bottom. Taking centre stage in a beautiful castle, surrounded by a flower meadow. The couple would have given me free rein to design the perfect cake for their day and promised to never cut it, so it could stay looking beautiful forever, or at least told me that so I could live in blissful denial!

HOW FAR IN ADVANCE DOES A BOOKING NEED TO BE MADE?


When booking any part of your wedding, earlier is always better to make certain your dream suppliers are available. That being the case, most couples are selecting me to create their show-stopping wedding cake 18 months to 2 years in advance. The main advice I can give to any engaged couple is to do your research early, book a call or sample their work if possible. Once you know they are right for you and your big day, secure them as soon as you can.

Fat Cats Photography

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR PLANNING PROCESS WITH COUPLES?


Working with a wedding cake supplier should be an enjoyable, stress-free journey for couples. It is cake after all!

When couples choose me to design their cake, they can expect to be well taken care of, from the design to the delivery of their cake on their big day. We begin with a consultation to discuss their wedding day and cake dreams, creating a mood board that includes cake designs they like, aspects of other cakes they would like to explore and all the details of their wedding as they book them. Around six months before their day, we begin designing the cake. We discuss all the inspirational photographs they have added to the board and create a list of must-haves for their cake. From there, I will design around three to five wedding cakes for the couple to choose from, with alterations made until they are content we have designed their dream cake. During this time, the couple will also receive a cake tasting experience through the post to select their wedding cake flavours.

AS A CAKE CONNOISSEUR, WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE FLAVOUR?


This is a hard one! I spend so much time perfecting my recipes that they are all my favourites. However, if I were to pick one, I would go with pistachio. It’s a pistachio sponge, infused with almond and vanilla syrup. It’s then layered with our signature Italian meringue buttercream, flavoured with pistachio praline, and filled with pistachio butter. I love it!

Fat Cats Photography

 

CONTACT KATRINA TO DISCUSS YOUR WEDDING IDEAS

www.katrinasbespokecakes.com

@katrinasbespokecakes