Today was the start of the London Cake and Bake show. I have had my ticket booked for weeks, so I was so excited to make my way to the ExCeL Centre. It seemed fitting that the train passed the Tate and Lyle sugar factory with its giant tin of golden syrup attached to the side. So, with sugar on the brain I thought I would share with you my thoughts on the show and the best bits that caught my eye.
On entering the cake show I do my normal quick scan of the layout to determine the best way to tackle the stands so I don’t miss anything. I am one of these people that starts at the side and walks up one side and down the next making sure I take in all the cake related goodies that are on offer. I have to admit I am a stickler for never deviating from the rows, however inviting the other stands look. Now I have to admit I do love to eat a piece of cake but I did feel that there were maybe too many stands actually selling baked goods, as they seemed to take up the first few rows, so it did feel like just a giant food court. Once through the beautiful smelling food, there were also the beautifully designed demonstration areas which are hosting talks from cake decorators and bakers over the next few days, and the rest of the exhibition was an abundance of cake shops and marketplaces which had such a variety of everything you need if you want to make cakes.
So what were my favourite things? Firstly the Smeg display. Wow, how I fell in love with their electric mixers (The model number is SMF01 for those of you who love them as much as I did). Their stand was a mix of pastel kitchen appliances, but my focus was definitely on the mixers. Now I do love my Kenwood mixer but these were so pretty and retro at the same time and the green one would just look perfect in my kitchen.
Ok, so secondly as I walked down one of the rows my eyes landed on sprinkle heaven. Never before have I seen so many sprinkles and I literally wanted them all. Think unicorn meets mermaids with so many pearl colours it was just so hard to choose, each bag or pot of sprinkletti or scrumptious sprinkles was gorgeous, so I have to admit I walked away with quite a large bag of different colours and shapes. Now I just need to come up with a plan to use them.
Images from the Doric Cake Craft Stand
These were the sprinkles I purchased they are just so pretty
Another great thing that I came across was the Cake Bag. This is a subscription service where you get a new themed bag every month. Now I have seen so many makeup related subscription services, but what a great idea to make a cake themed one. It’s like cake treats to your door every month, and I actually really like the idea of not knowing what you’re going to get. It’s a great excuse to test out new products you may not have seen and try some different decorating techniques.
A few hours later and carrying my bags of cake bits that I just couldn’t resist, I have to admit I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t more cakes on display to be inspired by. I love to see cakes that have been made by other cake artists and although there were 2 small sections, there just didn’t seem enough. The first section had a British theme and seemed to include varying levels of ability.
Plant pot cakes by Kara Morrison | Royal Cupcakes by Salma Khodabux
The second was a small section of maybe 15 cakes which showcased the work of amazing cake artists. These cakes were so inspiring with such intricate details. Take a look at these amazing figures by Barbara Luraschi from Sweet Janis who is doing modelling classes over the weekend. I think these were definitely my favourite. But the array of cakes on display did leave me feeling like I wanted to see more.
Figures created by Barbara Luraschi of Sweet Janis
All in all it was a nice afternoon walking around amongst like-minded cake enthusiasts and seeing what new products the cake world has to offer. If you’re in the London area this weekend it’s definitely worth checking out and watching a few demonstrations.
