Blog

Cake Crumbs with Cheryl from Cake Designs By Cheryl Robinson

1. How did your baking journey begin?

I have always been creative and loved making things and baking ended up being another outlet. When I moved to Australia (I'm originally from Belfast in Northern Ireland) I took up baking as a hobby while I settled into life in Brisbane. A close friend pointed out that baking from a box wasn't really classed as baking so I began to experiment with recipes and that transitioned into cake decorating.

2. What has starting your own business meant for you?

I have always wanted to own my own business so this is incredibly exciting (and scary). There are so many amazing cake decorators out there that some days it can be overwhelming but it is all worth it as soon as I see peoples reactions to my cakes.

3. As a cake decorator, what do you feel are the benefits of using edible images?

So many advantages. To begin, they allow me to try new designs and if I don't like it, I can try again and not ruin the cake. When I started out I tried so many techniques that I didn't like and the cakes would be thrown in the trash. At that point, it can seriously affect your confidence as a newbie to the cake decorating world but the edible images allow you to find your own unique style.

It also saves me a lot of time! As a cake decorator your time is precious and you want to be efficient as you can. To be able to create stunning cakes in a fraction of the time is priceless.

4. What’s your favourite type of design to create?

Leaf patterns and tropical themes, I think I'm a little obsessed! Oh and unicorn patterns - but everyone is obsessed with unicorns...right?

5. What is the current trend you’re seeing in edible images?

Tropical leaf patterns and floral prints, but I just can't get enough of them so maybe I am biased. I'm also seeing a lot of edible images being used for popular children's themes like paw patrol.

6. What is the funniest/most unusual image you’ve been asked to create?

It was suggested for a 40th birthday that I print out a collage of all the most embarrassing photos a woman could find of her husband - we decided a personalised whiskey barrel cake was the safer option.

7. Do you have any tips you can share when either printing or applying edible images?

When applying the image, conditions of the room are very important as moisture can cause the images to ripple and look wet so make sure your room is kept cool and not humid. Leave them to dry for a short time once printed and avoid putting the finished cake in the fridge as the condensation will make the image run

8. What is your career highlight to date?

I have to say every time I see someone’s reaction to one of my creations is a highlight. There is something so satisfying about the look of surprise on a person’s face and knowing that you helped create that!

I made a Thomas the Tank engine cake for a 2 year old and the mum told me later that her son loved it so much that he wanted to use his toys on the cake. She said the smile on his face was priceless and I loved being a part of that.